Like the USA Network's Monk, Psych combines crime-solving with comedy. Shawn Spencer (writer/actor James Roday, Miss Match) and Burton "Gus" Guster (The West Wing's Dulé Hill) have been friends since the 1980s. Aside from their divergent styles--walking encyclopedia Gus plays straight man to Shawn's hyper-observant goofball--the former passes himself off as a psychic. Together, they work with the Santa Barbara Police Department, represented by Chief Karen Vick (Kirsten Nelson) and detectives Juliet "Jules" O'Hara (Maggie Lawson) and Carl "Lassie" Lassiter (Timothy Omundson), their tightly-wound nemesis. The second season allows the duo to dig deeper into their pop-culture past. As before, every episode begins with a childhood incident that anticipates the case to come, most involving Shawn’s dad, Henry (L.A. Law’s Corbin Bernsen), a hard-nosed ex-cop. "American Duos," for instance, spoofs American Idol with Tim Curry as a snide judge and Gina Gershon as his spaced-out colleague, while "65 Million Years Off" recalls Jurassic Park when a paleontologist turns up dead. Other guests include Kerry Washington as a figure from Gus's past ("There's Something About Mira") and Phylicia Rashad and Ernie Hudson as Gus's parents, from whom he inherited his superior sense of smell ("Gus' Dad May Have Killed an Old Guy").

Though it takes a few episodes to find its footing, Psych's second year surpasses the first, and abundant extras make this four-disc set essential viewing. They include digressive commentary on 13 episodes (with Roday, Hill, and creator Steve Franks, who also performs the catchy theme song), deleted scenes, a gag reel, animated promos (The Big Adventures of Little Shawn and Gus), and a handy guide to the pineapple references in every show. Clearly, the makers of Psych love their work, and their enthusiasm is infectious.