So there we have it: a man who claims to be a psychic detective but in reality is using observational skills to fool the police and the public and has no shame in doing so. This is the kind of guy you hate as a skeptic--right? Well, the show is able to overcome that for several reasons. The main character Shawn is a cross between Ben Stiller and Tom Cruise and if the show only focused on him I think we would be annoyed. But when Shawn recruits his reluctant lifelong friend, Burton Guster or "Gus," the situation morphs into a buddy comedy or what I usually refer to as a "modern vaudeville act." Gus isn't a willing participant. We relate to him and not to Shawn. Shawn simply amazes us with his skills. Gus is there to provide our voice in asking Shawn what the hell he's doing posing as a psychic. Shawn alone would have been like, well Ben Stiller alone without someone to play off of. But with Gus playing the straight man in the buddy comedy we have the balancing act we need.

The other reason we have some definite potential with Psych is the audience is let in on the gag and we are constantly curious about which observation will be used to fool someone. The character of Shawn Spencer is out for gain, as he explains to his Dad who thoroughly disapproves of him using his "gift" as a psychic, but Shawn's offenses are tempered by the skeptics in the police force trying to catch him making a mistake. I'm not even sure if you can call it a con game. Shawn is providing a legitimate service where he does actually solve crimes using the skills he developed as a child. He is just not being honest as to how he comes to his conclusions. The Interim Police Chief Karen Vick gives us the impression that she knows that he's not a real psychic, however, he's still worth keeping around because whatever he's doing is working in her favor.

In the real world, psychic detectives waste time and tax dollars going off of feelings and hunches which they interpret as psychic powers but may be nothing more than a dream or the same intuition a true detective uses (except a trained cop's intuition is significantly better than an airhead psychic). They also prey on victims to increase their own fame and fortune. These charlatans are distasteful to be around and prone to drive a guy like me to consider violence when normally it is the furthest thing from my mind. And yes, there are psychics who truly believe they have psychic abilities, but they are so damn arrogant. They won't submit to any test to prove their claims because there is no valid test that they can agree upon. It's all subjective, which is the same as saying that we are all psychic if we want to be, and thus this attitude renders the term "psychic" meaningless.

I have to admit to "hating psychics" as a general group. It may not be right since with religion I don't normally use the word hate when I am criticizing popular religious leaders or religion as a whole. I don't even hate guys like Pat Robertson who I think is a silly old fart. However, when it comes to psychics like James Van Praagh or Sylvia Browne I really detest these people. They sucker people in, they act like they're important and are helping humanity, and they get rich off of gullible, good-hearted people. You could say the same for religious leaders but at least with religion it is something you can examine for truth--theology, history, apologetics, the Bible, and empirical evidence such as archaeology. There's at least a presentation of standards to go by even with all of the in-fighting as to what applies where and in what situation. You have a decent shot at pointing out hypocrisy or illogical or circular thinking. Barring maybe a few honest parapsychology groups, with psychics in general there is no standard to go by--not even an attempt to set up some guidelines as to what is "psychic". They make it up as they go along and they change the rules if their predictions aren't accurate. It's in the realm of a kid talking to his dollie and someone suggesting that the kid is actually hearing the doll talk back.

What really fuels my loathing is that these idiot psychics like John Edward have book deals and their own TV Shows and then become celebrities based on their own imaginations--fiction labeled nonfiction. I think of that everytime I sit down around midnight after I've finished my day's worth of projects and check for worthwhile programming and come across TV shows like "Ghost Hunters" or "Psychic Detectives." Now, It's questionable as to whether being a cartoonist is a real job but I damn well know that I do more work than these jackasses and get paid far less. The same goes for any working American doing real work and not playing pretend like they're still in the second grade. On top of that, when these fucking idiots start interfering with police investigations my only thought is I want these psychics exposed and embarrassed and shamed for what they're doing.

Whew, sorry about that. I'm ranting. I guess that's why I'm seeing the potential for Psych. It's a show that exposes cold reading and observations and shows how they can be used to seem like you're psychic. It's done in such a way that those people who are always complaining that skeptics are no fun will watch Psych. Now will these nonskeptics put two and two together? I'm not sure. People who strongly believe in the supernatural can witness a debunking of a psychic but isolate the incident so that it doesn't apply to all psychics. Those who have never given much thought either way to supernatural phenomena are the best bet for this show to reach out to. A little common sense interpretation of seemingly unexplainable predictions could go a long ways to improving the skeptical abilities of our society as a whole.

I'm doubtful that USA Network is on any sort of debunking mission here. Their only concern is to make an entertaining show that sells advertising. A psychic who is a fraud but still solves the case is an original twist in a sea of fictional and nonfictional shows that applaud psychics. It's almost fortunate that so many unimaginative TV execs out there are producing so much psychic dribble that to be original USA Network had to come up with something that rebelled against the "psychic phenomena is real" premise.

My only fear with this show is that the producers or network will be tempted to introduce a real psychic into the show to compete with Shawn, possibly because of low ratings and a need for a gimmick to give it a boost. The show is similar in nature to Monk which is all about exploiting a twist on Sherlock Holmes and I'm hoping that that show's fanbase will gravitate towards Psych to keep it going in its crucial beginning stages. Every show requires some time to find it's footing. If the show doesn't generate enough support then that's when they mess with the formula and that's when they do stupid things like introduce real psychic phenomena.

So first of all, go watch the show (it's in the on-demand section if you have Comcast Cable) and then second of all email USA Network and tell them you like the show. As freethinkers we are usually very vocal, so be vocal about support for this program; demonstrate that there is a market for this approach to psychic nonsense.

I've said before that as much as I love all of the freethinking intellectual literature available out there, popular culture will always have more influence and reach. Not that pop culture can't be intellectual but let's face it, Psych is commercial entertainment with an emphasis on one-liners and quick laughs. The public at large could probably improve their minds more by studying a book--that ain't going to happen. A clever TV show is our next best chance to get people to be more skeptical. There will always be that kid watching TV who is inspired by what he sees and will take an interest. That interest could lead him or her to grow up to be the next skeptical leader who builds upon what skeptics have already accomplished thus far.