‘Psych’ season 8 to likely be the last, based on new Maggie Lawson casting
When USA announced that “Psych” was getting an renewal for an eighth season (before season 7 even premiered, mind you), the writing was largely on the wall that we were looking at the potential end of the series. This is the same span of time that “Monk,” another long-running comedy / mystery show, lasted, and it also seemed to be the natural sort of ending without Shawn and Gus overstaying their welcome.
Now, we have the closest thing that we’re going to get for confirmation save from an official announcement via USA. Sources have confirmed that Maggie Lawson (Juliet O’Hara) has been cast opposite James Caan in an ABC comedy pilot all about a single mom who moves in with her long-estranged father, and how she ends up getting surrounded against her will be the world of baseball that both her father and her young son love. This show is in contention at the moment for the fall, which means that “Psych” will likely be through with filming for the series before Lawson starts filming the new show in the summer (at least provided that this pilot is ordered to series).
The final writing on the wall? TVLine is reporting that Lawson’s pilot is in first position, meaning that she is not contractually obligated to be on any other show if the comedy is picked up.
While the end of this quirky little gem is truly sad news (and worthy of a few Shawn monologues to help cheer us up), the silver lining here is that the timing of the final-season filming means that feasibly James Roday, Dule Hill, and the rest of the talented cast could be up for new series for the fall, pending on if they end up finding a show that they like. This is something that actors on some current shows do not have the luxury of doing, especially if it is a toss up whether or not they will return for another season.
What’s your take both on Lawson’s casting, and the fact that “Psych” could be over soon? If you want to read more news on the seventh season, you can do so over at the link here.
Photo: USA
dork4tv
February 12, 2013 @ 4:49 am
I don’t necessarily see this news as confirmation that Psych is ending with season 8. If it were to continue with similarly short seasons, and a 3-month filming schedule in the spring when most network shows are on hiatus, there’s no reason Maggie couldn’t do both. There’s no telling what kind of clauses or stipulations may have gone into the actors’ contracts due to the short filming season. And not being contractually obligated isn’t the same as not being able to be on another show should a ninth season of Psych happen. I don’t think Maggie or any of the Psych cast would have to be contractually obligated in order to show up for more seasons of Psych. So until USA makes the announcement, I don’t think anything is confirmed.