The 25 best episodes of 'Psych'

The first episode on this list also happens to be the earliest episode on the list. Admittedly, the first season of “Psych” is a little hit-or-miss. They were trying to establish the premise and the show was being a little more traditional in terms of its procedural storytelling. Still, the adventure of this week, Shawn and his partner Gus join a Civil War reenactment group to try and find a murderer. Shawn doesn’t take things seriously, and that leads to awkwardness and humor, which was pretty much the show in a nutshell.

Shawn and Gus are not cops, but they are involved in many investigations. In this episode, the Santa Barbara Police Department decides that the two need to take a crash course in police work at the local police academy. Their instructor is played by Ralph Macchio, who is fun in the role, and that trio ends up breaking the rules to solve a case.

The season-two premiere of “Psych” riffed on the then-popular and still zeitgeist-y “American Idols.” However, they changed it to duos in order to both be different and to give Gus and Shawn an excuse to perform together as a cover for trying to find out who is trying to kill the Simon Cowell figure of “American Duos.” That man is played by Tim Curry, which is naturally great. So is Shawn dressed up as the guy from Simple Minds.

As “Psych” went on, it increasingly became a show dedicated to riffing on different genres and storytelling tropes. “High Noon-ish” is their take on the Western, which may be an old-school genre but is one we know all the stereotypes of. Of course, to make it work in this world, the Western setting is a tourist trap Old West town that police detective (and Shawn’s nemesis” Carlton Lassiter) has fond feelings for.

Speaking of Lassie, he and Gus decide to team up on a case in “Feet Don’t Kill Me Now” after Gus gets Lassiter into tap dancing to clear his head. Dule Hill, who played Gus, was an accomplished tap dancer and so they worked it into the show. Meanwhile, Shawn and Juliet, having lost their respective partners to each other, pair off as well. Who will solve the case first and get the glory? It was a fun chance to see different pairings on the investigation side of things (obviously Shawn and Juliet are paired off personally for a lot of the show).

In terms of riffing on pop culture, this is maybe the boldest version of that. In its final season, “Psych” decided to straight-up remake a first season episode called “Cloudy…with a Chance of Murder.” They told roughly the same story but with different actors in the cast and people playing different roles. It’s mostly just an experiment, but a fun one, and one right up the alley of many “Psych” fans.

While “autopsy” is in the name of this episode, it isn’t the best showcase oddball coroner Woody ever got. However, it’s still on this list because Shawn and Gus delve into the “underground” spots of Santa Barbara. True crime bookstores. Clubs where people pretend it’s the 1950s. A woman who lives her life as experimental theater. It’s all there.

“Psych” ended its first season with what was perhaps its first genre homage, and they went with the genre they went to the most. “Psych” loved to riff on horror movies and their tropes. They did it time and time again. That began with “Scary Sherry: Bianca’s Toast,” which is also one of the best of those episodes. It was definitely a season finale that got fans interested in a second.

Shawn has had all sorts of strange jobs in his life. When he became a professional psychic detective, that didn’t really stop. For example, while working a murder case he steps into an acting role in a telenovela. Mostly the fun is in watching Shawn fumble around acting in a melodramatic soap opera, and it is indeed fun.

If you are a comedic show, you have to do at least one Christmas episode. “Psych” did a few of them. This one may be, indeed, polarizing, because it’s also a dream sequence episode. It’s weird and strange and can be a little hard to follow, but that’s part of the point. Personally, it works for us, as the absurdity doesn’t feel off for a show like this.

Technically, there have been two “Psych” movies now, but this is the series finale. “The Break-Up” is the last full episode of “Psych,” and it’s a satisfying ending. Well, the very final moments are maybe not perfect (and they do set up the first film), but otherwise, the episode is a fitting goodbye to the show, as it features Shawn trying to say goodbye to the people in his life as he plans to leave Santa Barbara for San Francisco, where Jules is working now.

The title of this particular episode doesn’t have anything to do with the main plot. Instead, it’s about Shawn having issues on the softball field. While he deals with the “yips,” though, he’s working a case about a mystery person who seemed to target a police officer for murder at a cop bar after one of the aforementioned softball games. It’s not a genre riff, but it’s a really good episode.

