James Roday and Dule Hill Send a Special Message to Psych Fans About the Series Cancellation

In sad but not surprising news, USA Network announced today that this season of Psych will be its last. Fans had long wondered whether season eight would be the final season, and when Maggie Lawson’s departure was announced last year, along with the reduction in episodes this season, Psych’s demise seemed inevitable.

The final episode, “The Breakup,” will air Wednesday, March 26 at 9/8c and will be followed by the “Psych After Show,” which will be a live hour-long question and answer session with the cast in front of a live audience.

The most interesting thing to come from the press release is the statement made by Chris McCumber, President of USA Network: “And while the series will wrap in March, somehow I don’t believe we’ve heard the last of Shawn and Gus.” Does that mean we might see James Roday and Dule Hill in character on other shows? Is Psych: The Movie in the works? What do you think? Tweet me @staffaroadtrip to comment on this news. I’d love to discuss it with you.

Following USA Network’s press release below is a special message from James Roday and Dule Hill about the final season of Psych.

USA NETWORK ANNOUNCES FAN FAVORITE PSYCH TO CONCLUDE AFTER EIGHT SEASONS ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26

Entire Cast to Reflect on the Series in an Interactive ‘PSYCH After Show’ Immediately Following Final Episode

Universal City, CA – February 5, 2014 – USA announced today that its original scripted comedy series PSYCH will end its successful run after eight seasons on Wednesday, March 26 at 9/8c. It will be followed at 10/9c by the “PSYCH After Show,” a one-hour live show featuring a Q&A with the entire cast and show creator, Steve Franks. The moderated discussion will take place in front of a studio audience in Los Angeles.

After eight extraordinary seasons that included the series’ 100^th episode milestone, a two-hour musical, a 10-city college tour, five standing-room-only appearances at Comic-Con and countless tributes to the 80’s, the faux psychic detective Shawn Spencer (James Roday) and his best friend, Burton ‘Gus’ Guster (Dule Hill), are finally closing the doors on their PSYCH office. The unconventional fan favorite series from Universal Cable Productions also stars Corbin Bernsen, Maggie Lawson, Timothy Omundson and Kirsten Nelson.

“PSYCH has made an indelible imprint on the television landscape, with a unique brand of comedy,” said Chris McCumber, President of USA Network. “The final season celebrates the iconic characters that have made this show so beloved, and will be an exclamation point on the series’ incredible run. And while the series will wrap in March somehow I don’t believe we’ve heard the last of Shawn and Gus.”

Added Jeff Wachtel, President and Chief Content Officer, NBCU Cable Entertainment, “PSYCH is one of those rare projects that broke into the cultural mainstream. Its wild energy, fearless fun and engaging characters delivered an unrivaled series that will continue to be loved by fans for as long as there are ways to watch TV.”

The “PSYCH After Show” is an a interactive special featuring the stars and creator of the long-running series. Produced by Wilshire Studios, the after show will celebrate PSYCH’s eight seasons with favorite clips, audience Q&A and never-before-seen footage.

In the final season, PSYCH fans, affectionately known as “PSYCH-Os” were treated to the return of Despereaux (Cary Elwes). Additional returning guest stars include Oscar winner Mira Sorvino, Tony winner Phylicia Rashad, Kristy Swanson, Anthony Michael Hall, Tom Arnold, Billy Zane, Loretta Devine, Peggy Lipton, Ralph Macchio, Ray Wise, Lindsay Sloane, Curt Smith and Bruce Campbell.

From the introduction of the series’ emblematic pineapple in the first episode through eight seasons, the show’s stars and writers have embraced the outrageous and always silly world of Shawn and Gus. PSYCH has paid tribute to Alfred Hitchcock, staged adoring homages to the films “Clue” and “The Shining” and the TV series “Twin Peaks.” It also spawned the now-popular catch-phrases “suck it,” “wait for it,” “what???” and “delicious flavor.” Over the years, Shawn gave Gus a plethora of nicknames, including “Gus Sillypants Jackson,” “Ovaltine Jenkins” and “Magic Head,” and the show introduced the hilariously entertaining “PSYCH-Outs.” Notable actors who have guested on PSYCH also include William Shatner, Molly Ringwald, James Brolin, Christine Baranski, Jason Priestley, Jane Lynch, Tony Hale, Judd Nelson and WWE’s John Cena.

PSYCH was named the “Best Cable Television Comedy” by the People’s Choice Awards in January. Other accolades have included an Emmy nomination, as well as numerous Alma and Image Awards noms. Roday has received an Imagen Foundation Award and Hill has received seven consecutive NAACP Image Award nominations for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series.

PSYCH has also been a hit on the second screen with more than three million fans active on social media. Half a million PSYCH-Os have played the online whodunit HashTag Killer, which garnered an Emmy nomination in the Interactive Media category, as well as honors at the Shorty Awards and the Social TV Summit. Leading into the premiere of season seven, fans stayed up all night in record numbers to participate in the socially charged PSYCH Slumber Party, which was the night’s #1 entertainment show on TV for social media mentions. These loyal fans continued their digital engagement by racking up more than 150,000 votes online to determine the ending for the show’s 100^th episode.

PSYCH was one of cable’s top five series Wednesday nights in 2013 among P18-49 (1.87MM) and total viewers P2+ (4.17MM) and was among the year’s top ten Wednesday night series in P25-54 (1.86MM) and P18-34 (898,000).

The New York Times recently said “PSYCH is one of television’s most consistently smart and amusing shows.” The San Francisco Chronicle claimed “’PSYCH’ is a show that celebrates delicious dialogue and, in its way, is one of the wittiest shows on TV.” The New York Post said it was “Laugh-out-loud-until-soda-squirts-out-of-your-nose funny,” and the Chicago Tribune claimed “…this lighthearted show is escapist fun at its best” and a “breathe of fresh air.” As E! Online summed it up, “Oh PSYCH, you are so fabulous!”

Fans can catch up on season seven on DVD or iTunes. Current season eight episodes, as well as “PSYCH The Musical” are available on iTunes, VOD, Hulu and usanetwork.com.

PSYCH is executive produced by Steve Franks, Kelly Kulchak and Chris Henze, and is from Universal Cable Productions in association with Tagline Pictures. Mel Damski serves as executive producer/director. Saladin K. Patterson, Andy Berman and Todd Harthan are co-executive producers/writers. Kell Cahoon is consulting producer.

Follow the official twitter feed of PSYCH at @psych_usa on Twitter.

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Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.