While Psych was always a fun mystery procedural, the series had its ups and downs across its eight seasons and three sequel movies. Debuting in 2006, Psych was a big hit on basic cable. A light-hearted dramedy about a fake psychic who used his skills of deduction to solve crimes, Psych won over viewers thanks to its lovable characters and self-aware sense of humor. Shawn and Gus’s friendship made the series consistently charming, while the chemistry between Shawn and Jules ensured Psych had dramatic stakes outside its many murders.
However, not all of Psych’s outings were created equal. The show began with an eight-season run that ended in 2014, but this was followed by a trio of feature-length sequels (and a fourth Psych film potentially in the works). Psych: The Movie premiered in 2017, followed by Psych 2: Lassie Come Home in 2019, and Psych 3: This Is Gus in 2021. Some of these were instant classics, but others mismanaged the show’s ensemble and wasted potentially compelling plots. Thus, the only way to get a handle on the show’s inconsistent history is a thorough ranking of Psych’s seasons and movies.
11 Psych Season 7
Psych season 7 arrived in 2013 and is understandably viewed as the weakest outing of the series. While Jules gets a few solid moments in this season, this character development is not enough to redeem the outing as a whole. Jules and Shawn’s umpteenth breakup smacks of desperation and, although the pair do reconcile, the show can’t help but feel like it's going through the motions. Even a superb guest appearance from Christopher Lloyd can’t save a season whose drama feels hamstrung and whose comedic elements are too broad and cartoony.
10 Psych Season 8
While Psych season 8 pulled a classic sitcom ending trick by shortening the show’s final outings to a mere 10 episodes, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Val Kilmer, Bruce Campbell, and Mira Sorvino’s guest appearances ensure that Psych season 8 isn’t merely a victory lap that rests on its laurels, but rather a fun final outing for the series. Still, while it is a fine farewell to these charming characters, this final season does get a bit too ambitious in a few episodes that don’t quite land.
9 Psych Season 1
Psych took a while to find its footing, and this is never more obvious than in season 1. The cast’s chemistry is there, and the premise still felt fresh and ingenious. However, the show hadn’t pushed its self-reflexive humor yet and Gus and Shawn’s friendship doesn’t feel as natural or lived-in as it did later. While Psych’s later seasons had bigger villains and more ambitious storylines, it is hard to fault the early potential present in this early outing.
8 Psych 2: Lassie Come Home
The second movie, Psych 2: Lassie Come Home, managed an impressive feat by keeping Lassiter in the show’s main cast despite his actor’s 2017 stroke. Lassie might be bed-bound for the majority of this sequel, but he still gets to play a major role in proceedings, and his frustration with Shawn remains a reliable source of laughs. Unfortunately, this spinoff sequel doesn’t quite manage to recreate the thrills of Psych: The Movie, mostly because the central mystery isn’t as compelling.
7 Psych 3: This Is Gus
Psych 3: This Is Gus fleshes out Gus more than ever before, with Shawn and Gus investigating a mystery involving Gus’s love interest. The central pair's friendship is as strong and heart-warming as ever, while Lassie gets even more to do than in Psych 2: Lassie Come Home. That said, while Psych 3 has an incredible list of guest stars, the otherwise solid sequel is let down by its unsatisfying mystery story.
6 Psych Season 2
Psych season 2 marked the moment where the series truly hit its stride for the first time. The central conceit felt less gimmicky, the interplay between the characters was well-defined and only getting sharper, and Shawn’s slow-burn romance with Jules was only just beginning. While things got even better, this outing was the start of Psych’s golden era.
5 Psych Season 6
While Psych season 6 retconned Juliet’s original backstory, the outing was otherwise stellar. Psych season 6, episode 14, “Autopsy Turvy,” saw the series get darker as the show leaned into its crime procedural elements, but this season also wisely made room for plenty of goofier, more inconsequential stories. Well-balanced between dark moments and lighter fare, this season proved that Psych didn’t run out of steam until well into the show’s eight-year run and was still producing classics in season 6.
4 Psych Season 4
In Psych season 4, episode 16, “Mr. Yin Presents…,” the series proved that it could be as unsettling and intense as any serious crime show. However, before this gripping finale, Psych season 4 had already featured a slew of great new characters and memorable episodes. Cary Elwes stole the show as the charismatic Pierre Desperaux, while Woody became a central part of the show’s ensemble this season. Meanwhile, Rachael Leigh Cook’s Abigail had some viewers hoping Shawn and Jules wouldn’t end up together, which was an impressive achievement.
3 Psych: The Movie
When Psych: The Movie arrived, it was tough to imagine how the spinoff could live up to the outsized hype that surrounded its release. However, Psych: The Movie both fulfilled and eventually even exceeded expectations. The couple of years between Psych’s season 8 finale and the show’s return makes this comeback sweeter as Gus, Jules, Lassie, and Shawn prove as lovable as ever. The plot is airtight, unlike Psych: The Movie’s sequels, but the biggest appeal of this bigger, more ambitious spinoff came in seeing the likable cast reunited onscreen again.
2 Psych Season 5
Psych season 5 includes some great guest stars in the form of Freddie Prinze Jr. and Carl Weathers, but these are not what make the season so memorable. After years of setting up Psych’s Yin/Yang story, season 5 proved the show could pay off this twisted crime saga handsomely. This plot is deservedly seen as a highlight of the show’s golden age and proof of its skillful storytelling, and Psych season 5, episode 16, “Yang 3 in 2D,” was a perfect finale.