‘Monk’ and ‘Psych’ Christmas Specials Premiere Tonight

Say what you want, but I’ve got a bit of a thing for those sleuthing oddballs Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) and Shawn Spencer (James Roday) over on USA. I’ve been watching Monk since Day One, and although I kind of tuned out Psych at the end of its first season (the antics and lead character’s irritating mannerisms started getting on my last nerve, but now I’ve grown used to them), I think the younger show has noticeably improved this season, its second.

Tonight, USA presents a special two-hour block of holiday-appropriate mischief. First at 9pm EST is super smart Monk in “Mr. Monk and the Man Who Shot Santa.” The only thing you need to know to get your interest flowing is that the man mentioned in the title is none other than our beloved phobia-riddled detective, who you’d assume would be too scared to even touch a gun—The germs! The germs!—let alone fire one. Veteran actor Larry Miller (8 Simple Rules… for Dating My Teenage Daughter, The Nutty Professor) adds extra sparkle as a guest star.

Then at 10pm, Shawn and his best dude Gus (Dulé Hill) somehow get the idea that “Gus’ Dad May Have Killed an Old Guy.” What good is it having a fake psychic as your closest bud if he can’t use his fake skills to get your dad out of a very non-fake bind? And, the icing on the cake is Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show) and Ernie Hudson (Oz, Ghostbusters), who play Gus’ mom and dad. Very nice casting!

USA has a tradition of year-end holiday episodes with Monk, and they never fail to deliver high entertainment value. This will be Psych’s first time out during Santa season, however. But, that shouldn’t stop you from catching one or both special installments if dramedies and crime procedurals are an appealing combination to you, too.