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Is "Psych" going the way of "Friends" by turning a fine sitcom into a romantic dramedy?

I don't watch a lot of television. I've never gotten caught up in the "reality" television craze. I'm a writer. I appreciate good writing for a show. Holding a camera and waiting to see what people say and do in "real"-life settings (not really) doesn't really do it for me. The only two shows I currently watch with any regularity (excluding The Daily Show and The Colbert Report) are Modern Family and Psych. Psych is the lesser known of the two shows, as it airs on the USA Network. It centers around a guy (Shawn) who is blessed with excellent observational skills, so much so that he is able to pretend he's a psychic and utilize these skills to help the police solve cases. This has resulted in a very consistently entertaining program. The strongest part of the show, in my opinion, is the chemistry between the two lead characters - Shawn and his sidekick Gus. They work very well together, feed off one another like long-time friends, and appear to be having a genuinely good time. This formula has worked great for six very strong seasons. However, season 7 (especially the past two episodes) is seeming to work away from the show's biggest strength and is leaving me with the feeling that the show either isn't going to last much longer or it's going to continue heading in a different direction and may wind up losing me as a viewer if that does occur.

For six seasons, the show centered on laughs and action. In season 7, it has played out as less of an action-comedy and more of a romantic dramedy. Shawn and his girlfriend Juliet have especially added to the drama these past two episodes and it has left me paranoid about their relationship ruining this show like Ross and Rachel's ruined Friends. For a while, I enjoyed the show Friends. All the characters provided something different and entertaining, while working well together. When the show started focusing most of its attention on Ross and Rachel's relationship, this is when I began losing interest. The comedic element was still there, but to a lesser degree, and the soap opera element began expanding to the point where I couldn't watch it anymore. I'm fearful that the same thing is going to happen to Psych. The Shawn and Gus chemistry has been, in my mind, the strongest element of the show for its 6+ seasons. Both Shawn and Gus are now involved in serious relationships and their on-screen time together has been lacking some this season. If the show isn't going to last much longer and this is just a way to end the show by portraying the characters as maturing and living happily ever after, then I suppose I can understand and live with that. However, if that isn't the intent, and the show is planning to continue for some time, then I sincerely hope the writers alter their course so that they don't ruin the show and lose viewers like me by transforming it from Psych to The Shawn and Juliet Soap Opera. If I wanted to watch soaps, I could just... Nevermind, I've never wanted to watch soaps.

Comments

  1. I have noticed that. With those 2 in love, it kind of takes away from the comedy. Besides, I don't watch soaps either; my soap opera is Scooby Doo, Where Are You?, lmao!

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