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Shawn Spencer is the pseudo-psychic protagonist of Psych who starts a psychic detective agency together with his best friend Burton "Gus" Guster. He is the son of Henry and Madeleine Spencer, and is married to Juliet O'Hara as of Psych: The Movie.

Shawn is portrayed by James Roday Rodriguez. Josh Hayden (the pilot episode), Kyle Tejpar (S1E2 "Spellingg Bee"), Liam James (Seasons 1-5) and Skyler Gisondo (Seasons 5 and 6) play him in flashbacks to his youth. In addition, Jake Borelli plays a teenage Shawn in the spin-off series Psych: Flashback to the Teen Years.

Biography[]

Shawn Spencer was born in 1977 to Henry and Madeleine Spencer in Santa Barbara, California. His parents separated when he was a teenager, leading him to rebel and soon become distant from his father. He comes from a family of cops, his father Henry being an officer and, later, a detective for the Santa Barbara Police Department. He is hyper-observant, a trait developed by and inherited from his father, and has an eidetic tonal memory, inherited from his mother. Due to his father's extensive police training during childhood and early teenhood, Shawn developed an adeptness and a fondness for police work, even scoring 100 on the Police Academy exam at the age of 15 (as revealed in S2E11 "There's Something About Mira"). When his father divorced his mother, Shawn, in his teens, began hating his father, and consequently lost interest in becoming part of the police force since he did not want to follow his father's footsteps. 

Shawn went from job to job after graduating high school, usually taking them just because they seemed fun, and then once he had lost all interest he would quit (if he hadn't already been fired). However, Shawn would often use his amazing powers of observation and deduction to call in tips to the police anonymously. After one of Shawn's tips lead police back to him, he claims to be psychic to avoid jail time after being wrongly accused of being an inside man. When he uses his observational skills to convince them of his special abilities, the department is slightly impressed, hiring him on as "psychic consultant". He and his best friend Gus open up their own "psychic detective agency" called 'Psych', taking on private clients on the side. They start Psychphrancisco when they move to San Francisco, again working for the local PD and any private clients.

Personality[]

Shawn's unique set of skills make him especially adept at solving crime. His eye for detail, outside-the-box thinking, and throw-caution-to-the-wind-to-follow-a-hunch attitude make him excellent at following and solving cases. He is above all else attention-seeking and often enjoys playing up the part of the "psychic" in front of an audience, although this also benefits him by having witnesses that can vouch for his psychic abilities.

Eccentric and outgoing, Shawn also seems to be able to draw people to him, leading to fast friendships, such as in "Lights, Camera... Homicidio", when he befriends one of the actors in a matter of hours, to which Juliet questions how he can make friends so fast. Shawn also talks way too much, usually showing disregard for serious matters/situations or running his mouth in the face of a criminal who would rather Shawn stay quiet. Sometimes this trait saves his life while he stalls for time, and other times jeopardize it. He also has a very high opinion of his hair.

Using his "gift," Shawn has no problem with being slightly manipulative, frequently lying to others about who he is or telling people what they want to hear based off of his observations of them. This often leads to trouble, especially when his ruse is found out. More than once he has been in trouble with the SBPD due to his lack of care for police protocol, most notably in S5E14 "The Polarizing Express".

He also displays an almost unnatural lack of fear in the face of danger, rushing into situations that most people (especially Gus) would think twice about. Paradoxically, he is irrationally fearful of relatively harmless 'phenomena' such as ghosts or dead bodies. He has been shown to be uncomfortable at funerals and this trait has been present since boyhood when he was hesitant and stalling to bury his pet lizard (as well as a prior experience with a hamster). Encounters with these generally end with Shawn and Gus comically fleeing.

Expandable list of some of Shawn's quirks

  1. As established in the pilot, he loves pineapples. This is despite his "distaste" for "pointy things."
  2. References to Psycho freak him out.
  3. When he and Gus were kids, they started a pet baptism service.
  4. He keeps a book of speeches for any occasion (including Gus's obituary).
  5. He does not like sherry. Even when it's a $30,000 bottle of Spanish sherry.
  6. Refuses to taste his own blood no matter how many times Gus insists he do it.
  7. He has an irrational fear of Patrick Dempsey from "Grey's Anatomy". He's also jealous of his hair.
  8. He always travels with a small packet of Johnson and Johnson's baby shampoo in his wallet.
  9. He once had a cat named Chairman Meow who disappeared under mysterious circumstances... and may actually have been a girl.
  10. He owns a heating and air conditioner repairman disguise.
  11. He's a strawberry crepe enthusiast.
  12. He loves bees and historical novels.
  13. He's a dilettante of shadow puppetry. (S3E8 "Gus Walks into a Bank")
  14. Makes his own saltwater taffy.
  15. He has an obsession with breakfast for lunch.
  16. He plays the Mandocello. But not well.
  17. He originally planned to get married in space.
  18. He writes a Halloween letter to Wes Craven every year.
  19. He only reads the London Financial Times and Dog Fancier.
  20. He has an irrational fear of tassels.
  21. He has romantic dreams about firemen that look like Dolph Lundgren.
  22. He doesn't like when people talk about themselves in the 3rd person. Dumped a girl after two dates because of it.
  23. He lived at the old Mee Mee's Fluff & Fold because he likes dry cleaning. He also lived at a plate factory, which is why he has home-made plates in his apartment.
  24. He and Gus both have an intense love of bunnies.
  25. His favorite ringtone is "Rumpshaker" by Wreckx-n-Effect.
  26. For a brief period in '93, he was known as DJ Coldcuts.
  27. He has two names: "Regular Shawn" and "Malibu Shawn", there is no "Boyfriend Shawn" or "Relationship Shawn".
  28. He never introduces Gus by his own name (excluding once in "A Very Juliet Episode").
  29. Whenever he makes a mistake, his usual reply is, "I've heard it both ways".
  30. He struggles with tone deafness.
  31. He has two balls... and a phantom one that he calls "Rigby".
  32. He over-enunciates when he's uncomfortable.
  33. He and Gus both find the color fruit puffs makes the milk beautiful.
  34. He always opens the box of cereal from the bottom first to get the prize.

