 By Graham "GSM" Matthews Tonight, March 26, 2014, the final episode ever of Psych will air on the USA Network. In early 2013, there were rumblings that the eighth season of Psych, which hadn't even been confirmed by that point, would be its last, especially with several of the regular cast members now moving on to other projects. I remember talking to a friend of mine in high school last year about this news and we were both equally disappointed that our favorite show could possibly be coming to an end after such a great, lengthy run. It wasn't until almost a year later that my worst fears were confirmed: Psych would be wrapping up its run at the end of March. The announcement was first leaked online before being shown to the world during that night's episode of the show. This was also around the time that my two favorite wrestlers CM Punk and AJ Styles were leaving their respective wrestling companies, so it felt like everything was coming to an end at once. I'll admit I had a tear in my eye while the brief video package with Shawn and Gus aired, but for good reason. It's not only become my favorite show in the last seven years. It's become a part of my life. The date was January 26, 2007. I had just gotten home from Friendly's (great restaurant, though they are far and few between these days) that night and was upset about something, I can't remember what. When I turned on the TV, the first thing that was on was Psych. Now, it wasn't uncommon for the USA Network to be on in my household on a regular basis. My grandfather used to watch it all the time whenever he came over to our house, so I started getting into it by watching old re-runs of Walker, Texas Ranger. I had never seen Psych before this night, but as soon as the episode was over, I was hooked. I've watched every episode since then, not missing a single one. Whether it was live or via DVR the next day (or sometimes even a week later depending on how busy I was), Psych became an integral part of my weekly routine on Friday and later Wednesday nights. I also got into Monk around this time as well given that they were both mystery programs and it aired in the slot before Psych. As great of a show that was and as sad as I was to see it end in December 2009, I was only a fan of it for almost three years, which is nothing compared to seven. Because I got so hooked on the USA Network, I prided myself on trying to watch every show they had to offer. While Law and Order wasn't exactly "doing" it for me, Monday Night Raw did, and that's how I became a wrestling fan just a little over a year later. That being said, it was cool whenever stars of the wrestling world made appearances on Psych. Whether it be The Miz, Big Show, Stacy Keibler, Mickie James, The Bella Twins or even John Cena, every past and present WWE Superstar who has appeared on the show was awesome and made this viewer that much happier. It was a cool crossover, and I especially loved it when Gus and Shawn guest hosted Raw in 2010 and 2012, respectively. Heck, they even showed up on an episode of Tough Enough in 2011!
Ever since I was a kid, I always loved the mystery gene, so it was no shocker that I got into Psych as quickly as I did. Combine that with the wacky cast of characters, the vintage pop culture references, innovative storylines and the hilarity of it all, and it easily became the single greatest show I've ever been a fan of (no, I don't count Raw since technically that'll never end). Of course, all great things must come to an end, and television shows are no exception. Everyone dies a little inside whenever their favorite show comes to an end, but the longer you've been watching that show for, the harder it is to say goodbye. For me, seven years has been an incredibly long time to a be a fan of a show, especially since I'm not a big fan of anything else on TV at the moment aside from wrestling. So, when Psych ends tonight, so will most of my TV viewing. The best part about television shows, or anything fictional you might like, is that they can get you through tough times or even be there for the good times. Because they aren't real, television shows can be the ultimate escape from reality. When no one is there for you, that show always will be. So, watching your favorite show will help cheer you up, put you in a better mood and get your mind off things. All shows (with the exception of a rare few) go on hiatus every few months, and while those breaks got longer and longer as the seasons of Psych progressed, the newest season would always be worth the wait. For those few months, I anticipated what the new season would bring and never did it not deliver. Now, the hiatus is permanent, and all I'll be left with is the eight seasons of Psych on Netflix and in my DVD collection. My only regret is that USA Network hasn't treated the Psych series finale like a bigger deal. They officially announced that the show would be ending when there was only five episodes left as opposed to the start of the season, so why not announce it then? They might not have been sure of it at the time, but it would've helped many the final few episodes feel more meaningful. The last couple of episodes haven't been crucial to the overall plot of the show in any way, which I thought was rather odd, and the advertisement for the final episode didn't make it out to be as "must-see" as it should be. I truly hope that this final episode is indeed the blow-off to the show and not just another episode they decided to end on because they didn't want to make another season, because that would be a disappointment. Most loose ends have been tied up for the most part, but unless they plan on making a full-length movie, then this series finale better be the big send-off that the show deserves. Psych has been on the air for eight years with eight seasons. Very few shows can say that nowadays! It's been an important part in the success of the USA Network since its start and is one of the last-standing shows on the network. With Monk and Burn Notice over, Psych is the last of a breed. The good news in ending the show now is that they aren't ending it when it's become watered down and stale like when most shows end. They're going out on top when their ratings are still relatively high and the fan feedback is still very strong. I, for one, will be tuning tonight to the series finale of Psych, and I hope you will, too. Even if you've never seen it before, I suggest giving it a shot. Watching the show for the first time with its final episode is somewhat ironic, isn't it? Regardless, tonight marks the end of one of... scratch that, the greatest show I have ever watched and been a fan of, Psych. Tonight marks the end of an era. |
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