TV Show Review: Psych - Season 2

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Sixteen very funny mysteries

Cons: None

The Bottom Line:

I am sensing laughs

In future if you watch this

Very funny show

The Best Fake Psychic Show Ever!

The second season of psych proves that it is the best fake psychic show ever. Okay, okay, so it doesn't have any competition in the category. But I can't wait each week to watch the episodes, and each one ends all too soon.

We pretty much pick up exactly where we left off. Shawn Spenser (James Roday) comes from a long line of cops. But he rebelled against his father's (Corbin Bernsen) wishes and didn't become a cop. Instead, he pretends to be a psychic, using his finely honed observation skills to get the information for his "visions." He's even opened Psych, a psychic detective agency with best friend Burton "Gus" Guster (Dule Hill). And he has an impressive track record, much to the dismay of Detective Lassiter (Timothy Omundsun). Rounding out the cast are Santa Barbara Detective Juliet O'Hara (Maggie Lawson) and Interim Chief of Police Karen Vick (Kirsten Nelson).

And what a collection of cases they have this year, too. Shawn and Gus join the TV sensation American Duos to find out who is trying to kill the head judge (played by Tim Curry). They become models to find out who killed both partners of a fashion house. Shawn must clear Gus' parents of murdering the neighborhood crank. When Gus' uncle (guest star John Amos) comes for a visit, Shawn and Gus have to switch places, without the police figuring out that both of them are faking it. Equally complicated is a case where a real psychic is brought in and Shawn must keep his secret from her. Shawn puts his credibility on the line by claiming one victim was killed by a dinosaur. And in the season finale, Shawn pins the crime on a mummy.

Yes, this is a mystery show. But the mystery has always been the excuse for the antics of the cast. This is especially true of Shawn and Gus, who are absolutely hysterical together. Whether it's trading cultural references and one-liners or over reacting to the circumstances they find themselves in, the two will make you break out laughing. Shawn really does lead the laughs even with the rest of the cast. His irreverent nicknames and random comments are a hoot. But the rest of the cast gets their share of laughs. Watching Lassiter deal with being shown up by Shawn again never gets old. And Shawn's dad is very sarcastic with his son.

But that's not to say that the mysteries are bad. In fact, they've become better than the first season. While a couple are a stretch, most are realistically grounded if absurd. Most keep me confused until the time that Shawn figures things out. Yet the twists and solution are logical and consistent with the clues we're given.

For a show like this to work, you need talent behind and in front of the cameras. Since the last two paragraphs praised the great writing (trust me, that's what I was doing), it's time to turn to the stars. This is James Roday and Dule Hill's show. I can't imagine anyone else making this show work nearly as well as it does. They are constantly high energy and never shy away from doing anything, which makes their characters hysterical. The rest of the cast gets some chances to shine, but they are often the straight men. But that's not an insult. They do a wonderful job bring their characters to life every week as well. And, while things may get slightly over the top occasionally, everyone keeps their characters real.

This set is great as well. It contains all sixteen episodes on four discs in their original wide screen. But that's not all. There are tons of extras including seven audio commentaries with the producers and James Roday and Dule Hill. The Animated Adventures of Little Shawn and Gus are here. There are bloopers, deleted scenes, and the irrelevant tag scenes they call "Psych-Outs." Heck, they even explain why pineapples keep showing up in the show.

psych might take a few episodes to get used to, but it is well worth it. Season two is high octane laughs with decent mysteries thrown in for good measure. If you haven't seen the show yet, drop everything and start watching today.

Season Two Episodes:

1. American Duos

2. 65 Million Years Off

3. Psy vs. Psy

4. Zero to Murder in Sixty Seconds

5. And Down the Stretch Comes Murder

6. Meat is Murder, but Murder is Also Murder

7. If You're So Smart, Then Why Are You Dead?

8. Rob-a-Bye Baby

9. Bounty Hunters!

10. Gus' Dad May Have Killed an Old Guy

11. There's Something about Mira

12. The Old and the Restless

13. Lights, Camera…Homicidio

14. Dis-Lodged

15. Black and Tan: A Crime of Fashion

16. Shawn (and Gus) of the Dead