Relationships[]

Burton "Gus" Guster[]

Shawn is always accompanied by his best friend, Burton "Gus" Guster, who plays along with the charade, and the two are typically engaged in some type of humorous witty banter. They have been best friends since childhood. Despite this, Shawn often disapproves of Gus's relationships, sometimes because he feels threatened, as was shown when Shawn got upset that Rachael (Gus' current girlfriend) and he were spending so much time together. Shawn also sometimes believes Gus's girlfriends to be a murderer. The main reason for his disapproval appears to be worry since Gus has grown increasingly forward and possibly mildly desperate to find a significant other, resulting in impulsive decisions which Shawn often comments on. Shawn has also thought that he needed to be included in things that Gus does with his girlfriends, as shown in multiple episodes, even in "Cirque du Soul" where he wanted to be included when Rachael and Gus were going to talk to each other after she came back when it was revealed that Maximus missed Gus. Shawn has been shown to be reckless in many ways, even with Gus's relationships, when he brought Rachel's son on a murder investigation. Shawn typically introduces Gus to potential clients or suspects using a wide array of creative and often humorous aliases and has even pretended to be in a homosexual relationship with him in order to annoy him, or just to see his reaction. Gus is the "straight man" in the duo and keeps Shawn from losing sight of where he is going, despite following along with many of his crazy antics. Gus is also one of the few people who know that Shawn is not actually a psychic. This enables him to better help Shawn keep up his ruse, and also ensures that he is not duped by any of Shawn's antics. They often are distracted by the same things, usually food and old movies, and stop investigations in order to eat. Gus occasionally assists Shawn in his psychic revelations.

It was shown how much Shawn cares for Gus in the episode, "Cirque du Soul" where Henry tells Gus that he was Shawn's only constant in his life when Henry used the example of how Shawn stole the car in high school on the day that his mother moved out. Gus was previously mad at Shawn, but upon realizing that Shawn really needed him, Gus came back to help Shawn in a case, thus, resuming their friendship. In The Break-Up, Shawn tells Gus that he's blamed himself for Gus's life not being where Gus wants it to be and moves to San Francisco, but Gus followed Shawn to San Francisco and thanked him for making him adventurous, and decided to move to San Francisco with Shawn and Juliet.

Henry Spencer[]

Shawn is also sometimes aided in his cases by his father Henry, an ex-cop who raised him with the incredible skills that make him so observant as an adult. Shawn's relationship with his father was strained for a long time, as Shawn believed that his parents' divorce was all his father's fault and that he basically abandoned him and his mother. However, once his mother tells him in S3E1 "Ghosts" that it was she who left Henry to pursue a job out of town, Shawn re-evaluates his relationship with his father and the two grow ever closer as the series continues.

In the season 6 finale, Shawn and Gus along with Henry investigate the body of Veronica Towne, Henry discovers that his fellow cop friends were corrupt. In the end, he decides to quit the SBPD which comes as a shock for Shawn as it is shown that he loves working with his father and finally has respect for him, Henry tells Shawn that it is not his game anymore and offers to get a beer. Shawn says they should go now, but Henry tells him he has to break news to a friend. Shawn sees the name of Jerry Carp as one of the corrupt officers and goes running to find Henry, but it is too late as Henry has been shot at point blank. In the season 7 premiere, he rushes down to the beach only to find his dad laying on the beach. Shawn calls an ambulance and goes with his father to the hospital. When Shawn finds Henry lying on the beach he refuses to leave him and tells him "I got you, I got you". At the hospital, Shawn tries admitting to his father that he loves him, but his pride gets the best of him and ends up making him say "I love you...r french toast." After his dad got shot Shawn goes rogue breaking and entering into Jerry's beach house and destroying personal property. Later Shawn gets a call from the hospital, the doctor tells him that Henry is doing fine and that he is writing. Shawn finally comes face to face with the man who shot his father. Jerry tells him to back off and quit, but Shawn tells him he'll quit when he (Jerry) is behind bars. Jerry dies and Shawn gets a call from the hospital. The doctor takes the tubes off Henry and Henry and Shawn finally share a sweet special moment with Henry telling Shawn that he was an idiot for going after Jerry like that but tells him that he is immensely proud of him.

