Shawn Spencer
Encyclopedia
Shawn Spencer is a fictional character
on the American television dramedy Psych
played by American actor James Roday
. Taking advantage of his eidetic memory
, he poses as a psychic
and works as a private detective who often consults with the Santa Barbara
Police Department. Since the season 3 finale, he had been dating Abigail Lytar, played by Rachael Leigh Cook
; they broke up in the season 4 finale
when Abigail declared that she did not want to live a life of danger. He is in a relationship with SBPD Juliet O'Hara
, played by Maggie Lawson
.
, born in February 1977, and comes from a family of police officer
s. His parents separated
in 1992, and later divorced; his mother, Madeleine (a psychologist
), eventually returned and explained that she left to pursue a job opportunity. His father, Henry Spencer
, schooled Shawn in detective
work from as early as age 7, aiding the development of his extraordinary powers of observation
and deduction
. At the age of 15, he achieved a perfect score of 100 on the detective's exam. This is drawn loosely from the childhood
of series creator Steve Franks
, who was also born into a family of police officers and whose father "was training [Franks] in his own way to follow his footsteps." Franks' father would ask him how many people were wearing hats in a restaurant, a tactic employed in the show's pilot episode by Shawn's father.
Shawn's relationship with his father is complicated and at times highly strained. Though often it may seem that Henry is intentionally aggravating
or imposing his will on his grown son, it is usually revealed that his motives are genuine. For example, tipping off the meter maid to ticket Shawn's motorcycle which is parked too close to a hydrant outside his apartment. The impounding as a result was Henry's ultimate goal, as Shawn had gotten into an accident some time ago.
Despite his obvious talent, Shawn has no interest in entering the police force, and after graduating from Leland Bosseigh High School in Santa Barbara, California
, in 1995, takes up a string of random jobs selected strictly for his own enjoyment. He is shown to be a crack shot, hitting all of Detective Barry's bullet holes in a target with little experience. In his spare time, he entertains himself by calling in tips to the police hotline
based on observations he has made on crime scene
s shown in television news footage. After one such tip, the Santa Barbara police become suspicious of Shawn, whose information is so good that they believe it could only have come from an inside source
. Desperate to avoid jail
time, Shawn lies, explaining that he obtained the information in a psychic vision. Although initially skeptical, the department is impressed when he uses his "psychic" abilities to deduce that McNab was getting married, that the secretary was "haunted" by her dead grandmother, that Lassiter was in a relationship with his partner, and to solve a vandalism case. So they hire Shawn as a consultant. Burton Guster
, Shawn's best friend, hesitantly allows Shawn to recruit him, and they open their own psychic detective agency, "Psych".
Gus, and often frustrates his friend with his antics, but has come to rely on him more in their case work as the series has progressed. Roday believes that Shawn has "evolved a lot" as a partner, moving away from "dragging Gus around by the collar against his will from case to case to case" toward a more equal partnership
. He states that under Gus's influence, Shawn has "wisened up a little bit" and is learning to display a little more discretion
at times.
Shawn's seemingly random stream of consciousness
often belies the far-reaching logical connections that his observational skills allow him to make. He explains the multiple-personality
-afflicted Robert Dunn's condition to Gus by referencing The Flying Nun
, which starred Sally Field
, who played the similarly-affected title character in Sybil. He also hybridizes movie quotes voiced by James Earl Jones
in two separate films (The Lion King
and The Empire Strikes Back
) when addressing a mountain lion: "Simba
, I am your father." Running jokes on the show center around Shawn's love of Jerk Chicken and pineapples (even though he has a "distaste" for pointy objects), which he will often bring as a gift
to people he is meeting for the first time; his frequent desire for Kit-Kat bars (source:Episode 6, Season 3: There Might Be Blood) his inability to set his cell phone to vibrate
, even when spying or infiltrating the homes of suspects; his fondness for Val Kilmer
; his love of Curt Smith
and Tears for Fears
; his comments on other people's hair
; his difficulty in pronouncing
certain words (such as "chassis"); mispronouncing or misquoting phrases (e.g. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Marzipan", "Abercrombie and Fletch") and after being corrected, claiming "I've heard it both ways" (this is usually intentional) ; his use of other people's property
in his psychic "visions" (i.e. using O'Hara's scarf
to cover his eyes, him ripping out the paper tray of the printer belonging to Chief Vick, Gus's head
); and, of course, the pseudonym
s he makes up for Gus each time he questions a person of interest, often a reference to an obscure '80s movie
, a combination of two or more celebrities'
names, or something he created on the spot.
