Psych

For the social science, see Psychology. For extrasensory perception, see Psychic. For the style of music, see Psychedelic music.

Psych
File:Psych title card.png Title card
Created by	Steve Franks
Starring	James Roday Dulé Hill Timothy Omundson Maggie Lawson Kirsten Nelson Corbin Bernsen
Opening theme	"I Know You Know" by The Friendly Indians
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	63 (list of episodes)
Production
Production locations	White Rock, BC Vancouver, BC
Running time	43 minutes
Original release
Network	USA Network
Release	July 7, 2006 (2006-07-07) – present

Psych is an American criminal comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. The show stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts allow him to convince people that he solves cases with psychic abilities. The program also stars Dulé Hill as Shawn's best friend, straight man, and reluctant partner Burton "Gus" Guster, as well as Corbin Bernsen as Shawn's captious father, Henry.

The series airs in the US on Wednesday nights at 10PM ET/PT on the USA Network. During the second season, an animated segment was added to the series titled "The Big Adventures of Little Shawn and Gus." Psych debuted July 7, 2006, immediately following the fifth season premiere of Monk. The show was the highest-rated U.S. basic cable television premiere of 2006. William Rabkin has written three books that tie in with the show. Psych ended its fourth season on March 10, 2010. Season 5 will premiere in July 2010.

Characters

Main characters

Name	Portrayed by	Occupation/Status
Shawn Spencer	James Roday	Main character who works with the Santa Barbara Police Department (SBPD) as a "psychic detective." Though he portrays himself as a "psychic," it is really his exceptional observational skills and photographic memory that make him such a good detective.
Burton "Gus" Guster	Dulé Hill	Shawn's best friend and business partner; also works in pharmaceuticals. Is occasionally referred to as "Magic Head" by Shawn, stemming from Episode 1.8 "Shawn vs. the Red Phantom." When in this role, Shawn rubs the top of his head as a psychic in the traditional sense would rub a crystal ball.
Carlton "Lassie" Lassiter	Timothy Omundson	Head detective for the SBPD; doubts Shawn's psychic abilities.
Juliet "Jules" O'Hara	Maggie Lawson	Junior detective for the SBPD; Lassiter's partner, constant romantic tension with Shawn.
Karen Vick	Kirsten Nelson	Chief of the SBPD. Is commonly initially reluctant to hire Shawn and Gus, sometimes acting as an obstacle more so than an enabler.
Henry Spencer	Corbin Bernsen	Shawn's uptight and precise father; a former police sergeant. Is commonly visited by Shawn with inquiries about various cases due to his abundance of useful connections. Henry, Gus and Shawn are the only characters who know the truth about Shawn's 'psychic abilities.'
Young Shawn	Pilot: Josh Hayden Season 1, Episode 2 : Kyle Pejpar Seasons 1 and on: Liam James	Appears in flashbacks at the start of almost all episodes.
Young Gus	Season 1: Isaah Brown Seasons 2 and on: Carlos McCullers II	Appears in flashbacks at the start of certain episodes.

Flashbacks, which begin most episodes, show that Henry Spencer assumed his son would follow in his footsteps and become a law enforcement officer. In preparation, Henry helps Shawn hone his powers of observation and deduction, often using games and challenges to test him. Each flashback also sets the tone for the episode, based on the challenge Shawn's father presents him.

Shawn originally becomes known as a psychic when, after calling in a tip on a crime covered on the news, the police become suspicious of his knowledge. Theorizing that such knowledge could only come from the inside, they are about to arrest him when he uses his observations to convince all present that he is psychic. The interim police chief warns Shawn that if his "powers" are fake, he will be prosecuted. With no choice but to keep up the act, he makes the most of it. Pretending to have psychic powers allows him to engage in strange and comic behavior as he turns real clues into hunches and otherworldly visitations. He enjoys teasing lifelong friend Gus, a pharmaceutical representative, over his eclectic interests.

Head detective Lassiter doubts Shawn's psychic abilities and initially does not value his work, while junior detective O'Hara and Chief Vick either fail to recognize that Shawn is a fake, or are more willing to go along with the charade to solve cases. Henry Spencer and Shawn have a difficult relationship; still Henry unwillingly helps Shawn on numerous occasions.