Shawn's relationship with his father is one of his most complicated. In his youth, Shawn very much looked up to Henry and aspired to be a cop like him, but was often at ends because of his father's controlling demeanor as well as persistence in having Shawn be a cop. After the divorce, this hero view was destroyed and the dream of being a cop along with it, resulting in Shawn performing a felony solely so he wouldn't be a cop and to spite his father. His father expressed in the pilot that when he was on the force, his two least favorite kinds of people were private investigators and psychics. Despite this, the relationship begins to improve once Shawn returns to Santa Barbara, especially when Shawn learns the truth about the divorce. While both men are hesitant to talk about their feelings outside of anger, their actions show how much they care. Henry became deeply involved in the Yin-Yang cases out of concern for Shawn (and his ex-wife). When Henry was shot, Shawn undergoes a breakdown and proceeds to hunt his shooter in a reckless and sleep-deprived manner, having stayed up for at least 36 hours straight. Shawn and Henry's relationship improves in Season Seven, where they share many moments and realize how much they need each other in their lives. In "Nip and Suck It", Shawn and Henry work together in a case where they engage in a classic 'I-will-finish-this-case-before-you-can' battle.

Juliet O'Hara[]

For five seasons, Shawn and Detective Juliet O'Hara engaged in a classic will-they-or-won't-they relationship. It was clear Shawn had feelings for Juliet, but she had sent mixed signals throughout the show. Juliet finally confirmed her feelings for Shawn in the last episode of the third season. They begin dating in season five, though in the season seven episode "Deez Nups" they temporarily break up due to Juliet finding out that Shawn is not a psychic. In an effort to save their relationship Shawn attempts to tell the Chief the truth in "Santa Barbarian Candidate" but Juliet prevents him from doing so at the last minute. By "Dead Air" They are dating again though there hasn't yet been an on screen resolution of the trust issues between them. In "The Break-Up," Shawn moved to San Francisco to be with Juliet. He crashes a crime scene that she's working on, and when she, Gus, and Shawn leave, he proposes to her, and she says yes. However, the engagement ring is stolen immediately afterwards and Shawn keeps using it as an excuse not to tie the knot. In Psych: The Movie, the ring is retrieved and they finally get married after a three-year engagement.

Expandable summary of significant events in their relationship

Season One[]

In "Spellingg Bee", Shawn and Juliet meet for the first time when Juliet unknowingly steals Shawn's seat in a diner. Shawn attempts to flirt with her, but Juliet's reception is cool. Shawn eventually figures out that Juliet is a cop and that she is staking out the diner. In "Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Piece", Shawn "reads" Juliet's palm, the two have a moment of mutual understanding. They agree to help each other out on the case, thus beginning their camaraderie. In "From the Earth to Starbucks", Shawn and Juliet team up to solve a case for Lassiter. Juliet admits that Shawn does make her laugh occasionally. In "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, He Loves Me, Oops He's Dead!", Shawn and Juliet go undercover at a speed dating event, the hostess informs them that their personality questionnaires were a 100% compatibility match, "a speed dating first." To prevent any awkwardness between them, Shawn tells Juliet that he looked over her shoulder while she was filling out the questionnaire and copied her answers.

Season Two[]

In "Meat Is Murder, But Murder Is Also Murder", Shawn takes a job at a newspaper office as an astrological forecaster to investigate the death of a food critic. In a horoscope, he writes under Juliet's birthstone, Libra, "Your one true love will be wearing sneakers and an Apple Jacks t-shirt." Shawn then proceeds to wear sneakers and an Apple Jacks t-shirt, and when Juliet sees him, she appears confused and smiles slightly. When Shawn asks her why, she replies, "No reason." In "Rob-a-Bye Baby", Shawn fake-proposes to Juliet, asking her to go undercover with him as a married couple. When Juliet agrees, Shawn announces to everyone surrounding them "She said yes!"

In "Bounty Hunters!", When Juliet makes a mistake that results in a suspected murderer escaping custody, Shawn shows concern for her throughout the episode and saves the day by re-apprehending the prisoner. When Juliet thanks Shawn, he assures her that her mistake was just a mistake and "that's what friends are for." Shawn leans in to kiss Juliet, but she refuses to kiss him, saying it would be "a mistake," but keeps her face close to his until he pulls away. Shawn respects her wishes but nevertheless walks away smiling. Once alone, Juliet disassembles and reassembles her gun, a stress-relieving exercise she learned in the police academy. In "Gus' Dad May Have Killed an Old Guy", Juliet states her parents are in Santa Barbara for the holidays and Shawn says: "Should I meet them, or is it too early?" To which Gus and Juliet reply, "Too early for what?"