Shawn was introduced in the serial killer Mr. Yang's book on page 11. He is described as "a thick-tufted boy genius who ice skates through life on polished blades of snarky eloquence". Shawn is friends with the Santa Barbara Coroner, given they share a similar sense of humor. Shawn bribes the coroner with gifts in exchange for information on cases Shawn has not been officially hired to take.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the American television dramedy Psych
Psych
Psych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts...
played by American actor James Roday
James Roday
James Roday is an American actor and screenwriter. He currently stars on the USA Network series Psych as hyper-observant consultant detective and fake psychic Shawn Spencer.-Personal life:...
. Taking advantage of his eidetic memory
Eidetic memory
Eidetic , commonly referred to as photographic memory, is a medical term, popularly defined as the ability to recall images, sounds, or objects in memory with extreme precision and in abundant volume. The word eidetic, referring to extraordinarily detailed and vivid recall not limited to, but...
, he poses as a psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
and works as a private detective who often consults with the Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
Police Department. Since the season 3 finale, he had been dating Abigail Lytar, played by Rachael Leigh Cook
Rachael Leigh Cook
Rachael Leigh Cook is an American actress, known for her role in the romantic comedy She's All That and her This is Your Brain on Drugs public service announcement.-Early life:...
; they broke up in the season 4 finale
Mr. Yin Presents
"Mr. Yin Presents" is the sixteenth and final episode of the fourth season of Psych, and the 63rd episode in the series overall. It premiered on March 10, 2010 on USA Network in the United States. The episode serves as the season 4 finale and is the sequel to the third season's finale, "An...
when Abigail declared that she did not want to live a life of danger. He is in a relationship with SBPD Juliet O'Hara
Juliet O'Hara
Junior Detective Juliet "Jules" O'Hara is a character on the American comedy Psych played by Maggie Lawson.-Fictional biography:Juliet O'Hara first appears in the show's second episode, "Spellingg Bee", as a recently-transferred junior detective from Miami Beach where she attended the University of...
, played by Maggie Lawson
Maggie Lawson
Margaret "Maggie" Lawson is an American actress who is best known for her role as Juliet O'Hara in the TV show Psych...
.
Fictional biography
Shawn was a breech babyBreech birth
A breech birth is the birth of a baby from a breech presentation. In the breech presentation the baby enters the birth canal with the buttocks or feet first as opposed to the normal head first presentation....
, born in February 1977, and comes from a family of police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
s. His parents separated
Legal separation
Legal separation is a legal process by which a married couple may formalize a de facto separation while remaining legally married. A legal separation is granted in the form of a court order, which can be in the form of a legally binding consent decree...
in 1992, and later divorced; his mother, Madeleine (a psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
), eventually returned and explained that she left to pursue a job opportunity. His father, Henry Spencer
Henry Spencer (Psych character)
Henry William Spencer is a fictional character on the American television dramedy Psych. He is played by American actor Corbin Bernsen.-Fictional biography:...
, schooled Shawn in detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
work from as early as age 7, aiding the development of his extraordinary powers of observation
Observation
Observation is either an activity of a living being, such as a human, consisting of receiving knowledge of the outside world through the senses, or the recording of data using scientific instruments. The term may also refer to any data collected during this activity...
and deduction
Deductive reasoning
Deductive reasoning, also called deductive logic, is reasoning which constructs or evaluates deductive arguments. Deductive arguments are attempts to show that a conclusion necessarily follows from a set of premises or hypothesis...
. At the age of 15, he achieved a perfect score of 100 on the detective's exam. This is drawn loosely from the childhood
Childhood
Childhood is the age span ranging from birth to adolescence. In developmental psychology, childhood is divided up into the developmental stages of toddlerhood , early childhood , middle childhood , and adolescence .- Age ranges of childhood :The term childhood is non-specific and can imply a...
of series creator Steve Franks
Steve Franks
Steve Franks is an American screenwriter and musician. He devised the story for the 1999 comedy Big Daddy and wrote the screenplay with Tim Herlihy and Adam Sandler. Franks also created the USA Network original series Psych, and created the band The Friendly Indians who made the theme song...
