Actual detective shows are kind of hard to find now — let alone a funny, well-written detective series with a hilarious twist. That’s where “Psych” comes on, on the heels of “Monk.” While it could use a bit more ironing, this clever series does a good job blending comedy and mystery, and gives us some lovably fradulent guys to follow the adventures of.
Buy,Download, Or Stream Psych – The Complete First Season! Click Here
Shawn Spencer (James Roday) was trained to be ultra-observant and intelligent by his strict, humorless father Henry (Corbin Bernsen), who wanted him to be a cop. And though he is determined never to be a cop (he doesn’t even have a steady job), Shawn can glimpse clues and details that nobody else notices — even the police.
But it backfires when he reports his observations to the police, and is arrested as a suspect. To save himself, Shawn pretends to be a psychic — and the gimmick works so well that he decides to do it professionally. So he drags his very reluctant pal Gus (Dulé Hill) out of a boring job, and they end up regularly hired by the police chief, despite the skepticism of Carl Lassiter (Timothy Omundson), who doesn’t buy their act.
Buy,Download, Or Stream Psych – The Complete First Season! Click Here
And so they set out into a variety of cases: death at a spelling bee, a haunting at a sorority house, a wedding tainted by theft and murder, a ghostly stalking, a cat used as a witness, Civil war reenactments, a comic book convention (where they mess with George Takei’s head), alien abductions, speed dating, underground poker, and organizing a surprise birthday party for Lassiter.
Most shows aren’t really able to strike a balance between comedy and mystery, but “Psych” does. The mysteries are light and fun, and the people making it actually seem to be enjoying themselves — no hardcore crimes, gore and grimness. That’s what makes it so enjoyable.
The mysteries are well done, but each one has enough funny dialogue (”My name is Ichabod Fletchman, Sticky-Icky to my boys”) and kookiness to keep it from ever being dull. Between kooky mysteries — usually with Shawn flailing around in his pseudo-mystical act — we get to see what turned him into such a weirdo, and his current relationship with his sarcastic father.
There is a slight flaw, though — a disproportionate number of the guilty parties seem to be pretty young women. Fortunately this starts lessening as the season goes on. The mysteries get progressively tighter, and the writing cleverer and funnier (”I’m never doing anything blindly with you again! I learned that at the Mexican border. Twice!”).
Roday is hilarious and brilliant — charming, funny, likable, pleasant, and completely devoid of any dignity (”IIIIII hear a voice!”), with some great full-body acting. Shawn is one of those people who is half luck and half talent; no matter how outragous he gets, things somehow always work out.
Hill is equally great as his intelligent, responsible, geeky sidekick who tries to keep them out of serious trouble, while the crusty Timothy Omundson and tentative love interest Maggie Lawson round off the cast. Corbin Bernsen also makes regular appearances as Shawn’s dad, who considers his son a walking freakshow.
“Psych’s” first season is a delightfully frothy mix of comedy and mystery, with solid scripting and likable characters. Definitely a good show to keep an eye on.
Shawn Spencer (James Roday) is a loser. He’s drifted from job to job ever since graduating from high school. The one thing he absolutely knows he doesn’t want to do is become a cop. That’s what his dad (Corbin Bernsen) has been training him to do since he was a little kid. Growing up, he learned how to observe every little detail at a glance.
Even though Shawn has no desire to be a cop, he can’t stop himself from calling in tips to the local police based on news reports he sees. After one such tip, he finds himself under suspicion for knowing too much. He quickly talks his way out of it by pretending to be a psychic. In fact, he’s so convincing, Chief Vick (Kirsten Nelson) hires him on a part time basis to help with difficult cases.
Shawn is usually teamed up with Detectives Lassiter (Timothy Omundson) and O’Hara (Maggie Lawson). Lassiter doesn’t believe a word Shawn says and usually tries to trip him up. O’Hara is skeptical but can’t deny what she sees Shawn pull off time after time.
Also along for the ride is Shawn’s best friend Gus (Dule Hill). Gus is reluctant to get involved in the cases, but Shawn drags him in anyway. And the two have to deal with plenty of exciting cases. There’s a heir who is kidnapped, murders at a spelling bee and a comic convention, dastardly deeds at a high society wedding, and an urban legend that may be repeating itself.
This show is a blend of comedy and mystery. It airs right after Monk on USA, and is a perfect fit. While that show is often melancholy, this one is high energy. In fact, sometimes, it’s a bit too over the top. But most of the time it’s fun.
As with many shows, it took a little while to hit its stride. The first few mysteries are rather weak and the focus is on Shawn doing his fake psychic thing. When the show returned from hiatus with “Forget Me Not,” (easily my favorite of the season) it found the right balance. The show is still hilarious but the mysteries are much tighter.
And the comedy has something for everyone. It’s got fast, witty dialog, absurd situations, and full body slapstick.
The DVD set is packed with lots of extras. There are plenty of deleted scenes and one or two commentaries per disc. The first disc contains two versions of the pilot, behind the scenes segments, and some hilarious bloopers. My only real complaint with the set is the lack of episode descriptions. The titles are given, but they don’t always trigger my memory as to what the episode itself is about.
The show took a while to find its footing. But once it did, it became lots of fun.
