Friday, August 11, 2006

Psych-ed Out

One of the most popular new shows of the summer is USA's "Psych," which airs as a companion show for its hit "Monk."

I watch "Psych," but I don't really enjoy it as much as other people seem to. For me, the premise is unsustainable.

Shawn Spencer (James Roday) has keen powers of observation that can solve crimes. Rather than use them in a conventional sense, he observes things, then pretends to have a psychic premonition in order to tip off the cops.

As a movie, a one-time thing, it's got some promise, but week after week, the idea will probably get pretty tired pretty quickly. For one thing, most of the plots rely on pretty much every other character besides Shawn to be dumber than average, especially the cops. For another, every mystery hinges on a visual clue that only Shawn seems to be able to see and put together, or the eclectic interests of Shawn's partner Gus (Dule Hill). How many spelling bee/Civil War/safecracking pharmacy reps with a keen sense of smell do you know?

The saving grace of the show is the chemistry between Roday and Hill, but it's not enough. But, as my brother pointed out, you may as well stick with it and enjoy the ride until it's over.

TV TIDBITS: Sci-Fi announced this week it will air a one-hour retrospective wrapping up the events of the first two seasons of "Battlestar Galactica." The special will serve as a primer for those who have heard about this phenomenal series but haven't caught it yet, and a reminder to folks who are watching it that the new season is set for October. "BSG" is one of the best shows on TV, much better than the rather cheesy 1979 version, so check it out.

Sci-Fi also announced the second series of "Doctor Who" will begin Sept. 29 with the special "The Christmas Invasion," which introduces David Tennant into the title role.

Since I mentioned "The Prisoner" on Wednesday, it seems appropriate to mention that Chris Nolan ("Batman Begins") has signed on to direct the remake. There simply couldn't be a better choice. Filming will begin once Nolan finishes the Batman sequel.

2 comments:

This Girl said...

The only reason the chemistry between Roday and Hill isn't enough is because the show writers don't use it enough. And I don't like the premise that Shawn is the smartest character there. Dule Hill is the standout treat for me. He's funny, expressive, a good straight man to Roday's sometimes scary insanity. I watch it to see if the writers will catch on and have Hill play a bigger part in solving the crimes or will they let the show wind down as Roday's antics becomes increasingly harder to handle.

This Girl said...

The only reason the chemistry between Roday and Hill isn't enough is because the show writers don't use it enough. And I don't like the premise that Shawn is the smartest character there. Dule Hill is the standout treat for me. He's funny, expressive, a good straight man to Roday's sometimes scary insanity. I watch it to see if the writers will catch on and have Hill play a bigger part in solving the crimes or will they let the show wind down as Roday's antics becomes increasingly harder to handle.