Psych Season 3: Set Visit Preview
June 25, 2008

With the writers’ strike now a not-too-distant memory, it’s back to business as usual in the land of cable television as everyone gears up for new episodes of their favorite shows. On Tuesday, June 24, The Deadbolt was among a small group of outlets that took part in a set-visit to the Vancouver production of the USA Network series, Psych, which makes its return for a third season on July 18. The fact that it was such an intimate group all but guaranteed we’d be able to cover the evolution of the series and its characters from inception to where things stand now, as the private-eye duo of Shawn Spencer and Gus Guster prepare for a third season of comedic crime-solving.

Over the years I’ve been on a ton of set-visits for various film and TV projects. Given the fluidity and break neck pace of shooting television, set visits often translate to a lot of standing around, killing time on sound stages, and waiting for interviews that might or might not happen at all. In some cases, you’re lucky to get an interview with a principal actor after waiting for what amounts to be an entire shift at a conventional 9 to 5 job. In a move that follows the lead of last year’s amazing multi-show SCI FI set-visit tour of Battlestar Galactica, Eureka, and Stargate Atlantis, the Universal family is setting the trend for TV set visits. Our trip to Psych was nothing but well-organized, expansively comprehensive, highly accessible and wisely efficient fun.

Our Psych experience actually began the night before at a downtown Vancouver restaurant with writer Tim Meltreger, who penned last season’s "Dis-Lodged" and the upcoming season three episode, "Talk Derby to Me," and two actresses - rollergirls featured in the storyline. Rollergirls by day, burglars by night... that’s all you need to know for set-up. And guess who gets tangled up in the world of roller derby? As Meltreger revealed, it’s Maggie Lawson in full garbed-up and skimpy rollergirl gear. It’s not often you get to have dinner with two smokin’ hot rollergirls, so, needless to say, it really didn’t matter what was on the menu. More on that in the coming days.

After its first season, Psych overcame the freshman challenges so many new shows face in finding a loyal audience. In its second outing, Psych proved it could expand on its unique brand of comedy and mystery to become a more well-rounded and mature series. Now, as the series heads into season three, as reinforced in our conversations with actors James Roday, Dule Hill, Maggie Lawson, Tim Omundson, Kristen Nelson, and Corbin Bernsen, everything will be 20% bigger, while also exploring backstories and uncharted dynamics underneath the relationships.

After screening the season three premiere, "Ghosts", the existing relationship between mock psychic Shawn Spencer and his father, Henry, is turned on its head when actress Cybill Shepherd arrives in the role of Shawn’s long lost mother, Madeline (obviously a Psych related ‘80s nod to Shepherd’s famous Moonlighting character). After the first two seasons, we know that familial dynamics have been the source of tension between Shawn and Henry. Where has Madeline been? Why did she leave? The answers to those two questions will be found in how Psych will become 20% bigger in affecting substance to compliment the show’s successful blend of comedy and mystery. Don’t get me wrong, though. Psych will follow the same successful formula as it has in the past two seasons, only with a few more gaps filled in between the characters.

From executive producer Mel Damski, costumer designer Simon Tuke, to James Roday and former L.A. Law heartthrob Corbin Bernsen, everyone agreed that Psych couldn’t simply be a show solely reliant on comedic gags for its longevity. When speaking frankly with Bernsen in Henry’s rustic, red-blooded living room, the actor agreed that exploring more of the characters, their backstories, and the dynamics within the relationships is one organic avenue that will help to keep Psych fresh for its fan base. In a lot of ways, after two seasons, Shawn Spencer, Gus Guster, Juliet O’Hara, Carlton Lassiter, Karen Vick, and Henry Spencer, are open books as characters. It’s surprising to think that after 31 episodes Psych hasn’t blown out all of its tricks and revealed everything to the audience.

As the production of Psych moves closer to the July 18 season three premiere, we’ll be rolling out a variety of features and interviews from the Vancouver set, which focus on a wide variety of topics, from the upcoming guest stars (Cybill Shepherd, Rachael Leigh Cook, Steven Weber, Jeff Fahey) and the challenges the series faces in its third season to how each characters has evolved, how costume design has changed from season to season, and how everyone has trouble keeping a straight face while shooting with show stars James Roday and Dule Hill.

Here’s a quick version of who we talked to and what to expect in the coming days and weeks leading up to July 18.

Set tour and set interiors

-- Reg Seeton

       

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