SDCC 2012 – Psych Panel Recap & Gallery

Psych is one of the most consistently funny shows on Television, and one of the biggest draws of San Diego Comic Con each year, filling up Ballroom 20 every single time. It’s one of the few shows on air that can remain episodic, but not sacrifice quality because of it. The acting and writing are phenomenal, and it’s a wonder it’s still fairly unknown in the majority of the population as it’s the type of show that can appeal to such a broad spectrum. Though it does help if you know your 80s trivia.

Timothy Odmundson Moderates

This years panel was again moderated by one of the stars of the show, Timothy Omundson (Carlton Lassiter), and included some of the creative minds behind the show: Steve Franks (Creator and Executive Producer), Kelly Kulchak (Executive Producer), Chris Henze (Executive Producer), and stars James Roday (Shawn Spencer), DulÃ© Hill (Burton “Gus” Guster), Maggie Lawson (Juliet O’Hara), Kirsten Nelson (Chief Karen Vick), and Corbin Bernsen (Henry Spencer).

Winding up the panel Omundson continues the tradition of giving Roday a hard time for being the only member of the cast not on Twitter. At this point I’m assuming he refuses out of spite, because they won’t leave him alone about it.
Taking the first of several questions contributed by the cast and crew, Roday explains that the term “Shafts of Light” is a reference to the episode Roday directed for which one of the locations was what he described as a magical forest, with shafts of light coming down through the trees. Something you might see in a Twilight film, perhaps. Only the day they went to shoot there was torential rain, and no magical shafts of light. Omundson follows up with asking if this was Roday’s way of welcoming the cast and crew back to the show (after hiatus) with a great big “Suck It”. James reply, “That’s it exactly.”
Next up, Lawson is put on the spot as Omundson asks what her favorite part of working with him is. After being the sweetheart we know she really is and lamenting that she had to pick just one, she answered honestly that since the very beginning of the shows run the she can ask him “What are you gonna do, Tim?” And he’ll reply with “I’m gonna act the shit out of this, Maggie.”
Next Nelson was asked if she had to pick one of the actors on the show to make out with, who it would be. After Omundson swears he didn’t write the question, Nelson answers that she’d choose Lawson. At which point she was reminded of the instruction on the back of the name card in front of her that states that there may be children present.
Another crew or cast member wonders why it is that whenever Lawson and Roday see any kind of dog their voices go up 2 octaves. Hill’s impression of them cooing at a dog is hysterical.
They all agree that working on this show is the most fun they have or will ever have. Franks says it’s even better than when he worked at Disneyland. I’ve worked at Disneyland, so I can state categorically that that’s really saying something. 12 years later it’s still one of the best jobs I ever had.
Bernsen says the worst shot on the show was getting shot, because he didn’t know if he had a job after that. Luckily, it looks like Henry ends up recovering, because no one wants to see Bernsen go.
Lawson’s worst audition was when she was 19 and went in for the role of a 30 year old single mother. She dressed in a suit and put on a deeper voice, and really did run home to Kentucky for a little while after that disaster.
Roday and Hill do an impromptu song that I think was called “Boom from the bottom” and was quite catchy, though absolutely ridiculous. It’s about the woman who does the boom mic on the show, and who occassionally has to get some boom mic, from the bottom.
When asked if there’d be an 8th Season of the show, Co-President of USA Network, Jeff Wachtel asked the audience if there should be one. Effectively giving a non-answer. You really don’t get to the Executive level of a network without being a pro at the non-answer.
Hill believes the words mature and Shawn do not belong in the same sentence. I’d have to agree with him. Shawn is ridiculous, who wants to see him grow up suddenly?!
Roday apparently picks a necklace to wear every year for no other reason than because they offer it to him in wardrobe. This year is a spiritual symbol.
Lamentably there won’t be a Star Wars episode any time soon because they just can’t afford the licensing.
There is a partial script for a musical episode, which will be filmed in October and run for 2 hours. If it ends up not being crap, they think it should go to Broadway. I’d buy that ticket.
Hill once had a fan beg him for his sweaty towel after he was finished with a Broadway show. When he handed it over to her she ran screaming down the street.
Eric Stoltz best movie, according to Roday, is Some Kind of Wonderful.
Nelson thinks the Chief’s DVR would be full of The Big Bang Theory, The Closer, and some old school MTV Videos. They’d have to be pretty old considering MTV stopped playing Videos in the early 90s.
Hill thinks he and Roday combined are the best singers, but Roday thinks it’s actually Lawson.
If not a lawman, Berson thinks Henry might have been a good Assassin, and his weapon of choice would be a pie. Pineapple Cream maybe?
The best part of working with Tim Curry is apparently working with Tim Curry. He’s Tim Curry. That really is all the answer you need.
Yang is still alive, so it’s always possible she’ll be making another appearance on the show.
Hill asks for the pleasure of answering the “Have you ever geeked out over someone on the show,” and said he freaked out when Lionel Ritchie sang for him. Kulchak and Lawson both geeked out over William Shatner. Nelson said for her it was Tim Curry, and she just wanted him to “Speak British.” Bernson enjoyed working with Jeffrey Tambor.
At which point it was announced that Tambor will be playing Lawson’s Stepfather, and between Tambor and Shatner Lawson thinks she “has the coolest dad’s ever.”
Hill hides under the table as everyone accuses him of being very protective of his food

The Art Department is responsible for the Pineapple placement, and the cast doesn’t know where they’ll pop up.
The youngest Psych questioner ever asked why there were pineapples in every episode. Roday thought it was because they are delicious, but Franks confessed it’s because he worked at the Dole Juice stand in Adventureland at Disneyland for years.
Hill is apparently the most protective of his food on set (see photo left). Omundson says he likes to play a little game he calls “Sniff Dule’s Food.”
Hitting bookstores in February 2013 is a new book called “Psych’s Guide to Crime Fighting for the Totally Unqualified.”

To wrap up the panel and celebrate the 100th episode of the series, which will air during it’s upcoming 7th Season, the audience was treated with a compilation entiteled “100 episodes of Psych in 200 seconds.”

Photo Credit: Matt Wheeler