Season Three[]

In "Murder? ... Anyone? ... Anyone? ... Bueller?", while talking to his high school crush Abigail Lytar at their reunion, Shawn spots Juliet across the gymnasium and murmurs "Pretty much perfect." In "The Greatest Adventure in the History of Basic Cable", Shawn won't stop cracking jokes in the interrogation room, Juliet leans across the table and demands that he share what he knows. To which Shawn marvels, "My God, that was so hot." Later, after Juliet leads the SBPD to Shawn and Gus' rescue, Shawn and Juliet share a meaningful glance. In "Talk Derby to Me", Shawn prepares a romantic dinner for himself and Juliet, complete with music, candles, and flowers. She cannot stay, however, because she has to follow a lead. When that lead turns out to be a red herring, Shawn takes the blame for her mistake. After the case is closed, Shawn and Juliet go on a couples skate alone at the roller rink and brush hands several times. In "Gus Walks into a Bank", Shawn and Juliet have a minor squabble about her decision to date Cameron Luntz, the head of SWAT. Shawn is clearly jealous, but he eventually tells her its okay, and he just wants her to be happy. When Juliet's date with Luntz for that evening is canceled, she finds Shawn at the Psych office. The two take a stroll on the boardwalk with hot dogs.

In "Christmas Joy", Shawn, while discussing an old flame with Juliet, says "Don't worry: it was long before I knew you." Juliet insists that it's irrelevant, meaning that from her point of view there is no relationship between them. Shawn, however, does not seem convinced. In "Six Feet Under the Sea," Juliet befriends a woman named April who expresses an interest in Shawn and tells Juliet that she wants to let him know that she is available. Juliet appears stunned and then uncomfortable, avoiding eye contact, implying that she has feelings for Shawn. Later, Shawn asks April out, but she turns him down because she doesn't want to "get in the way." She wishes Shawn good luck, leaving him confused.

In "Lassie Did a Bad, Bad Thing", Officer Drimmer asks Shawn if he and Juliet are an item. He then proceeds to tell Shawn that Juliet talks about him a lot, calling him "witty and urbane." In "Any Given Friday Night at 10pm, 9pm Central", Juliet is checking out one of the football players as he runs out onto the field. When he turns around, Juliet is embarrassed to discover that it is Shawn. Later, Juliet smiles widely as she watches Shawn leading a football team out onto the field, but quickly hides it when Gus notices. In "Tuesday the 17th", after Juliet saves Shawn's life by shooting his assailant in the hand, Shawn tells her, "That level of marksmanship is easily one of the sexiest things that I've ever-" Juliet cuts him off, but smiles softly nonetheless. In "An Evening with Mr. Yang", Juliet finally asks out Shawn on a date, and owns up to the fact that she has been sending mixed signals. Unfortunately, Shawn tells her the timing is awful, as he's on a date with his old high school flame, Abigail. When Shawn explains the situation, Juliet is disappointed, but understands. She kisses him on the cheek and leaves. Shawn is obviously affected by the kiss, but rejoins Abigail.

Season Four[]

In "Extradition: British Columbia", Shawn doesn't know how to act around Juliet, now that he's dating Abigail. He tells Juliet, "I refuse to feel uncomfortable around you. It's silly. You mean too much to me, and I am perfectly capable of keeping this [their friendship] platonic, as long as you are." Juliet replies, "I am too! Great!" As she walks away, Shawn wonder aloud, "But how?!" They take what feels like a romantic stroll, as pointed out by Juliet, on a suspension bridge overlooking a river. In "High Noon-ish", Shawn tips his cowboy hat at Juliet and winks at her. Juliet smiles but quickly looks down as if embarrassed.

In "Bollywood Homicide", when Shawn brings Abigail into the office, Juliet is clearly uncomfortable. Later, when Shawn asks if Juliet believes in love curses, she says whenever someone is looking for their soul-mate, it can feel like outsides forces are conspiring against them. Shawn moves closer to Juliet, and she leans back, thinking that Shawn is going to kiss her. She asks softly, "Shawn, what are you doing?" Shawn does not answer the question, revealing that he had actually been moving towards a clue that he had been looking at while they were moving toward each other. When Rajesh Singh and Juliet go on their pretend date, Shawn, watching from a car, is clearly jealous when Raj starts to hold Juliet's hand, as noted by Gus and Lassiter. Later, Shawn rescues Juliet from an unstable suspect threatening her with a knife. Abigail tells Shawn that she was very impressed that he would risk his life for a random co-worker. Shawn glances over at Juliet and says, "She's not random." So Abigail wouldn't get the wrong impression, Shawn quickly corrects himself, saying he would do that for anyone.

