fastidium

We used to live in Santa Barbara, CA. We couldn’t afford it but we tried as hard as we could. It finally beat us and we had to leave.

But this wasn’t the case for psychic detective Shawn Spencer and his companion Barton “Gus” Guster in the highest rated show on the USA Network last season, Psych. We started watching Psych, which debuted in July of 2006, to see if we recognized any of the spots where it was being filmed. We were pleasantly surprised to find that, in addition to the nostalgic scenery, Shawn and Gus (played by James Roday and Dule Hill) are a very tight-knit comic duo that work really well together.

Roday’s character, Shawn, is a late-20-something slacker who’s made his way through many jobs over the years and is the stereotypical young punk living off what he can get in a sleepy beach town, except that, he has a special gift. His father, played by Corbin Bernsen, is a retired police officer and trained his son from a very early age in the art of observation. Shawn notices numbers, faces, and minute details at crime scenes that others overlook. This turns out to be just the right skill a young man needs to convince the Santa Barbara police department to hire him as a seemingly clairvoyant consultant.

And so it begins with Shawn and Gus opening their own investigative “psychic” business in the sleepy hamlet of Santa Barbara. Their main client is the local police department.

The show does have some flaws however. Its hard to overlook the fact that Santa Barbara couldn’t possibly have all of the criminal activity that would be needed to keep someone like Shawn busy each and every week. And, its tough to stomach the comic relief from the detectives who think that retaining a psychic to do their jobs is underneath them. But, like I said before, the comic duo of Roday and Hill is enough to keep us entertained. Plus, the fact that Shawn’s dad knows he’s not really a psychic but eagerly awaits his son’s downfall is very funny.

Sometimes television shows that include nostalgic references to pop culture can get old really fast (um, Gilmore Girls). But the writers know their stuff on Psych and, yet, they know not to over do it. This past week’s episode, Psy Vs. Psy (#2_2001), for instance, included a guest appearance from Lou Diamond Phillips (i.e., La Bamba), at least five movie references (Waiting for Godot, Waiting to Exhale, Waiting for Guffman, Young Guns 2, and Joe Versus the Volcano), a quote from Tooty of the Facts of Life, and comments about the 1970’s that included Reggie Jackson, Diane Cannon, and Harvey Wallbangers. All of it was hilarious.

So, is Psych one of the best shows on television? Probably not, but don’t let that keep you from watching. Now that the characters and the basic premise were set in season one, I will expect to see some background story lines that go beyond one episode. I’m hoping that they will. Otherwise, this show might not be around for a third season. I hope it is because its fun to see my favorite place in the whole world at least once a week. Its also nice to see Corbin Bernsen back on television. I suspect that they got him on the show because he just couldn’t pass up a easy gig in his hometown.

Also:

Maureen Ryan at The Watcher likes Psych too.