While the Brat Pack’s Ally Sheedy might be best known as the star of numerous classic teen movies, her best comeback role was as a surprisingly scary serial killer in Psych. In many ways, Psych was surprisingly ahead of its time. The comedic detective show’s premise of a fake psychic working with the police department to solve crimes was borrowed in the later hit The Mentalist, resulting in Psych taking many hilarious shots at the more self-serious series. The comedy mystery hybrid was also home to a TV first when Psych was the first show to remake its own episode.
Another element of Psych’s success that turned out to be surprisingly prescient was the show’s ‘80s nostalgia. From obscure movies to largely forgotten pop bands, Psych constantly referenced the pop culture ephemera of Shawn and Gus’s youth. ‘80s references were almost as ubiquitous as pineapples in Psych, with the procedural bringing back many stars from the era in guest roles. In the decade since Psych ended its 8-year run, ‘80s nostalgia has become a mainstream phenomenon. From Stranger Things to Top Gun: Maverick, the decade was everywhere throughout the 2020s. This eventually resulted in 2024’s Brat Pack documentary Brats.
Ally Sheedy Is Incredible In Psych As The Serial Killer Yang
Brats focuses on the so-called Brat Pack of the ‘80s, a loosely connected group of actors who headlined many of the most popular teen movies of the decade. Among them was Ally Sheedy, star of The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo’s Fire, Short Circuit, WarGames, Oxford Blues, and Blue City. Years before Brats brought Sheedy back into the spotlight, Psych cast the Brat Pack member as the serial killer Mr. Yang. This was a departure for Sheedy, who typically played heroic roles in dramas and comedies. Even her darker projects, like Fear and Man’s Best Friend, saw her play unambiguously heroic characters.
The role of Mr. Yang was originally intended to be a one-off appearance for Sheedy, playing a serial killer who becomes obsessed with Shawn after encountering him during his childhood. Her first episode, season 3, episode 16, “An Evening with Mr. Yang,” saw Yang arrested after a tense game of cat-and-mouse with the police, Gus, and Shawn. Sheedy then went on to reprise the role three more times over the next four seasons, and Yang even had a planned Psych movie cameo that never came to pass. The antagonist remains one of Psych’s most enduringly popular villains.
Ally Sheedy Can Still Reprise Her Yang Role Despite The Character’s Death
Yang died a surprisingly redemptive death in her final appearance, season 7, episode 15, “Psych: The Musical.” Despite this, there is no reason to think that Yang can’t appear again in the franchise’s upcoming fourth movie spinoff. The Psych movies utilize a lot of inventive techniques to bring back fan-favorite characters, including a few who weren’t alive the last time viewers saw them. For example, Jimmi Simpson’s Mary Lightly first appeared in “An Evening With Mr. Yang” and was killed in season 4, episode 16, “Mr. Yin Presents…” However, Simpson still reprised his role in two Psych spinoff movies.
Mary appeared as an angel in “Psych: The Musical,” before his spirit made a cameo in Psych: The Movie. Since Psych’s seasons and movies brought back Simpson’s Mr. Yang victim Mary repeatedly after his tragic death, there’s no reason Ally Sheedy’s Mr. Yang couldn’t appear again in Psych’s fourth movie. It would be hard for the series to justify this given how fitting her character’s ending was, but Mary’s cameo in the movie was originally going to include an appearance by Yang’s severed head. As such, the show’s fourth spinoff (if it happens) could come up with an equally unexpected comeback.
Psych Revived The Brat Pack Throughout Its 8 Seasons
Psych featured a lot of Brat Pack members in cameos, allowing the show to indulge its obsession with all things ‘80s while also giving the stars of the era a carer boost. Molly Ringwald appeared as Lavender McElroy in season 6, episode 6, “Shawn, Interrupted,” while her love interest from The Breakfast Club, Judd Nelson, played Dr. Steven Reidman in season 4, episode 13, “Death Is in the Air.” In season 7, episode 14, “No Trout About It,” Anthony Michael Hall played the new interim police chief, Harris Trout. Hall racked up three appearances in the series before Trout’s firing.
While Psych’s fourth movie spinoff hasn’t confirmed many details yet, the outing is likely to bring back many of the familiar characters that viewers loved from the original series. The first three Psych movies featured plenty of comebacks from guest stars and the original run of the series was instrumental in bringing back the Brat Pack. As such, it would make perfect sense for Ally Sheedy’s Mr. Yang to put in an appearance next time Psych returns to screens.