Recurring characters

• Buzz McNab (Sage Brocklebank): A naive but lovable cop who often provides Shawn and Gus with clues. He also was given a 'little boy cat' (who is actually a girl cat) by Shawn that once helped him solve a case in season one. In Shawn Gets the Yips (4.05), McNab was severely injured when a bomb went off in his mailbox while he was getting his mail. Later in the episode, he returned to work with a severe concussion and on crutches, but alive; he remarked to Shawn and Gus that he had lost part of three toes, though. In the season 4 finale episode, Mr. Yin Presents (4.16), McNab was attacked and knocked unconscious by the unseen killer, otherwise known as Yin, but survived. He is likely to return for further seasons.
• Officer Allen (Patricia Idlette): A female police officer who believes that Shawn can talk to her dead grandmother. She appears in the pilot episode and Woman Seeking Dead Husband-Smokers Okay, No Pets (1.04).
• Madeleine Spencer (Cybill Shepherd): A police psychologist who is Shawn's mother and Henry's ex-wife. In the episode Ghosts (3.01), she tells Lassiter that she has eidetic tonal memory, which is like Shawn's photographic memory but with sound, which implies that Shawn inherited his 'gift' from his mother. She appeared in Ghosts (3.01), Murder? ... Anyone? ... Anyone? ... Bueller? (3.02) and An Evening With Mr. Yang (3.16). She was portrayed over-the-shoulder by a different actress in Shawn (and Gus) of the Dead (2.16).
• Abigail Lytar (Rachael Leigh Cook): Shawn's high school crush, whom he let get away when he moved from, then back to Santa Barbara and his parents got divorced. She first appeared in Murder? ... Anyone? ... Anyone? ... Bueller? (3.02) and returned in An Evening With Mr. Yang (3.16), He Dead (4.02), Bollywood Homicide (4.06), and You Can't Handle This Episode (4.10). In You Can't Handle This Episode, the winter half premiere of season 4, Abigail departs for Uganda. She tells Shawn that she'll be gone for 6 months or longer and that it has been a life-long dream of hers. Shawn clearly doesn't seem interested in going with her, so they share a goodbye kiss at the airport before Abigail gives her last farewell. However, she returned in Mr. Yin Presents (4.16). After being kidnapped by Yin, the unseen killer supposedly working with Yang, and saved by Shawn, she told him she did not like the danger and broke up with him after the two shared their final kiss.
• Winnie Guster (Phylicia Rashad): Gus' mother. She appeared in both of the series' Christmas episodes, Gus's Dad May Have Killed an Old Guy (2.10) and Christmas Joy (3.09).
• Mr. Yang (Ally Sheedy): A serial killer and the series' only recurring villain, Mr. Yang first appeared in An Evening With Mr. Yang (3.16). She returns after a decade-long absence to target Shawn in her deadly game of cat-and-mouse. She was visited in prison by Shawn and Gus in the season four finale, Mr. Yin Presents (4.16).
• Mary Lightly (Jimmi Simpson): A racquetball-loving department psychologist who is an expert on Mr. Yang. He first appeared in An Evening With Mr. Yang (3.16) and later in Mr. Yin Presents (4.16). He was killed in the season 4 finale by Yin while bravely trying to capture him alone.
• Coroner (Kurt Fuller): A police coroner that Shawn shares a mutual respect with, the Coroner first appeared in High Top Fade Out (4.7). He also appeared in Thrill Seekers and Hell Raisers (4.11). His most recent appearance was in The Head, The Tail, The Whole Damn Episode (4.15).

Episodes

Main article: List of Psych episodes

The first season comprised fifteen episodes and ran on USA Network from July 7, 2006 to March 2, 2007.

The second season, comprising sixteen episodes, began airing on July 13, 2007. The second half of season 2 began on January 11, 2008, with the season finale airing on February 15, 2008.

The third season, comprising sixteen episodes, began airing on July 19, 2008 with the mid-season break episode (which was Christmas themed) airing on November 28, 2008. The second half of the season 3 began on January 9, 2009, with the season finale airing February 20, 2009.

Psych's fourth season, which was announced on October 10, 2008, premiered on August 7, 2009. The ninth episode, or "fall finale", aired on October 16, 2009. New episodes for season 4 resumed on January 27, 2010 and the entire season concluded on March 10, 2010.

