Anyone for pineapples? A decade after coming to an end on USA Network, the crime comedy series Psych has become a huge streaming hit on digital, currently outpacing other classic shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and 24, along with modern hits like Taylor Sheridan’s Landman on the Apple TV Store chart.
For those who missed the series that turned a divisive first season into a 100% gag-a-minute hit through its subsequent seasons, Psych stars James Roday Rodriguez as Shawn Spencer, a man with a keen eye for details which he puts to use by tipping off the police. The series also stars The West Wing’s Dulé Hill, Timothy Omundson, Maggie Lawson, Kirsten Nelson, and Corbin Bernsen. The series synopsis reads:
“Shawn Spencer happens to possess some uncanny powers of observation thanks to his father, Henry, a former police officer who taught his son to remember even the smallest details of his surroundings. When Shawn is accused of committing a crime that he actually solved, he convinces the cops that he’s a psychic — and with the reluctant help of best friend Gus, Shawn starts solving cases for a skeptical but increasingly impressed police force.”
Overall, the series holds a strong enough 89% critics score and 94% audience rating, but what is more impressive is how it turned around the first season’s 57% Tomatometer score to land 100% perfect scores throughout most of its subsequent 7 seasons once it was able to prove that it was not just playing a copycat game with the equally beloved series, Monk.
Despite bowing out with Season 8 in 2014, Psych returned in 2017 with the first of three TV movies that brought back the series regulars and proved that even after more than a decade, the series perhaps had more to give beyond its eight seasons. The last Psych movie was 2022’s Psych 3: This Is Gus, but there could still be more to come.
‘Psych 4’ Has a Script “Ready to Go”
Since the release of Psych 3, there have been many issues for movies and TV shows to overcome. The tail end of a pandemic, several strikes, and a lot of shifts in what kind of projects get green lit and which don’t. However, it seems that work on a fourth Psych movie has been ongoing for some time, and it is all about getting things together to make it happen. Speaking to TV Insider in July, star Timothy Ombundson said of the new movie:
“[Creator] Steve Franks and James Roday Rodriguez were able to write that one before the strike hit. So that was delivered to the network, and I believe it’s sitting on Peacock’s desk. Just waiting for the greenlight to happen, is what I’ve been told. But I’m not entirely up to date on the latest. I do believe there’s even been notes back and forth…. It’s exciting. We’re all ready to go. As soon as they say jump, we’ll say how high.”
In the meantime, it looks like both new and old Psych fans are making the most of the series being available to purchase on digital platforms. With all eight seasons being available, there is plenty of Psych to keep them entertained until the next entry in the franchise comes along.