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Top TV Memes: The Best Meme Formats From 'Psych'
Psych is one of the most beloved comedies and detective TV shows of all time. It’s also not a show for normal people, but since you’re on KYM, we’re going to assume you’re weird enough to handle it. It follows Shawn Spencer (James Roday Rodriguez) as he unwillingly drags his best friend Gus (Dule Hill) into a private investigation business. Shawn, who is hyper-observant, claims he is psychic to avoid being implicated in cases as a potential suspect. Chaos ensues, which lasts for eight seasons (and two movies).
This show is immensely popular among both children and adults, and it’s sparked a movie franchise that’s still in progress. Though it's widely regarded as an experience akin to a pineapple-filled acid trip full of pick-up lines involving Pluto, binging Psych is not a regrettable decision at all. Ultimately, it’s led to the creation of a few memes, and though they’re not super widespread outside the fandom, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be. Here are some of the best episodes with the best memes from Psych.
Most Popular Memes: Season 2, Episode 4: "He Dead"
As you probably figured from the title, this episode is about a dead guy. Shawn and Gus find him in the woods and proceed to make jokes over him while he dies in a scene that feels like a more tasteful version of a Logan Paul video. Then they investigate his very rich family for murder, and every awkward moment in this episode is basically what would happen if the Roses from Schitt’s Creek never went bankrupt. But among the possibilities, the real meme found in this episode comes when Shawn introduces Gus as "Jazz Hands," causing Gus to do jazz hands without missing a beat.
While this moment has been quoted many times in memes, it’s far from abnormal for the show. Early in the series, Gus gives in and accepts that Shawn will never use his real name in introductions and goes along with whatever name Shawn gives him as if it’s really his own. While his real name is Burton Guster, he is introduced with anything but that, whether it be Emcee Clap Yo Handz, Hummingbird Saltalamachia, Donut Holschtein, Ghee Buttersnaps (AKA the Heater), Lemona-Lemona-Lemona Lime or simply Bruton Gaster. Compared to the quotable scene and GIF of him doing jazz hands, there’s a lot of untapped potential in all these other nicknames as well.
Most Meme Potential: Season 6, Episode 2: "Last Night Gus"
"Last Night Gus" is one of the best-rated episodes of all time, and it's pretty weird. Shawn, Gus, a Coroner named Woody (played by Kurt Fuller) and long-time nemesis Detective Lassiter (played by Timothy Odmonson) wake up the morning after murdering Bobo the Donut Man, the beloved 3D mascot of the local donut shop, and being drugged to the point where they don’t remember doing so. At the same time, they believe they may have been involved in an actual murder, and also are convinced Lassiter (who is also famous for his memed line "I would rather fall in love with a vegan") had a secret gay fling with Woody.
The reason this has so much potential for memes isn’t because of its unapologetic tribute to The Hangover, but because of the complexity and scale at which all of the characters screw up in this episode. Tragically, the ending is not a happy one for Bobo the Donut Man (or the actual dead guy), and the four of them are ultimately outsmarted by a man who is legitimately named Leeroy Jenkins in reference to the meme. Really, there’s no shortage of possibilities for memes in this episode, with Bobo’s death caught on found footage security camera serving as a great starting point.
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