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Airing from 2006 to 2014 on USA, Psych is considered to be one of many cult television shows from the mid-2000s.1Franks, Steve. Psych. USA. 2006-2014. The show follows amateur sleuth, Shawn Spencer (James Roday Rodriguez), as he solves crimes at the Santa Barbara Police Department as a private detective/consultant. Enlisting the help of his best friend Burton “Gus” Guster (Dulé Hill), as well as Detectives Carlton Lassiter (Timothy Omundsun) and Juliet O’Hara (Maggie Lawson) with Chief of Police Karen Vick (Kirsten Nelson), Shawn solves crimes from an attempted murder at an American Idol knockoff to a killer dinosaur.
The catch?
Shawn has convinced everyone that he is actually a psychic.
Shawn’s decision to pose as a psychic to the SBPD stems from his real-world observational skills passed down to him by his former detective father, Henry (Corbin Bernsen). Shawn sees the world differently from his counterparts, he uses his eidetic memory and attention to detail to connect clues or predict patterns that would otherwise seem impossible. But when his amateur detective work makes him the lead suspect in a crime, Shawn realizes telling the truth about his observational skills isn’t cutting it. So he lies about being a psychic to save himself from jail time and, instead, finds purpose in crime-solving.
He names his fake psychic detective agency “Psych,” as an intentional reference to the word’s double meaning.
Gus: Psych? As in gotcha?
Shawn: Or as in psych-ic.
Gus: You named your fake detective agency Psych? Why not just call it, “Hey, we’re fooling you and the police department — hope we don’t make a mistake and someone dies because of it?”
Shawn: The best way to convince people you’re not lying is to tell them you are!
2Franks, S. (2006, July 7). Pilot. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0680222/
Psych plays on its audiences’ expectations of morality by presenting contradictions and double meanings within the characters and conflicts of the show. This thematic duality challenges the viewers’ notions about our expectations of right and wrong. Shawn uses his quick wit and often questionable sense of humor to remind the audience of an important lesson: things aren’t always what they seem.
Psych — “Dramedy As Duality”
The dramedy has a difficult job; a portmanteau combining drama and comedy, the genre combines the high-tension, realistic situations with the quick wit and humor of a traditional sitcom. Dramedy “[offers] a more nuanced and realistic representation of life’s ups and downs.”3“Dramedy Defined: Understanding the Comedy-Drama Genre.” Daisie. June 21, 2023.
While arguments can be made that some shows and films fit more firmly into one category than the other, such as Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) being a drama and Scrubs (2001-2010) as a comedy, the genre is far more complex than a narrative containing both humor and tragedy. It is in this zone of duality that Psych is able to thrive.
Psych has the job of trying to make murder funny, but not so funny that the audience forgets that the main characters do take their job seriously. It requires a consistent balancing act where Shawn is usually cracking jokes (more often than not at inappropriate times) — yet by the end of the episode, Shawn has dedicated himself so fully to solving the crime that he takes revealing the perpetrator seriously. The rest of the cast has to keep pace, indulging Shawn’s antics when it is funny and pushing back when the audience may have had enough.
“Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark”4“Psych.” Season 4, Episode 9. “Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark.” Released: October 2009. Director: Damski, Mel is a prime example of how well the show manages to keep its audience laughing and holding their breath at the same time. The plot follows Shawn, who has been shot and kidnapped in the middle of the night, figuring out how he’s going to survive and call his friends for help. The episode has some of the highest stakes of the whole series, Shawn is visibly suffering as his injuries start to take hold and his assailants threaten his life.
But it is also hilarious. Gus shows up to the crime scene wearing firetruck-themed pajamas, in an attempt to call for help Shawn accidentally dials a girl he ghosted after a few dates, and in a dramatic car chase Gus insists Shawn not jump onto his hood in order to escape because
“it’s a company car, Shawn!”
5“Psych.” Season 4, Episode 9. “Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark.” Released: October 2009. Director: Damski, Mel
It is a hard tightrope to walk, but “Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark” is considered one of the best episodes among fans because it balances the show’s dual nature. Of course, it is not the only example of dramedy’s duality in Psych. Every episode plays with the line between a grisly police procedural and a full-on sitcom.
