Beyond the Rhetoric

Psych is a quirky, funny show that first started airing in 2006. I didn’t start watching it until about three years ago, though – and only because I was truly bored. I went into the first episode completely blind and without realizing it, I started to recognize some Lower Mainland landmarks peppered throughout the series.

For those of you who don’t follow this show, Psych is an American dramady created by Steve Franks and primarily broadcasted on the USA Network down in the states. We Canadians can catch this show on Global TV, however. The show follows a “psychic detective,” Shawn Spencer (portrayed by James Roday) and his sidekick, Guster Burton (played by The West Wing‘s Dule Hill). Spencer, however, doesn’t actually have psychic abilities – he’s just got an incredibly heightened sense of his surroundings as well as a photographic memory. While the show itself is set in Santa Barbara, it’s pretty easy to spot Lower Mainland landmarks peppered throughout the show, as well as local talent.

Over time, White Rock gradually became the home base for the Psych office. While I still haven’t worked out where the Santa Barbara Police Department is supposed to be (yet), there’s quite a few hints that this show is filmed in B.C.

Case in point:

Photo credit: White Rock Visitor Centre

Psych stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, Dulé Hill as Guster Burton, Timothy Omundson as Detective Carlton Lassiter, Maggie Lawson as Detective Juliet O’Hara, Kirsten Nelson as the chief of police and Corbin Bernsen as Henry Spencer, Shawn’s dad. Together, this cast makes for one heck of a funny hour of TV!

Lesley Chang is an avid TV watcher who has always had a fascination with Vancouver being used as the backdrop of many TV shows and films. Follow her on Twitter at @LesleyChang.

Tags: landmarks, TV, vancouver

Filed under Arts and Entertainment.