Psych: 13 Episodes That Made Us Love Carlton Lassiter

For eight seasons, Psych, by definition an hour-long drama, was one of the funniest shows on the air while still managing poignant moments filled with genuine depth and heart. A fervent fanbase has developed and been rewarded with multiple installments following the official series finale.

Carlton Lassiter has been a foil to Shawn Spencer all the while. In a role that could easily have made him an antagonist, he’s instead beloved for his cranky exasperation at knowing our hero is not truly a psychic, but being unable to prove it (and, in the end, openly choosing to keep the secret.)

Unfortunately, fans missed seeing as much of Lassiter as they expected in Psych’s first return, Psych the Movie, after Timothy Omundson suffered a stroke. In the following months and years, he has documented a long and inspiring path to recovery and begun to return to anticipated projects.

Psych 2: Lassie Come Home will indirectly reference this, reuniting with a Lassiter who has been attacked on the job and inspiring everyone else to rally at his side. With the Psych 2 set to premiere on NBC’s Peacock streaming service in July, it’s a great time to reflect on some of Lassie’s best moments.

In chronological order, here are the 13 episodes that made us love Carlton Lassiter:

1. Weekend Warriors (Season 1 Episode 6)

Don’t let the fake mustache fool you. Carlton Lassiter of the fake Civil War battlefield is very much the Carlton Lassiter of the police station. It may be a jolt to see him outside his “natural habitat,” but we soon realize General Lassiter treats his men with the same strict hand by which Detective Lassiter approaches his work.

Psych’s themed episodes are some of its most fun. While the show approaches everything from a silly angle, it portrays war re-enactments and Lassiter’s enthusiasm with affection. You can’t help being charmed by this side of the detective.

2. From the Earth to Starbucks (Season 1 Episode 10)

If you watch Psych’s first season with any doubts that Lassiter isn’t really Shawn’s enemy, those should be put to rest in its tenth episode.

Sure, the compliments Lassie pays come only under the influences of alcohol and crippling self-doubt, but there’s a truth there all the same. Even this early on, he’s impressed by the purported psychic, and it’s enough to move Shawn to work on his behalf.

There are moments that humanize Lassiter before this, but an entire episode that presents him as much more than a man determined to strike down the hero at every turn is essential early in the show’s run.

From here on out, he’s a truly sympathetic character and never the villain he could be for wanting to reveal Shawn’s secrets. Oh, and hungover Lassie is pretty great, too.  

3. Lassie Did a Bad, Bad Thing (Season 3 Episode 11)

Most law or crime procedurals have a point where a character is pushed to their limit by a dangerous person who might escape punishment. Sometimes they even go over the edge, but Psych isn’t that kind of show, and Carlton Lassiter isn’t that kind of man.

Falsely accused of a gang leader’s murder, he again becomes a rallying point for our heroes, giving us another great dose of camaraderie. While the episode is as humorous as it can be, it also cements Lassie as both a man of honor and a badass.

There’s a lot of worth in Lassiter showing that a good man won’t abuse his power, even in his worst moments.

4. High Noon-ish (Season 4 Episode 3)

In another episode uncovering Lassiter’s more obscure interest sets, we see a side of him that doesn’t constantly maintain an indifferent manner.

It’s rare for him to express open enthusiasm for anything outside his job and even rarer for him to make Shawn and Gus act uninterested by comparison, but Lassie in an old western ghost town, no matter how fake and gaudy it is, is just a loveable geek.

Though nobody else is ever quite on board as much as he is, both his attitude and his affection for the people of Old Sonoma are infectious. But lest we think seeing him so outside his usual sphere will take away from his skills, there’s a good old fashioned shootout to prove us wrong.

5. The Head, The Tail, The Whole D*mn Episode (Season 4 Episode 15)

Shawn isn’t the only one who can present a theory so crazy it seems unbelievable, but he may be the only one whose claims can make people accept him.

When Lassiter decides an apparent shark attack is actually murder, he’s nearly laughed off a perch that generally commands respect. Even knowing he’s right, because that’s how these stories work and because this is Carlton Lassiter, it’s hard to blame people.

From here, the episode turns into a fervent quest for Lassiter to prove his absurd claims and get the last laugh. And of course, he does just that because he’s Carlton Lassiter.

6. Mr. Yin Presents (Season 4 Episode 16)

Season finales and extended storylines are two good opportunities for all a show’s characters to shine. The Yin/Yang trilogy, presented across the last episodes of three different seasons, gives us both.

In Season 4, high stakes and a series of clever Hitchcock references let everybody show their serious sides through an hour of high tension.

Lassie shines most here in his fervor to help, especially when Juliet is taken hostage. In the end, he’s the one who saves her life and holds her as she breaks down in his arms. It’s all too rate to get more than a glimpse of this serious and loving side of the detective, but he cares for Juliet like family.