The dramedy genre embraces Psych’s larger themes of duality through its use of tone in combination with plot points and character development. It keeps the audience guessing and subverts expectations at every turn.
Psych — Dualistic Characters: “Shawn”
At first glance, Shawn’s disposition is immature, selfish, and careless; he jokes at inappropriate times, makes frequent references to 80’s pop culture, and keeps a collection of toys in the Psych office. Shawn even takes advantage of Gus’s loyalty and financial security (as Gus has claimed Shawn on his taxes). Shawn, however, is inherently dualistic. Like the dramedy genre, he performs a balancing act between being hopelessly immature, yet incredibly intelligent and kind.
Shawn’s entire personality rests on being able to balance his own inner thoughts and rationale with how he allows others to perceive him. Much of his antics seen throughout the show are part of a carefully curated persona he wields. Shawn’s predominant characteristics are his high intelligence and complete lack of maturity. Shawn is naturally intelligent. He received a perfect score on the Police Academy exam when he was only fifteen years old, learned to read Hebrew in one summer, and memorized an entire battlefield in just two minutes. Yet, this intelligence is also what brings out his greatest flaws.
In season five, Shawn meets rival Declan Rand, who is posing as a criminal profiler. Much like Shawn, his attention to detail allows him to identify someone’s key characteristics. While profiling Shawn, he states:
“You’re highly intelligent, but you’re shameful of that fact, so you play it down with the use of inappropriate behavior, and you live in fear of showing weakness so you hide behind a constant barrage of jokes and sarcasm.”
6“Psych.” Season 5, Episode 8. “Shawn 2.0 ” Released: September 2012. Director: Crabtree, David.
Declan’s profile is spot on, much to Shawn’s dismay. But for the audience, it solidifies the appeal of Shawn’s dual nature.
Shawn uses immaturity to hide his true nature. This is partially due to his reasoning in the Pilot episode: “The best way to convince people you’re not lying is to tell them you are.” By acting like a child, making jokes, and playing up his so-called “psychic visions,” Shawn keeps everyone at a safe distance. Acting childish makes him appear less likely to lie, after all. Someone who is a master manipulator would know better than to constantly make a fool of himself in front of the police, victims, or government officials.
It is also clear that Shawn takes his own intelligence very seriously and fears that if he is not intelligent enough, he could fail as a private investigator or allow further harm to innocent people. So he keeps it at a distance by making inappropriate jokes or openly mocking Lassiter. Yet, something is charming about Shawn’s antics. His childish behavior also comes with a certain innocence. John M Thompson writes in Psych and Philosophy:
“Shawn’s child quality is deeply paradoxical, as he is both childish and child-like. Shawn is childish when he impetuously jumps into situations without thinking, stubbornly insists on his own way as correct, as well as his obsessions with sugary snacks and cartoons. And yet, Shawn is childlike– imaginative, sweet and charming, loyal to Gus and his other colleagues.”
7Thompson, John M. “From Death to a Blooper.” Psych and Philosophy: Some Dark Juju-Magumbo. Arp, Robert, ed. Open Court Publishing. 2013. Print.
Shawn is always the first character to jump to someone’s defense. In “Lassie Did a Bad, Bad Thing”8“Psych.” Season 3, Episode 11. “Lassie Did a Bad, Bad Thing.” Released: January 2009. Director: Surjik, Stephen. and “Autopsy Turvy” 9“Psych.” Season 6, Episode 14. “Autopsy Turvy.” Released: March 2012. Director: Lynch, Jennifer. he is the first to help clear the names of his colleagues when they are framed for crimes, even if all the evidence seems stacked against him. He regularly backs up suspects, ex-cons, and pathological liars when he knows they are innocent, not because he is naive, but because he believes in an inherent human goodness. He recognizes that things aren’t always what they seem and that people contain multitudes.
There is an ongoing push and pull when it comes to Shawn’s personality. His inappropriate behavior juxtaposes his high intelligence, while his selfishness is countered by his desire to do good.
Dualistic ‘Supporting’ Characters: Lassiter, Juliet, & Gus
It is Shawn’s intricacies that are juxtaposed with those of the characters he interacts with during the course of the investigation. Their own intricacies tend to mirror Shawn’s in a way that keeps the audience intrigued and engrossed.
