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 began calling in tips to the police hotline for crimes he sees on television to entertain himself. Then 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, Shawn explained that his insight is really second sight - he's a psychic and although sceptical, the department is impressed and Shawn was hired on as a 'psychic consultant'. Enlisting the assistance of his reluctant best friend, Gus, Shawn opened his own agency, PSYCH, taking his talent for detective work - and fun - in a new direction.

"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 and a regular paycheck is right where he belongs. Still, the idea of being a private investigator intrigued him, and while he is completely horrified by Shawn's behaviour most of the time, he knew that the excitement and adventure of their new enterprise might just make it all worth it.