James Roday
Dulé Hill
Timothy Omundson
Maggie Lawson
Kirsten Nelson
Corbin Bernsen

Created by:
Steve Franks

2006-2014
Comedy, Crime, Mystery
USA Network
TV-PG

“Psych” is like the silly cousin of “Lie to Me.” Many have compared it, not necessarily favorably, to “Monk” (I haven’t seen that show yet).

It’s a cute show, but that doesn’t cut it for me. The acting’s mediocre at best, largely due to the bland dialogue. The premise provides a potentially interesting twist on both the buddy-cop and consulting-detective formulas, but it needs sharper execution. If you want to do comedy, you better get the rhythms right. “Psych” is simultaneously too loose (check-out “His Girl Friday,” a classic, to see how it should be done) and too forced to be effective on that count. At times, it seems to be spoofing psychics and TV detectives, but it isn’t consistent enough and doesn’t go far enough for that to work. Where’s the sizzle?

(By the way, Dulé Hill continues to deliver his lines with sub-par diction. He needs to figure out a way to say his lines with greater clarity, regardless of the dialect, and proper rhythm.)

Verdict: Whatever

About: (Source: psych)

PSYCH is a quick-witted dramedy about a young police consultant Shawn Spencer (James Roday, “The Dukes of Hazzard”) who solves crimes with powers of observation so acute that Santa Barbara PD detectives think he’s psychic.

Psych also stars Dule Hill (“The West Wing”) as Shawn’s best friend and reluctant sidekick, Gus, and Corbin Bernsen (“L.A. Law”) as his disapproving father, Henry, who ironically was the one who honed his son’s “observation” skills as a child.  Also featured are Timothy Omundson (“Judging Amy”), Maggie Lawson (“Two and a Half Men”) and Kirsten Nelson (“War of the Worlds”).