Psych is a current television drama on air going into its forth season of programming. In the series, one of the leading characters is, Burton "Gus" Guster who is played by American actor, Dule Hill. In the show, Gus is a Pharmaceutical rep who has a vast knowledge of drugs. With the help of his practice, he manages to identify poisons and other drugs use in crime cases. Best of friends with Shawn Spencer, he also provides advice and support in the co-ownership of a detective agency.
In the show, Gus tends to be the more cautious and straight-laced, functioning as the man for Shawn's antics. Gus is portrayed as an academically advanced African-American. In past series, his character has reluctant and seemed to be consistently dragged by the collar into these "psychotic" adventures. As time progressed, he became one who is more relaxed and able to stand his ground.
In this USA Network production, Hill plays a character unbound to the common stereotypes of Black males in American media. Neither race nor gender defines his character's actions, personality or possibilities. Gus manages to break the stereotypes of black men. Typically represented as being irresponsible, against the law and unintelligent, the character seems to refine the image betrayed by media today.
Psych Season 1 “Gus' Terms” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JmLqS67J5U
Psych is like The Mentalist http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qf8M57we1I
It would also be interesting to compare this to the article I assigned on interracial buddy films, to see if any of the critique there applies.
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