Here’s why Psych recast young Shawn’s actor in season 5. In USA Network’s detective-comedy series, the child version of James Roday’s Shawn Spencer was played by two different actors in the first two episodes, before the show ultimately settled on Liam James as its young Shawn early in season 1. Later, the role was suddenly taken over by Skyler Gisondo in Psych season 5. Gisondo continued to play young Shawn until the season 6 finale.
For the first five seasons, Psych had a tradition – which it rarely broke – that involved each episode opening with a flashback to Shawn’s childhood. Typically, these flashbacks would revolve around Shawn learning some kind of valuable lesson from his father, Henry (Corbin Bernsen), and they would always be relevant to the main plot by coming in handy for him in the present-day storyline. Aside from the scenes with Henry, these flashbacks also addressed Shawn’s friendship with Gus (Dulé Hill), whose younger self was played by Carlos McCullers II for the most part.
Liam James, the actor most closely associated with the role of young Shawn, played the character for the last time in Psych season 5, episode 4. So why did Psych replace James with Skyler Gisondo? Unfortunately, it has to do with the problem every show faces with child actors – aging. In his last few appearances on Psych, James was noticeably taller, and his voice was deeper. The show may not have been ready for teenage Shawn, so it could be that an actor who at least appeared younger was needed (Gisondo is actually only a month younger than James).
Liam James Moved On From Psych Quickly
Following James’ abrupt exit from Psych season 5, he was cast in AMC’s The Killing. James played the recurring role of Jack Linden, the son of the main female character, Sarah (Mireille Enos). Both James’ change in appearance and his new role on The Killing could have led to his sudden departure. After the role was recast, Gisondo played young Shawn for the rest of season 5, but the format of the show changed in season 6. Flashbacks ceased being a tradition, and it got to a point where they were only occasional; they stopped completely after the season 6 finale.
For the first few seasons of Psych, flashbacks were an important part of the show, and a lot of that had to do with the father-and-son chemistry of Corbin Bernsen and Liam James, which echoes Psych creator Steve Franks’ true childhood. Bernsen’s Henry would give Shawn a piece of fatherly advice in nearly every episode, and it was always interesting to see what trouble Shawn was getting into each week as a child and how that problem would end up re-emerging as an issue for him in the present. Plus, Liam James’ version of the character had many of his adult counterpart’s mannerisms and personality traits, making it even easier to believe he was young Shawn. Their similarities were key because they played into the idea that Shawn was like a child who had never quite grown up.
Psych’s Central Relationship Meant The Flashbacks Weren’t Needed Anymore
Since these scenes from Shawn’s childhood were such an integral part of the show for a long time, it’s natural to wonder why Psych cut the flashbacks after season 6. One Reddit user, museloverx96, has a compelling theory. According to this theory, as Shawn and Henry’s present-day relationship evolves and improves, the need for flashbacks gradually wears away. Henry may have been a tough-love kind of father, but in Psych‘s present narrative, it’s shown little by little just how much he cares for his son on a deep level. The more audiences understand this, the less need there is to emphasize the dynamic of Henry and Shawn’s past. This is a logical story-based explanation for why the show would choose to taper off its flashbacks, although it could have been based more in the logistical issue of maintaining a child actor for the role of young Shawn. Either way, the flashbacks will always be part of what defines Psych as a show.
