The laughs continue with the season eight premiere of PSYCH on Wednesday, January 8 at 9/8c. USA's longest-running series stars James Roday, Dulé Hill, Corbin Bernsen, Maggie Lawson, Timothy Omundson and Kirsten Nelson, who makes her directorial debut. In the premiere episode Santa Barbara's favorite faux psychic and his sidekick travel to London and come face-to-face with Despereaux (returning guest star Cary Elwes). The 10 episode season also includes the fan-selected "A Nightmare on State Street," directed by Roday, and a special remake of the season one episode "Cloudy with a Chance of Murder." Additional guests include Oscar(R) winner Mira Sorvino, Tony(R) winner Phylicia Rashad, Kristy Swanson, Anthony Michael Hall, Tom Arnold, Billy Zane, Emmy winner Loretta Devine and Bruce Campbell.

USA's 'Psych' to End After Eight Seasons

12:00 PM PST 2/5/2014 by Philiana Ng

It’s time to retire the pineapple.

USA Network is officially ending Psych, its long-running scripted comedy series after the current eighth season, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The series finale has been set for March 26 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. A special one-hour live show, Psych After Show, will follow at 10 p.m. ET/PT, featuring a Q&A discussion with series creator Steve Franks and the entire cast taped in front of a studio audience in Los Angeles. James Roday and Dule Hill also released a video announcing the final episodes. (Watch the video below.)

Since Psych’s summer debut in 2006, the hour-long comedy has become a reliable bet for USA – though it has been showing its age. The eighth season, which debuted Jan. 8, opened with 2.3 million viewers and a 0.8 rating among 18-49. The most recent episode dipped to 1.7 million viewers, very near a series low. Psych was last a considerable force in its fifth season when it regularly approached 4 million viewers.

“We've shot out season eight and if season eight is it, that's what it was meant to be. If it can live on in any other capacity, let's talk Broadway,” Franks told THR in December, calling the finale “one of my favorite episodes of the show.” He said of the closer: “It certainly has a degree of closure that will be satisfying.”

A fan favorite at Comic-Con, Psych reached its 100th-episode milestone last March, and last December, broadcast a two-hour movie musical, a long in-the-works passion project from Franks. Psych has been known for its bevy of pop-culture references and homages to classics like Clue, The Shining and Twin Peaks – and has a considerable online presence (the Emmy-nominated #HashTag Killer campaign). When the show ends, it would have aired more than 120 episodes, just a few shy of USA’s former longtime dramedy Monk.

During Psych’s latter years, castmembers have dabbled in work outside of Psych, most notably Maggie Lawson, who at one point was also juggling ABC comedy Back in the Game.

“Psych has made an indelible imprint on the television landscape, with a unique brand of comedy,” said Chris McCumber, president of USA Network. “The final season celebrates the iconic characters that have made this show so beloved, and will be an exclamation point on the series’ incredible run. And while the series will wrap in March somehow I don’t believe we’ve heard the last of Shawn and Gus.”

Jeff Wachtel, president and chief content officer of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, "Psych is one of those rare projects that broke into the cultural mainstream. Its wild energy, fearless fun and engaging characters delivered an unrivaled series that will continue to be loved by fans for as long as there are ways to watch TV."

The news comes at an interesting time for USA as it sets its sights on comedy with the upcoming launch of Denis Leary’s Sirens in early March, continuing its reality push with Chrisley Knows Best and eyeing the next new scripted effort. With Psych wrapping up and Burn Notice and Necessary Roughness ending last year, USA has a handful of scripted shows on its slate: White Collar, which recently ended its fifth season and has yet to be renewed; Royal Pains; Covert Affairs; Suits; Graceland; the six-part miniseries Dig from Tim Kring; the aforementioned Sirens; Benched; and Playing House. USA also has five dramas in development.

Psych, co-starring Corbin Bernsen, Timothy Omundson and Kirsten Nelson, hails from Universal Cable Productions and Tagline Productions. Franks, Kelly Kulchak and Chris Henze are executive producers, with Mel Damski also director. Saladin K. Patterson, Andy Berman and Todd Harthan are co-executive producers, with Kell Cahoon consulting producer.

Any inklings on whether Psych Season 8 will be the final season?

Franks: We’ve had inklings it will be the final season since the second year [laughs]. We just go on as long as we can and wait for them to kick us out of the building.