In contrast to his ongoing chaos, Lassiter and Juliet, his counterparts at the SBPD, represent law and order. Lassiter, in particular, is Shawn’s opposite; he is serious and stern and constantly calls out Shawn for his antics. He’s the obvious counter to Shawn throughout the show; and is the only person who doesn’t believe Shawn is a psychic.
Somehow, the two work remarkably well together. Shawn and Lassiter are the embodiment of opposites attracting. When made to solve cases together, their opposing worldviews and personalities make for better detective work as they learn to appreciate each other throughout the show. Their duality is represented in their need for each other — as characters and meta-textually. Without Lassiter’s skepticism, the balance of the show would be thrown off by Shawn’s constant antics without anyone to ground them back in reality.
Juliet, on the other hand, is more mild-mannered and sweet; her genuine belief in Shawn’s “psychic” abilities and good nature counter Shawn’s intentionally manipulative behaviors. Yet, they have incredible chemistry, even becoming romantic partners in the latter half of the show.
Their relationship creates tension because of their dualistic nature; the fact that Shawn intentionally lies to Juliet about being a psychic draws out their contradictory traits. Juliet values honesty and the law — yet Shawn continues to ignore her wishes for the sake of justice. This tension is strewn throughout the show and adds conflict to their obvious chemistry.
Of course, you can’t talk about dualistic relationships in Psych without talking about Shawn’s “partner in crime,” Gus. The two have been best friends since childhood; even though they seem complete opposites. Unlike Shawn, Gus is cautious, bookish, and the voice of reason on most of their adventures. He’s a pharmaceutical salesman with a list of odd interests, including but not limited to the National Spelling Bee, collecting Buffalo Head Nickels, and tap-dancing.
Yet, Gus is both the push and pull that Shawn needs to solve crimes. Gus is the first person to call out Shawn for his goofy and unprofessional behavior. He warns Shawn when his plots seem to go too far (not that Shawn always listens). Still, he is also just as funny as Shawn and is a primary source of encouragement. They break out into silly dances when they figure out major clues and Gus easily goes along with Shawn’s fake names for him (such as “MC Clap Yo Handz” and “Gus TT Showbiz”).
Their friendship and loyalty are the backbone of the show; they move between being complete opposites and perfect compliments to each other whenever the situation calls for it. Psych expertly plays on all the characters’ relationships. Someone is always around to counter Shawn and act as his opposite, but that does not hinder any of their bonds.
Much like two halves of a coin, the characters all rely on each other and do not let their conflicting personalities or ideals get in the way of their loyalty to each other. The characters express the importance and need for duality in television. Characters shouldn’t always get along or always be rivals, they need to have complex relationships that demonstrate all their strengths and weaknesses.
Psych — “The Yin/Yang Killers”
“An Evening With Mr. Yang,” season three’s 16th and final episode, introduces one of the primary antagonists and the most literal form of duality. Shawn faces down a serial killer named Mr. Yang, solving riddles and facing down the clock in an attempt to save the victims. At first, it seems that Shawn and Mr. Yang are oppositional figures; each other’s Yin and Yang. But expectations are once again subverted when it is revealed there are two Yin/Yang Killers, a father-daughter duo. Yin and yang are aspects of Daoism, represented diametrically but within interconnected forces, and are part of the larger Dao, which can be interpreted as the Way of the cosmos.
“Dao perpetually moves from yin to yang, never fixed, continually upsetting and undermining. Its Way inevitably disrupts plans and attempts at control. Dao is a paradox, an ultimate contradiction, between two opposites and irreconcilable truth.”
10Thompson, John M. “From Death to a Blooper.” Psych and Philosophy: Some Dark Juju-Magumbo. Arp, Robert, ed. Open Court Publishing. 2013. Print.
While it may not have been the intention of creator, Steve Franks, to write major villains who reflect Psych’s larger themes, they certainly do just that. Yin and Yang embody the duality the show so expertly plays on. Both killers are some of the only characters in the show who are able to challenge Shawn and beat him at his own game.
