Smallscreen Features
Maggie Lawson gives a tease for new season of 'Psych'
By April MacIntyre Jun 19, 2008, 20:48 GMT
Maggie Lawson - Universal Amphitheatre Gibson Amphitheatre - Universal City, CA, USA © Lee Roth / RothStock / PR Photos
"Psych" is a great USA network series that had the season finale back in February.
Actor James Roday plays Shawn, a police consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose ‘heightened observational skills' and keen detective instincts allow him to pass as a psychic.
The series has impeccable casting, witnessed by Shawn's relationship with his father, Henry (Corbin Bernson) who taught him the ropes of police work.
Roday's sidekick, the chill Dule Hill also adds to the alchemy. His role is a complete departure from his straight-forward character of "The West Wing."
Psych season three premieres on July 18th. Reruns of the show air Sundays at 8 p.m. on NBC.
Maggie Lawson, who plays Juliet O'Hara in the series, spoke to Monsters and Critics about the upcoming season of Psych. She was joined by director John Landis.
Maggie, what happens in Season 3 of Psych?
Maggie Lawson: Well, there are all kinds of exciting things that are happening in Season 3 of Psych. So far - and we’re at episode - we’re starting Episode 6 right now. There - we meet Shawn’s mom, which is a big deal. Cybill Shepherd plays his mother and there is...
John Landis: Wait, plays James’ mother? I didn’t know that. That’s great.
Maggie Lawson: She’s in the first couple episodes and then we’re seeing how the storylines are going to play out. But I will say this year our episodes are bigger. We just finished a daredevil episode. (Jeff Leahy) had a bunch of stunts.
I just think I’m so lucky to be on a show that I think just continually gets better and better and we push ourselves to be better and better.
This season we add a lot of different elements to the show.
You see a little more of an emotional side to Shawn, James’ character. And there’s just some weight that hits really hard this year. I think it’s going to be a great season.
We’ll start to see a little more of the maybe romantic side in Shawn’s life play out a little bit more with well, I’m not going to give too much away - it’s going to be a really good year and we’re so excited that John’s directing us again.
John Landis: They’re sort of blackmailing me into doing it but that’s okay. I’ll tell you, you direct a cable show - it’s insane. It’s exactly the same amount of time and exactly the same job as directing like an hour on network and an hour on cable and it’s a third of the money. It’s like, wait a minute.
That for the DGA anyway, not for the SAG people. But for the DGA people it’s like, hey wait a minute. How did this happen? But the truth is Psych...
Maggie Lawson: It’s because you love us so much.
John Landis: Well, unfortunately it’s true. Psych is a very unusual show in that they all, the cast, really like each other because let me tell you it doesn’t happen very often. And it’s a pleasant group of people and I really am a fan of James Roday’s and Maggie Lawson’s.
Yeah, they’re blackmailing me, the f*ckers. That’s what’s happening.
Maggie Lawson: We have so much fun on the show and yes, the comedy and shenanigans, if you will, that you see on screen is probably doubled off screen.
We’re always - it almost becomes some sort of game or challenge to crack the other one up, especially when it’s their close up.
I tend to be a little more professional - no. But James and Dulé, it is very, very funny. It’s very hard, even if you look at our blooper reels, it’s very hard to get through a take without one of them trying to do something to crack - I mean it really does become a game.
John Landis: There’s a very real problem when you’re shooting and someone gets the giggles because it’s like laughing in class or church. It’s contagious and it gets worse and it becomes more and more intense and for directors who are on a schedule, sometimes it’s completely annoying because they can’t get through a take.
Maggie Lawson: It’s true. When we get the giggles it’s very hard to - which happens pretty much every day at some point - but yes. I can understand how for a director that would be like so frustrating because you have to cover...
John Landis: Also it’s frustrating because sometimes it’s funny.
But you can’t - it’s like having children. It’s, okay, we’ll have a time out now until Maggie and James and Dulé are ready to shoot. because they do - they’re having entirely too much fun. And they get paid.
