James Roday plays the somewhat eccentric Shawn Spencer, a police consultant who solves crimes with powers of observation so acute that the police think he’s psychic - or so he lets them think. With the reluctant assistance of his best friend Gus (Dulé Hill), Shawn opens a PI Agency named Psych, and together they begin solving cases even the most seasoned detectives cannot crack.
Psych: The Movie
Psych 2: Lassie Come Home
Psych 3: This is Gus
Shawn Spencer is the main character, a consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department. Each week, he and his best friend and partner, Gus, solve crimes using Shawn's psychic talents, honed by his police detective father, Henry Spencer. Some may say his eidetic memory is the source of his "psychic" abilities. Others claim his real talents come from hyper-observation and a lifetime of training. As for me, "I've heard it both ways."
AKA Gus, Ghee Buttersnaps, Nick Nack, Lemongrass Gogulope, Gus "Silly Pants" Jackson, Magic Eigh Ball Head, Chocolate Einstein, John Jacob Jingley-Schmidt, G-Force, MC ClapYoHandz, Sher-Black-Lock, Slick Fingers, Jet Blackness, Weepy Boy Santos, Chocolate Columbo, Magic Head, Gus T. T. Showbiz (The extra T is for extra talent.), Ovaltine Jenkins, Fearless Guster, Longbranch Pennywhistle, Scrooge Jones, D'Andre Pride, Hollabackatcha, Jazz Hands, Clementine Woolysocks, Gurton Buster, Control Alt Delete, Yasmine Bleeth, and Jet Blackness.
Juliet O'Hara is a kind, bright, and competent detective who partners with Carlton Lassiter. A junior detective from Miami, Juliet transfers to Santa Barbara where she is skeptical of consultants Shawn and Gus. Over seasons, Juliet becomes more assertive and learns to have fun, while also grounding Shawn. She and Shawn become engaged at the end of the regular seasons.
Carlton Lassiter is a dedicated, rule-following, yet often exasperated Head Detective in the Santa Barbara Police Department. He is skeptical of psychic consultant Shawn Spencer, though they develop a deep friendship, as do Lassiter and his partner Juliet O'Hara. He loves military history and weapons.
Karen Vick, chief of the Santa Barbara Police Department, frequently hires with Shawn and Gus. She is exasperated by Shawn's antics, but to be fair, Carlton is a handful too.
Henry Spencer is a gruff but loving retired police officer and father of the main character, Shawn Spencer. He raised Shawn to be observant and analytical, a skill he used to help Shawn solve crimes, though Henry initially disapproves of Shawn's career as a fake psychic. Over time, the relationship between Henry and Shawn evolves as they begin to mend their strained relationship.
Woody is Dr. Woodrow "Woody" Strode, the quirky coroner. Woody has an eccentric personality, peculiar mannerisms, and unconventional approach to his job, which includes morbid jokes and odd experiments. He forms a fast friendship with Shawn and Gus due to their similar offbeat natures.
"Buzz" from Psych is a kind and dedicated but sometimes naive police officer in the Santa Barbara Police Department. He is a loyal friend to Shawn Spencer and performs a lot of the diligent, behind-the-scenes work that helps solve cases.
Dobson is somewhat of an enigmatic figure in the Psychverse, mentioned many times but never seen. That is, until the series finale. In "The Break-Up," Dobson has a hard time understanding why Shawn, who had apparently never so much as even acknowledged his existence, sent him a farewell message before his move to San Francisco. Shawn tells Dobson that he's heard a lot about him and that he sounds heroic, the kind of guy he wishes he'd spoken to and "could have worshipped as a child and an adolescent." When Dobson remarks to Lassiter that it's weird Shawn sent him a farewell message, Lassiter, knowing Shawn, shrugs it off and says "Not really."