Their challenges force Shawn to drop his usual goofy persona and spend the majority of the episodes being very serious, a stark difference from the usual episodes. Talistheintrovert says in a YouTube review of the show, “It’s not often that Shawn is genuinely behind on a case in a way it is anxiety inducing to the audience.”11talistheintrovert. “Psych: the BEST Sherlock Holmes adaptation in existence.” YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB6Rk3V296o&t=3938s They reveal his complexity as a character and his struggles when he is finally met with a true challenge. The breakdown of his character from comedic and joking to being focused and distressed through the majority of episodes pulls out his own complexity as a character.
However, Yin and Yang are also opposites to each other; not just Shawn. Throughout the trilogy, the characters are described as opposites, a dynamic that plays into their murders and how they interact with Shawn. “The law of opposites. Yang had rules: the ticking clock, the keen rhyming schemes, nothing but order. Yin– nothing but chaos. As soon as you figure out the rules, they’ll change.” 12“Psych.” Season 4, Episode 16. “Mr. Yin Presents”. Released: May, 2010. Director: Rodriguez, James Roday. Not only does this dynamic create thematic intrigue for the watcher and raise the stakes in each segment of the trilogy, but it also challenges Shawn’s manner of thinking. To succeed in solving each mystery, he has to move between the natures of yin and yang: intuition versus intellect and chaos versus order.
“Yang 3 in 2D”13“Psych.” Season 5, Episode 16. “Yang 3 in 2D.14” Released: December 2010. Director: Damski, Mel. brings the Yin/Yang killers back for one more episode, in which their father/daughter dynamic is revealed. Yang has also been manipulated by her father into helping him commit these heinous crimes, and she actively seeks to help Shawn and protect him from the dangers Yin poses. Her motivations are difficult for the other characters to accept, but Shawn readily takes to her as an ally, recognizing that people are sometimes contradictory in their behaviors. In the two-part “Psych: The Musical,” he readily seeks her ally-ship again when tracking down an escaped arsonist and often defends her to Gus and the SBPD.
Yin and Yang are two characters who play well into their Daoist namesakes. Not only are they foil to Shawn, but they balance out each other. They reveal the constant blurring of reality throughout the show, including where the line between good and evil resides.
“What I Do Is Good… Isn’t It?”
One of Psych’s most notable attributes is how it represents morality; the main premise is Shawn’s lie about being a psychic. While mostly played up for laughs, this major plot point begs the question: Can you do the wrong thing for the right reasons? While Shawn seeks to do good by solving crimes, something he is more successful at than his counterparts at the SBPD, he is also motivated to keep up the lie or he will risk jail time on fraud charges.
The philosophical debate about his lie is not shied away from in the show. Gus constantly mentions the consequences if Shawn lets the truth slip, which could include Gus being implicated as an accessory to fraud. Other episodes, such as the aforementioned “Shawn 2.0,” emphasized whether or not Shawn’s lie is morally good or bad. Juliet begins dating Declan Rand, who decides to out himself as a fraud to gain her respect and trust since she values honesty above all else. He encourages Shawn to do the same, but he rejects the idea on the basis that his work as a private detective is too important to give up.
In “Deez Nups” (Season 7, Episode 7), Juliet finds out that Shawn has been lying to her about a psychic. In their confrontation, Shawn tells her,
“I’m good at what I do. And what I do is good… isn’t it?”
15“Psych.” Season 7, Episode 7, “Deez Nups.” Released: April 2013. Director: Rodriguez, James Roday.
At this moment the audience finally sees Shawn questioning his motivations and bringing the show’s major themes to light. Because Shawn is good at what he does. And though Juliet does eventually forgive him, her sense of betrayal still lingers with the audience.
Throughout the show, Shawn continually bests criminals and his colleagues at the SBPD. He is able to observe details that would otherwise go unnoticed, is the first to identify when the police have the wrong suspect, and generally is the one who solves the case in the end. It can be assumed that without Shawn’s assistance, the SBPD would either leave most of its cases unsolved or could have wrongfully incarcerated dozens of innocent people.
