# Psych (2006)

> A fake psychic con man helps the Santa Barbara police solve crimes while his cover story keeps spiraling.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/1363

## Facts

- Seasons: 8
- Episodes: 120
- Episode runtime: 43 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, crime, mystery
- Created by: Steve Franks
- Network: USA Network
- Cast: James Roday Rodriguez, Dulé Hill, Timothy Omundson, Maggie Lawson, Kirsten Nelson, Corbin Bernsen, Sage Brocklebank, Sarah Lind
- TMDB rating: 8.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0491738/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: mild
- Tone: breezy, witty, absurd, playful, warm

## What critics say

Audiences broadly acclaim Psych as a consistently funny detective comedy carried by the chemistry of its leads.

## Synopsis

Psych (2006-2014) is an American comedy-mystery series created by Steve Franks for USA Network. Shawn Spencer (James Roday Rodriguez) is a sharp-eyed slacker who, after a childhood of observing details under his police officer father, is falsely accused of a crime he solved. To escape it he claims to be a psychic and feeds tips to the police, which forces him to keep up the act while consulting on cases. His best friend Burton Guster (Dulé Hill) is dragged along, and Detective Carlton Lassiter (Timothy Omundson) and Detective Juliet O'Hara (Maggie Lawson) are stuck in the middle of the investigations. The engine is simple: each episode presents a fresh crime, and Shawn's rapid-fire deductions, pop culture riffs, and escalating schemes keep the act afloat. The show runs eight seasons and 120 episodes, a case-of-the-week format with running threads about Shawn's relationships and his strained bond with his father Henry (Corbin Bernsen). Set in sunny Santa Barbara, California, it is a breezy, affectionate series with absurd, playful humor and warm chemistry. Fans of Monk, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Lie to Me will find resonance in its mix of mischief, detection, and friendship.

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- [Missing (2003)](https://ember.film/tv/41206)
- [Castle (2009)](https://ember.film/tv/1335)
- [Ghosted (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/62610)
- [Magnum P.I. (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/68458)
- [From Now On, Showtime! (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/121221)
- [Lie to Me (2009)](https://ember.film/tv/7760)

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