Television - Psych #1 ~ Fake psychic. Real detectives.

own worst enemy · 06-26-2006, 09:15 PM

Official show website

A new quick-witted drama, Psych stars James Roday as young police consultant Shawn Spencer who solves crimes with powers of observation so acute the precinct detectives think he's psychic -- at least that's what he lets them believe.
Psych also stars Dule Hill as Shawn's best friend and reluctant sidekick, Gus, and Corbin Bernsen as Shawn's disapproving father, Henry, who ironically was the one who honed his son's "observation" skills as a child. Also featured are Timothy Omundson and Kirsten Nelson.

Psych will premiere with a 90-minute episode on Friday, July 7 at 10/9C followed by one-hour episodes for the remainder of the season.

Psych is executive produced by Steve Franks ("Big Daddy"), in association with Tagline Pictures' Kelly Kulchack and Chris Henze and NBC Universal Television Studios. Jack Sakmar & Kerry Lenhart ("Boston Public," "Ed") and Mel Damski ("Pickett Fences") are co-executive producers, Douglas Steinberg ("Boston Public") is consulting producer. Story editor is Anupam Nigam and Andy Berman serves as staff writer. Michael Engler directed the 90-minute pilot.

Created and written by Franks, Psych continues USA's tradition of original scripted programming centering on quirky, intelligent characters. As with Monk, Psych mixes comedy with its crime and features a somewhat eccentric lead character -- Shawn, a police Psychic with absolutely no psychic abilities.

Raised in Santa Barbara by a family of cops, Shawn possesses uncanny powers of observation honed by his police officer father, Henry, who drilled young Shawn to note even the smallest of details from his surroundings as a way of grooming him for his inevitable career in the family business. Unfortunately, when a rift develops between father and son, Shawn finds himself taking a series of random jobs instead of becoming the detective he was groomed to be.

However, for the fun of it, Shawn makes a habit of calling in tips to the police about cases he reads about or sees on television, and when one of his tips appears too close to the truth, the police are convinced that Shawn is an accomplice and arrest him.

Using his charm and well-tuned talent, Shawn convinces the cops that he's actually a Psychic, and although highly skeptical of his explanation, they hire him to help solve tough cases. With the reluctant assistance of his best friend Gus, Shawn uses his skills of observation and charismatic personality to become the detective he was trained to be, opening his own PI agency -- Psych -- and solving cases for an ever-suspicious, but grudgingly impressed, police force.

Jacob1983 · 06-26-2006, 09:41 PM

I like this storyline for Psych. Psych is like poking fun at Medium, The Dead Zone, and Monk. The Shawn character isn't exactly a fake. He has a photographic memory which allows him to fool people into believing he is a psychic. I like the commercials that USA has with the main characters of The Dead Zone, Monk, and Psych.

own worst enemy · 06-26-2006, 09:54 PM

Yeah...I think it's gonna be another hit. And what a great idea to pair it with Monk. I am definetly going to be following this show all summer long.

Clewless · 06-27-2006, 01:59 AM

It looks like a fun show and the lead guy is hot so I'll be tuning in.

own worst enemy · 06-27-2006, 09:18 AM

Glad to see others (like myself) are excited about this show.

Subject · 06-27-2006, 02:46 PM

I'll add this thread into the Master List.

I plan to check the show out after Monk.

Subject · 07-07-2006, 10:27 AM

This shows starts tonight.

SoSaysI81 · 07-07-2006, 08:27 PM

This show rules. James Roday is hilarious as Shawn and Dule makes a great partner. I can't wait for all the new episodes.

TVWeirdo07 · 07-07-2006, 10:26 PM

This show was funny and great. I

it. The guy who played Shawn was hot and the show just worked. The storyline seems interesting and I can not wait till next week.

Subject · 07-08-2006, 07:01 AM

The show wasn't what I thought it was going to be. It was even better!

I think it goes well in the timeslot after Monk.

There was some part of the episode that I missed so I am going to re-watch it later.

Firestar007 · 07-08-2006, 10:15 AM

I missed it yesterday but checked my guide and it's coming out again today. So I'll be tuning in. Was reading an article in TV Guide and it sparked my interest in the show

Clewless · 07-08-2006, 08:40 PM

When the show started and they showed how Shawn got his "gift", My first thought was this guy is just like Monk, but after getting more into the episode I realized that he isn't like Monk at all. They both pay great attention to detail, but its how they use those details that set them apart.

I love that Shawn is such a smart ass. I was cracking up during most of the episode. There were a few times were they were being a little too goofy with the jokes, but for the most part it was very enjoyable.

own worst enemy · 07-09-2006, 12:15 PM

I thought it was a hilarious, enjoyable hour of Television. I read a review for it in EW and they couldn't have been more wrong. The whole plot, the character ... it was just something fun. I can't wait to see more episodes. I loved the attitude the character has, towards his partner, towards the cops, his father. It was like I said, fun to watch. And I love that he masks his gift by pretending to be a psychic.

TVWeirdo07 · 07-09-2006, 12:54 PM

It was good. What did EW say?

own worst enemy · 07-09-2006, 12:56 PM

They said it was horrible.

Monk for Morons ... I believe was the title, or the summary.