Season 5 is set to premiere in July 2010.

Season	Episodes	Premiere Date	End Date
Season 1	15	July 7, 2006	March 2, 2007
Season 2	16	July 13, 2007	February 15, 2008
Season 3	16	July 18, 2008	February 20, 2009
Season 4	16	August 7, 2009	March 10, 2010
Season 5	16	July 2010	TBA 2011

Production information

The show uses White Rock, British Columbia, Canada for its arid Santa Barbara, California setting. Psych also incorporates Vancouver and various locations around the Lower Mainland of British Columbia as a backdrop. The terrain portrayed in the series is very green and marked by bays and islands. Santa Barbara is on a mountainous coastline without bays and just has the few Channel Islands miles offshore. Many of the overlooking helicopter shots and set up shots (in which the exterior of the Santa Barbara Courthouse is shown) are actually filmed in Santa Barbara. The animated segments "The Big Adventures Of Little Shawn And Gus" were created by J.J. Sedelmaier Productions, Inc. The music, effects and sound design for "The Big Adventures Of Little Shawn And Gus" were created by Fred Weinberg. USA also offers a contest for each episode online in which you have to see the episode and find the "hidden pineapple" and submit your entry online.

Theme song

The theme song for Psych is "I Know You Know" by The Friendly Indians, series creator Steve Franks' band. Some episodes in Season 3 and 4 use the extended full-length version of "I Know You Know", but most episodes use the usual, shortened version.

Variations

• Re-done in Season 2 with a Christmas theme for the episode "Gus' Dad May Have Killed an Old Guy" (episode 10) and used again for Season 3 episode "Christmas Joy" (episode 9).
• Sung in Spanish for Season 2's "Lights, Camera, Homicidio" (episode 13).
• Expanded into Bollywood-themed version of the song sung in Hindi in Season 4 episode "Bollywood Homicide" (episode 6).
• Boyz II Men performed an a cappella version of the theme for Season 4's "High Top Fade Out" (episode 7).

Response

Critical reaction and ratings

Psych scored a 4.51 rating and an average of 6.1 million total viewers at its premiere, which made it the highest rated scripted series premiere on basic cable in 2006 in all key demographics (households, P18-49, P25-54, and total viewers), according to a USA Network press release, quoted from the Futon Critic.

From the San Jose Mercury News:

James Roday (Miss Match) is utterly charming and delightfully funny as Shawn Spencer (who may not be psychic but who does have wonderful powers of observation), and he gets fine support from Corbin Bernsen (L.A. Law) as his cop father and Dulé Hill (The West Wing) as his Dr. Watson-esque sidekick.

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

"Psych" is one of those happy collisions of an intelligent script and an appealing cast. Roday's a charmer, nice looking but more charismatic than pretty, and ably paired with West Wing alumnus Dulé Hill, who plays Shawn's ultra-responsible childhood friend Gus.

Nominations and awards

• Psych was the winner of an Independent Investigations Group Annual Award for Excellence in Entertainment for advancing the cause of science and exposing superstition (2006).
• James Roday was nominated for a 2006 Satellite Award for Best Actor - TV Series Musical or Comedy and a 2009 Ewwy Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.
• In 2008 & 2009, the series was nominated for the Ewwy Award for Best Comedy Series.

DVD releases

Title	Ep #	Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
Season One	15	June 26, 2007	April 24, 2008	April 30, 2008
Season Two	16	July 11, 2008	June 7, 2010	March 3, 2010
Season Three	16	July 21, 2009	TBA	TBA
Season Four	16	TBA	TBA	TBA

Although the release date for season two in region 4 has not yet been announced, the DVD was recently classified by the Office of Film and Literature Classification in Australia, indicating it can now be sold in Australia (part of region 4) suggesting there may be plans for a release date soon.

Novels

William Rabkin has written and published three novels based on the series. The novels are written in third person narrative style and are notable for retaining the original energy of the show.

• Psych: A Mind is A Terrible Thing to Read. ISBN 978-0451226358
• Psych: Mind Over Magic. ISBN 978-0451227447
• Psych: The Call of the Mild. ISBN 978-0451228765

External links

• Official website
• Psych at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com
• Psych on TV Squad