What I've been waiting for: Monk and Psych

I had to create a Google Calendar for the shows I'm trying to catch. I may catch a few reality shows, but for the most part, the shows I focus on are written by a staff. I've been waiting for the Monk season premier and the Psych series premier. Bated breath waiting. Creating my own calendar waiting.

I did not wait in vain. The Monk premier was awesome. Stanley Tucci guest stars as an actor playing Monk in a television show about last season's Astronaut Murder. A nationally known astronaut murders his lover because she is writing a tell all book. Her murder happened while the astronaut was in space, but Monk figures out how he killed her. The television movie is about that case. The case for the premier is a woman is murdered, but the case is secondary to the plot. We know early on who the murderer is. He doesn't truly come into play until later. It starts off with Monk on the road to recovery, planning a trip, looking to the future with some real hope, reducing the number of times he sees Dr. Kroger, his psychiatrist (or psychologist - I never know the difference, but he prescribes drugs, so psychologist?) etc. Then he finds out that a television movie is being made about a previous case and an actor whom Trudy, his wife, liked would be playing him. He's is awed and doesn't want to look weird in front of the man. But something weird happens. The actor starts to truly take on Monk's characteristics. He finds out what drives Monk to function despite his phobias and idiosyncracies. Then he takes them on, studying Monk's case of Trudy, becoming Monk. Stanley Tucci reminds Monk of his previous guilt. Monk always thought it was his fault that Trudy died. In the end, Monk has regressed back to his needy, phobic worse. And we love it.
I've always hated that Randy Disher, the lieutenant detective, has been portrayed as stupid. I hope they do something about that in this season. Natalie is getting better. She isn't as hateful towards men for the past season. I like the growth. I hope they don't take her back. She mentioneed something about her husband being portrayed as a coward by the other guys. I hope that the storyline brings him back into the picture. I guess if Traylor Howard leaves, they can bring him back. But I like her character, Natalie, so I hope not.

Now, for Psych - What a phenomenal show. This first show was a little slow, but that's what we've come to expect from a new show. The first episode has to tell you/show you the whole setup for the show. Shawn Spencer has been trained by his father to be a detective, but when Shawn grows up, he is everything but. However, he can't help solving cases when he sees the answer through keen observation. The police see the many cases he solves without help and believe Shawn may be in on the crimes. To keep himself out of jail, Shawn pretends that he's a psychic, which is how he came by all the information. Then he has to convince the cops that he's really a psychic and convince his friend, Gus, that this will work. Shawn had some really funny lines, especially working with Detective Lassiter. Lassiter's faces are funny when it comes to Shawn. Gus, however, is the funny person to me. Gus getting his coat, Gus jumping around when they find the kidnap victim, Gus needs to use the bathroom, Gus is just funny. I hated that it took fifteen minutes to get to him. I hope that Gus plays into more scenes in the upcoming episodes. Overall, this is a fantastic show and the mysteries are none too shabby. I hope that the smarminess (is that even a word?) of Shawn being a "psychic" levels out so that it's not so cartoony, but I loved Gus's reactions to Shawn.

Two great shows. I am oh so glad!