Season 4 of Psych premieres tonight on USA and the first episode back is fantastic. It’s the kind of episode that I’ve now watched 4 times and have plans to record and watch again tonight. It’s funny, charming, emotionally charged, awkward (in the best way), and brilliant.
Spoiler alert for those not in the know – Psych doesn’t actually shoot in Santa Barbara. It shoots in Vancouver, British Columbia, and they creative team has been open about how difficult it is to constantly keep up the premise of BC-subbing-for-Santa Barbara. With the premiere, the writers had a little fun, sending Shawn and Gus on a romantic vacation for two to the BC resort town of Whistler, and totally use their daily surroundings as a ruse for an out of country experience.
Naturally, while they are hitting the slopes, Shawn and Gus run across a noted art thief named Despereux (played by the always charming Cary Elwes), and set out to capture him. Turns out Lassiter has been hot on Despereux’s trail and when he hears about Shawn and Gus’ discovery, he and Juliet (on her frequent flyer miles) head up to the BC to help in the apprehension. Henry shows up long enough to help Shawn solve the case in that backwards way that he always does, and suddenly, there is more to Despereux than meets the eye.
Premiere: Friday, August 7th on USA 10/9c
