Pineapples were named for their resemblance to pinecones, a traditional Christmas decoration. Therefore, a “Psych” Christmas movie makes perfect sense — and it might not end there.
America’s favorite fake-psychic comedy-drama — which hid a pineapple in almost every episode — went off the air in 2014, after eight seasons and 120+ episodes on USA Network, ending the tale of Santa Barbara-based fake-psychic detective Shawn Spencer (James Roday) and his best buddy and partner in crimesolving, Burton “Gus” Guster (Dule Hill).
Here’s how Roday and series creator Steve Franks talked to me about it at the time:
Roday: “We’re at peace with the decision to call it a show, because honestly, I feel like we did everything we could think of, just about. I always make a notebook every year of ideas that I want to do every season. I went back, and the ones we didn’t do, I don’t really feel like, “Oh, dang, we didn’t do that thing.”
Franks: “At the end of every year, James and I would get together, and we would talk about how we were going to push the boundaries of what the show was allowed to do each year. And, if we couldn’t figure out a way to push the boundaries any more, we both said, ‘OK, we’ll be done at that point.’”
Well, apparently a few-years’ hiatus has refilled the creative tank, because the show is returning on Dec. 7, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on USA, with a two-hour holiday-themed event called “Psych: The Movie.”
Set three years after the end of the series — and shifted in setting from Santa Barbara to San Francisco — the movie brings back several original cast members: Maggie Lawson as Shawn’s on-again/off-again (ending on on) love, Detective Juliet O’Hara; Kirsten Nelson as Police Chief Vick; and Corbin Bernsen as Shawn’s ex-cop dad, Henry.
Sadly, because cast regular Timothy Omundsen suffered a stroke shortly before the beginning of production in late May, his ever-irritated Detective Lassiter will only appear briefly — but he will be there in some fashion.
From Entertainment Weekly:
Roday adds: “I think we found the best way possible to keep Lassiter very much a part of what we do, set him up to succeed in the future, and still give all of our Psych-Os an opportunity to see that ridiculously handsome mug of his.”
But “Chuck” fans will get a chance to see one of their favorites, star and super-nerd Zachary Levi.
Also from Entertainment Weekly:
Three years after signing off to the strains of Oingo Boingo’s “We Close Our Eyes,” fake sleuths Shawn Spencer (James Roday) and Burton “Gus” Guster (Dulé Hill) are returning in a holiday movie that will surpass anything in the original series, if creator Steve Franks gets his wish.
As the boys face a deadly foe — the Thin White Duke (Zachary Levi), who, according to Hill, is “looking to seek, kill, and destroy Team Psych” — they’ll be reunited with the rest of the gang in their most harrowing moment yet …
“It leads to a very intense, very emotional, and possibly most ridiculous thing we’ve ever done,” says Franks. “When everybody else is off battling bad guys and fighting the scariest foes they’ve ever fought, Shawn and Gus find a way to stumble into something that’s incredibly silly yet appropriate and sort of takes some of the tension out of the air by making the whole thing really fun.”
There are also some hiccups in the Shawn/Juliet romance.
From TVGuide.com:
As for Shawn and Jules, they’re still together but clearly, all is not perfect in their relationship. Vick points out that Juliet doesn’t wear any engagement ring (which, in fairness, was stolen in the series finale) and there’s something keeping her and Shawn from walking down the aisle.
Franks is directing “Psych: The Movie,” which he co-wrote with Roday, for Universal Cable Productions.
Even before fans get to unwrap their Christmas “Psych,” rumors are circulating that it may be the gift that keeps on giving.
In conversation with TVGuide, here’s what Roday had to say about a possible revival of the fan-favorite series:
James Roday says the decision is above his pay grade, but it sounds like his answer is yes if that decision is ever made. “If a bunch of people decide that that’s what they want to do, I would certainly accept the challenge just because I will feel indebted forever to our fans,” Roday says, “And if that’s the route that they decide to take, then I’m on board.”
I’m not generally a big fan of reboots and remakes, but “Psych” managed to be fresh, funny, sharp, witty, goofy, mostly clean good fun for all (it gets 4/5 stars from Common Sense Media, for kids 13 and up) … and if they’re in, I’m in.
Also, Corbin Bernsen has been spending his time making faith-based movies, so who doesn’t love that?
Here’s a taste:
And here’s what happened when Roday and Hill talked about the movie during the 2017 Comic-Con …
Image: Courtesy USA Network
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