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You know the best thing about doing what we do on The Hollywood Outsider and at this site every week (excluding the AMAZING listener feedback, of course)? It’s having an outlet to talk about movies or TV shows that we love, even when the rest of the world never seems to want to mention them. Which brings me to what this article is about: the ending of the USA TV Series ‘Psych’.
Psych has never been a topic starter nor a ‘water-cooler’ type show. Developed as a sort of immature murder-mystery follow-up to USA’s Monk, Psych has instead been a stalwart mystery/drama/comedy that was simply trying to do what TV shows should always do: Entertain us. Just when all TV leads decided to become growly and angry anti-heroes, Psych dared to give its viewers a couple of goofy guys, full of endless 80’s pop-culture references, that you would love to have over to your house any day of the week.
If you happen to be one of the poor souls unfamiliar with Psych, the show revolves around childhood best-friends Shawn Spencer (James Roday) and Burton ‘Gus’ Guster (Dule Hill). Shawn is an immature man-child who was raised with astute observational skills by his former cop dad, Henry. Instead of settling on a real job, Shawn decides to pretend he’s a psychic and contracts with the city of Santa Barbara, CA to solve seemingly impossible murder cases, always with BFF Gus in tow. The series is more about these two bobbling through life than it is the mystery-of-the-week, and with over a 100 episodes in the can…even a few stinkers as with any TV series…it has never failed to make me laugh. Yes, out loud.
Unfortunately, Psych has always been the show that you almost have to convince others, with copious amounts of chloroform and duct tape, to watch. When did it become such a headache to actually have fun while you watched your hour-long TV show? Does every comedy have to be accompanied by a middling laugh-track? Does every drama need to showcase a character’s downward spiral into drugs, zombies and the eventual dragon-apocalypse? I say NAY!
But you can’t please everyone, and I am just happy that the creator, Steve Franks, and leads, James Roday and Dule Hill, never lost sight of what they wanted their show to be, yet still managed to evolve the characters throughout the series. Some detractors may claim the show has not changed since its inception, well they would be wrong. Shawn and Gus have continued to evolve, though at the rate of normal friends…not the drastic changes normally afforded on television.
Though Shawn & Gus are the obvious backbone of the show, this is no simple two-trick pony. Corbin Bernsen as Henry, Shawn’s Dad, adds a heart and reasoning to the show that has grounded even the goofiest of episodes. Maggie Lawson as the tough, yet adorable, Juliet O’Hara, has managed to slowly bring about Shawn’s maturity. Timothy Omundson, Chief Detective Lassiter, began the series as a Clint Eastwood cyber-clone, only to evolve into a married father…who still loves his gun a little too much. And of course, Chief Vick (Kirsten Nelson). How refreshing to have a Police Chief seem to be the most reasonable person on a procedural, instead of a screaming nimrod always scolding our heroes for their genius. This is one of those rare casts that just fits.
Thanks to show runner / creator Steve Franks, the show itself has also maintained a consistent attempt at mixing things up, season after season. Within each season there have been a few serious episodes sprinkled in, always accompanied by the show’s trademark humor, as well as a bookended arc. Franks & Co. have also tossed out numerous themed episodes, most notably the horror-centric episodes and even a recent 2-hour musical. For 8 years, Psych has always been consistently more than the name or basic plot would lead you to believe.
Regardless of my obvious (and oblivious) love for the show, all good things must come to an end and USA has determined Psych will toss out its last pineapple on March 26th. With a live 1-hour Q&A including the full cast and creator, Steve Franks, following the finale, Psych is getting the goodwill and proper sendoff the long-running show deserves.
While many will mourn the passing of their Breaking Bads and Mad Men, I will be sadly awaiting the end of my very favorite series currently airing, and easily my favorite TV comedy of all time. Shawn, Gus, Henry, Lassiter, Jules and Chief Vick are my fictional extended family and it’s always sad to have to say goodbye to those you love. They have brightened many a dark day, and their absolute ridiculousness has never failed to bring about a smile to my cold, cynical heart.
With that, I say thanks so much to James Roday & Dule Hill for the years of quality entertainment. Your chemistry has been unmatched, and your shenanigans on screen have convinced me that you two were born to be BFF’s forever. Thanks as well to USA, Steve Franks and the entire cast & crew for delivering something so special, so consistently fun, for all of these years. As a devoted fan, I appreciate all of your skill and hard work (and there will be a podcast episode in the near future devoted to the show).
And lastly – Goodbye, Shawn & Gus. May the many corpses of Santa Barbara find a way to someday bring your legacy back to life. Your fans, and food cart vendors everywhere, will anxiously await your return.
And to all the haters, detractors, poo-poo’ers, sad sacks, mopers, and those of you who just like to knock on the greatest bromance in television history because you’re so damn enlightened? Well you can all just suuuuckkkk iiiiiiiiiiiiittttt.
You know that’s right.
Aaron Peterson
The Hollywood Outsider