However, his methods are unorthodox and often illegal. Not only is he lying to the police about being a psychic, something that would not only land him with charges of fraud but could also challenge the criminal evidence in a court of law (undoing more than a hundred arrests); he also regularly breaks and enters, steals, and gathers information by accessing private computers/files. It’s safe to say that Shawn is not innocent in the eyes of the law.
It is up to the audience to decide on Shawn and the show’s stance on morality. Psych plays up this philosophical debate as the through-line of the show, constantly reminding viewers that Shawn is both right and wrong in his methods and that embracing contradiction is a mandatory aspect of life. Psych never attempts to draw the line between good and bad, but instead leaves room for ethical debate and paradoxical thinking to ease its way into every episode.
“I’ve Heard It Both Ways:” Demonstrating Duality In Psych (2006-2014)
Psych’s use of the dramedy format, characterization, and philosophical questions gives the showroom to explore the complexities of everyday life. Centering Shawn as its main character brings a unique perspective on the police procedural. He is a compelling character, whose choices and behaviors are often indicative of the paradoxes we all experience. Shawn manages to be funny, genuine, selfish, kind, intelligent, and even a little dense (sometimes). His interactions with other characters and his role in the plot keep audiences glued to their seats, as they ask:
“What’s this guy’s deal anyway?”
Even one of his catchphrases, “I’ve heard it both ways” is more than a joke; when Shawn is told that he’s wrong about something, usually by Gus, he counters that he’s “heard it both ways.” At first glance, it seems Shawn is deflecting — as he hates being wrong, but, on closer inspection, the line subtly references Shawn’s ability to walk the thin line of realities and see the dual nature of his world (and for someone with an eidetic memory, he very well may have heard it both ways).
In fiction, there is often a lot of temptation to make the lines very clear: Drama versus comedy, right versus wrong — even yin versus yang. But Psych believes in the intelligence of its own audience. Spoon-feeding the viewers’ doses of morality would take away their agency in watching the show and remove so much of the comedic intensity Psych works so hard to create. Instead, it’s up to the audience to find evidence in the episodes and connect with the characters to create decisions about morality.
Life is often paradoxical. Psych’s main purpose is to bring that duality to the surface and give its viewers a chance to put their analytical and observational skills to the test.
References
- 1Franks, Steve. Psych. USA. 2006-2014.
- 2Franks, S. (2006, July 7). Pilot. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0680222/
- 3“Dramedy Defined: Understanding the Comedy-Drama Genre.” Daisie. June 21, 2023.
- 4“Psych.” Season 4, Episode 9. “Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark.” Released: October 2009. Director: Damski, Mel
- 5“Psych.” Season 4, Episode 9. “Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark.” Released: October 2009. Director: Damski, Mel
- 6“Psych.” Season 5, Episode 8. “Shawn 2.0 ” Released: September 2012. Director: Crabtree, David.
- 7Thompson, John M. “From Death to a Blooper.” Psych and Philosophy: Some Dark Juju-Magumbo. Arp, Robert, ed. Open Court Publishing. 2013. Print.
- 8“Psych.” Season 3, Episode 11. “Lassie Did a Bad, Bad Thing.” Released: January 2009. Director: Surjik, Stephen.
- 9“Psych.” Season 6, Episode 14. “Autopsy Turvy.” Released: March 2012. Director: Lynch, Jennifer.
- 10Thompson, John M. “From Death to a Blooper.” Psych and Philosophy: Some Dark Juju-Magumbo. Arp, Robert, ed. Open Court Publishing. 2013. Print.
- 11talistheintrovert. “Psych: the BEST Sherlock Holmes adaptation in existence.” YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB6Rk3V296o&t=3938s
- 12“Psych.” Season 4, Episode 16. “Mr. Yin Presents”. Released: May, 2010. Director: Rodriguez, James Roday.
- 13“Psych.” Season 5, Episode 16. “Yang 3 in 2D
- 14” Released: December 2010. Director: Damski, Mel.
- 15“Psych.” Season 7, Episode 7, “Deez Nups.” Released: April 2013. Director: Rodriguez, James Roday.
Lovely!!! Thanks for the thoughtful study, you explained the paradoxical nature of the show, with its intelligence and humor – and characters who generally try to help each other and bring justice in real terms, not cliches. Well done!!