Creator Steve Franks Talks PSYCH: THE MUSICAL; Is Broadway Next?

In an in-depth interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Psych creator Steve Franks talked about checking this weekend's two-hour PSYCH: THE MUSICAL off his bucket list, the development of the project over several years, working with Broadway's Anthony Rapp, and what's next for the USA series.

On Rapp, Franks told THR: "We would have never made him audition. If he wanted in, he was in. I didn't meet him until the day he showed up at Ocean Ways Studio, this great facility where Frank Sinatra used to record, where we recorded the vocals. Anthony showed up took the red-eye to fly in -- he had a concert the night before -- to these over-the-top, kind of ridiculous songs. It was interesting to see Anthony, this very serious Broadway star, go down the rabbit hole of what we do. It was a coup on our part to be able to bring him into our hole."

On where Psych will go from here, Franks added: "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."

Read the full interview here.

"PSYCH: The Musical," a two-hour special episode, will air tomorrow, Sunday, December 15, 2013.

In this long-awaited special featuring Santa Barbara's finest singing and dancing, Shawn (Roday) and Gus (Hill) dive into a world that's equal parts mystery and melody to track down an escaped playwright mad man, Z (Anthony Rapp, "Rent"), who, six years earlier, was deemed criminally insane after locking a critic in a back room of the theatre that he burnt to the ground. With little to Go On and a fear that Z will kill again, Shawn, Gus and the SBPD are forced to consult with the one person Z confided in while in the institution...a dangerous and familiar villain from Shawn's past, who guides them using cryptic clues to reveal what Z is planning next.

Psych creator/executive producer Steve Franks wrote and directed Psych THE MUSICAL, and along with music composer Adam Cohen, co-wrote the 14 original songs and reprises. The music and lyrics were recorded in part on the iconic Sinatra stage at Capital Records in Los Angeles. In addition to Rapp, guest stars include Ally Sheedy ("The Breakfast Club") who returns as the infamous Mr. Yang, Tony Award Winner Barry Bostwick ("Cougar Town"), Brooke Lyons ("2 Broke Girls") and Jimmi Simpson ("It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia") plus Kurt Fuller ("Midnight in Paris") who recurs as Woody the coroner.

For a full list of the songs in the episode, click here.

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