The cast of “Psych”, then and now: See James Roday Rodriguez, Dulé Hill, and more nearly 20 years later
The cast of “Psych”, then and now: See James Roday Rodriguez, Dulé Hill, and more nearly 20 years later
Danny Horn, Kevin JacobsenSun, March 1, 2026 at 3:00 PM UTC
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Dulé Hill as Burton 'Gus' Guster, Corbin Bernsen as Henry Spencer, and James Roday Rodriguez as Shawn Spencer on 'Psych'Credit: Alan Zenuk/USA Network/Courtesy: Everett
Psych has had the kind of longevity that few other crime shows of its kind have sustained. The USA detective dramedy that first aired in 2006 centers on an amateur sleuth named Shawn (James Roday Rodriguez), whose preternaturally keen eye for observation convinces the police he must have psychic powers. This leads him to open up a private detective agency with his best friend, Gus (Dulé Hill), and hijinks ensue.
Beloved for the chemistry of its two leads and its light-hearted tone, Psych quickly developed a hardcore fanbase that led to a trilogy of TV movies — with a fourth in development. In between, Rodriguez, Hill, and their costars have all sustained impressive careers. Ahead, find out what the cast of Psych has been up to since the original series ended in 2014.
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James Roday Rodriguez (Shawn Spencer)
James Roday Rodriguez as Shawn Spencer on 'Psych'; James Roday Rodriguez poses for 'TV Guide Magazine' during the 2023 Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour on Jan. 11, 2023, in Pasadena, Calif.Credit: Alan Zenuk/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Maarten De Boer/Getty
James Roday Rodriguez appeared to be having the time of his life playing Shawn, engaging in silly banter and running rings around the other characters.
“When I look back at the pilot, obviously I look back at it fondly because it was the beginning of everything and it was a seed that had to be planted," Rodgriguez told EW in 2016 in celebration of the series premiere’s 10th anniversary, "but when I look at the stuff that we were doing later, even as early as season two, I’m like, ‘Oh, wow, we sort of turned a corner.'”
Following his work on Psych, Rodriguez played Gary Mendez on the ABC drama A Million Little Things for five seasons from 2018 to 2023, and has had recurring roles on such shows as The Resident and High Potential.
The actor has also been active as a horror screenwriter and director. He co-wrote the 2006 film Skinwalkers, co-wrote and directed the 2015 horror-comedy Gravy, and co-wrote and directed the feature-length TV episode Treehouse, which aired as part of Hulu's horror anthology Into the Dark. He also voiced a character in the animated zombie movie Night of the Animated Dead (2021) alongside Dulé Hill.
Rodriguez dated his Psych costar Maggie Lawson throughout the series’ run from 2006 to 2014.
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Dulé Hill (Burton "Gus" Guster)
Dulé Hill as Burton 'Gus' Guster on 'Psych'; Dulé Hill attends the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations Presents 'Exploring Identity and Healing Through Acting for Black Male Performers' panel at SAG-AFTRA Foundation Screening Room on Nov. 13, 2023, in Los AngelesCredit: Gavin Bond/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Araya Doheny/Getty
Dulé Hill played Gus, who is also known as Peter Panic, Longbranch Pennywhistle, and an endless variety of other silly nicknames bestowed upon him by his friend and partner, Shawn.
Hill rose to fame as presidential aide Charlie Young on The West Wing, for which he received an Emmy nomination. He left at the beginning of season 7 to star in Psych, but returned for the final few episodes of the series.
"A lot of times when things are really funny to me, in the back of mind or deep down, I’m thinking, 'This is so funny for you. If you break right now, there’s no way the audience will see this thing right here,'" Hill told EW in 2010, of trying not to laugh on set. "My mind just says, 'Hold it together.' I try to stay in it as long as I can, as hard as I can. Part of the fun is trying to stay in it, trying to get through it. Sometimes I break up."
After Psych, Hill had a recurring role on the HBO sports comedy-drama Ballers and was a series regular on Suits for its last three seasons. In 2021, Hill joined the ABC reboot of The Wonder Years as Bill Williams, the main character's father. The show ran for two seasons, ending in 2023.
