13 Mysteries to Watch if You Love “Psych”
Calling all detectives, amateur sleuths, and aficionados of quirky crime-solving! If you're still reeling from the shenanigans of Shawn Spencer (played by James Roday Rodriguez) and Burton Guster (played by Dulé Hill) in the beloved TV series Psych, and are looking for something else to keep you laughing while sleuthing, we have a list of shows for you full of mystery and mayhem.
While nothing quite matches the unique charm of Shawn's psychic charades and Gus's unbridled enthusiasm for obscure nicknames and talented nose, there are plenty of other TV shows out there that will tickle your investigative instincts and keep you guessing until the very end.
So, grab your pineapple, because we've compiled a list of 13 mystery shows tailor-made for fans of Psych to binge next!
13. Only Murders in the Building
In Only Murders in the Building, three neighbors who bond over a love of true crime decide to start their own investigative podcast when someone in their building is killed.
Starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, this cinematic, twisty, and humorous mystery is a joy to watch unravel.
12. Agatha Raisin
Another investigator who tends to get into high-jinks is Agatha Raisin (played by Ashley Jensen), a successful London PR rep who retires to enjoy a “tranquil life” in the English countryside. However, the Cotswolds have their own array of quirky characters, and Agatha’s knack for attracting trouble, insatiable curiosity, and dogged determination leads her and her friends to become involved with multiple murder mysteries - whether the local police want her help or not.
Based on the books by M.C. Beaton, this high-energy comedy-drama is sure to delight.
11. Bored to Death
The HBO comedy Bored to Death follows Johnathon Ames (played by Jason Schwartzman), a struggling writer who pretends to be a private detective and utilizes techniques he read about in old PI novels. Joined by his friend Ray (played by Zach Galifianakis) and sometimes editor George Christopher (played by Ted Danson), Johnathon fights his writer’s block by fighting crime.
Though a little edgier than Psych, this comedy features a talented and hilarious cast that might make you cringe but will also keep you laughing.
10. White Collar
Another comedy/mystery from USA during the era of “Characters Welcome,” Psych fans should enjoy seeing con artist and thief Neal Caffrey (played by Matt Bomer) work with the FBI to catch other white-collar criminals. Though FBI Special Agent Peter Burke (played by Tim DeKay) might not trust his new consultant, together they can capture the most difficult to catch criminals in NYC.
9. Angie Tribeca
Psych sometimes pokes fun at police procedurals and has homages to the classic crime shows (hello, Season 5 “Dual Spires”), but Angie Tribeca takes the ribbing to a new level.
In this comedy, Detective Tribeca (played by Rashida Jones) is a lone wolf who works with a squad to investigate the most serious of crimes from a ventriloquist’s murder to a rash of baker suicides. Full of sight gags, puns, and jokes referencing TV tropes, this series will keep you laughing.
8. iZombie
If the absurdity of Psych and an homage to the supernatural appeals to you, you’ll enjoy the sci-fi comedy mystery iZombie.
In this series, medical resident Olivia Moore (played by Rose McIver) has to make some life adjustments when she is turned into a zombie. Working in the morgue to satisfy her new diet of brains, Liv discovers that she gets flashes of the deceased’s memories and inherits some of their character traits after having lunch. Hoping something useful can come out of this unwanted change, Liv shares her clues with Detective Babineux (played by Malcolm Goodwin) by pretending to be a human who has psychic visions.
7. Castle
While psychics might seem out of place at a crime scene, a writer is even more random! This is another series that combines comedy, crime, and sexual tension with mysteries to solve.
Castle follows playboy crime novelist Rick Castle (played by Nathan Fillion) who begins consulting with the police after a copy-cat murderer seems to be acting out a crime in one of his bestselling books. While serious Detective Kate Beckett (played by Stana Katic) initially hates his involvement, they eventually learn how to work together.
6. Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators
If the partnership of mismatched private investigators appeals to you, you’ll enjoy watching the oddball investigative duo of Shakespeare & Hathaway.
Though wealthy and optimistic Lu Shakespeare (played by Jo Joyner) and gruff and messy Frank Hathaway (played by Mark Benton) might bicker like Shawn and Gus, they complement each other while investigating crimes in Stratford-Upon-Avon with humorous yet efficient results.
5. Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency
Fans of Psych’s zany antics should enjoy the wild ride that is Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.
Based on the book by Douglas Adams (the author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), this 2016 series follows Dirk Gently (played by Samuel Barnett) as he enlists reluctant bellhop Todd Brotzman (played by Elijah Wood) to investigate a series of strange happenings and stands by the motto “everything is connected.”
What is a holistic detective? Who was behind the brutal triple homicide in the penthouse hotel suite? Can an eccentric billionaire’s kidnapped daughter be found? Who are the Rowdy 3? What does all this have to do with a corgi? You’ll have to watch the show to find out the answers.
4. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Fans of Shawn Spencer’s antics should enjoy watching Detective Jake Peralta (played by Andy Samberg) in action. Also juvenile at times and a fan of making movie references, Jake is a talented investigator who solves crimes in Brooklyn with his diverse and quirky colleagues (including some played by Joe Lo Truglio, Stephanie Beatriz, Terry Crews, Melissa Fumero, and Chelsea Peretti.) Though he sometimes clashes with his new extremely serious captain (played by Andre Braugher), they are both dedicated to catching the bad guys.
Hilarious and heartwarming, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is worth checking out (especially those Halloween episodes!)
3. So Help Me Todd
If you enjoyed the father/son relationship on Psych as much as the humor and mystery, check out So Help Me Todd where a disgraced P.I. works as an in-house investigator for his mother’s successful law firm. Though Todd (played by Skylar Astin) and Margaret Wright (played by Marcia Gay Harden) rarely see eye-to-eye in their daily lives, they agree on the importance of justice.
Though they often find it hard to find common ground, they are very good at putting their different skill sets to use in solving crime.
2. Murderville
If it sometimes feels like Shawn is making things up as he goes along, you’ll enjoy Murderville where this is literally the case for a celebrity detective.
Will Arnett plays Detective Terry Seattle who welcomes a new investigative partner every episode. These celebrity sidekicks (that include Marshawn Lynch, Sharon Stone, and Ken Jeong) have not been provided with a script, but still need to determine what is going on an ultimately whodunnit.
Hilarious and silly, this series will keep you laughing as you play along and see if you can solve the case before Seattle’s partners make their final guesses.
Monk
You don’t need to be a psychic to know that Monk would top our list, as it was Psych’s partner-in-solving crime on USA Network. Both shows fit the network’s “characters welcome” motto at time and focused on comedy as well as clues.
Tony Shalhoub stars as Adrian Monk, a brilliant former detective who now consults with the San Francisco Police Department while battling his obsessive compulsive disorder and a long list of phobias that include germs, darkness, and milk.
With clever cases that often focus on the “how” as much as the “who”, Monk is a hilarious mystery that Psych fans are sure to love.