MILWAUKEE (AP) - Tony Shalhoub isn't sure what draws viewers to his TV series Monk but he thinks it's "the recognition factor - people see themselves, part of themselves." Shalhoub plays obsessive-compulsive private investigator Adrian Monk, thrown into a state of overkeen awareness and dread following his wife's murder and now afraid of heights, milk, darkness and germs. The series was a top cable draw when it debuted on the USA Network in July, where it has continued to perform well. In August, ABC agreed to rerun episodes. And it is carried on CHUM stations in Canada. Shalhoub, 48, who played a cab driver in the '90s TV series Wings and has starred in the Men in Black, Spy Kids and Galaxy Quest films, admits to a few compulsive habits of his own - which involve cleaning and organizing the kitchen and refrigerator. "I am not alone in that," he said from Toronto, where he was filming the ninth of 11 episodes. "A lot of people have certain things, call them whatever you want - habits, idiosyncrasies, superstitions." He will return for a second season of Monk, set to premiere in the summer of 2003, USA Network announced recently. Shalhoub, who agreed to answer some questions, has also appeared on the stage and made his directorial debut last year in the comedy-drama Made-Up. "I find that in this stage in my career a steady diet of any one (medium) isn't the healthiest thing for me. I like to move from one to another," he said. 1. Why is keeping the refrigerator neat and tidy so important? Shalhoub: Doesn't it bother you when you can't find something in the refrigerator because someone put it back in the wrong place? . . . If people would do that it would save a lot of aggravation and time, I am of course half-serious here. 2. Since you seem to spend so much time in the kitchen, do you consider yourself a good cook? Shalhoub: I am not a bad cook. . . . I don't have a specialty, although I am on a lifelong quest to make the perfect pancake. . . . I am constantly searching for the best batter and the best recipe. . . . I am always trying new recipes and always hunting the stores and the shelves in the store to find just that perfect mix of natural ingredients and good flavour. I never make pancakes where you just dump some powder and add water. That doesn't count. 3. Is the role of Adrian Monk harder or easier than you imagined? Shalhoub: It's actually trickier than I thought it was going to be. It's more challenging. ... the character itself, the way the material alternates between the more serious or dramatic and the comedic because it wants to be both at the same time. You don't want the comedy to undercut the more serious aspects of the material and vice versa. You have to find a way for them to coexist. 4. Has your Lebanese background hindered your career? Shalhoub: No, I don't think it has hindered me in any way. Obviously I have played a variety of ethnic roles. I have tried to choose ethnic roles that were not stereotypical. 5. Would you ever give up acting for directing? Shalhoub: I would love to direct again. I don't think I could give up acting, I enjoy it too much. I would have to find a way to keep doing both. I don't necessarily prefer one over the other. . . . The truth is I base my decisions on the jobs that I take on the material rather than the medium.

Scroll down to view production pictures, photos were taken with Nikon D100 digital camera.