, who was also born into a family of police officers and whose father "was training [Franks] in his own way to follow his footsteps." Franks' father would ask him how many people were wearing hats in a restaurant, a tactic employed in the show's pilot episode by Shawn's father.
Shawn's relationship with his father is complicated and at times highly strained. Though often it may seem that Henry is intentionally aggravating
Frustration
This article concerns the field of psychology. The term frustration does, however, also concern physics. In this context, the term is treated in a different article, geometric frustration....
or imposing his will on his grown son, it is usually revealed that his motives are genuine. For example, tipping off the meter maid to ticket Shawn's motorcycle which is parked too close to a hydrant outside his apartment. The impounding as a result was Henry's ultimate goal, as Shawn had gotten into an accident some time ago.
Despite his obvious talent, Shawn has no interest in entering the police force, and after graduating from Leland Bosseigh High School in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, in 1995, takes up a string of random jobs selected strictly for his own enjoyment. He is shown to be a crack shot, hitting all of Detective Barry's bullet holes in a target with little experience. In his spare time, he entertains himself by calling in tips to the police hotline
Hotline
In telecommunication, a hotline is a point-to-point communications link in which a call is automatically directed to the preselected destination without any additional action by the user when the end instrument goes off-hook...
based on observations he has made on crime scene
Crime scene
A crime scene is a location where an illegal act took place, and comprises the area from which most of the physical evidence is retrieved by trained law enforcement personnel, crime scene investigators or in rare circumstances, forensic scientists....
s shown in television news footage. After one such tip, the Santa Barbara police become suspicious of Shawn, whose information is so good that they believe it could only have come from an inside source
Inside job
Inside job refers to a crime committed by a person with a position of trust, such as insider trading.Inside job may also refer to:* Inside Job , a 2005 novella by Connie Willis* Inside Job , a 2000 studio album by Don Henley...
. Desperate to avoid jail
Jail
A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...
time, Shawn lies, explaining that he obtained the information in a psychic vision. Although initially skeptical, the department is impressed when he uses his "psychic" abilities to deduce that McNab was getting married, that the secretary was "haunted" by her dead grandmother, that Lassiter was in a relationship with his partner, and to solve a vandalism case. So they hire Shawn as a consultant. Burton Guster
Burton Guster
Burton "Gus" Guster is a fictional character on the USA Network television comedy Psych played by American actor Dulé Hill. He functions as the straight man for Shawn Spencer's antics, and provides sobering advice, steady support, and friendship...
, Shawn's best friend, hesitantly allows Shawn to recruit him, and they open their own psychic detective agency, "Psych".
Characterization
Although Shawn and Gus often have disagreements, they have been friends since early childhood and actor James Roday describes the pair's bond as "unbreakable. It's one of those friendships that make people who don't have one ask, 'Why does Gus put up with Shawn?' It's not about putting up with one another. It's about knowing each other so well that things that might annoy someone from the outside don't annoy you anymore." Shawn knows exactly how to manipulateSocial influence
Social influence occurs when an individual's thoughts, feelings or actions are affected by other people. Social influence takes many forms and can be seen in conformity, socialization, peer pressure, obedience, leadership, persuasion, sales, and marketing...
Gus, and often frustrates his friend with his antics, but has come to rely on him more in their case work as the series has progressed. Roday believes that Shawn has "evolved a lot" as a partner, moving away from "dragging Gus around by the collar against his will from case to case to case" toward a more equal partnership
Social equality
Social equality is a social state of affairs in which all people within a specific society or isolated group have the same status in a certain respect. At the very least, social equality includes equal rights under the law, such as security, voting rights, freedom of speech and assembly, and the...
. He states that under Gus's influence, Shawn has "wisened up a little bit" and is learning to display a little more discretion
Discretion
Discretion is a noun in the English language with several meanings revolving around the judgment of the person exercising the characteristic.-Meanings:*"The Art of suiting action to particular circumstances"...
at times.
Shawn's seemingly random stream of consciousness
Stream of consciousness (psychology)
Stream of consciousness refers to the flow of thoughts in the conscious mind. The full range of thoughts that one can be aware of can form the content of this stream, not just verbal thoughts...
often belies the far-reaching logical connections that his observational skills allow him to make. He explains the multiple-personality
Dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis and describes a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities , each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment....