Hill was married to actress Nicole Lyn from 2004 to 2012. In 2018, he married his Ballers costar Jazmyn Simon, and adopted her daughter. A year later, they welcomed a son, Levi. Simon also appeared in the Psych movies as Selene, Gus’ onscreen partner.
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Timothy Omundson (Carlton "Lassie" Lassiter)
Timothy Omundson as Carlton Lassiter on 'Psych'; Timothy Omundson at the New York premiere of 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians,' on Dec. 13 2023Credit: Alan Zenuk/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock
Timothy Omundson played the grouchy but good-hearted Det. Carlton Lassiter, known affectionately to Shawn and Gus as "Lassie." Before Psych, Omundson had a recurring role as the mystical healer Eli on the syndicated series Xena: Warrior Princess. He then played Sean Potter on the CBS legal drama Judging Amy from 2000 to 2005.
Filming the second Psych movie was a personal milestone for Omundson, who had suffered a stroke in 2017 and needed to relearn how to walk. The 2020 movie, subtitled Lassie Come Home, was structured around this incident, with Omundson's character also recovering from a stroke.
"Mostly, it was overwhelmingly wonderful,” Omundson told EW about returning to set. “And then it was also really kind of terrifying because I was trying to figure out how to work with my new brain and new body post-stroke, which was a very, very different process. So there was a pretty steep learning curve."
Since his recovery, Omundson has appeared as Gregory, another stroke survivor, on This Is Us and stepped up to play Hephaestus on the Disney+ reboot series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Omundson has been married to Allison Cowley since 1997. They share two daughters, Nora and Lily.
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Corbin Bernsen (Henry Spencer)
Corbin Bernsen as Henry Spencer on 'Psych'; Corbin Bernsen attends the 7th annual Hollywood Beauty awards at Taglyan Complex on March 19, 2022, in Los AngelesCredit: Alan Zenuk/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic
Henry Spencer had always hoped that Shawn would become a detective, but the retired cop is not thrilled with his son's racket. Still, Shawn's job occasionally gives Henry the chance to get involved in some new cases.
Actor Corbin Bernsen became well-known as divorce lawyer Arnie Becker on the NBC legal drama L.A. Law, a role he played for eight seasons from 1986 to 1994. The role earned him two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1987 and 1988.
The actor has appeared on numerous TV shows after Psych ended in 2014, including Grace and Frankie, Billions, and Fresh Off the Boat, as well as recurring roles on The Resident, The Curse, and Your Friends & Neighbors.
Bernsen's first marriage to Brenda Cooper lasted from 1983 to 1987. In 1988, he married actress Amanda Pays, with whom he shares four sons: Oliver, Angus, Henry, and Finley.
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Maggie Lawson (Juliet "Jules" O'Hara)
Maggie Lawson as Juliet O'Hara on 'Psych'; Maggie Lawson attends Step Up's Annual Inspiration awards at Skirball Cultural Center on Oct. 6, 2023, in Los AngelesCredit: Alan Zenuk/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
Maggie Lawson plays Juliet "Jules" O'Hara, a junior detective who falls for Shawn. Their will-they-won't-they relationship is finally resolved in the first Psych movie.
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Lawson looks back fondly on her Psych experience, even feeling the show's specialness from early on. "When I went from seeing what was on the page to seeing what Roday and Dulé were doing off the page, I was like, 'Ohhh, this is magic. We're on something magical right now,'" she recalled to TVLine in 2020.
Lawson's early television credits include appearances on the sitcoms Cybill, Boy Meets World, and Home Improvement, as well as a recurring role on the Fox drama Party of Five.
Following Psych, Lawson was a recurring cast member on the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men, the Netflix horror-comedy Santa Clarita Diet, and Fox's Lethal Weapon. In 2019, Lawson appeared in Treehouse, the episode of Hulu's horror anthology series Into the Dark written and directed by James Roday Rodriguez. Lawson played Sarah Silver in the first season of the CBS cop drama Boston Blue.
Lawson was in a relationship with Rodriguez during the show's run. She later married actor Ben Koldyke in 2015 but filed for divorce in 2017.