In "High Top Fade-Out," when Juliet backs Lassiter in banning Shawn from a case, Shawn accuses her of trying to get back at him for dating Abigail. Juliet appears extremely irritated as she denies it and proceeds to storm off. In "Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark", while Juliet and Gus are investigating Shawn's appartment, Juliet sees some of Abigail's things and questions Gus on if Abigail had moved in and how Shawn's relationship with her was going, all the while looking sad and uncomfortable. Later, Shawn tells a kidnapper that he has a girlfriend named Abigail and that he wants to call her to say goodbye before they kill him. Shawn then calls Juliet and proceeds to give her clues about his whereabouts. The kidnapper tells Shawn to tell "Abigail" that he loves her. Shawn does. Juliet, believing the profession of love to be real, responds by saying, "Shawn, I think I..." Shawn interrupts her by saying, "Goodbye, Abigail." He hangs up. Juliet is clearly confused. After the ordeal, Shawn discusses with Gus the possibility that Juliet was going to say "I love you" back. Although Gus states the strong possibility that she was just doing what she had to do, Shawn does not seem totally convinced.

In "You Can't Handle This Episode", Juliet's brother, Ewan O'Hara, reveals that Juliet has said a lot of good things about Shawn. Later, Ewan says explicitly that Juliet "likes Shawn a lot", and he puts his stamp of approval on Shawn as well. Meanwhile, Abigail leaves for Uganda. In "A Very Juliet Episode", when Juliet tries to investigate the apparent disappearance of her college boyfriend, she asks Gus for help and requests that he not tell Shawn about it, saying that it's a "tricky situation" and telling Shawn would be like "opening a wound." Juliet then receives news that her college boyfriend Scott might be dead. After receiving the awful news, she and Shawn take a long walk together through the park, during which Shawn gives Juliet a friendly hug. Shawn then searches high and low for Scott, who turns out to be in witness protection. Once the couple is reunited, Shawn is clearly jealous. Shawn bargains with the criminal Scott put in jail to not have Scott harmed if Shawn will prove the criminal's innocence. Shawn holds up his end of the bargain and even though Scott was no longer in danger, he and Juliet parted ways, agreeing to meet again in a year.

In "Death Is in the Air", Juliet gets exposed to the Thornburg virus and Shawn rushes to find the antidote. Upon returning Shawn explains to Gus that the threat of Juliet's mortality made him realize he doesn't have as much time as he thought: he has to tell her how he feels. Gus informs them both that Juliet has not contracted the virus after all, but Shawn tries to go through with his admission anyway. He ultimately stumbles and fails to tell Juliet how he feels, which is immediately followed by Lassiter's entry into the room, effectively killing the moment. When he looks back at her, she looks at him like she knew what he was trying to say. In "Mr. Yin Presents...", the serial killer named Mr. Yin kidnaps both Juliet and Abigail, who just returned from Uganda. Yin forces Shawn to choose one of them to save but only has Juliet read him the clue to save her life. Juliet tries to tell Shawn he can save Abigail but Yin cuts her off. Shawn gets the clue to save Abigail from Yang's book and sends Gus with Lassie to save Juliet saying the only way he would be able to not be there for Jules is if he knows that Gus is. Lassiter and Gus arrive and they are able to save Juliet in time while Shawn is able to save Abigail. At the end, Juliet breaks down sobbing as Lassiter hugs her. Abigail tells Shawn she can't handle the danger and breaks up with him.

Season Five[]

In "Romeo and Juliet and Juliet", Juliet was temporarily reassigned to City Hall sometime shortly after her ordeal with Mr. Yin to deal with the stress from it. Shawn seeks her help on a case his father has barred him from involving a kidnapping within 2 rival Chinese gangs because he is concerned for her. Juliet gives him information but does not return to the SBPD. Shawn calls her for back up before confronting kidnapper Teno Tan. He is easily outmatched but Teno surrenders when Juliet arrives before Shawn is killed. They thank each other and agree to hug but Lassiter interrupts. Shawn calls for a rain check. In "Feet Don't Kill Me Now", Henry allows Shawn and Juliet to team up after Lassiter chooses Gus to help on the case. Their partnership doesn't hold up as Shawn realizes he works best with Gus as does Juliet with Lassiter. Shawn and Juliet attend a tap recital together to support their respective partners.

In "Shawn and Gus in Drag (Racing)," after the police recover a stolen Lamborghini, Shawn asks Juliet to take it for a spin with him, but she declines. In "Ferry Tale," Juliet defends Shawn when Lassiter calls him a jackass and claims that it's Shawn's fault that a team of convicts have Shawn, Gus, and a group of innocents hostage. In "Shawn 2.0", Shawn plans to invite Juliet to a friend's wedding but "criminal pro-filer" Declan Rand beats him to the punch. Juliet offers to reschedule but Shawn plays it off not wanting her to be forced. Shawn becomes increasingly jealous of Declan whom Gus dubs "Shawn 2.0" because of their similarities. Like Shawn, Declan is a fraud who acquired his profiling expertise from his father. Both threaten to expose each other if either one of them doesn't come clean himself. Like he has the entire episode, Declan beats Shawn making his confession to Juliet first. She forgives Declan and they go for coffee leaving Shawn unable to say anything.