7. Feet, Don’t Kill Me Now (Season 5 Episode 2)

Gus’ role as Shawn’s more serious counterpart has long suggested that he and Lassiter might get along rather well if given the chance. Yet we hardly get to see either of them separate from Shawn on their own,  much less the two together. We finally get to see this dynamic in Season 5, and it’s worth the wait.

Tap dance gets the familiar friendly teasing treatment here, but it also provides the opportunity for Carlton to be more open-minded than Shawn about something.

Where the latter continues to mock, Lassie becomes an accomplished tap dancer and finds mental focus in the process. We want him to come out on top of Shawn’s attitude here, and he does.

8. Last Night Gus (Season 6 Episode 2)

Waking up with no memory of the night before is an easy trope to screw up or make very problematic. But Psych takes it on in stellar fashion with equal doses of mystery and hilarity.

Shawn, Gus, and Woody are all in the same boat with Lassiter, but he may be the most out of his element just by winding up the Psych office in the first place.

What follows is a tale of grand misadventure in which Lassie plays a starring role, tracking down a lost car, escaping explosions, and piecing his missing bullets to the shooting of a poor inflatable doughnut. A re-drugged Gus plays the final role in taking the bad guy down, but Carlton gets to stretch his hero muscles as he recovers, too.

9. Heeeeere’s Lassie! (Season 6 Episode 11)

Anyone who loves classic horror film The Shining owes it to themselves to watch this episode of Psych, at least as long as you have a sense of humor about it. A few truly creepy visuals aside, you’re probably going to be more likely to laugh than scream at the recreation of several iconic Kubrick scenes.

Lassiter takes the clear starring role, stepping into the shoes Jack Nicholson made famous. While he’s just as alarmed by the psychological events happening as we might be, there’s just enough to show that he could actually make for a killer psychopath if he wanted to.

Thankfully, we’re also given full reassurance that that could never happen.

10. Lassie Jerky (Season 7 Episode 3)

Regardless of whether you consider The Blair Witch Project the definitive start to the POV shaky-cam horror genre or a long sequence of dizzying camera angles with few moments of genuine terror, it’s hard to deny the film’s notoriety.

Playing off that, “Lassie Jerky” is never convincingly scary, and that’s likely intentional. What it is is one of the most unique episodes of an already unique show.

Sure, we’re inclined to giggle at Lassie’s exaggeratedly stricken monologues to a camera an inch from his face, and we certainly never believe he’s been killed, but it’s fun to see him ham it up as Shawn and Gus do in nearly every episode.

11. Psych: The Musical (Season 7 Episodes 15 and 16)

“Psych the Musical” isn’t technically Lassie-centric, but how could it be left out? It’s everything a musical episode should be. It’s openly silly and doesn’t bother with the fruitless attempts of other shows to explain why characters are randomly bursting into song.

At the same time, it has a real storyline and keeps everyone true to themselves.

Above all, though, it actually really works. All the actors are at least decent singers, the music is great, and the song lyrics are catchy and clever.

Lassiter plays a supporting position, his role is going against Shawn played up for comic effect, but his scenes are some of the most memorable and his baritone is one of the best voices in the bunch.

12. S.E.I.Z.E. the Day (Season 8 Episode 2)

Lassiter’s divorce is both one of the defining aspects of his character and one the most humanizing, no matter how many jokes it’s used for. His tough exterior belies what a struggle the end of his marriage has been for him, and so fans have welcomed his romance with, of all people, a serial killer’s sister who herself spends some time in prison.

In the final season of the show, as their relationship is cemented, Marlowe reveals she’s pregnant. Lassie immediately goes into a bit of a tailspin only because the idea of being a father is so important to him. Witnessing his tailspin, half the station is convinced that he’s dying.

The truth is met by joy from all, and Lily Lassiter is born mid-case toward the end of the series’ run.  

13. 1967: A Psych Odyssey (Season 8 Episode 6)

Any of Psych’s final episodes could finish off this list, but it’s the backstory in a 1960s throwback episode that starts and highlights the emotional end arcs for our characters.

It begins when Chief Vick, ousted by the antagonistic Harris Trout, returns only to announce her departure from the station. It’s an abrupt and bittersweet way to leave the position of chief open.

As Juliet states beautifully in a heartbreaking conversation with her partner, being the head of the SBPD has always been logical climax of Lassie’s character arc. And so, with Trout still nipping at everyone’s heels, she leaves the station as a condition of him accepting the job.

Of course, these issues and more are all resolved as the series draws to a close, but Carlton keeps his new title, just as he should.

—

What do you think of our list? What other episodes or moments would you like to see included? Are you excited for the premiere of another Psych movie? Sound off in the comments!

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

Psych Cast and Creators on Psych 2: Lassie Come Home and Timothy Omundson’s Return | ATX Television Festival