Gus (Psych)

Burton "Gus" Guster
Psych character
Dulé Hill as Burton Guster
First appearance	Pilot
In-universe information
Alias	Die Harder, Matt, Bighead Burton, Fingers, Homeskillet, Big Baby Burton, Burt the Billowy Bear, Curtis, Blackstar, Chocolate Columbo, Magic Head, Spellmaster, SuperSmeller or SuperSniffer, Slicks, Peter Panic, Gus T.T. Showbiz, Ovaltine Jenkins, Schoonie "U-Turn" Singleton, Vernest Lambert Watkins, Bud (from "The Cosby Show"), Nick Nack, Bruton Gaster, Lavender Gooms, Lemongrass Gogulope, Squirts MacIntosh, Weepy Boy Santos, Stewart Lee, Dr. Mc (Khoesan tongue clicking sounds) Took, François, Galileo Humpkins, Gus "Silly-Pants" Jackson, Fearless Guster, Shmuel Cohen, Methuselah Honeysuckle, Shutterfly Simmons, Paddy Simcox, Chesterfield McMillan (and wife), Felicia Fancybottom, Tan, Ernesto Agapito Garces con y a de Abelar, Longbranch Pennywhistle, Scrooge Jones, D'Andre Pride, Hummingbird Saltalamacchia, Wally Ali, Art Vandelay, Dequan "Smallpox" Randolph, Trapezius Milkington, Sterling Cooper, Burton "Oil Can" Guster, Hollabackatcha, Jazz Hands, Gus Brown, John Slade, Detective Miles, Greg, Doughnut Holschtein, Ron Davis, Bob Adams, Harry Munroe, Rich Fingerland, Black Magic, Cheswick, Shawn, Shaggy Buddy Snap, Ghee Buttersnaps aka "The Heater", The Vault of Secrets, Clementine Woolysocks, Pinky Guscatero, Guts, Ol' Ironside, Old Iron Stomach, Bruce Lee, John Jacob Jingley-Schmidt, Santonio Holmes, Deon Richmond, Gurton Buster, Chaz Bono, Chocolate Einstein, MC ClapYoHandz, Sher-Black-Lock, Mrs. Whittlebury, G-Force, Mellowrush, Crankshaft, Sammy, Joey Bishop, Slick Fingers, Imhotep, Control Alt Delete, The Jackal, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Yasmine Bleeth, Killerbee, Lodge Blackman, Mission Figs, Sundown, The Black Goose
Title	show

Die Harder, Matt, Bighead Burton, Fingers, Homeskillet, Big Baby Burton, Burt the Billowy Bear, Curtis, Blackstar, Chocolate Columbo, Magic Head, Spellmaster, SuperSmeller or SuperSniffer, Slicks, Peter Panic, Gus T.T. Showbiz, Ovaltine Jenkins, Schoonie "U-Turn" Singleton, Vernest Lambert Watkins, Bud (from "The Cosby Show"), Nick Nack, Bruton Gaster, Lavender Gooms, Lemongrass Gogulope, Squirts MacIntosh, Weepy Boy Santos, Stewart Lee, Dr. Mc (Khoesan tongue clicking sounds) Took, François, Galileo Humpkins, Gus "Silly-Pants" Jackson, Fearless Guster, Shmuel Cohen, Methuselah Honeysuckle, Shutterfly Simmons, Paddy Simcox, Chesterfield McMillan (and wife), Felicia Fancybottom, Tan, Ernesto Agapito Garces con y a de Abelar, Longbranch Pennywhistle, Scrooge Jones, D'Andre Pride, Hummingbird Saltalamacchia, Wally Ali, Art Vandelay, Dequan "Smallpox" Randolph, Trapezius Milkington, Sterling Cooper, Burton "Oil Can" Guster, Hollabackatcha, Jazz Hands, Gus Brown, John Slade, Detective Miles, Greg, Doughnut Holschtein, Ron Davis, Bob Adams, Harry Munroe, Rich Fingerland, Black Magic, Cheswick, Shawn, Shaggy Buddy Snap, Ghee Buttersnaps aka "The Heater", The Vault of Secrets, Clementine Woolysocks, Pinky Guscatero, Guts, Ol' Ironside, Old Iron Stomach, Bruce Lee, John Jacob Jingley-Schmidt, Santonio Holmes, Deon Richmond, Gurton Buster, Chaz Bono, Chocolate Einstein, MC ClapYoHandz, Sher-Black-Lock, Mrs. Whittlebury, G-Force, Mellowrush, Crankshaft, Sammy, Joey Bishop, Slick Fingers, Imhotep, Control Alt Delete, The Jackal, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Yasmine Bleeth, Killerbee, Lodge Blackman, Mission Figs, Sundown, The Black Goose

| species = Human | gender = Male | occupation = Pharmaceutical Rep, Private Detective | nickname = Gus | spouse = Mira Gaffney (m. 1997-2007) | family = Bill Guster (father)
Winnie Guster (mother)
Burton Guster (uncle)
Joy Guster (sister)
Brother (mentioned in blog) | children = | relatives = | portrayer = Dulé Hill
Isaah Brown (Young Gus: Season 1)
Carlos McCullers II (Young Gus: Seasons 2-present) | creator = Steve Franks and Andy Berman }} Burton "Gus" Guster is a fictional character on the USA Network television comedy Psych played by American actor Dulé Hill. He functions as the straight man for Shawn Spencer's antics, and provides sobering advice, steady support, and friendship. Over the course of the show, Gus evolves from nothing more than a conventional, uptight pharmaceutical representative to a strong support system through all Shawn Spencer's crazy antics. He frequently tries to pass himself off as "fearless" although in reality the opposite is true, and he is prone to wailing and screaming uncontrollably, and gets offended when Shawn is insensitive to his feelings.

