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Born in 1978, Shawn hails from a family of [[police officer]]s. His parents separated in 1992, and later divorced, although the reason for this has not yet been explained. His father, [[Henry Spencer]], fully expected him to carry the torch, and schooled Shawn in detective work from as early as age 9, aiding the development of his extraordinary powers of observation and deduction. This is drawn loosely from the childhood of series creator [[Steve Franks]], who was also born into a family of police officers and whose father "was training [Franks] in his own way to follow his footsteps." Franks' father would ask him how many people were wearing hats in a restaurant, a tactic employed in the show's pilot episode by Shawn's father.<ref>Goldman, Eric ([[June 30]], [[2006]]). [http://au.tv.ign.com/articles/716/716250p1.html Reading Minds with the Stars of PSYCH]. ''IGN''. Retrieved on [[2007]]-[[December 23|12-23]].</ref>
Born in 1978, Shawn hails from a family of [[police officer]]s. His parents separated in 1992, and later divorced, although the reason for this has not yet been explained. His father, [[Henry Spencer]], fully expected him to carry the torch, and schooled Shawn in detective work from as early as age 9, aiding the development of his extraordinary powers of observation and deduction. This is drawn loosely from the childhood of series creator [[Steve Franks]], who was also born into a family of police officers and whose father "was training [Franks] in his own way to follow his footsteps." Franks' father would ask him how many people were wearing hats in a restaurant, a tactic employed in the show's pilot episode by Shawn's father.<ref>Goldman, Eric ([[June 30]], [[2006]]). [http://au.tv.ign.com/articles/716/716250p1.html Reading Minds with the Stars of PSYCH]. ''IGN''. Retrieved on [[2007]]-[[December 23|12-23]].</ref>


Despite his obvious talent, Shawn has no interest in entering the police force, and after graduating from Leland Bosseigh High School in Santa Barbara, California, in 1994, takes up a string of random jobs selected strictly for his own enjoyment. In his spare time, he entertains himself by calling in tips to the police hotline based on observations he has made on crime scenes shown in television news footage. an interesting note is that aii of the mlb ballparks he worked the concession stand at hosted the all-star game the same year that he worked there. After one such tip, the Santa Barbara police become suspicious of Shawn, whose information is so good that they believe it could only have come from an inside source. Desperate to avoid jail time, Shawn lies, explaining that he obtained the information in a psychic vision. Although skeptical, the department is impressed, and hires Shawn as a consultant. Enlisting the assistance of his reluctant best friend, [[Burton Guster]], Shawn opens his own psychic detective agency, "Psych".
Despite his obvious talent, Shawn has no interest in entering the police force, and after graduating from Leland Bosseigh High School in Santa Barbara, California, in 1994, takes up a string of random jobs selected strictly for his own enjoyment. In his spare time, he entertains himself by calling in tips to the police hotline based on observations he has made on crime scenes shown in television news footage. After one such tip, the Santa Barbara police become suspicious of Shawn, whose information is so good that they believe it could only have come from an inside source. Desperate to avoid jail time, Shawn lies, explaining that he obtained the information in a psychic vision. Although skeptical, the department is impressed, and hires Shawn as a consultant. Enlisting the assistance of his reluctant best friend, [[Burton Guster]], Shawn opens his own psychic detective agency, "Psych".


Although he and Gus often have disagreements, they have been friends since early childhood and actor James Roday describes the pair's bond as "unbreakable. It's one of those friendships that make people who don't have one ask, 'Why does Gus put up with Shawn?' It's not about putting up with one another. It's about knowing each other so well that things that might annoy someone from the outside don't annoy you anymore."<ref name="Faker" /> Shawn knows exactly how to manipulate Gus, and often frustrates his friend with his antics, but has come to rely on him more in their case work as the series has progressed. Roday believes that Shawn has "evolved a lot" as a partner, moving away from "dragging Gus around by the collar against his will from case to case to case" towards a more equal partnership.<ref>Roday, James. [http://video.usanetwork.com/player/?id=131043 Video Interview: Shawn's Evolution]. ''USA Network''. Retrieved on [[2007]]-[[December 23|12-23]].</ref> He states that under Gus's influence, Shawn has "wisened up a little bit" and is learning to display a little more discretion at times.<ref>Roday, James. [http://video.usanetwork.com/player/?id=131041 Video Interview: Grown Up?]. ''USA Network''. Retrieved on [[2007]]-[[December 23|12-23]].</ref>
Although he and Gus often have disagreements, they have been friends since early childhood and actor James Roday describes the pair's bond as "unbreakable. It's one of those friendships that make people who don't have one ask, 'Why does Gus put up with Shawn?' It's not about putting up with one another. It's about knowing each other so well that things that might annoy someone from the outside don't annoy you anymore."<ref name="Faker" /> Shawn knows exactly how to manipulate Gus, and often frustrates his friend with his antics, but has come to rely on him more in their case work as the series has progressed. Roday believes that Shawn has "evolved a lot" as a partner, moving away from "dragging Gus around by the collar against his will from case to case to case" towards a more equal partnership.<ref>Roday, James. [http://video.usanetwork.com/player/?id=131043 Video Interview: Shawn's Evolution]. ''USA Network''. Retrieved on [[2007]]-[[December 23|12-23]].</ref> He states that under Gus's influence, Shawn has "wisened up a little bit" and is learning to display a little more discretion at times.<ref>Roday, James. [http://video.usanetwork.com/player/?id=131041 Video Interview: Grown Up?]. ''USA Network''. Retrieved on [[2007]]-[[December 23|12-23]].</ref>

