Psyched About 'Psych's' Return

Last summer, cable's USA Network helped fill the void of the summer rerun season with a fake psychic detective, his best friend, and some of the funniest scenes and lines to come from a comedy in a long time. Well, guess what? It's back! Psych returns tonight with all new crazy cases, more zany antics, and hilarious new scenes. The show, about a wannabe detective who uses his uncanny ability to pick up on details to pretend to be a psychic, was a surprise hit last summer. So much so, that it's returning to finish out its first full season tonight instead of waiting for the summer. Series star James Roday, who plays the detail-oriented private detective, promises that best bud Gus (The West Wing's Dule Hill) will play a more active role in Shawn's crazy schemes this time. "He recognizes, `Well, in order for this to work, I got to do this so that Shawn can do that.' And I think that's actually led to a lot more fun," the actor tells Zap2it.

Look for upcoming cases to feature a naked man who claims to be an alien abductee, a seasoned detective who says he solved a murder, but can't remember, and a haunted caper in an episode that star Roday penned himself. You can also expect Corbin Bernsen to reprise his role as Shawn's disapproving father. The actor says that his character is more conflicted than we may realize. "Shawn is exceeding my expectations, you know, the way I wanted him to do, what I wanted him to achieve, but he's not doing it my way. How much I'm able to live with him doing it his way and the gap that creates, that's what's fascinating to me. I actually think as we grow, my problem becomes bigger because I gain more respect (for his skills)," Bernsen explains. In the end, the show's strongest appeal comes from its over-the-top antics, which is something not lost on Roday. "I think we've always as a species been fascinated with stuff we don't understand. On our show, I think we fully and unapologetically rode those coattails of `OK, there's an interest for all of this stuff, now let's just make fun of it.'"

You can read more with the cast at Zap2it. Psych premieres TONIGHT at 10 p.m. (EST) on USA Network.


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