10 Reasons Why You Should Watch ‘Psych’

And on the Seventh Day,

Superman created James Roday’s face

And upon seeing the almighty power of his deductive squint,

Did cast him in an awesome TV show. 

And people did rejoice with pineapples and proclaimed to all around them:

‘You know that’s right.’ 

It’s no trick title, folks. Does exactly what it says on the tin. As a person who only recently discovered and became seriously emotionally invested in the show this year, I cannot just sit idly by and watch people live without this joyous piece of quality detective drama comedy. I must unleash a can of reason listing whoop ass upon thine eyes and tell you exactly what you are missing… without revealing any major spoilers of course.

Psych is a delightful show that follows the life of professional layabout Shawn Spencer, a wonderfully immature scallywag, as he sets up a psychic detective agency. Shawn convinces the police that he is a Psychic by using his exceptional deduction skills and eidetic memory (which were honed and developed when he was a kid by his strict, police officer father, Henry Spencer) in order to get him out of trouble. He drags his best friend and reluctant partner, Burton ‘Gus’ Guster into his scheme and together, they become a hilarious crime fighting duo and invaluable “psychic” consultants for the Santa Barbara police force.

BEHOLD, THIS SHOW MAY BE THE KEY TO YOUR PROLONGED HAPPINESS!

‘All of the Law, none of the Order.’

1) The Adorable Episode Intros

At the start of every episode we get a flashback to Shawn’s frustrating childhood living under the thumb of his strict father, Henry Spencer, who insists that he constantly practices his deductive skills. These openings usually show little Shawn and little Gus doing something ridiculous, getting into trouble and learning a valuable lesson from Shawn’s father, which sets up the theme of the episode. In the present day of the show Shawn and his dad have a pretty turbulent relationship. Shawn often finds himself asking for help from Henry, now retired from the Santa Barbara Police force. This aspect makes the intros quite warm and fuzzy to watch. They’re a really great element in the show.

2) James Roday’s Face as Shawn Spencer

For all his marvelous deduction work, Shawn is a ridiculous, hilarious character who rarely takes anything seriously. It’s like Sherlock Holmes met a bankrupt Richard Castle and had a man baby (the actual creation details are sketchy, but I’m pretty sure it involved a lot of shouting and obscure 80’s references). And then, of course there is his face. It needs to be a national monument, protected by many laws and patents. Not only is it pretty but he can do wonderful things with it. Observe:

I rest my case.

3) Guster Burton

Ah, Gus. The ‘straight man’ in the midst of Shawn’s shenanigans. Paranoid and always wanting to play it safe, Gus often shakes his shiny, shiny head and attempts to act like a professional adult. This is made kind of redundant seeing as Shawn is constantly getting him into trouble. When it comes down to brass tacks though, Gus ends up getting heavily involved in the excessive snacking, gallivanting and ridiculous undercover case work alongside his friend.

Shawn and Gus.

Their love is pure and full of silly dancing.. and jerk chicken.

Of course, they do have a serious side to their relationship, you get glimpses of it…

for like…5 seconds and then BOOM!

4) Gus’ Hilarious Aliases

This is wonderful. Whenever Shawn introduces Gus to another person he usually introduces him under a very silly alias, to which Gus will usually play along with for a while, depending on who the person is. The names vary from the silly to the ridiculous, and I am ALL about the ridiculous. There are also MULTITUDES of them, you’ll never be bored watching a witness get questioned ever again. Some of my personal favorites are Chocolate Columbo, Fellatio Del Toro, Miss Whittlebury and of course the ever popular Control Alt Delete.

5) The Quotes & Catchphrases

As Gus would say: “COME ON SON! You KNOW that’s right.” Any good show has them, and this one is loaded with memorable word-gasms. Gus’ have a simple yet effective delivery while Shawn has a tendency to hear everything ‘both ways’ and constantly compares Gus’ behavior to incredibly random things when he gets irritable. Here are some exceedingly funny examples:

“Gus, don’t be an incorrigible Eskimo Pie with a caramel ribbon.”

“Gus, don’t be your jury summons I accidentally threw away last month along with something called a W-2.”

“Relax, Gus. Don’t be Nick Cage’s accent from Con Air.”

“Gus, don’t be this crevice in my arm.”

…and so on. Doesn’t appeal to you? Come now, Unicornlings, don’t be Fine Young Cannibals version of Suspicious Minds. Watch the show. Your peers will love you and your vocabulary and conversation skills will thank you.

6) Detectives Juliet O’Hara & Carlton Lassiter

The savvy cop duo from the Santa Barbara Police department Detectives O’Hara and Lassiter. These two are the ones who end up working with Shawn and Gus on the cases they get hired for (or gate crash investigate without permission). The lovely, super cute Juliet is quite open minded and very tolerant to Shawn’s antics and general presence in the police department. If you hadn’t guessed by now, Juliet is also a primary love interest for Shawn who insists from the very start that: “She is an enigma wrapped in a little blonde riddle.”

Lassie & Jules

On the other hand Carlton Lassiter (who looks EXACTLY like the grumpy penguin from Happy Feet..when you look close enough) is a hard nosed detective who has a tendency to take everything a little to seriously. A slave to his job, upholding the law and his gun, Lassie (as the boys affectionately call him) doesn’t see what Shawn and Gus do as ‘real’ police work and despises Shawn for his ability to one up his own detective work at the SBPD. His simmering hatred makes for some wonderfully amusing conflict with the Psych boys.

MEOW.

7) The Pineapple

There is a Pineapple in every episode. There is no reason behind the Pineapple. There is no mystery behind the Pineapple. It is just a Pineapple. But there is always a Pineapple. Always. It could be the least pineapple related scene, set in an alternate world where Pineapples do not exist. It matters not. The Psych team will still find a way for there to be a Pineapple. Fact.

8) The Awesome Guest Stars

George Takei, Jane Lynch, Corey Feldman, Kristy Swanson, William Shatner, Cary Elwes, Kevin Sorbo, Ally Sheedy, Tim Curry, Paul Weller, Molly Ringwald and Curt Smith from Tears For Fears…to name but a few.

9) The Psych Outs

Let’s face it, everybody loves a show with a good, sturdy gag reel. You think the laugh is over when the season finishes? You are so very, very wrong. The Psych team are only just getting warmed up, prepare to have your face melted with quivering fits laughter and delight.

10) The General Amazing Ridiculousness 

“Oh, you mean my pilot’s license? That’s out back in the Cessna. Or perhaps you’re refering to my license to kill. Revoked. Trouble at the Kazakhstan border. I could give you the details but then I’d have to kill you, which I can’t do because my license to kill has been revoked.”

– Shawn evades a question about his “Private Eye License”

I could go into serious amounts of detail on how wonderful Shawn and Gus’ antics are… but I don’t want to give too much away and ruin the magic for the beautiful people that have to watch this show. And If the gifs haven’t been helpful enough…well then you should probably get your eye-brains checked for new laugh receptors. All that aside, not only is Psych a great comedy, it’s grounded in some really solid characters and their relationships. So. Here is my official recommendation, if you are partial to some good Crime drama…

and can appreciate some quality silliness…

…then Psych is definitely something that’s worth investing some time in.

You will love to love it.

That’s all she wrote for today my little Unicornlings. I would also like to note that, should you choose to follow my awesome advice and watch the show, I refuse to be held accountable for any subconscious excessive Pineapple consumption you may suffer from after viewing. Take it up with Steve Franks.

Peace Out.