Year: 2006-2014
Genre: Comedy, crime
Seasons: 8
Episodes: 120 + two movies
Special Notes: I watched it all on Amazon Prime.
Summary: Masquerading as a physic, Shawn Spencer uses his keen sense of observation and reasoning to help the police solve murders.
This is not a show everyone will like. The humor, the silliness, and the characters themselves are very particular types and liable to drive some people crazy. I’m not one of those people; I really enjoyed it.
Like a lot of detective shows, there isn’t a strong over-arcing plot. Instead, it’s the relationships of the people that evolve. Some baddies do reoccur but this is an episodic show at heart.
Murder mysteries are as common as dirt, but what sets this apart from other procedural crime shows is how clever the writing is. From the dialogue and villains, to the locations and themed episodes, the writers skillfully cover a wide variety of ideas to create a unique style dedicated to zaniness and filled with signature antics. Murder has never looked more alive.
But the problem with detective shows like this is that the outsider helping the detectives seems to be the only one solving cases. The police often look incompetent and reactionary instead of helpful and active. So for the majority of this show I’m thinking, “How did these guys ever catch anyone? They’re utterly useless.” It says they’ve solved cases, but it never seems to happen on camera, so their successes seem dubious and unsubstantiated.
Since I can’t talk about the story of each season, I’ll focus on the tone. It’s incredibly light, but heartfelt. Silly, but sharp. Funny, but dangerous. It doesn’t bring the mood down or make the characters sad for episodes on end. Even in the face of bad things, humor will be on the other side of the nerve-racking or scary moments. It’s the answer for when you need a diversion from the gloomy parts of real life.
The humor goes hand-in-hand with the overall tone. It effuses this intense but lovable aura and there’s no way you could finish it without adopting some quotes. A lot of the humor did go over my head because it references pop culture from before I was born and subsequently never learned. But there is so much to enjoy outside of the references. Facial expressions, comedic timing, snarky remarks, running jokes, and the friendship between Shawn and Gus increase the laughs a hundredfold. This show has a life and personality that is sorely missing in today’s dark, gritty, politically relevant stories.
A big contributor to that life is Shawn. He’s definitely a man-child, but his skills as a detective (made possible by his insanely good observation and memory) show that he is intelligent in his own way. He’s not afraid to make a fool of himself or face dangers when the occasion demands it. He’s confident and forward and yet he tries to avoid loss and emotional conflict. The silly side can be overbearing and sometimes you want to slap him or tell him to zip it, but he has this charm and lovability that offsets his more annoying qualities. This is all due to the fact that he’s a talented actor, and ridiculously cute.
Gus is the ultimate best friend. He puts up with Shawn’s antics, understands them, and adds his own. He’s more responsible and sane, often pulling Shawn back to reality, but he will also have temporary bouts of immaturity. He doesn’t do a lot of investigating himself, but he is Shawn’s anchor in life and he is a great companion to him, even if he screams at the sight of dead bodies.
Lassiter, a.k.a. “Lassie,” is the straight-laced, stern, gun loving detective and the perfect foil for Shawn. He doesn’t believe Shawn is a psychic and he can’t stand how clownish he is. But on occasion, he will ask for his help and he will grudgingly admit that Shawn is a pretty decent detective. Even though he is the “serious” cop, he’s funny in a dry way. He’s one of those people who does care, but is terrible at showing it.
Juliet is the other main detective and she’s…okay. I’ve seen worse; but I’ve also seen better. She’s the principle love interest for Shawn and she’s Lassie’s co-detective. Um. She…doesn’t leave much of an impression. She does the things Shawn and Gus can’t really do, like fire a gun and arrest people. I guess overall she’s forgettable.
The last main character is Shawn’s dad, Henry. A retired detective, he was the one who honed Shawn’s skills. At the start of the show they don’t have the best relationship but as things progress, it changes to a more friendly one. Sometimes their reasons for hostility seem forced but it’s clear that they both care for each other.
I wouldn’t recommend this show to everyone because the silliness, the unbelievability, Shawn’s psychic shtick, the lack of a plot, Shawn, and probably a bunch of other things are more than capable of keeping viewers away. But if you want an uplifting, smart, funny, and sometimes goofy collection of criminal cases performed by a talented cast, this is it.