Psych S01E01: not very innovative; very entertaining – the Lagarde

With today’s perspective you can say: this comic crime series about a dim-witted but shrewd fortune teller has stood the test of time.

The comedy crime series Psych was broadcast from 2006 to 2014. Three more also appeared Psychfilms and three more are reportedly in the works. You could say: the television phenomenon is alive and well. So it is by no means surprising that Netflix is ​​now including this title in its catalog. And anyone who starts with the pilot episode, at the very beginning in 2006, will have to agree with that tribute. Psych has undoubtedly stood the test of time. And that’s partly thanks to actor James Roday, who portrays a simultaneously cool and dorky character.

Roday plays Shawn Spencer: a good-for-nothing from Santa Barbara, California, who is excellent at deduction. That is to say: Spencer can quickly determine what people are trying to hide based on details (clothing, things in a room, you name it) in his brain. In the first episode he manages to impress the police with his talent. He pretends to be psychic and to communicate with the spirit world. That turns out to be a surefire premise for a television series. And the makers of Psych also ensure that some skeptics emerge in Spencer’s story world.

Like Detective Carlton Lassiter (Timothy Omundson), who doesn’t believe Spencer from the start. Spencer usually knows how to win over the women (including a role by actress Anne Dudek, who unfortunately only appears in the first season). He has been portraying himself as a womanizer since the pilot episode; as a man who sees almost everything in life as a game. That lightness is inspiring. Psych is not necessarily innovative, but it is very entertaining.

Psych S01-08, from Wednesday May 1, 2024 on Netflix