Pilot (Psych episode)

"Pilot"
Psych episode
Malcolm Orso, after being shot by Mr. McCallum. Co-executive producer Chris Henze considered the murder to be the most gruesome scene in the show's history.
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 1
Directed by	Michael Engler
Written by	Steve Franks
Production code	1001
Original air date	July 7, 2006
Running time	66 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Kirsten Nelson as Chief Karen Vick Anne Dudek as Lucinda Barry Josh Hayden as Young Shawn Spencer Don S. Davis as Mr. McCallum Pascale Hutton as Katarina McCallum P. Lynn Johnson as Mrs. McCallum Jason Bryden as Camden McCallum Robert Parent as Malcolm Orso Sage Brocklebank as Buzz McNab Patricia Idlette as Officer Allen
Episode chronology
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Psych (season 1) List of episodes

"Pilot" is the first episode of the TV series, Psych. It originally aired on USA Network on July 7, 2006.

Shawn Spencer (James Roday) has never kept a job for more than 6 months. He helps the Santa Barbara Police Department prove a man guilty, using his keen powers of observation and his near perfect photographic memory he obtained as a kid. Detective Carlton Lassiter (Timothy Omundson) takes Shawn into questioning, and Shawn claims to have obtained the information psychically. The police let him go with no proof to disprove the claim. On his way out, Shawn is asked for help by Chief Karen Vick on a high-profile kidnapping case. The investigation into the kidnapping of Camden McCallum, sole male heir to the McCallum fortune, is stalled. She believes Shawn's psychic powers can help solve the case. Shawn takes advantage of this, realizing a new career has just fallen into his lap.

He visits his childhood friend Burton "Gus" Guster (Dulé Hill), a pharmaceutical representative. Shawn decides to get Gus involved. Gus is reluctant, but eventually gets involved with the McCallum case. Shawn and Gus find out that about 18 months before, Camden had straightened up his usual party boy act. They learn Camden never did anything without his dog, and he disappeared from a park along with the dog. Shawn realizes Camden wasn't kidnapped, he disappeared. Exactly 18 months before, Mr. McCallum threatened to cut Camden out of the inheritance if he didn't straighten up. Camden also stopped hanging around with his close friend, Malcolm Orso. Camden and Malcolm were planning a ransom.

Shawn and Gus check out Orso's cabin, where they find Camden's "missing" dog. Shawn goes back to the cops to convince them he had a psychic vision of Orso's cabin. The police go inside the cabin and find both Camden and Orso dead in an apparent suicide murder situation. Shawn takes a quick look at the room, and he is not convinced. Especially because Mr. McCallum had a cut on his wrist that could be a dog bite. Shawn visits his estranged father, Henry (Corbin Bernsen). Henry says Shawn's powers are getting soft and he's trusting people he shouldn't be. Shawn then suspects Camden's sister, Katarina.