GUS AGAIN

Burton "Gus" Guster of 'Psych' is two-thirds of the way home for inclusion in the TV Crossover Hall of Fame. If we just want to make it an honorary induction, then he's all set with those Tooniverse commercials for the phone service, in which Shawn and Gus are little kids back in 1987.

But if we just want to deal with live-action appearances, Dule Hill as Gus has fulfilled two of the qualifications for membership, thanks to a new DirecTV blipvert. Gus is trapped in a bank during a hold-up - at least we're assuming Hill is appearing as Gus. (He's certainly acting more like Gus than as Charlie from 'The West Wing'!) This had all the feel of a 'Psych' episode which we'll never see, complete with a guest appearance by Alan Tudyk.
Here's the trivial nit-pick that intrigued me: Usually in these DirecTV ads, a specific movie is always invoked; the previous blipvert featured Ron Perlman as "Hellboy", for example. In that ad, some previously unknown character uses his computer at work to program his DirecTV at home when his imagination conjures up Hellboy. This time, it's the guy with DirecTV whom we know - Gus - and the show he's programming which is unknown and possibly fictional.

And it is a show, not a movie; Gus specifically says that the impending hostage crisis will prevent him from getting home to see his favorite show. And we see at least part of its title on the screen of his cell phone: "The Cri-".

We could make up some sort of title that could only be found in Toobworld: "The Criminalist", "The Crime Of The Century", that sort of thing. But I think we're going to go with an established series here in the real world that doesn't cause a Zonk: 'The Critic'. It was an animated series starring Jon Lovitz as movie critic Jay Sherman.

Even though many animated characters from the Tooniverse have crossed over to interact with live-action humans - Daffy Duck, Superman, Brian & Stewie Griffin, Bart and Lisa Simpson - most Toobworld citizens consider animated shows to be just cartoons. So there's no problem with Gus thinking of 'The Critic' as just a show as well.

That it would be his favorite show? Well, I have no problem with that, I liked the show! (And it's in the Toobworld Central DVD library.)

But it just doesn't sound right. Shouldn't it be some action series from the 80s, like 'Airwolf'?

Just sayin', is all.......

BCnU!
Toby O'B