Psych was a long-running show on the USA cable network about a fake psychic detective, just like The Mentalist only funnier (Psych came first and they often made jokes comparing the two shows).  I wasn’t onboard from the beginning because I’d seen the ads for the show and it looked dumb.  But I was wrong.  It’s a brilliant show with a terrific ensemble cast.

Shawn Spencer (James Roday) is the son of a now retired cop (Corbin Bernsen) in Santa Barbara, California.  He has a photographic memory and when he was a kid, his dad taught him how to solve mysteries by implementing his total recall, preparing him to be a cop when he grew up.  But Shawn is a total slacker lacking the discipline to be a cop.  His best friend since childhood is Burton “Gus” Guster (Dulé Hill), who works as a pharmaceutical rep.  When Shawn actually does solve a crime, he claims that he’s psychic and the Santa Barbara police department hires him as a consultant, much to the dismay of Detective Lassiter (Timothy Omundson).

In spite of Gus having a day job, Shawn always drags him into his fake psychic business, if only because he needs a ride (in Gus’s tiny blue car dubbed ‘The Blueberry’). But in spite of Gus’s initial reluctance, he enjoys being part of the Psych team. Only Gus and Henry (Shawn’s dad) know that Shawn is a fraud.

The heart of the show is the relationship between Shawn & Gus.  Roday & Hill have terrific chemistry.  But the rest of the cast is also great.  Timothy Omundson as the hard-ass Detective Lassiter, Corbin Bernsen as Shawn’s crusty dad, Kurt Fuller as the weird coroner, Woody. Shawn is attracted to Lassiter’s partner, Juliet O’Hara (Maggie Lawson) and they eventually get together. Rounding out the main cast is SBPD Interim Chief of Police Karen Vick (Kirsten Nelson) who is alternately impressed and exasperated by Shawn. Most episodes begin with a flashback to Shawn’s childhood in the 80s. Young Shawn is played by Liam James (seasons 1-5) and Skyler Gisondo (seasons 5-6).

There are a lot of 80s references on the show.  Curt Smith of Tears for Fears makes several guest appearances playing himself. There are a number of pop culture tribute episodes, honoring Alfred Hitchcock, Twin Peaks, Clue, The Shining. Shawn ends up in the cast of a Spanish language telenovela in another classic episode. There’s a hilarious episode that riffs on American Idol with Tim Curry playing the Simon Cowell-like judge.

Vulture did a ranked list of every episode.  Their number one is also my number one, in which Shawn, Gus, Lassiter and Woody wake up hungover with no memory of what happened the night before and retrace their steps trying to figure out if Lassiter killed someone.

The show had a clever ad campaign in the US, often with music.  Here’s a highlight reel:

Psych ran for 8 seasons from 2006 to 2014. There were also three movies in 2017, 2020, and 2021. It is highly bingeworthy. Most of the episodes are standalone mysteries that you can watch in any order though the relationships between the characters evolve over time. You might want to start with season 1 episode 1 just to see how it all began. It’s currently streaming on Prime and Peacock.

Here’s a list of favorite episodes:

• S6:E2 “Last Night Gus” – Shawn, Gus, Lassiter, and Woody wake up in the Psych office with no memory of what happened the night before in a spoof of the Hangover movies. Generally considered to be the best Psych episode ever.
• S2:E1 “American Duos” – Shawn and Gus go undercover on a singing competition show to find out who is trying to murder show judge Nigel St. Nigel (Tim Curry). Gina Gershon is hilarious as the drug-addled judge, Emilina Saffron.
• S2:E13 “Lights, Camera… Homicidio” – An actor dies on the set of a telenovela when someone replaces a prop knife with a real one. Shawn gets cast in the show to investigate.
• S5:E12 “Dual Spires” – Twin Peaks tribute has Shawn and Gus investigating the murder of a girl in a small town. A bunch of actors from Twin Peaks appear in this (Sheryl Lee, Sherilyn Fenn, Dana Ashbrook, the Log Lady!) Julee Cruise sings the opening theme.
• S7:E11 “Office Space” – Gus quits his day job in a fit of pique, then changes his mind and tries to retrieve his resignation letter only to find the boss dead at the office. Then he makes things much much worse. The situation spins hilariously out of control as first Shawn then Henry then Juliet get involved.
• S6:E3 “This Episode Sucks” – Shawn and Gus are convinced there’s a vampire in Santa Barbara, giving them an opportunity to dress up (as Lestat and Blacula, respectively). Lassiter falls in love with a mystery woman (Kristy Swanson, the original Buffy). Corey Feldman (The Lost Boys) and Tom Lenk (Buffy) have cameos.
• S6:E11 “Heeeere’s Lassie” – Lassiter’s new condo is haunted, Overlook Hotel style. Psych‘s tribute to The Shining.
• S7:E5 “100 Clues” – Clue tribute with guest stars Martin Mull, Lesley Ann Warren and Christopher Lloyd.
• S3:E15 “Tuesday the 17th” – Friday the 13th riff.