Psych: The Complete Third Season by Universal Studios

Actors

• James Roday
• Dule Hill
• Corbin Bernsen

Format

• AC-3
• Box set
• Color
• Dolby
• Subtitled

Editorial Review

As Psych's second year drew to a close, Gus (Dulé Hill) had become a pharmaceutical rep and Shawn (James Roday) welcomed his long-lost mother, Madeleine (Cybill Shepherd), back to town. In all other respects, the show remains the same. Gus just has two jobs instead of one, and the detecting continues. Later, Shawn reconnects with his treasure-hunting Uncle Jack (Steven Weber) and former flame Abigail (Rachael Leigh Cook), who seems likely to return in the future. The same goes for Chief Vick's sister, Coast Guard Commander Dunlap (Jane Lynch), who has eyes for the still-married Lassie (Timothy Omundson).

Other highlights include “Talk Derby to Me,” in which Jules (Maggie Lawson) infiltrates a roller-derby team in order to catch some thieves, “Lassie Did a Bad, Bad Thing,” in which Shawn and Gus race to protect their uptight colleague's good name, “Tuesday, the 17th,” a surprisingly scary take-off on Friday the 13th, and “Murder?… Anyone?… Anyone?… Bueller?,” a high school reunion episode filled with references to the generation-defining films of the late John Hughes. And just to keep the fan worship going, Ferris Bueller's Alan Ruck and The Breakfast Club's All Sheedy make guest appearances during the season.

If this 16-episode set drags a little in the middle, Psych continues to bring the funny, and the entire cast has an appealing chemistry (we even find out a little more about Kirsten Nelson's Vick, such as her affection for Phil Collins). Like previous sets, this one includes a gag reel, above-average deleted scenes, and 12 commentary tracks split three ways: audio, podcast (without show dialogue), and video (on-screen interviews with the writers about specific episodes). Granted, the doubling of overcast Vancouver for sunny Santa Barbara remains completely unconvincing, but you can't win 'em all. –Kathleen C. Fennessy