'Monk,' 'Burn Notice' and 'Law & Order' Social Games on the Way?

Your favorite TV shows just might be headed to Facebook.

USA Network, the cable channel known for hit original series like 'Monk' and 'Burn Notice,' has launched the new version of its Character Arcade, a portal for online casual games based on its shows. The site already features Facebook Connect integration, which means that new users can simply register/comment with their existing Facebook logins.

New partnerships with social gaming companies are already underway -- soon players could start to see more integration between the site and social networks in the form of friend leaderboards and achievement-based incentives.

Standout games already live on the site include 'Monk Shuiborhood' -- players must organize and straighten out Monk's house and neighborhood to match the OCD detective's standards -- and 'Psych Office' -- a collection of minigames set in Shawn and Gus' crime fighting headquarters.

With USA Network taking cues from big social game players like Zynga and Big Fish, we wouldn't be surprised to see those TV-show branded games embedded within Facebook in the coming months. Will other TV networks follow suit with their own social games? Only time will tell, but we suspect it'll be hard to resist tapping into the multi-billion dollar online gaming industry.