In "One, Maybe Two, Ways Out", Juliet looks uncomfortable when an attractive spy flirts with Shawn. Later, Shawn tells Gus that he wants Juliet to be happy, even if that means being happy with Declan. Shawn goes on to admit that he wants to be happy too, but can't imagine being happy without Juliet. Shawn and Gus are both unaware that Juliet heard their entire conversation. It is clear Shawn's words have obviously affected her. The next day, Shawn wishes Juliet an amazing trip with Declan and tells her to take plenty of mental pictures during her trip, but Juliet interrupts his speech when she walks up to him and kisses him passionately and Shawn responds by kissing her back. When they pull away, both are speechless and Shawn is clearly shocked. Declan reappears in the room with Gus behind with him. Declan is oblivious to the sudden different changes in Shawn and Juliet whereas Gus seems to have caught on to the sudden tension between Shawn and Juliet; looking back and forth between the two with a skeptical look on his face. Shawn then wishes them a happy trip and leaves quickly, but stops mid-way through the door and looks at Juliet. Juliet looks back at Shawn and he leaves closing the door leaving Juliet alone.

In "Extradition II: The Actual Extradition Part", Shawn decides to tell Juliet how he feels about her before she leaves for Italy with Declan. But when Shawn searches for Juliet at the police station, Buzz reveals that she has already left. When Shawn and Gus arrive in Canada, they run into Lassiter and Juliet, who are waiting to extradite Pierre Despereaux to the United States. Shawn and Juliet agree to talk later, but when Juliet comes to Shawn's hotel room, he is forced to send her away because Despereaux, having just escaped from prison is hiding in his room. Juliet tells Shawn that she has broken up with Declan and leaves upset. After the case is closed, Shawn finds Juliet at a scenic overlook. Juliet is still upset with him, but he tells her how he feels anyway which in the end results with them kissing passionately officially getting together and starting a relationship.

In "In Plain Fright", Shawn pulls Juliet through the police station down to the interrogation room. Juliet says "I'm not exactly comfortable with this" and Shawn cuts her off by saying "Jules, couples are supposed to have their hands all over each other at this stage!" She responds by stating it was only a matter of time before Lassiter found out, and they need a plan in case they get caught. Shawn says "I have a plan it’s called never tell anyone" he then tries to kiss her but she stops him. They never actually end up making a plan. In "Yang 3 in 2D", Juliet sits alone in the interrogation room, unsure of how to write her statement, saying that it was too difficult to write anything without remembering her own traumatizing experience. Shawn enters the room and invites Juliet to accompany Gus and him for pancakes. Seeing her distress, Shawn sits down next to her and comforts her. He tells her he is there for her and says, "I would always protect you" and kisses her hand. Juliet responds "And I would protect you right back" and they kiss on the lips. Lassiter, standing on the opposite side of the two-way mirror, sees this and is visibly stunned before leaving the room now knowing about Shawn and Juliet's secret unprofessional relationship.

Season Six[]

In "Shawn Rescues Darth Vader", while being interrogated by Lassiter to a polygraph, Shawn unintentionally lets it slip that he loves Juliet stunning everyone in the room including Lassiter and Juliet herself. She and Gus and along with Karen and Shawn's father, all being present, lean over to check the machine for any signs of untruthfulness; it then shows he is telling the truth causing Juliet to look down smiling to herself. In "Last Night Gus", thanks to some drugged drinks, Shawn forgets his conversation with Juliet when she tells him they need to talk about it. She reveals that he had asked her to move in and is surprised he doesn't remember. They agree that it's probably too soon. In "The Amazing Psych-Man & Tap-Man, Issue 2", Shawn quickly becomes jealous as Juliet shows admiration for The Mantis, a vigilante who is competing with the SBPD to catch the Camino Drug Syndicate. When they are on a date, Shawn realizes that Juliet got a text from the SBPD that requires her to leave. Though reluctant, she departs.

In "Shawn, Interrupted", Juliet shows concern for Shawn when he goes undercover at a mental institution, admitting that her deepest fear was that Shawn wouldn't be able to come out. In "In for a Penny...", Shawn invites Juliet's estranged con artist dad, Frank to her birthday party then hires him to assist on a case. Juliet is furious with Shawn and has no intention of reconciling with her father. She changes her mind when Frank tells her he attended all her recitals and talent shows. At her birthday party, Juliet has made peace with her dad and forgiven Shawn since his heart was in the right place. In "Neil Simon's Lover's Retreat", Shawn and Juliet go away on a romantic vacation but they are robbed by their new "friends." While tracking down the thieves, they come across a murder effectively spoiling their plans. Shawn apologizes since Juliet had "definite expectations" for their vacation. Juliet explains that she had not been expecting a proposal since it is too soon and Shawn agrees seemingly relieved. The clerk returns Shawn's stolen Nintendo DS to Gus saying how he's never seen someone so angry over a toy they had when they were little. Gus takes the DS and as he walks away, hears a rattle from inside. He opens the battery case and finds an engagement ring hidden inside (explaining why Shawn was so furious when he was told the DS was stolen) and looks up at Shawn and Juliet from across the room clearly stunned.

