Psych – Season 1
Reviewer: Tim Isaac
Issue 104 June 2008
(1 votes, average: 1 out of 10)
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More than medium.
The Lowdown: Having been trained by his father since he was young to use advanced deductive reasoning, Shawn Spencer can solve crimes just by watching the news. However, the cops decide his always accurate tips must mean he’s involved in the bad deeds himself, so Shawn pretends he’s a psychic, which leads to a new career as a police consultant.
Review: USA Networks seem to have a knack for making fantastic, quirky crime shows. In 2002 the cable station launched ‘Monk’, which is now one of the most popular shows on US TV and has won star Tony Shalhoub three Emmys and a Golden Globe. They’ve hit paydirt again with Psych, a wonderfully barmy concoction, fuelled by an ensemble of great actors, funny scripts and an attitude that ensures it never takes itself too seriously.
While all of the actors are superb, it’s James Roday who must get most honours. He’s superb as fake psychic Shawn Spencer. It would be easy for the character to have come across as an awful narcissist. Shawn is, after all, a man who will do anything that amuses him at the time, often has little regard for other people and spends most of his time extracting money from people by lying to them about his psychic abilities. However in the hands of Roday all this becomes lovable, with Shawn played as a kind of Peter Pan figure, who may be a bit too effervescent for his own good, but ultimately means well and will catch the bad guys in the end. It doesn’t hurt either that he’s very funny.
With the series also featuring ‘West Wing’ star Dulé Hill and ‘LA Law’s’ Corbin Bernsen, it’s a strong ensemble. Timothy Omundson, as Det. Lassiter, should also get special mention for being so good in a role that calls for him to be the brunt of most of the jokes. It’s a mark of how well thought out this show is, as most of the time a character like Lassiter, whose main job is to butt up Spencer and not like him, would be a cardboard cutout. However Psych gives him a fully formed character, so that by the end of the first series, you may not exactly like Lassiter, but he’s oddly endearing.
The box set also includes a pretty decent selection of extras, including some amusing commentaries, which show that the cast and crew really are having as much fun as they appear to be. Likewise the blooper reel just makes it look like a tremendously fun series to make. With a couple of featurettes, some deleted scenes and other bits and pieces, it’s a decent selection. However it’s really the programme that stands out here, with its sharp, witty dialogue, bizarre yet entertaining cases and superb cast. Thankfully they’ve already made Season 2 of and Season 3 is being show on US TV this summer, so there’s plenty more Psych to look forward to.
FILM: 8 EXTRAS: 7
DVD Info:
Certificate: 12
Starring: James Roday, Dulé Hill, Corbin Bernsen, Timothy Omundson
Directed By: Various, 2006
Distributor: Universal Playback
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0, Dolby Digital 5.1
Visuals: 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen
Running Time: 643 mins
Price: £29.99
Special Features:
Scene Selection
Audio Commentaries For Selected Episodes
International Pilot
‘James Roday’s Audition Tape’ Featurette
‘Psych Revealed’ Featurette
‘Inside The Writer’s Room’ Featurette
Character Profiles
Blooper Reel
Deleted Scenes
