A SERIES TO GET "PSYCH"ED ABOUT

August 11, 2006

Shawn Spencer, the fake psychic who runs his own detective agency on the new USA Network series, "Psych," can best be described as a slacker genius. He's a smooth talker and primo smart-alec with the emphasis on smart -- a direct descendent of Ferris Bueller, Fletch and Chris Knight, Val Kilmer's flippant and brainy college student in that '80s movie classic, "Real Genius." It's a breezy character type perfect for episodic television, and although "Psych" is the silliest detective show to come around in quite some time, it's also immensely likable.

Shawn, played winningly by James Roday, grew up in the demanding care of a hard-nosed policeman father (Corbin Bernsen), who taught him all the best cop tricks in the book. Shawn would be forced to close his eyes only moments after sitting down at a restaurant and then provide exhaustive details of every customer in the joint. He learned how to read people, to tell when they're lying or not, and although he had zero desire to follow in his father's footsteps in law enforcement, these gifts stuck with him into adulthood.

However, Shawn doesn't hold much interest in grown-up life, preferring instead to chase girls, jump from odd job to odd job, and call in tips to the police when he solves crimes just from watching the local TV news. The ensuing reward is a handy way to pick up some easy cash … that is until the police grow suspicious. When Shawn is accused of being an accomplice to a robbery he helped solve, the police demand to know how he could know so much about the case. The cops won't believe that he's just really freakin' observant - even better at their jobs than they are - so Shawn offers the next best reason he can think of: He's psychic.

The police chief buys it, and before you know it, Shawn has opened his own detective agency with the help of his lifelong best friend Gus (Dulé Hill). The two solve crimes using Shawn's considerable brain power but always reveal the culprit of that week's whodunit courtesy of one of Shawn's over-the-top "psychic episodes." Yes, the set-up is pretty thin, and it's not always believable that Shawn and Gus feel the need to keep up the otherworldly charade. (Although, in the pilot, there's an offhand remark from the police chief about having Shawn prosecuted if he's caught lying about how he gathers his intel, and there's also the matter of his increasing local celebrity for being a wicked good psychic.) But Roday and Hill play off each other brilliantly, with Shawn getting to play policeman without actually having to be one and the always-nervous Gus never quite getting comfortable with the scam he's now a part of.

Watching the two work out how to not only solve the crimes, but also how to unveil their findings psychically is a hoot. At one point, the pair are on a stakeout using the only detective equipment they own - a pair of Sports Illustrated binoculars that Shawn got free with his subscription. In another episode, they infiltrate a spelling bee and Shawn finds himself having to play the part of spell master. (Shawn's not much for big words - "banana" is the best he can give the contestants. Trust me, the scene is hilarious.) The dialogue is often clever, too. When Shawn is asked in what order he wants to interview and "psychically read" the spelling-bee contestants, he answers, "Let's start with the shifty-eyed ones."

"Psych" airs Friday nights at 10 and makes for a perfect companion piece to USA's signature show, "Monk." Both series are being promoted in the network's new "Characters Welcome" ad campaign. It's a smart sell because while "Psych" isn't the deepest thinking detective show you'll find on TV, it's supremely amusing central character makes watching a no-brainer.