Suck it, Shawn and Gus are back!

Psych 3: This Is Gus, is the latest movie in the Psych franchise. Psych was a USA Network show that aired for eight seasons before retiring, and since the series ended, two movies with the same. The show was about a fake psychic detective and his best friend helping the Santa Barbara police department solve cases. This Is Gus follows the events of the previous movie, Shawn Spencer (James Roday Rodriguez) and Burton Guster (Dulé Hill) are caught up in the storm of preparing for Gus’ sudden wedding, rushed by the impending birth of Gus and his fiancé Selene’s (Jazmyn Simon) child.      

It begins with Shawn and Gus assisting Police Chief Carlton Lassiter (Timothy Omundson) bring in a case, Lassiter is struggling to execute his normal police duties due to his rehabilitation of his injury (as seen in the previous movie, Psych 2: Lassie Come Home). The injury was an attempt by the show’s creator, writer-director Steve Franks, to incorporate Omundson’s real-life condition into the show: Omundson suffered a stroke in 2017 that limited his mobility.

Gus is acting much like a groomzilla in his wedding preparations, causing Shawn to have doubts about their future as friends. These doubts lead Shawn into his bad habit of being suspicious of the women Gus dates. He begins an investigation into Selene as neither he nor Gus know much about her. This leads to the pair uncovering her mysterious past and they begin a dangerous adventure trying to uncover the truth before the wedding.      

Selene eventually discovers that they’re investigating her and wishes to stop them before they get themselves in too much danger, so with the help of Shawn’s wife and expert detective, Juliet O’Hara (Maggie Lawson) and the former chief of police Karen Vick (Kirsten Nelson) they attempt to save the detective duo all while helping themselves out with their personal life issues.

Shawn also enlists the help of his father and former detective Henry Spencer (Corbin Bernsen) to get advice on the case, on how to help Lassiter and advice on how to handle his future relationship with Gus. The pair’s investigation leads them to Selene’s former partner Alan Decker (Allen Maldonado), a man hellbent on solving the mystery that split him and Selene up many years ago.      

This movie is a great time for fans of the Psych series, as rather than feeling like a whole movie, it feels just like an extended episode of the beloved series, which leads to a great pace and a great way to show off the amazing cast’s interactions and classic running gags from the show. There are even reappearances from a number of minor roles from the show including the coroner Woody Strode (Kurt Fuller), Father Wesley (Ray Wise), officer Buzz McNabb (Sage Brocklebank) and musical artist Curt Smith (Tears for Fears). It’s possible to enjoy the movie if you never saw the series, but this movie will make more sense if you saw the previous one.

If you’re already a fan of Psych, you’ll enjoy this hilarious journey and a great return to the series.