Shawn Spencer is a psychic. but not just any psychic. he’s a fake one. being raised by a cop, Shawn had a lot training in observing his surroundings and memorizing details. with this ability Shawn tips off the police but because the information he provided was so very detailed they assumed Shawn is involved in the crime. by making a scene in front of a large audience at the police station he manages to convince most of the police staff that he is in fact a psychic.
this action leads to Shawn being hired as a freelance psychic for the police departement. along with his childhood friend Gus they open up their own psychic detective agency.
from this point forward, Shawn constantly has to present all the actual police work he does (gathering background information, checking crime scenes, talking with suspects and victims, …) as mysterious and vague hints pointing to the solution of a crime or the confession of a suspect. makes for some very funny scenes. besides the success rate, head detective Carlton Lassiter is doubting that Shawn is in fact a psychic, although while trying many times he can’t prove anything.
at times, Shawn has to seek help from his father, who he has a troubled relationship with, because Henry wanted Shawn to become a policeman himself, still, they care for each other and Henry is not telling the police that his son is not a real psychic.
there are many funny pop-culture references featured and a few great cameo appearances, for example Tim Curry, Kevin Sorbo, Gina Gershon (clearly as Paula Abdul :D) or Lou Diamond Phillips.
although the episodes are about crimes and solving them with a mix of classic police work, luck and a good observation, the show is much more a comedy than a drama series. Psych is very easy going and it’s just fun to watch James Roday play Shawn Spencer with so much lightness. you really can tell that the cast enjoys making the show. and if you can’t tell by the style of the show and the acting, at least you can tell by the psych-out moments at the end of an episode where most of the times, the main cast members gather to sing. they don’t sing that good, but they have fun.
and fun is what it’s all about!
small facts:
- there are many pineapples.
- the theme song of the series, “I Know, You Know”, is performed by The Friendly Indians, the band of series creator, Steve Franks. (imdb.com)
- current season: #2 is on a break, returning in january 2008, season #3 is already ordered (16 episodes)
- runtime: 43 mins. (approx.)
- psych on tvrage (episode guide)
- psych on wikipedia
Dropped in:
tv series around
October 28, 2007 at 06:09
my name is earl. yay, where to start.. simply by stating that i absolutely love the show.
what is it about?
Earl Hickey isn’t someone considered a “good person”, he’s a small time thief with a little less intelligence that would be considered average. but one day (in the pilot to be exact) Earl is winning a 100.000$ in the lottery. only to get hit by a car while freaking out over this win, thus losing the ticket. while being hospitalized he catches an episode of the Carlson Daly show where Daly mentioned that all good things in his life are the direct result of him believing in karma - doing good things so good things will happen to you.
this leads to Earl thinking about his life and how he’s not very much into doing good things. but Earl decides to pull his act together and starts creating a list with all the bad things he has done in life. from this point on, every episode is basically one item on his list. by helping others and correcting past mistakes, “karma” decides to give him his lottery ticket back - a sign to carry on with the good work.
a few examples of list items, taken from imdb.com:
- 59: Everything I did to Dad
- 60: Pulled fire alarm
- 61: Stole Mom’s car (but I gave it back)
- 62: Faked death to break up with a girl
- 63: Wasted electricity
- 64: Spray Painted The bridge
- 65: Cost Dad the election
- 66: Let mice out at school play
- 67: Stole beer from a golfer
- 68: Blew up mailboxes
- 69: Cheated on School tests a lot
these items often involve other people from earl’s past, some who are grateful for earl trying to help them and some who are very pissed at first because Earl’s action had huge consequences in how their lifes turned out. at the end of the season, Earl usually has a friend more (also to help him with future items), one item to cross of his list and a lesson learned.
Earl is not alone on his mission since his brother Randy is living with Earl. Randy seems slightly mentally retarded because he manages to make Earl look like a harvard professor, but he is helping him with his list. and often, they get support by Earl’s ex-wife Joy who tricked him into marriage while very advanced in pregnancy with the child of another man. then there is Darnell aka Crabman, father to one child of Joy and employee at everybody’s favourite (and only?) pub in town: the crab shack. last, but not least, there is the sexy latina maid* and “exotic dancer“** that goes by the name of Catalina. then there are a lot of extras on the show like an ugly daytime hooker, a gay copy shop worker, a one-eyed mailman, fellow thugs and many more.
what’s special about the show you might ask?
for once, i really like the concept, since i’m a huge fan of karma myself (go karma go!) and also it’s plain hilarious and well written. it’s never boring, there are always more than enough laughs and it even is somewhat educational by showing that actions (and especially being mean) have consequences. the cast is absolutely lovely and so far i didn’t find a thing that adds a negative touch to the series, a definitely 10 out of 10.
season 2 ended with earl getting into prison, much like the end of the second prison break season. this is why i had hopes of the two series being merged together. just kidding. not. that would be most excellent! now season 3 is about earl being imprisoned and having to do stuff behind bars, of course the karma concept is maintained. if you think that brings the show down you’re totally wrong, episode 3 was probably one of the most funniest episodes ever :)
if you haven’t seen it so far, it’s a must! the current season is #3 and i hope that the list will last another few seasons if the quality of this show retains.
small facts:
*, ** yeah, google will love that :D
after a hit like prison break i’m stepping a bit down only in preparation for the next two series and present you burn notice!
