Psych (film series)

Psych
Official film series logo
Based on	Psych by Steve Franks
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	2017–present
Country	United States
Language	English

Psych is a series of comedy-drama mystery films, based on and serving as a continuation of the USA Network television series of the same name. Beginning with the 2017 film Psych: The Movie, the series has seen favorable critical reception ^[1][2][3] with the Peacock streaming service ordering all films succeeding the first.

The first sequel, Psych 2: Lassie Come Home, was released in 2020, with the third film, Psych 3: This Is Gus, following in 2021. Three further films are in development.

Origin

Once production on the dramedy television series Psych wrapped, series creator Steve Franks immediately had the idea to bring the Psych universe back in film form later on. On May 8, 2017, USA Network confirmed that a film continuation would be produced for the network,^[4] directed by Franks and co-written with series star James Roday, with all the series' main cast returning.^[5] All subsequent films would be ordered by and released to the streaming service Peacock.^[6]

Films

Film	U.S. release date	Director	Screenwriter(s)	Story by	Producer(s)	Status
Psych: The Movie	December 7, 2017 (2017-12-07)	Steve Franks	Steve Franks & James Roday Rodriguez	Steve Franks	James Roday Rodriguez, Dulé Hill, Steve Franks, Chris Henze, Kelly Kulchak, and Chris Cheramie	Released
Psych 2: Lassie Come Home	July 15, 2020 (2020-07-15)		Steve Franks, James Roday Rodriguez, and Andy Berman
Psych 3: This Is Gus	November 18, 2021 (2021-11-18)		Steve Franks & James Roday Rodriguez
Psych 4	TBA					In development

Psych: The Movie (2017)

Main article: Psych: The Movie

On May 8, 2017, USA Network announced Psych: The Movie, a two-hour film continuation of Psych to air December 7, 2017.^[4] All the original main cast would return for the film, which was directed by series creator Steve Franks and written by Franks and series star, James Roday Rodriguez. Zachary Levi was later announced for the film as the main villain, "Thin White Duke",^[7] while Jazmyn Simon – Dulé Hill's real-life fiancée – played Selene, a romantic interest for Gus.^[8] On July 5, 2017, Charlotte Flair announced that she would be in Psych: The Movie as Heather Rockrear.^[9]

On June 28, 2017, former guest star Ralph Macchio joined the cast reprising his role as Nick Conforth,^[10] the police academy officer who trained Shawn and Gus in season 5. Principal photography took place from May 25 to June 18^[11][12] in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was later announced that Timothy Omundson would have a reduced role due to a stroke, but would still appear.^[13] In addition, Kurt Fuller, John Cena and Jimmi Simpson were confirmed to be reprising their respective roles of Woody Strode, Ewan O'Hara and Mary Lightly.

Psych 2: Lassie Come Home (2020)

Main article: Psych 2: Lassie Come Home

On February 14, 2019, it was announced Psych: The Movie 2 was greenlit and all the main cast would return, set to premiere in 2019.^[14] On April 18, 2019, it was announced Joel McHale would be joining the film, as well as Jimmi Simpson, reprising his recurring role as Mary Lightly.^[15] On September 17, 2019, it was announced that the sequel had been renamed Psych 2: Lassie Come Home and would instead be airing on NBCUniversal's new streaming service, Peacock. Consequently, the film will only debut after the streaming service is launched.^[16][17] In a November 2019 interview with Larry King, Timothy Omundson revealed that the film would revolve around the characters rallying together in support of Lassie's recovery following a stroke, mirroring Omundson's real-life stroke which led to his reduced presence in Psych: The Movie.^[18]

Psych 3: This Is Gus (2021)

Main article: Psych 3: This Is Gus

On May 13, 2021, Peacock announced a third film, Psych 3: This Is Gus, with production set to begin in the summer.^[19] On October 9, 2021 at New York Comic Con, it was announced the film will premiere on November 18, 2021.^[20] Along with the returning main cast, Kurt Fuller would reprise his role as Woody Strode and Curt Smith would return as himself.

Future

Three further Psych films are in development, with John Cena intended to reprise his role.^[21]

Principal cast and characters

Main article: List of Psych characters

List indicators

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in the series.

• An empty, dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
•  ^C indicates a cameo role.
•  ^E indicates an appearance not included in the theatrical cut.
•  ^P indicates an appearance in onscreen photographs.

Character	Films
	Psych: The Movie	Psych 2: Lassie Come Home	Psych 3: This Is Gus	Psych 4[21]
Shawn Spencer	James Roday Rodriguez
Burton "Gus" Guster	Dulé Hill
Selene Guster	Jazmyn Simon
Carlton "Lassie" Lassiter	Timothy Omundson^C	Timothy Omundson		TBA
Henry Spencer	Corbin Bernsen
Juliet "Jules" O'Hara	Maggie Lawson
Chief Karen Vick	Kirsten Nelson
Buzz McNab	Sage Brocklebank
Woodrow "Woody" Strode	Kurt Fuller
Mary Lightly	Jimmi Simpson
Ewan O'Hara	John Cena			John Cena[21]
Thin White Duke	Zachary Levi
Nick Conforth	Ralph Macchio
Dr. Butterfly McMillan	Julianna Guill
El Proveedor	Robert LaSardo
Heather Rockrear	Charlotte Flair
Sam Sloane	Sam Huntington
Allison Cowley	Mena Suvari
Black Gentleman Ninja	Nathan Mitchell
Lassiter's father		Joel McHale
Nurse Dolores		Sarah Chalke
Maisie		Allison Miller
Wilkerson		Kadeem Hardison
Ova		Christopher Heyerdahl
Dr. Emile Herschel		Richard Schiff
Marlowe Lassiter		Kristy Swanson
Alan Decker			Allen Maldonado
Curt Smith			Himself
Father Westley			Ray Wise
Lily Lassiter			Sophia Reid-Gantzert

