They'll Psych You Out In The End

As usual, you must first watch this:

And now, once you've seen that clip, it will be impossible for you to hate on Psych in any way. That's actually Curt Smith from Tears For Fears, btw. What!

So, I'm sure that you've had moments where you'd like to watch some TV, but you really don't want to watch anything you have to think about too hard or be completely caught up on to understand or that reminds you of the day-to-day banalities of your life. If you're also looking to laugh and enjoy yourself than Psych is the perfect show.

I've been watching Psych since the beginning; I've had a huge crush on Dule Hill since early days of The West Wing and when the opportunity arose for me to see more of him, I grabbed it with gusto. And once I started watching, Psych appealed to me on oh-so-many levels. For those of you who don't know, the premise of the show is that Shawn Spencer (James Roday) was raised by his detective father (Corbin Bernson) to possess very keen, almost supernatural, powers of observation. Finding himself out of work and wanting to prove something to his father (without becoming a cop), Shawn and his BFF Burton Guster (AKA Gus, played by Dule Hill) open a fake psychic detective agency and begin working with the local police department to solve an unrealistic number of crimes and murders taking place in the greater Santa Barbara area. They work closely with surly, bumbling Detective Lassiter (AKA Lassie, played by Tim Omundson) and the sweet, sexy, tough, and logical Detective Juliet O'Hara (Maggie Lawson) and often have to call on Shawn's dad for assistance. Naturally, hilarious antics ensue.

And that's really all you need to know to watch practically any episode of Psych. You can drop in at any time and even if you don't have a relationship with the characters the show is still funny, light, and engaging. I still recommend, as I do with most shows, that you watch from the beginning, but you won't be missing much if you don't. Anyway, these are the reasons that I love Psych, in no particular order:

An Absence of Serious

With most episodes of most crime procedurals (I think the last few seasons of SVU could be left off this list), things are serious. There are dead bodies and rapes and child molesters and genocides and all types of terrible things happening. Not so on Psych. I mean, sure, there is murder, and sometimes it's sad...but it's clearly not the point or focus of the show. On Psych, it's all about the journey that is taken on the way to solving the crime. They make lighthearted jokes and engage in witty repartee while talking to the Chief of Police. Even when they're in dangerous situations or running for their lives, the viewer is still treated to hilarious dialogue. Shawn's character has been developed as someone who refuses to take anything seriously pretty much ever, and so we, the audience, get to come along with him on this carefree crime-solving romp. And there's always Gus to be the voice of reason/Magic Head/simultaneous straight man and comic relief. Which brings me to my next point...

Perfect Partners

Shawn would not be Shawn without Gus, and vice-versa. They feed off each other's energy, they know each other completely, and they have pitch-perfect timing. The premise of the show is okay, but Psych wouldn't be what it is without the Shawn/Gus dynamic. I'm fairly positive that Dule and James are friends in real life, because otherwise they wouldn't have such awesome chemistry. I was a huge fan of Scrubs up until the last few seasons, but even I prefer the Shawn and Gus bromance to JD and Turk's. I think it's because they've been friends since they were kids, and there isn't any of the repressed homoeroticism (that could often come off as homophobia) that Scrubs constantly dealt with. Plus, the relationship between Shawn and Gus reminds me a bit of me and my friend Anna. I'm Shawn, in case you were wondering.

On a related note, the dynamic between Detectives O'Hara and Lassiter is also one worth noting. They have a great back-and-forth and Tim Omundson does a great job of maintaining his character's kooky egotism while simultaneously letting his respect for his partner shine through. The four of them together is super fun to watch because these two teams know how to play off each other so damn well.

Obscure Pop Culture References!

I'm not sure I need to explain much more than that, but I will. Shawn is constantly making oblique and random references to 80's and 90's pop culture - some of it so obscure that even I don't know what he's talking about. But mostly it's stuff the audience (especially if you were raised in the 80's and 90's...) will pick up on, and it fits perfectly into the show and the characters. It's become such a hallmark of the show that Ally Sheedy guest-starred on two season finales, in a brilliantly campy cameo. And of course, there's that Tears For Fears bit we all just watched. One of my favorite streams of pop culture babble is in the season 3 episode "Murder? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?", which is, in itself, an awesome reference.

Santa Barbara

I think the basic fact that this is a murder/crime show that takes place in scenic and serene Santa Barbara, California illustrates the ludicrous nature and intent of Psych. It is, however, filmed in Vancouver, as the actual Santa Barbara is filled with drunk college students, rich white people, and kitesurfers and is lacking in psychic detectives and interesting, filmable locations.

Singing and Dancing and Laughing

The little "Psych Out" outtake moments at the end of each show really make it for me. They not only often show the actors singing, dancing, cursing, or losing their shit, but they also fit perfectly into a show that is all about blurring the lines of reality and pretending to be something you're technically not. Plus, they are hilarious - and on what other show can you see sexy men doing world-class tap dancing?

Pineapples!

No one really knows what the pineapple means. It's best to just let it speak for itself, it its own, pineappley way.

So that's it, that's all I've got. If I haven't convinced you to check it out, I'd recommend going to the Hulu page and checking out some of the clips or a full episode, if you've got time. This isn't the kind of show you're gonna get addicted to, but it's the kind that you'll find comforting and cheering when you're home sick or recovering from a break-up or whathaveyou. So, there's nothing to be afraid of - what are you waiting for?

Image via Collider.com