Nearly every episode features someone saying the word "delicious," a fist-bump, and a pineapple hidden onscreen somewhere in one of the scenes.
When Shawn and Gus interview people during the course of their investigation, Shawn inevitably introduces Gus using a different and bizarre name. Past names have included, "Lodge Blackman," "Chocolate Einstein," "Jonathan Jacob 'Jingly' Schmidt," "Clementine Woolysocks," "Ghee Buttersnaps," "MC Clap Yo Handz," "Doughnut Holschtein," "Trapezious Milkington," "Hummingbird Saltalamacchia," "Longbranch Pennywhistle," "Methuselah Honeysuckle," "Squirts Macintosh," "Ovaltine Jenkins," "Lemongrass Gogulope," "Lavender Gooms," "Galileo Humpkins," "Gus T.T. Showbiz," "Felicia Fancybottom," and many, many more.
The theme song to the show was actually written and performed by the show creator's own band, The Friendly Indians. Not only do they alternate between a short version and a full song during the opening credits, but once or twice a season they will surprise audiences with a different rendition of the song to fit the theme of a show, changing the melody, words, and/or sometimes even the intro clips to fit a particular style. Past iterations of the song have included a spanish-language version, a Christmas/holiday version, a Bollywood version, a superhero version, versions inspired by
The Shining and
Twin Peaks, a Boys II Men cover, and a Curt Smith (of Tears For Fears fame) cover.
The show has many, many recurring jokes which they really commit to. One of them is that Shawn lived a nomadic life before returning to settle down in Santa Barbara, working thirty-plus jobs all over the country. On the official site they created a resume for him and - at one time - even maintained a MySpace page for him (jobs include foot and ankle model, Christmas-light hanger, Wienermobile operator, mystery shopper, and water ski instructor among others). Another recurring joke is to comment on
The Mentalist, a show that debuted two years after
Psych with a very similar premise (a former con man/fake psychic uses his powers of perception to help the authorities solve crimes). The characters - usually Shawn - will frequently comment on the show in a mocking way. Notably, when Gus says it looks weird when people fake a psychic vision, Shawn replies, "Not when Simon Baker (star of the Mentalist) does it!" And in another episode, Gus mentions that maybe someone covered up their crime because they didn't want anyone to know they watch
The Mentalist, to which Shawn makes a comment about not understanding how anyone can watch a show with such a ridiculous premise.
By far, though, the best part about the show is the dialogue. The writing staff is brilliant at characters firing off quick, witty retorts, as well as working in a variety of pop culture references and just plain random stuff that is so bizarre it gets a laugh. Some examples:
LASSITER (straight-laced detective): We found prints.
SHAWN: Was he in a little red corvette?
GUS: Under the cherry moon?
LASSITER:
FINGER prints! We found FINGER. PRINTS!
(meeting the detectives outside a suspect's house)
SHAWN: Good morning, officers. Collecting donations for the Policeman's Ball?
LASSITER: We don't have balls.
SHAWN: I honestly have no response to that.
SHAWN: Gus almost fainted that time we ran into Ralph Macchio at the Del Taco.
GUS: And for the record, he was not working there.
(while going undercover as a spelling bee judge)
SHAWN: Banana.
GIRL CONTESTANT: Can you repeat that?
SHAWN: Yes. Ba-NA-na.
GIRL CONTESTANT: Definition please?
SHAWN (exasperated): A yellow fruit. Also, a kind of pudding. A
delicious pudding.
GIRL CONTESTANT: Sentence please?
SHAWN (even more exasperated): Anna Banana would like to hear 'Venus' by Bananarama.
(while going undercover as Civil War re-enactors)
GUS' SECRETARY: There's a Lieutenant Crunch here to see you.
GUS: Lieutenant Crunch?
SHAWN (enters dressed in Civil War gear): Actually, I've just been promoted. It's Captain Crunch now.
