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Psych the 3rd: A New Beginning
with James Roday and Dule Hill
by Troy Rogers
 After two successful seasons and the first half of Psych season three already behind them on the USA Network, James Roday and Dule Hill will be returning to continue their fake investigative adventures in the new year on January 9. Following in the footsteps of such nostalgic shows as The Hardy Boys, Simon and Simon, and Hart to Hart only with a comedic slant, Psych has gained a loyal worldwide fan base of amateur sleuths who have kept Roday and Hill busy both on the screen and online at the official Psych website.
Yet to play out this season is the Friday the 13th themed episode called "Tuesday the 17th" in which Roday and Hill investigate the disappearance of a camp counselor. As James Roday and Dule Hill get ready for the holidays and a new beginning to the third season, we grabbed our flashlight and tip-toed through the dark corridors of the phone lines where we eventually found the two Psych co-leads on a conference call and got the goods on the completion of Psych Season 3 and what we can expect in the new year.
THE DEADBOLT: Are you guys in Vancouver right now?
JAMES RODAY: No, we’re in the United States of America.
DULE HILL: I’m in Los Angeles.... You know, the funny thing is though, that it is very, very cold here right now. Last night you saw - We were doing a spot for Psych, me and Roday, and I felt like I was still in Vancouver. It was raining and it was cold.
RODAY: It was rainy and cold. He’s absolutely right.
THE DEADBOLT: I really enjoyed your Charlie Brown dance at the end of the Christmas episode. How much practice do you guys put into those?
 RODAY: Well, that one was just bringing it up on YouTube and picking who we wanted to copy. But sometimes - like sometimes when we were - at least back in the day when we were doing Psych-outs and having to sing songs, you know, Dule likes to say that, I make lots of pop culture references that he’s never heard of.
But we did sing a couple of sort of mid-80s smooth R&B tunes that I really wasn’t that familiar with. That, I would say, took more work learning a song that you were only going to use 10 or 12 seconds of but still wanting to make it sound like you know exactly what you’re singing.
THE DEADBOLT: Is there any chance that Shawn and Joy will hook up again?
RODAY: You know, never say never, but you can say almost never and feel pretty comfortable about that.
THE DEADBOLT: What are some of your Christmas traditions?
HILL: Well, it’s more of a new tradition the last couple of years. We do this gift game where each person brings one gift and then you pick a number out of the hat, and the first person can pick a gift. You know, they open it. The second person can either take your gift or go into the pile. I forgot what it’s called. But it’s kind of fun because once I see what your gift is, if I like it I go and pick your gift and then you can go pick somebody else’s gift or you can go into the pile. It becomes a really good [game] - The last person has the biggest power because they get to choose which gift they want. That’s something we do. We eat and we drink.
THE DEADBOLT: What’s it like working with John Landis behind the camera?
 RODAY: You know, he’s one of the great characters of what we do. His personality is the biggest on any set. His voice is the biggest. He’s got more stories than anyone on the set times ten. But what you realize is - the more you work him, in many ways he is the same guy who, stepped on the set as an 18-year-old and made Schlock or as a 22-year-old and made The Kentucky Fried Movie.
Like his glasses are still rose-colored and he’s still completely romanced by the idea that he gets to make films. And that is actually quite inspiring. I think our crew - everyone can sort of affected by that element of who he is. You know, there are some other parts of him that are sort of polarizing and I think everyone has their own opinion. But at its core, for me, I have to say that it’s been a privilege that I am very thankful that I’ve had.
THE DEADBOLT: Can you give me a hint to some of the pop culture references we might see in the upcoming Tuesday the 17th episode?
RODAY: I can tell you that that episode is loaded with - If you’re a Friday the 13th fan or a fan of slashers from the '80s in general, it’s loaded with as many sort of fun factoid tidbit illusions and homage’s that you can imagine. And there were even more that didn’t make the cut. And, of course, it would’ve been completely remiss of me to not have a hockey mask in there somewhere, so don’t worry.
-- Troy Rogers
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