Mr. Shalhoub spars with Sarah Silverman, again

The return of "Monk" is always one of the highlights of summer, and this season's opener, "Mr. Monk's Biggest Fan," is particularly entertaining thanks to a good guest-star turn by Sarah Silverman. She reprises her role as the crazed fan Marci Maven from 2004's "Mr. Monk and the TV Star," only this time around it's Adrian Monk who is the focus of her obsessive fandom. Silverman steals the episode from star Tony Shalhoub (which is hard to do) with a role that pushes her beyond the general Sarah Silverman-ish character that she usually plays. She even gets to show off her guitar strumming skills with a folksy ditty she's penned for her beloved:

There's a man in California/
if you're ever in a funk./
He may not be F. Murray Abraham/
but I think he's a hunk./
And his name is Aaaayaaaadddrreeeeiannnnn

The seg, penned by "Monk" creator-exec producer Andy Breckman and directed by Randy Zisk, is packed with in-jokes for "Monk" freaks and other goofy delights. Bows July 13 on USA Network.