Juliet is a cop, but her father is less in line with the law. In fact, he’s a lifelong conman who disappeared from her life many years ago, which she does not necessarily regret. Shawn doesn’t know this, which leads him to go headlong into trying to reconnect the two. This leads to friction, but also to her dad working on a case (while also pulling a con, of course). Oh, and Juliet’s dad is played by William Shatner is a purposefully restrained performance.

The title is a bit self-deprecating, but also a fair assertion. You can only do so much on a basic cable budget. That being said, “Psych” tried to get as epic as possible on a couple of occasions, and this is a rollicking treasure hunt adventure with a good turn from Steven Weber as Shawn’s sketchy uncle.

This is a sequel episode to an episode higher on the list, so we don’t want to say too much. As such, we won’t say too much about the delightful Pierre Despereaux and instead note that this is the episode where Shawn and Juliet first actually get together as a couple, something all those shipping enthusiasts were certainly happy with.

Shawn Spencer is, of course, a fake psychic detective. What happens when he runs into somebody pulling off the same hustle? Shawn and a female counterpart go head to head to try and solve a case, though of course, it turns out the other psychic is less of an observational expert and somebody actually involved in the crime.

In terms of parodies, “Psych” truly went all out for “Dual Spires.” It’s an episode-length riff on “Twin Peaks,” including a trip to the strange little town of Dual Spires. If you haven’t seen David Lynch’s iconic show, you might miss out on a lot of the references in “Dual Spires,” but even then it’s a solid episode of TV. If you get the references, and cameos, though, then you will probably find it to be a delight.

Once upon a time, spies were more like Sean Connery and Roger Moore. Then Jason Bourne came around and Daniel Craig toughened up Bond a bit and the spy genre changed. This episode is a take on those sorts of spies, and in a nice bit of casting Franka Potente, who plays Jason Bourne’s confidante and love interest, gets to play the spy this time.

What if a pathological liar was actually telling the truth for once? That’s the hook of “Truer Lies,” and it’s a great one for a procedural. A man who has spent years reporting false crimes to the police is actually in danger this time, and Shawn has to take up his case and also parse the truths from the lies along the way.

The movie “Clue” is polarizing. A lot of people love it, while seemingly just as many don’t see the appeal. Well, we assume the folks who worked on “Psych” are fans because they made the 100th episode of the show an homage to the film. That includes casting Christopher Lloyd, Martin Mull, and Lesley Ann Warren in the murder mystery. Clearly, we like “Clue,” which is why we’re such a fan of “100 Clues.”

You can probably guess what this episode is a parody of. “Psych” did its best horror homage with this riff on “The Shining.” Lassiter moves into a new building, but he quickly begins to see eerie, strange things. Is it haunted? Is Lassie losing his mind? Will Dule Hill get to do his best Shelley Duvall impression? We’ll tell you the last one is true.

Comedies love a high school reunion. Throw in a murder, and you have a “Psych” episode, baby! Shawn and Gus go back to their (inexplicable) 13th high school reunion, which Gus is in charge of. We also get to miss Shawn’s former high school flame Abigail Lytar, who is played by Rachael Leigh Cook. Cook is always a delight, so this was some perfect casting, especially since Abigail sticks around for a bit.

Of all of Shawn’s recurring nemeses, the best of the bunch is Pierre Despereaux. The gentleman thief is played with aplomb by Cary Elwes, and he shows up a few times along the way, sometimes to join forces, sometimes as a foe. Their first interaction is here in “Extradition: British Columbia.” “Psych,” like many shows, filmed up in Vancouver, so for once, they got to avoid hiding that fact, which had to make filming easier.

Yes, the title is a little cheesy, but otherwise this is a great episode. Lassiter is preparing for his marriage to Marlowe, a criminal that he himself arrested. We get dueling bachelor and bachelorette parties, but things get complicated when Lassie’s crew stumble upon a mob accountant that is part of a big case that is going on. The episode is something of a farce, but also has a lot of big moments. This episode marks the moment when Juliet realizes that Shawn is, in fact, not actually psychic and has been lying the whole time.

Sure, 2011 was a little late for a parody of “The Hangover.” And yet, “Last Night Gus” is still the best episode of “Psych.” Why? Because it’s the funniest of the bunch. No episode of “Psych” provides more laughs. All the characters are firing at their peak in terms of humor. The whole “trying to piece things together” conceit works even better when a crime is involved. Gus may not have been as smooth the night prior as he imagined, but looking back at this episode with a clear head we still think it’s the best of the bunch.