Between the seventh and eighth seasons of this show, this standalone musical appeared, listed as part of the seventh season although it screened over 6 months after the previous episode and only a few weeks before the start of the eighth and final season. The plot is that a mental patient, who formerly murdered a critic who had savaged his Jack the Ripper musical before it had even opened, has escaped on the eve of the restaging of his work and suddenly bodies are turning up. While the police hunt the man called "Z" with the unlikely help of Yang, Shawn starts to suspect things may not be as simple as they appear. Oh and everyone sings.
Although I think that it has gone a little off the boil in recent seasons, the thing I love about this show is that it does generally have a great sense of humor and doesn't take itself too seriously; this doesn't mean that the cast enjoy making it but the viewer is on the outside looking in, it usually means everyone enjoys it while we have this story to tell at the same time. That is the basis for this musical and although the frequent song and dance numbers limit the usually very funny banter and dialogue, it does fit the show because it breaks out of the restraints of the actual story and instead focuses on being silly and fun and mostly it delivers on this. The musical numbers are generally well staged and everyone throws themselves into it whether they can really do it or not (although the standard is surprisingly high). Within these the lyrics are not as consistently funny as I would have liked but there are some great lines in there and the construction of the songs are clever – a few more in the self-referential style of "I've Heard it Both Ways" riff would have been good.
Around the song and dance the show retains the same silliness in the characters and the dialogue and it is hard to top Shawn's terrible English period accent or the sight of Gus's Jamican Inspector Man ("getting' iry in Scotland Yard"). Perhaps not as funny as the show has been but I enjoyed that the Musical special seemed like a chance to relax a little and just enjoy the show. The return of Yang and the plot around her seemed like an odd device but at least it allowed some dramatic moments to be delivered (tidied up) without dragging the show into more serious territory as it could have done if it was delivered "straight". Roday and Hill are both great, with Hill in particular showing his song and dance skills. Lawson is a bit out of it while Omundson is funny throughout. Rapp, Bostwick, Chelsom, Fuller and others all give good support, while Sheedy is decent but a bit of a device – nice to see Simpson turn up briefly too.
Psych The Musical may be silly and throwaway but fans should enjoy this since this is what has driven the show for so many seasons. It may not be as consistently funny as I would have liked but it still is very entertaining with lots of good ideas and funny moments. I was a little disappointed with the previous season of this show so I hope that the fun and energy in this special can carry across into the final season.
Although I think that it has gone a little off the boil in recent seasons, the thing I love about this show is that it does generally have a great sense of humor and doesn't take itself too seriously; this doesn't mean that the cast enjoy making it but the viewer is on the outside looking in, it usually means everyone enjoys it while we have this story to tell at the same time. That is the basis for this musical and although the frequent song and dance numbers limit the usually very funny banter and dialogue, it does fit the show because it breaks out of the restraints of the actual story and instead focuses on being silly and fun and mostly it delivers on this. The musical numbers are generally well staged and everyone throws themselves into it whether they can really do it or not (although the standard is surprisingly high). Within these the lyrics are not as consistently funny as I would have liked but there are some great lines in there and the construction of the songs are clever – a few more in the self-referential style of "I've Heard it Both Ways" riff would have been good.
Around the song and dance the show retains the same silliness in the characters and the dialogue and it is hard to top Shawn's terrible English period accent or the sight of Gus's Jamican Inspector Man ("getting' iry in Scotland Yard"). Perhaps not as funny as the show has been but I enjoyed that the Musical special seemed like a chance to relax a little and just enjoy the show. The return of Yang and the plot around her seemed like an odd device but at least it allowed some dramatic moments to be delivered (tidied up) without dragging the show into more serious territory as it could have done if it was delivered "straight". Roday and Hill are both great, with Hill in particular showing his song and dance skills. Lawson is a bit out of it while Omundson is funny throughout. Rapp, Bostwick, Chelsom, Fuller and others all give good support, while Sheedy is decent but a bit of a device – nice to see Simpson turn up briefly too.
Psych The Musical may be silly and throwaway but fans should enjoy this since this is what has driven the show for so many seasons. It may not be as consistently funny as I would have liked but it still is very entertaining with lots of good ideas and funny moments. I was a little disappointed with the previous season of this show so I hope that the fun and energy in this special can carry across into the final season.