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Kirsten Nelson (Karen Vick)
Kirsten Nelson as Karen Vick on 'Psych'; Kirsten Nelson at the 8th annual UCP Celebration at San Diego Comic Con, on July 21, 2017Credit: Matthias Clamer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Gilbert Flores/Variety/Penske Media via Getty
Police Chief Karen Vick hired Shawn and Gus to help the Santa Barbara P.D., and while she's unsure about Shawn's supernatural abilities, she acknowledges that he gets results.
Actress Kirsten Nelson has been active on television since the mid-1990s, booking episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ally McBeal, Frasier, and Malcolm in the Middle. More recently, she's appeared in Bones, NCIS: New Orleans, and This Is Us, though she’s still best known for Psych.
Nelson directed the episode "1967: A Psych Odyssey" in the final season, an experience she described very positively to TheWrap in 2014. "I was able to talk to them as actors, as their friend, as a person who’s been there and a part of that history to kind of coax those gentile nuances and I’m really proud of their performances in those moments."
Nelson has two children.
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Liam James (Young Shawn)
Liam James as Young Shawn on 'Psych'; Liam James attends HBO's 'White House Plumbers' New York premiere at 92nd Street Y, on April 17, 2023Credit: USA Network; Cindy Ord/WireImage
Liam James was 10 years old when he began playing young Shawn on Psych.
In 2009, James appeared in the science-fiction disaster movie 2012. He went on to play the lead character in the coming-of-age dramedy film The Way, Way Back (2013) with Steve Carell and Toni Collette.
On television, James starred on AMC's crime drama series The Killing and ABC's The Family. He also appeared on the Syfy series Deadly Class.
In 2023, James played Howard Hunt's son John in HBO's satirical political miniseries White House Plumbers.
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Carlos McCullers II (Young Gus)
Carlos McCullers II as Young Gus on 'Psych'; Carlos McCullers II attends Variety's Power of Youth presented by Cartoon Network held at Paramount Studios on Sept. 15, 2012, in Hollywood, Calif.Credit: USA Network; David Livingston/WireImage
Carlos McCullers II started his acting career in 2006 with roles on Punk'd and The King of Queens. He began playing Young Gus on Psych in season 2 and continued until season 6.
McCullers also did some voice work on The Cleveland Show in 2011 and Family Guy in 2012. He later appeared in a 2013 episode of Cartoon Network's Level Up, which was his last screen credit.
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Sage Brocklebank (Buzz McNab)
Sage Brocklebank as Buzz McNab on 'Psych'Credit: USA Network
A simple soul, Officer Buzz McNab is friendly with Shawn, giving him information and access to crime scenes.
In addition to his role on Psych, Sage Brocklebank has guest-starred on a number of TV shows, including Smallville, Once Upon a Time, Supernatural, and Peacemaker.
In addition to writing plays and producing films, Brocklebank is also a professional poker player.
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Kurt Fuller (Woody Strode)
Kurt Fuller as Woody Strode on 'Psych'; Kurt Fuller as Dr. Boggs on 'Evil'Credit: Alan Zenuk/USA Network/Everett; Elizabeth Fisher/CBS via Getty
Kurt Fuller joined the cast in season 4 as the eccentric coroner Woody Strode.
Fuller is a busy character actor with dozens of film and TV appearances. He starred in the 1989 wrestling movie No Holds Barred alongside Hulk Hogan and played Hardemeyer in the horror-comedy Ghostbusters II (1989). His other notable films include Wayne's World (1992), Scary Movie (2000), Anger Management (2003), and Midnight in Paris (2011).
Fuller appeared in several episodes of L.A. Law with Psych costar Corbin Bernsen, and he's had recurring roles on Desperate Housewives, Alias, and Scandal. He also played Castiel's boss, Zachariah, in seasons 4 and 5 of Supernatural. The actor also showed up in Sound of Freedom (2023) and played Dr. Kurt Boggs on the Paramount+ series Evil.
Fuller wed actress and author Jessica Hendra in 1993. They have two daughters, Julia and Charlotte.
on Entertainment Weekly
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