Shawn Spencer hails from a family of cops, and was meticulously schooled from a very young age in the finer points of detective work. Soon Shawn begins calling in tips to the police hotline for crimes he sees on television to entertain himself. But one night, one of Shawn's tips lead police somewhere he never imagined -- back to him. The detectives believe information this accurate could only have come from the inside. Desperate to avoid jail time, Shawn hastily explains that his insight is really second sight - he's a psychic. And though skeptical, the department is impressed and Shawn is hired on as a "psychic consultant". Immediately enlisting the assistance of his reluctant best friend Gus, Shawn opens his own agency, PSYCH, taking his talent for detective work -- and fun -- in a new direction.

Burton "Gus" Guster has been party to the impulsive adventures of his best friend since they were kids, which is why he's convinced himself that the straight and narrow -- a job as a pharmaceutical sales rep, 401(k) and a regular paycheck is right where he belongs. Still, the idea of being a private investigator intrigues him, and while he is completely horrified by Shawn's behavior most of the time, he knows that the excitement and adventure of their new enterprise might just make it all worth it.