Revision as of 20:22, 20 January 2008

Shawn Spencer
'Psych' character
James Roday as Shawn Spencer
First appearancePilot
Created bySteve Franks and Andy Berman
Portrayed byJames Roday
Josh Hayden (Young Shawn)
Liam James (Young Shawn)
In-universe information
GenderMale
OccupationPsychic Detective
FamilyHenry Spencer (father)

Shawn Spencer is a fictional character on the American television dramedy Psych played by American actor James Roday. He poses as a psychic and works as a private detective who often consults with the police.

Creation and development

Actor James Roday says that he thinks the character of Shawn Spencer may have been written with Matthew Perry in mind in terms of a prototype. Roday himself had sworn off television at the time the pilot was being cast, and was planning to go back to New York to do some theater productions, but was convinced by his agents to read the script. He was the first person cast for the series, and was subsequently involved in the casting process of every other character.[1] In preparing for the role, Roday visited a number of psychics and asked them to describe what their visions entailed, "so that when someone asks if I was pulling all this out of my ass, I could say that I met with a few psychics and they say that sometimes their temperature rises and they convulse."[2]

Fictional biography

Born in 1978, Shawn hails from a family of police officers. His parents separated in 1992, and later divorced, although the reason for this has not yet been explained. His father, Henry Spencer, fully expected him to carry the torch, and schooled Shawn in detective work from as early as age 9, aiding the development of his extraordinary powers of observation and deduction. This is drawn loosely from the childhood of series creator Steve Franks, who was also born into a family of police officers and whose father "was training [Franks] in his own way to follow his footsteps." Franks' father would ask him how many people were wearing hats in a restaurant, a tactic employed in the show's pilot episode by Shawn's father.[3]

Despite his obvious talent, Shawn has no interest in entering the police force, and after graduating from Leland Bosseigh High School in Santa Barbara, California, in 1994, takes up a string of random jobs selected strictly for his own enjoyment. In his spare time, he entertains himself by calling in tips to the police hotline based on observations he has made on crime scenes shown in television news footage. After one such tip, the Santa Barbara police become suspicious of Shawn, whose information is so good that they believe it could only have come from an inside source. Desperate to avoid jail time, Shawn lies, explaining that he obtained the information in a psychic vision. Although skeptical, the department is impressed, and hires Shawn as a consultant. Enlisting the assistance of his reluctant best friend, Burton Guster, Shawn opens his own psychic detective agency, "Psych".

Although he and Gus often have disagreements, they have been friends since early childhood and actor James Roday describes the pair's bond as "unbreakable. It's one of those friendships that make people who don't have one ask, 'Why does Gus put up with Shawn?' It's not about putting up with one another. It's about knowing each other so well that things that might annoy someone from the outside don't annoy you anymore."[2] Shawn knows exactly how to manipulate Gus, and often frustrates his friend with his antics, but has come to rely on him more in their case work as the series has progressed. Roday believes that Shawn has "evolved a lot" as a partner, moving away from "dragging Gus around by the collar against his will from case to case to case" towards a more equal partnership.[4] He states that under Gus's influence, Shawn has "wisened up a little bit" and is learning to display a little more discretion at times.[5]

Shawn's seemingly random stream of consciousness often betrays the far-reaching logical connections that his observational skills allow him to make. He explains the multiple-personality-afflicted Robert Dunn's condition to Gus by referencing the Flying Nun, which starred Sally Field, who played the similarly-affected title character in Sybil. He also hybridizes movie quotes voiced by James Earl Jones in two separate films (The Lion King and the Empire Strikes Back) when addressing a cougar: "Simba, I am your father." At the age of 15, he achieved a perfect score of 100 on the detective's exam.[6] A running joke on the show centers around Shawn's love of pineapples, which he will often bring as gifts to people he is meeting for the first time.

Work history

File:Psych1x01.jpg
Shawn pretends to have a psychic vision.

Shawn has held many and varied jobs in his uneven career, including working concessions at six consecutive Major League Baseball All-Star Games:[7]

References

  1. ^ Norton, Al (August 23, 2007). 411 Movies Interview: James Roday of PSYCH. 411mania.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
  2. ^ a b Donnelly, G.J. (February 9, 2007). Meet the Faker: James Roday Takes Our Psych Exam. TV Guide. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
  3. ^ Goldman, Eric (June 30, 2006). Reading Minds with the Stars of PSYCH. IGN. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
  4. ^ Roday, James. Video Interview: Shawn's Evolution. USA Network. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
  5. ^ Roday, James. Video Interview: Grown Up?. USA Network. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
  6. ^ Psych, Episode 2.11: "There's Something About Mira." Original airdate: January 11, 2008.
  7. ^ Shawn's Resume. USA Network. Retrieved on 2007-12-25.
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