Fictional biography

Gus has been Shawn Spencer's best friend since childhood, and co-owns the detective agency "Psych" with him, after Shawn was able to forge Gus' name on the lease. Gus tends to be straight-laced and more cautious, although he has been friends with Shawn for long enough that he understands that Shawn cannot be stopped once his mind has been made up. Shawn will often make up silly aliases for Gus while working a case. Gus has stated that he is not used to being introduced by his real name.

Gus is often shown to be academically advanced. As a child, he applied for and was accepted into the Meitner School for gifted students; however, his parents turned down the placement, later telling Gus that it was too far to drive. In middle school, he was involved in spelling bees until 1989, when he lost a competition by accepting covert advice from Shawn on the spelling of "aggiornamento." He continues to follow the American Spelling Bee meticulously, and tapes the yearly championship. He was also voted most likely to succeed in high school and is upset that he has not done more in life. However, after helping Shawn solve a murder, he realizes that he leads a very productive life and he's happy with what he has done.

Gus's parents, Bill and Winnie Guster, are shown to be overly protective of their son and still regard him as a child who needs looking after. They long disapproved of his friendship with Shawn, whom they regarded as a bad influence. After Shawn and Gus solve a murder for which Bill and Winnie had been wrongfully arrested, they mellow towards Shawn and admit that perhaps they do not need to baby Gus so much. (However, immediately after Gus leaves, they offer Shawn cash with a stern order to look after their son.) A brother has been referenced in Gus' blog on the official USA Network website, but has received no mention in the show to date. In the deleted scenes for "Gus' Dad May Have Killed an Old Guy" on the Season 2 DVD, Gus's mom mentions a brother who lives in Connecticut. In the episode "Christmas Joy" Gus' family comes to town for the holidays, including Gus' sister Joy, who shares a mutual attraction with Shawn.

While in Mexico on Spring Break in 1997, Gus met Mira Gaffney and married her on a drunken binge. He broke off the relationship soon afterward, and the two lost contact until 2008, when the marriage was annulled in anticipation of Mira's upcoming wedding. He also has an uncle named "Burton Guster," nicknamed "Burt" for short.

Gus has a job in pharmaceutical sales, where he makes $48,000 a year. With his vast knowledge of drugs, he helps solve cases by identifying poisons and other drugs used in crimes. He also tries to gain clients while they are interviewing doctors in a case.

He drives a blue 2002 Toyota Echo hatchback (also known as the Toyota Yaris), which Shawn and Gus (mostly Shawn) call the Psych Mobile or "the Blueberry". The hatchback variant of the Echo, however, was not sold in the United States, but it was sold in Canada. (The fact that the show is shot on location in British Columbia may account for this.)

Gus is an assumed Catholic. Although he rarely discusses matters of religion, it is confirmed he believes in demonic possessions, exorcisms, and that the third wiseman was black and named Balthazar. He seems to regularly attend or at least be fairly comfortable with the practice of confession.

Gus has a very refined sense of smell and has nicknamed his nose "the SuperSmeller". He is able to recognize the base component of a perfume by smelling it and can perform the same trick with food. The talent seems to be hereditary, as it has been displayed by both of his parents, and has led to the uncovering of crucial evidence in several cases. He has been shown to have a fear of dead people, having run away from a scene where a dead person is present on more than one occasion. He is also well-versed in high-tech locks or safes, as demonstrated by his ability to crack an electronic lock on his first try.

On at least two occasions when Gus attempts to make small talk with a girl he uses the line, "You heard about Pluto? That's messed up, right?" He is also a "symphathetic crier", and enjoys softer interests.

Gus was described in the serial killer Mr. Yang's book as "laughing on the outside, crying on the inside. The fastidious wrinkle in the brow of Psych". Yang also wrote that Gus has "skin of pure cocoa velvet-iness" and that she would also like to "use that skin to make children's dolls".

Gus is also known for his awesomeness on the tap floor in "Feet Don't Kill Me Now", as well as Dule Hill in real life, as Hill states in the "Psych Out" titled "All Tapped Out".

Characterization

Although early in the series Gus is reluctant to get involved in Shawn's adventures, James Roday (who portrays Shawn) says he feels the partnership has developed into a much more equal one, with Gus taking a larger role in their cases as opposed to constantly being "[dragged] around by the collar against his will". Actor Dulé Hill says that Gus has become more relaxed as the show has progressed and more capable of standing his ground against Shawn: "I think in the pilot he was more of a receiver, and he gives it back a little bit more now." The change in his clothing is reflective of his more relaxed approach. Whereas early in the series, Gus is often seen wearing a suit and tie, by the second season he is dressing more casually.

In a cross-promotional ad for Monk featuring several characters from shows on USA, Gus corrects Shawn after he calls Monk, "his sidekick." In the Lee Goldberg novel Mr. Monk Goes to Germany, it is mentioned that Gus (although not referred to by name) has met Natalie Teeger. This is implied when Natalie mentions that the group of detectives' sidekicks she regularly meets with sometimes has other such sidekicks as guests, one of which is mentioned to be a man who is sidekick to a false psychic (a clear allusion to Gus).

In a cross-promotional ad with Royal Pains, Gus tries to hard-sell Hank Lawson on becoming Hank's pharmaceutical rep in a bathroom to the point of creeping Hank out.

In a cross-promotional ad with White Collar, he is trying to find out what Neal does for the FBI. After a few questions that are answered by Burke, Neal reveals that he had Gus' wallet, causing Gus to "not want to hang out with you guys anymore".