Rewind the 2000s: Psych

Alongside sporadic appearances of pineapples, a paranormal detective agency and puzzling murder mysteries, the unlikely investigative duo of pretend-psychic Shawn Spencer and pharmaceutical salesman Burton Guster helped to introduce the world to the comedy-drama, “Psych,” — a production unlike any other from the mid-2000s.  

The series first aired in 2006 and concluded 2014. The pilot featured Shawn’s blossoming career as a fake psychic detective, spurred on by a quick-thinking way to get out of a wrongful accusation. This new job led Shawn to poke around the Santa Barbara Police Department to learn more about a strange kidnapping. From this point on, Shawn enlists the help of his morally conscious and upright friend, Gus, to solve crimes by employing liberal amounts of sarcasm, critical thinking, misdirection and a dash of theatrics to nab a host of culprits throughout the show’s duration.  

Typically, at the start of each episode — especially during “Psych’s” earlier seasons — viewers would be enveloped in flashback scenes depicting Shawn’s father’s past as a police detective when Shawn was a young boy. During one of these openers, Shawn’s father encouraged his son to tap into his hyper-observant abilities by quizzing him about random people’s outfits in a diner after briefly sitting down at a booth indoors.  

This occurrence is just one of many examples of how his father tried to prepare his son for life. These scenes often displayed how Shawn’s father greatly shaped Shawn’s personality and eventually inspired him to join the SBPD as a “psychic” detective.  

Steve Franks, the creative mind behind the show, admitted the show is loosely off his own childhood, as his father was a former police officer for LAPD, according to ScreenRant. Franks ended up opting for that career path, he wanted to use his own personal experiences to build Shawn’s character throughout the show by highlighting the unique father-son moments between the two characters.  

While the “psychic detective” aspect of the show is complete fiction, Frank’s personal additions to Shawn’s character and his complicated, yet close relationship with his dad help to make viewers to resonate with the protagonist.  

Of all the key aspects that built the show, Shawn’s “bromance” with Gus is the glue that ultimately holds the production together. Shawn’s friendship with Gus was inspired by one of Frank’s lifelong friendships which started before kindergarten, according to Vulture.  

The comedic duo’s close-knit comradery is evidenced by Shawn’s never-ending list of affectionate nicknames for Gus, such as “Gus Sillypants Jackson, Lavender Gooms, MC ClapYoHandz, Dequan ‘Smallpox’ Randolph,” according to ScreenRant.  

While Gus’s balanced character is known for focusing on practical topics and posing the question, “Heard about Pluto?” to the occasional passerby, Shawn’s character is more synonymous to a tornado, often inciting a whirlwind of chaos and comedy upon his surroundings. Shawn is also notorious for making sarcastic quips that test Gus’s patience, like “Well, the plot, unlike your hair, continues to thicken,” as he did in season 6, episode 16, according to ScreenRant .  

In an interview with Vulture, James Roday Rodriguez, who played Shawn, admitted that portraying the close friendship between Gus and Shawn was integral to the show’s continued success. He explained that the show improved when he and Dulé Hill (Gus) found new ways of playing off each other’s acting styles and humor.  

“They’re not always going to agree, and they’re always going to bicker,” Rodrigeuz said in an interview with Vulture. “They land on opposite sides on fiscal responsibility, and maybe even social issues. But they’re not their best self without each other, and they should stop pretending there’s a world where they’re better off without one another.” 

Although Shawn presses the buttons of those around him, his friendship with Gus only grows stronger as the pair continues to solve violent murders. Shawn also cultivates unlikely relationships with the strict and uptight Santa Barbara Detective Carlton Lassiter, as well as the hopeful and rising detective Juliet or “Jules” O’Hara. If it weren’t for the constant stream of sarcastic quips and theatrical, pseudo-psychic moments, the show’s aura would be considerably bleak and dark, since each episode focuses on a murder or violent crime.   

Despite these dark themes operating as the center of each episode’s plot, the cast of the show and light-hearted appearances of random pineapples in every episode of the show helps keep the production’s atmosphere upbeat. According to USA, Rodriguez added an unscripted line to the end scene of the pilot episode about slicing up a pineapple at the psychic detective agency.  

“The simple thing of the pineapple — ‘You want me to cut this up for the road?’ — started from the brilliance of Roday where he would just take what’s around him and go with it and having the freedom to do that, because that line wasn’t in the script,” Hill said.  

The first four seasons of the show include some of the best jokes and episodes, while the later seasons appear to get darker and lose the initial appeal of the first half. While each of the 120 episodes are worthwhile material, the primary seasons show the best of the characters thanks to stronger sub plots, special guest appearances and character growth.  

Although there are a few drawbacks, “Psych” is a timeless classic with comedic skits, skillful sleuths and spontaneous dancing bits that will surely keep generations to come engaged and enthused.  

Davis is the Editor-in-Chief for the Liberty Champion. Follow her on X.