In "Heeeeere's Lassie", Shawn and Juliet are trying to make money to repay Gus for the weekend retreat they had taken the week before. Gus suggests that Shawn sells the engagement ring that he didn't give to Juliet. Shawn says no because it is his "grammagamma's" ring. Gus asks where it is and Shawn says it is in a Thunder Cat. Jules is about to sell the Thunder Cat when Shawn tells Gus this and he has to buy it back from Therman for $57. At the end of the episode, Juliet's dad walks into the Psych office and Shawn tries to get his blessing for the future in case he ever wants to propose to Juliet again. He never really gets it and Juliet's dad leaves with Shawn standing in the Psych office, confused. In "Santabarbaratown", Shawn is worried about Juliet and insists on staying at her place until she is safe. When he is on the way over to Juliet's place, he gets punched in the face. At the time, he thinks it was Jordan so he finds him and punches him in the face as payback and says "that's for threatening my girlfriend!" At the end of the episode Juliet and Shawn kiss twice and Shawn agrees to stay at her place for 3 days but says he'll need a drawer. Juliet replies "Then you'll never want to leave" kisses him again and walks away.

Season Seven[]

In "Juliet Takes a Luvvah", Shawn tells Juliet that he is going to move in with his dad, much to her dismay. When Gus shows Shawn a picture of "Helene," who is actually Juliet, Shawn believes that she is upset about his decision and confronts her in a restaurant with a date, where he realizes that she was only doing that as an undercover assignment. At the end of the episode, they make plans to move in together after Shawn reveals that he walked in on an intimate moment between his parents and can no longer continue living with his dad. However, when Juliet finally finds out during "Deez Nups" that Shawn has been lying to her all along about being a psychic, she is devastated and throws her drink in his face before stomping off. She breaks up with him and asks him to move out in the next episode, "Right Turn or Left for Dead", leaving Shawn wondering if he'll ever be with her again. In "Nip and Suck It" Shawn confirms to Gus that he and Jules are officially back together.

Season Eight[]

In "1967: A Psych Odyssey," Juliet discloses that she has an offer to be the Head Detective of the San Francisco Police Department, and looks for the input of her friends and colleagues, particularly Shawn. At first, simply for his sake, she appears to have decided not to go. In "The Break-Up," Shawn moves to San Francisco to be with Juliet. He then proposes to her, in which she accepts, but the ring is stolen out of Shawn's hands at the last minute, resulting in them chasing after the criminal together.

Psych: The Movie[]

They finally get married three years later by El Proveedor, who is ordained and had hunted down the engagement ring as a favor to Shawn.

Carlton Lassiter[]

Shawn often conveys his brilliant observations in the form of obscure movie references, typically from the eighties. His seemingly random and disparate comments often lead people, most notably Detective Carlton Lassiter, to dismiss him as immature and scatterbrained. Shawn has enjoyed making Lassiter mad, by constantly calling him "Lassie," as well as other nicknames. Shawn has also often one-upped Lassiter at crime scenes, and given Lassiter leads. Despite all of this, Shawn has shown that he actually does care for Lassiter as a friend, by helping him recover from his depression over his divorce, and the like. However, it is often Shawn's unconventional way of investigating a case, and his unique perspective on evidence, that allows him to see things that other people miss.

Woodrow Strode[]

Woodrow Strode, the resident coroner for the Santa Barbara Police Department since the episode "High Top Fade-Out", has a very interesting relationship with Shawn. When the two first meet, they hit it off very well and become good friends. Woody will often divulge information regarding the current case to Shawn and Gus, even though he really shouldn't. Occasionally, when he attempts to resist, they will bribe him with gifts or compliments, causing him to cave and give them information.

Abigail Lytar[]

Shawn had a short-lived relationship with high school sweetheart Abigail Lytar. With her, he has shown his more sensitive and serious side, stating that he liked her too much, and was so nervous about their first date (after he repeatedly asked her out and she said no) that he could not even bring himself to show himself to her, and let her go home alone. They kissed in S3E2 "Murder? ... Anyone? ... Anyone? ... Bueller?", where he states (after looking over at Juliet) that the kiss represented the closure to the feelings that they had for each other in high school.

They start dating in the last episode of the third season and continue dating until the tenth episode of Season Four, in which she informs Shawn that she is traveling to Uganda for six months and that she wants to put their relationship on hold until she came back. Shawn agrees to this, and they continue a long distance relationship until the season four finale, where Abigail visits, gets kidnapped and almost killed by the psychopathic killer Mr. Yin, and ultimately decides that she cannot handle the stress of Shawn's lifestyle.