-afflicted Robert Dunn's condition to Gus by referencing The Flying Nun
The Flying Nun
The Flying Nun is an American sitcom produced by Screen Gems for ABC based on the 1965 book The Fifteenth Pelican, by Tere Rios, which starred Sally Field as Sister Bertrille...
, which starred Sally Field
Sally Field
Sally Margaret Field is an American actress, singer, producer, director, and screenwriter. In each decade of her career, she has been known for major roles in American TV/film culture, including: in the 1960s, for Gidget or Sister Bertrille on The Flying Nun ; in the 1970s, for Sybil , Smokey and...
, who played the similarly-affected title character in Sybil. He also hybridizes movie quotes voiced by James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones is an American actor. He is well-known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership...
in two separate films (The Lion King
The Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
and The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay, based on a story by George Lucas, was written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan...
) when addressing a mountain lion: "Simba
Simba
Simba is a lion character and the protagonist of Disney's most successful animated feature film, The Lion King. He is the son of Mufasa and Sarabi, nephew of Scar, mate of Nala, and father of Kiara. He has golden fur and when he grows into an adult, he has an auburn mane...
, I am your father." Running jokes on the show center around Shawn's love of Jerk Chicken and pineapples (even though he has a "distaste" for pointy objects), which he will often bring as a gift
Gift
A gift or a present is the transfer of something without the expectation of receiving something in return. Although gift-giving might involve an expectation of reciprocity, a gift is meant to be free. In many human societies, the act of mutually exchanging money, goods, etc. may contribute to...
to people he is meeting for the first time; his frequent desire for Kit-Kat bars (source:Episode 6, Season 3: There Might Be Blood) his inability to set his cell phone to vibrate
Vibrating alert
A vibrating alert is a feature of communications devices to notify the user of an incoming connection. It is particularly common on mobile phones and pagers and usually supplements the ring tone....
, even when spying or infiltrating the homes of suspects; his fondness for Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer
Val Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a supporting role in Top Gun and a...
; his love of Curt Smith
Curt Smith
Curt Smith is an English musician. He is best known for forming the band Tears for Fears, along with childhood friend Roland Orzabal. Also a solo artist, he released his third album Halfway, Pleased in May 2008....
and Tears for Fears
Tears for Fears
Tears for Fears are an English new wave band formed in the early 1980s by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, they were initially associated with the New Wave synthesiser bands of the early 1980s but later branched out into...
; his comments on other people's hair
Hair
Hair is a filamentous biomaterial, that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Found exclusively in mammals, hair is one of the defining characteristics of the mammalian class....
; his difficulty in pronouncing
Pronunciation
Pronunciation refers to the way a word or a language is spoken, or the manner in which someone utters a word. If one is said to have "correct pronunciation", then it refers to both within a particular dialect....
certain words (such as "chassis"); mispronouncing or misquoting phrases (e.g. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Marzipan", "Abercrombie and Fletch") and after being corrected, claiming "I've heard it both ways" (this is usually intentional) ; his use of other people's property
Property
Property is any physical or intangible entity that is owned by a person or jointly by a group of people or a legal entity like a corporation...
in his psychic "visions" (i.e. using O'Hara's scarf
Scarf
A scarf is a piece of fabric worn around the neck, or near the head or around the waist for warmth, cleanliness, fashion or for religious reasons. They can come in a variety of different colours.-History:...
to cover his eyes, him ripping out the paper tray of the printer belonging to Chief Vick, Gus's head
Head
In anatomy, the head of an animal is the rostral part that usually comprises the brain, eyes, ears, nose and mouth . Some very simple animals may not have a head, but many bilaterally symmetric forms do....
); and, of course, the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
s he makes up for Gus each time he questions a person of interest, often a reference to an obscure '80s movie
1980s in film
The decade of the 1980s in film involved many significant films.----Contents1 Events2 Top Grossing films3 Trends4 List of films: # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z.-Events:...
, a combination of two or more celebrities'
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
names, or something he created on the spot.
Shawn was introduced in the serial killer Mr. Yang's book on page 11. He is described as "a thick-tufted boy genius who ice skates through life on polished blades of snarky eloquence". Shawn is friends with the Santa Barbara Coroner, given they share a similar sense of humor. Shawn bribes the coroner with gifts in exchange for information on cases Shawn has not been officially hired to take.