Psych: The Movie is irrepressible, surprisingly seasonal fun

Over the course of its original eight-season run, Psych referenced or parodied any number of genres, including slasher films, crime comedies, musicals, reality TV competitions, and most notably, that mystery drama that’s back in style. Steve Franks’ little blue-skies dramedy could stretch any which way, because while its fake psychic premise was piquant enough to simultaneously exist on CBS, the friendship between leads Shawn (James Roday) and Gus (Dulé Hill) was the real framework of the show. It didn’t really matter whether the Psych Detective Agency would be found out or how Shawn’s powers of observation would help crack their latest case. The real draw was Roday and Hill’s chemistry, which could potentially support any number of concepts.
The latest Psych story tests that theory, as the fake psychic/slightly more authentic private detectives have changed genres again—and addresses. Psych: The Movie is the first TV movie from Franks and Roday (though it’s not their first feature-length offering), and it ventures into Hallmark Channel territory with its Christmas setting, both on and off screen. It has a lot more in common with Gremlins than A Christmas Prince, but Psych: The Movie is also poised to kick off a batch of TV features from Franks and Roday (ratings will surely factor in, of course). USA Network might have given up on its breezy dramas as its main focus, but the cabler is optimistic about how well this fizzy fare could do over the holiday season. And Psych: The Movie delivers on its potential, both as a holiday-adjacent comedy and as the springboard for a new USA subgenre.