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9 Shows Like Psych You Should Watch If You Like Psych

Are you a fan of delicious flavor?

kaitlin-photo1.jpg
Kaitlin Thomas
Dule Hill and James Roday, Psych

Dule Hill and James Roday, Psych

Alan Zenuk, USA Network

If you're a fan of Psych, we don't have to be psychics to sense more good TV in your future. USA's beloved, irreverent procedural about fake psychic Shawn Spencer (James Roday Rodriguez), who uses his observational skills to solve crime alongside his best friend Burton "Gus" Guster (Dulé Hill), is wildly rewatchable, and it's easy to pass a lot of time with the show's eight seasons and three movies. But while we continue to wait for word on a fourth movie, you might be looking for similar shows to love, and there are a lot of great options out there, from crime shows to light procedurals about likable liars.

We've curated the perfect viewing list for everyone who's in the mood for more Psych-style shenanigans. These shows are full of camaraderie between best friends, eccentric murders, and plenty of Blue Skies. If you love Psych, these are the shows you should watch next.

Psych on Peacock Watch the full series


More recommendations:


Veronica Mars

Kristen Bell, Veronica Mars

Kristen Bell, Veronica Mars

Michael Desmond/Hulu

There's a lot of overlap between the Psych fandom and the Veronica Mars fandom, but if you're among those who haven't checked out Kristen Bell's UPN-turned-CW detective series, there's no time like the present. Bell stars as Veronica, a high school student who decides to start moonlighting as a private investigator in her wealthy hometown after her life is rocked by the murder of her best friend. She learns from her detective father (Enrico Colantoni), and although she takes on a new case every episode, there's also an overarching mystery to each season that Veronica's trying to solve. While it's not as zany and buddy-buddy as Psych, Veronica Mars has plenty of moments of comedy to balance out all the noir and the often dark explorations of class. Really, if you're just looking for a really solid, intricate crime drama, this is the one for you. We recommend ignoring the Hulu revival, though. -Allison Picurro 


Chuck

Yvonne Strahovski and  Zachary Levi, Chuck

Yvonne Strahovski and  Zachary Levi, Chuck

Jordin Althaus/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images

Even though Chuck debuted just one year after Psych, it sort of feels like a spiritual successor to the USA comedy. Between the zany energy found in the action-spy comedy and the lifelong friendship between Chuck (Zachary Levi) and Morgan (Joshua Gomez), the two series seem to share similar DNA. Chuck follows a computer whiz working at a Buy More, who, after opening an email from a college friend, comes to have the Intersect, aka an extensive CIA and NSA database, stored in his brain. This makes Chuck a target but transforms him into a surprising asset for the CIA and NSA, ultimately giving purpose to his otherwise mundane life. But while the espionage and action sequences are plenty of fun, the bromance between Chuck and Morgan is ultimately the show's greatest strength.


iZombie

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iZombie

Bettina Strauss, Bettina Strauss/The CW

The CW's iZombie is surprisingly similar to Psych in that the main character, Assistant Medical Examiner Liv Moore (Rose McIver), pretends to be a psychic in order to help solve murders for the Seattle P.D. However, she isn't hyper-observant like Shawn; she receives flashes of memories from the brains she eats in order to stay human (because in case it wasn't clear, she's a zombie) to help solve cases with Detective Clive Babineaux (Malcolm Goodwin). Liv also takes on the personalities of the deceased, which means the show changes by the week as it explores identity and gives Liv a renewed purpose. The show is also incredibly funny, features some of the best puns on TV, and has great music cues.


The Mentalist

C'mon, son.


Suits

Gabriel Macht and Patrick J. Adams, Suits

Gabriel Macht and Patrick J. Adams, Suits

USA Network, USA Network via Getty Images

Psych and the legal drama Suits overlapped for a few years on USA, and the two long-running series have a number of things in common in addition to both starring Dulé Hill. Psych's entire narrative is built around a hyper-observant man lying about his credentials in order to solve crimes, and this is similar to the story of Suits' Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), who lies about being a lawyer for years and is able to get away with it, in part, because he is able to recall a bizarre amount of information with incredible detail just like Shawn. Both shows also feature memorable bromances and a great will-they/won't-they relationship. Essentially, Psych was Suits before Suits was Suits.


Sherlock

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, Sherlock

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, Sherlock

Todd Antony

If you're looking for a more traditional detective series, but one that also features a great dynamic duo, Sherlock cannot be beaten. The British series starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the famous literary detective is a relatively quick binge — there are four seasons of three feature-length episodes apiece — and while the latter two seasons aren't as highly regarded as the first two, the series breathes new life into the characters of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson (portrayed here by Martin Freeman). But perhaps the real star of the show is Andrew Scott as Moriarty, who is introduced in the final episode of Season 1 and simply owns Season 2.


White Collar

Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay, White Collar

Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay, White Collar

Giovanni Rufino/USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Created by Jeff Eastin, White Collar is another series from USA's comforting "Blue Skies" era, and it will quickly become an addictive binge. It stars Tim DeKay as FBI special agent Peter Burke and Matt Bomer as the highly skilled forger and con artist Neal Caffrey, who becomes Burke's informant and helps him stop white-collar crimes. Their relationship is rather unique and provides the basis for a number of instances in which their characters are escaping from situations they have no business escaping from, which sounds a lot like Shawn and Gus, to be honest. If you're looking for an easy binge, this is it.


Pushing Daisies

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Pushing Daisies

Justin Stephens / ABC / Getty Images

Like Psych (and iZombie, for that matter), Bryan Fuller's whimsical, saturated comedy-drama features someone unqualified to be solving murders, well, solving murders. Pie-maker Ned (Lee Pace) possesses the unique ability to bring the dead back to life with a single touch — and send them back to the grave with a second. After an unfortunate incident involving his mother as a child, he largely uses his gift to make delicious pies from rotten fruit, that is until he teams up with a private investigator (Chi McBride) to bring murder victims back to life to find out how they died so the two can solve cases and split the reward money. The show only ran for two seasons before falling victim to the 2007-08 writers' strike, but it was known for its distinct visual style and excellent wordplay.


Monk

Monk

Monk

Vivian Zink/USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

For a while there, it seemed like USA was just recycling the same setup — a man with an excellent memory and attention to detail saves the day! — but hey, if it works, it works. And boy did it work on Monk. Another excellent crime procedural with a great sense of humor, the Emmy-winning series starred Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk, a germaphobe and police detective living with obsessive-compulsive disorder who, after the death of his wife, has a nervous breakdown. He becomes a private detective and consultant for the San Francisco police, and his neuroses become assets that help him solve cases.