Trivia[]

  • Henry and Gus are the only ones who have always known that Shawn is not psychic. Later on Declan Rand finds out through his own means as well, and it is implied Peter Westley and Pierre Despereaux also know his secret. Juliet eventually finds out in S7E7 "Deez Nups". In the series finale Shawn confesses the truth to Lassiter during his goodbye video, but before the actual words are said Lassiter stops the video and snaps the disc because otherwise he'd feel compelled to report Shawn.
  • It is mentioned in the pilot that Shawn has had exactly 57 jobs since graduating high school. Three mentioned that episode are his time at an acupuncture clinic ("I didn't realize experience was necessary"), his summer driving the Wienermobile ("I did that for the hot dogs"), and his job at a candy store. In the Pilot: Part 2, Shawn also mentions that he was a raft guide in Costa Rica and raked the infield with Nolan Ryan while in a shooting range with Lucinda Barry. Others mentioned throughout the series are an entire season with an interpretive dance group in Buffalo (S2E11 "There's Something About Mira"), his time at a Native American casino, where he supposedly got "Indian blood" (S2E12 "The Old and the Restless"), his year at a winery in Argentina, where he learned to distinguish the Argentine accent (S3E4 "The Greatest Adventure in the History of Basic Cable"), his summer at a Hasidic deli, where he learned to read Hebrew (S3E9 "Christmas Joy"), a couple afternoons at a Meineke (S4E5 "Shawn Gets the Yips"), his brief stint as a lobbyist for M&M's, trying to get them to bring back the light brown ones (S4E10 "You Can't Handle This Episode"), and his time at Arby's (S5E15 "Dead Bear Walking").
  • On the International DVD edition of the pilot, Shawn has a long scene (presumably deleted from the original airing) with Lucinda Barry, in which he demonstrates a preternatural level of marksmanship, perfectly matching, in precision terms, all her hits on the target at the range. He continues to demonstrate this same accuracy whenever he fires a gun; though, he rarely fires or uses guns.
  • It is revealed in a flashback in S3E1 "Ghosts" that he was once arrested by his father at the age of 18 for stealing his girlfriend's neighbor's car. Shawn claims in the pilot that his father did it to spite him and teach him a lesson, leaving him with a criminal record.
  • He is a Tears for Fears fan, even claiming he used to wear three earrings because of them (S5E4 "Chivalry Is Not Dead... But Someone Is"), and proclaiming his love of Curt Smith to Curt Smith himself (S5E8 "Shawn 2.0"). It is also revealed in a flashback in S2E1 "American Duos" that he and Gus participated in a talent contest to perform "Shout", with Shawn dressed as Roland Orzabal.
  • His oft-cited heroes include Billy Zane and Val Kilmer, both of whom would go on to appear in the series finale, Zane as Ian Collins and Kilmer as Dobson.
  • In S2E10 "Gus' Dad May Have Killed an Old Guy", Shawn gives Henry a snow globe. This is appropriate as Henry's actor Corbin Bernsen has stated that he owns at least 7,000 snow globes.
  • Shawn can lie on a polygraph test without his deception being registered because Henry taught him how when he was young. (S6E1 "Shawn Rescues Darth Vader")
  • He has had his appendix removed. (S6E13 "Let's Doo-Wop It Again")
  • Before moving to San Francisco, Shawn lived at 1365 Catalina Avenue. (S7E13 "Nip and Suck It")

Nicknames[]

Expandable list of Shawn's nicknames

Usually Shawn saddles Gus with nicknames but, on occasion, Shawn receives nicknames from others or makes them up for himself.

Season One[]

Season Two[]

Season Three[]

Season Four[]

Season Five[]

Season Six[]

Season Seven[]

Season Eight[]

Psych: The Movie[]

  • White Privilege

Psych 3: This Is Gus[]

  • Potential Spam

Quotes[]

"I've heard it both ways."
— Shawn (repeated line)
"C'mon son!"
— Shawn (repeated line)
"I can't do this with you right now."
— Shawn (repeated line, usually directed at Gus)
"I have a bootleg copy of "Saving Private Ryan" at home."
— Shawn (from A Very Juliet Episode)
"Gus? May I have a word with you in the stop-saying-crazy-things-to-Ruby room, please?"
— Shawn (from Thrill Seekers and Hell Raisers)
"All right, I'm sorry, no offense, but it's stupid that you people eat food this hot."
— Shawn (from Bollywood Homicide)
"I have a question! Are those delicious-looking sandwiches for everybody?"
— Shawn (from Lights, Camera... Homicidio)
"Dude, this kid has Mattel Electronics Football 2. The one where you can throw passes. {to the game} Suck it, hyphen."
— Shawn (from Shawn Rescues Darth Vader)
"Pill time everybody! You can't catch me, Macalroy! I'm gonna keep doing this riding around in circles until I get hungry - then I'm going to eat that fountain! I'm like the ice-cream man but with more barbiturates! "
— Shawn (from Shawn, Interrupted)
"Spoiler alert - I'm making you a wallet!"
— Shawn (from Shawn, Interrupted)
"Juju-mugambo"
— Shawn (From Shawn vs. the Red Phantom and Death Is in the Air)

Gallery[]

301
The gallery page for Shawn Spencer can be found here.

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