Psych: The Movie Promises to Bring the Funny (& Maybe Some Pineapples)
I know you know that you aren’t missing this flick!
Quite possibly the most anticipated reunion/special/event/thing of 2017, Psych: The Movie will finally premiere December 7 after months of sweet pineapple teases! A mainstay for the USA Network in the mid-2000s, Psych was the perfect balance of wit and whimsy set in the coastal gem that is Santa Barbara - which if you watched the show in its entirety, had to have been the murder capital of California.
Thanks to fake psychic Shawn Spencer (James Roday) and his neurotic BFF Burton “Gus” Guster (Dulé Hill), the SBPD took down all manner of miscreants, much to their chagrin. Reluctantly partnered with Detective Carlton Lassiter (Timothy Omundson) and then-Junior Detective O’Hara (Maggie Lawson), the foursome got into all sorts of hijinks and the world was better for it.
Photos: Alan Zenuk/USA Network
No doubt Psych: The Movie will have a smattering of callbacks, a heap of one-liners, a few cameos, and those oh so sweet 80s references because Shawn and Gus bringing it likes its never been brought before. In the holiday special, Spencer may have finally met his match in The Thin White Duke (Zachary Levi), which compels his best pal and the rest of gang to reunite and take down this malicious big bad.
In regards to the production itself, for everyone involved it felt as though little time had passed given the close bonds they developed during Psych’s eight seasons. While James Roday waxed rhapsodic about his experiences earlier this year, Dulé Hill certainly shared the sentiment. “It was great! This is one of… I say one of my second families because The West Wing was another second family. I worked with these guys for eight years. We bonded together, we all love each other very much. We’ve seen some people’s children grow up, all kinds of life experiences and we’re a unit. So the idea of us all coming together to step back into this world has been touching.”
For Maggie Lawson and Kirsten Nelson, who play Det. Juliet O’Hara and Chief Karen Vick respectively, they too loved jumping back in the roles and are appreciative of Psych’s fandom continuing to grow after the series finale. As Lawson regaled: “It just felt like coming home. We are so close as a group, working but in our personal lives too. The fact that fans still want this movie is the reason it’s getting made, and everyone has been so supportive. So for us, it’s like we get this gift of getting back together and doing this thing we love because of the fans! It was kind of emotional… it’s been incredibly special.”
Even though buzz about Psych’s return caught on fast and was well received, Nelson jokingly expressed her anxiousness seeing as the show ended three years ago and ended on a good note. Still and all, reprising the role of Chief Vick not only “It’s nice that we still have fans, that we’re still creating fans… and that’s what really enabled us to really do this. The network saw “Ah, nobody left! Why are they still here?” I hope they let us do another one! At least one more!”
As for the current dynamics every the characters have gone through since Psych’s final episode, a few things may be pretty surprising if not downright disturbing. According to Corbin Bernsen, the stodgy ex-supercop that was Henry Spencer may have finally loosened up… and he means really loosened up. “Henry has decided to stop fighting the tide. He’s gotten a little hipper. Sold his house to Lassiter. Lives in a loft with very young, cool, hip people. Probably found himself a young girlfriend or two. Or four. [laughs] He still keeps an eye on his boat, he bought a loft to keep an eye on his boat… he sees somebody mess with his boat, off come the hip clothes.”
Concerning Guster, he continues to jostle between logic and tagging along during Shawn’s insane misadventures. However, according to Hill, he’s making progress in a few areas. “He (Shawn) moved to San Francisco, of course he’s tried to move Psych up there but Gus can never go too far from his home base, so of course he gets a regular job. He definitely has to work, he’s still searching for love, still trying to find his uh, pineapple queen! You know what I mean? Which has not happened yet but thankfully, during this film, we see the burgeoning of love in the Gus world! He’s still getting into all kinds of shenanigans with Shawn. As much as he complains about it, he loves it! I think Gus would be lost without that.”
Naturally, little was revealed by the cast about Psych: The Movie, yet it was strongly hinted that everyone will endure a good deal and face “vulnerability” in some form or fashion by the Thin White Duke’s hand. For all that, the film retains the pluck and charm of the series that many loved, as affirmed by Lawson.
“It’s one of the things I think we feel so good about the show, and feel proud of. The fact we run into families a lot, and they watch it as a family. I think the parents in their thirties and forties get the Eighties references and it’s really fun, and the kids, because it’s a light, colorful, goofy show, I don’t know! Because we were so active on social media, it did appeal to the younger crowds. It does have adult themes at times, but it never really crosses the line that a parent would be like “uh, I don’t want my kid to see this” or “This is too much”, so we keep it pretty light. Even though we’re dealing with murder and crime! [laughs]”
Psych: The Movie airs Thursday, December 7 at 8/7c on USA Network!