Additional crew and production details

Film	Crew/Detail
	Composer	Cinematographer	Editor	Production companies	Distributing company	Running time
Psych: The Movie	Adam Cohen & John Robert Wood	Scott Williams	David Crabtree	Pacific Mountain Productions Thruline Entertainment Universal Cable Productions	USA Network	1 hr 28 mins
Psych 2: Lassie Come Home			David Crabtree & David Grecu		Peacock	1 hr 30 mins
Psych 3: This Is Gus			David Crabtree			1 hr 36 mins

Reception

Each film is linked to the "Critical response" section of its article.

Critical and public response of Psych films

Title	Critical
	Rotten Tomatoes	Metacritic
Psych: The Movie	100% (14 reviews)[22]	66% (6 reviews)[23]
Psych 2: Lassie Come Home	85% (13 reviews)[24]	77% (5 reviews)[25]
Psych 3: This Is Gus	80% (1 reviews)[26]	—

Podcast

Launched in November 2021, Maggie Lawson and Timothy Omundson have hosted a weekly rewatch podcast of the Psych television and film series, entitled The Psychologists Are In: A Psych Rewatch.^[27] Episodes include plot recaps and behind-the-scenes memories from the two hosts. The series also features interviews with cast members, guest stars, and crew members, including writers, directors, and franchise creator Steve Franks.

References

1. Psych 3: This Is Gus. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
2. Psych: The Movie. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
3. Psych 2: Lassie Come Home. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
4. "Not a Drill: 'Psych: The Movie' Is Coming to USA Network This December". Retrieved 2017-05-08.
5. Ausiello, Michael (2017-06-14). "Psych Movie: Chucks Zachary Levi Joins Revival Cast as the Big Bad". tvline.com. TVLine Media. Retrieved 2017-06-18.
6. Schwartz, Ryan (May 14, 2020). "Psych 2 to Premiere in July, Among First Wave of Peacock Streaming Originals". TVLine. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
7. Ausiello, Michael (June 14, 2017). "Psych Movie: Chucks Zachary Levi Joins Revival Cast as the Big Bad". tvline.com. TVLine Media. Retrieved 2017-06-18.
8. Ausiello, Michael (June 22, 2017). "Psych Revival Enlists New Love Interest for Gus – and There's a (Fun!) Twist". TVLine. TVLine Media. Retrieved 2017-06-22.
9. Gennis, Sadie (July 5, 2017). "Exclusive: Psych: The Movie Adds a WWE Superstar as Zachary Levi's Evil Sidekick". TV Guide. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
10. Agard, Chancellor (June 28, 2017). "Psych: The Movie: Ralph Macchio will reprise role in holiday special". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
11. Nelson, Kirsten [@nelsonKirsten] (May 25, 2017). "Congrats to all my lovelies on Day 1! See you soooooooon!! 🍍❤️👮🍍" (Tweet). Retrieved 2017-06-18 – via Twitter.
12. Hill, Dulé [@DuleHill] (June 18, 2017). "...and that's a wrap. 🤜🏾🍍🤛🏼 #PsychTheMovie #December2017 instagram.com/p/BVf4h1Oh6nJ/" (Tweet). Retrieved 2017-06-18 – via Twitter.
13. Gennis, Sadie (July 21, 2017). "Psych: The Movie: Timothy Omundson Will Appear in 'One of the Best Scenes'". TV Guide. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
14. USA Network (February 14, 2019). "Psych: The Movie 2 Is Coming to USA Network Later This Year!". USA Network.
15. USA Network (April 18, 2019). "Psych: The Movie 2 Announces Jimmi Simpson's Return and Adds Joel McHale". USA Network.
16. w Network (February 14, 2019). "Psych: The Movie 2 Is Coming to USA Network Later This Year!". USA Network.
17. Swift, Andy (September 17, 2019). "Psych Movie Sequel Gets a Doggone Cute New Title, Later Premiere Date Now on Peacock Streaming Service". TVLine.
18. "Timothy Omundson on stroke recovery, 'Psych' film, & 'This is Us' role". YouTube. Larry King. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
19. "Psych 3: This Is Gus a Go at Peacock; Threequel to Feature Wedding, Birth of 'Baby Guster,' Random Pineapple(s)". TVLine. May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
20. Mitovich, Matt Webb (October 9, 2021). "Psych 3 Movie Threequel Gets Premiere Date, Trailer That Questions Existence of a 'Peacock' Streaming Service". TVLine. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
21. MacDonald, Lindsay (December 7, 2017). "Yes, the Psych Movie Sequel Will Be All About John Cena". TV Guide. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
22. Psych: The Movie. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
23. Psych: The Movie. Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
24. Psych 2: Lassie Come Home. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
25. Psych 2: Lassie Come Home. Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
26. Psych 3: This Is Gus. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
27. Racioppi, Frank (March 17, 2022). "The Psychologists Are I Podcast: The Psych-Os Are In Charge, And That's A Good Thing!". medium.com. Medium. Retrieved 2023-01-17.