Michael Westen is was is was is was an agent of some form for the US government until he got burned. which means, that in the middle of an undercover operation his agency cut all strings attached and let him by himself. next thing he knows he wakes up in his hometown miami with his ex-girlfriend Fiona next to his bed.
the series follows to storylines - the main storyline that went on in the first season is of course his attempt in getting more information why he was burned and who burned him. additionally he is working as some kind of A-Team to help people in need. unfortunately, the people he has to help have one thing in common: they either pissed of the wrong guys or the real bad guys are after them for some reason. and in comes Michael as the knight in shiny armor.
but he is not alone, along with Fiona there is Sam, played by Bruce “Ash fucking Williams” Campbell, a long friend of him with a background in intelligence as well. Sam provides Michael with usefull information and gets the “small” jobs they have to do to earn some money.
the reason i was writing “small” jobs is, that every single episode turned out to be more than just a quick job, there was always something bigger awaiting that has to be handled. this leads to every episode ending with the nearly ultimate blockbuster happy end for his clients. at times it was a bit too staged.
since Michael doesn’t have any intelligence-resources left he has to improvise a lot and you often see the three of them putting bombs or surveillance-equipment together out of everyday stuff. another resemblance with the A-Team. most of the things he builds and does during the episodes is elaborated with a narrating voice-over by Michael which fits to the show very well.
season one is over and ended with a very exciting cliffhanger. the show is scheduled to return in summer 2008.
in conclusion, burn notice is an OK-series to pass the time. it’s nothing with a high standard and it doesn’t bring anything to the tv screen you haven’t already seen before. (did I say A-Team?). still, it’s fun to watch. maybe this has to do with the great fake-smile of lead actor Jeffrey Donovan.
small facts:
for californication being average, i had to pull “prison break” out of the hat.
season one of prison break was by far one of the best series ever to hit the tv screens. the show follows Michael Scofield how he plans to rescue his brother Lincoln Burrows from prison where he is on death row. only thing is, lincoln is innocent and michael sees no other way than to put himself inside Fox River State Penitentiary where his brother is imprisoned.
from this point forward, michael has to act fast. luckily for lincoln, michael is not only well educated and very, very good in remembering stuff, he also got hold of the ground plan of the prison. after thinking the whole escape plan through, michael gets a tattoo with the hidden blueprint of his plan all over his body before fake-robbing a bank to get arrested.
while inside the jail, michael soon makes friends and enemies and builds up the rest of the gang that will be later known as the “Fox River Eight” with the start of the second season. being in prision, not everything goes according to plan for michael and he gets to improvise a lot and time after time, more people get hold of his plan to escape and force him to take them along.
what made this first season so special was the unique feeling and a high level of realism covering life in jail. and the cast is just awesome! Peter Stormare, playing John Abruzzi, Wade Williams as Bred Bellick or Robert Knepper as Theodore “T-Bag” Bagwell are three of my favourites.
but the idiot that survived up until the third season is Dominic Purcell as lincoln burrows… god i can’t stand him, it’s like watching a caveman. and Sarah Wayne Callies as Sara Tancredi was plain awfull, too. good thing she’s not around in season 3.
prison break kept a high pace throughout the season with very dramatic cliffhangers and a very clever story and most of the twists and turns were better than the last two seasons of lost together. you just feel that a few people really put an effort in creating the show.
that being said, it’s time to look at the other two seasons. you really have to split them, since they are all very different:
- season 1 was about the escape from prison.
- season 2 was about the “Fox River Eight” being on the run. season title: “Manhunt“.
- season 3 is… well… basically season 1 (”back to the start!”) with a few of the main characters ending up in jail again. only not in chicago, but in a prison in Panama.
a few words to season 2: it was great, there was a lot going on and it really showed that there are consequences to the things you do. season 2 of prison break was like opening pandora’s box. it also introduced a great new cast member: William Fichtner as FBI agent Alexander Mahone - finally a character that can keep up with michael scofield.
only problem with season 2 was the whole conspiracy bullshit with “the company” in the background. but at least, the show kept on going and had a whole lot of great moments as well. but the end of season 2 left me with the distinct feeling that the producers thought “hey, they liked season 1 more, let’s go back inside a prison”.
this leads me to prison break season 3: i was very disappointed by the first episode because it really was a setback inside a prison with only a few new elements and the stupid conspiracy bullshit from season 2 spinning further. so far, the only bright spot is, that a few characters, including a major one, are going to die in this season. i so hope it’s lincoln himself.
the rest of the season 3 episodes weren’t that bad, pretty solid prison break work with only too much screen time of lincoln. did i mention i don’t like him yet?
in short, at least the first half of the season seems to be about michael having to escape from prison. better: about michael having to escape (with) a fellow inmate from prison.
wait, what? oh boy…
still, despite it’s flaws and the fact that it could only get worse after the great first season, prison break remains a high quality show on the screen.
highly recommended.
small-facts:
just a small update on pushing daisies: after watching episode #2 i’ll definately continue to watch the show for the time being.
the case was not very thrilling and almost to predictable, but still, the style of narrating and directing makes the series a nice show to watch! :)
