The post-pilot departure of Detective Lassiter’s original “Psych” partner resulted from an audience misunderstanding that was too big to ignore. In a 2016 interview with Entertainment Weekly, “Psych” creator Steve Franks revealed that he switched out Anne Dudek’s Lucinda Barry for Maggie Lawson’s Juliet O’Hara after one episode due to test audiences’ reactions to the romantic dynamic between Barry and Lassiter (Timothy Omundson).
“[P]eople didn’t understand Lassiter was separated from his wife. They thought he was married and having an affair with [Barry],” Franks clarified. “You had to listen very carefully to know that. So … through her, they were turned off to Lassiter.” Franks further explained that he felt wary of leading “Psych” viewers to turn on Lassiter too fast. “I … knew exactly where I wanted to go with [the] character and if people didn’t give him a chance we were dead in the water,” added the “Psych” creator.
Despite “all of the [Psych] characters [testing] off the charts,” Franks’ need to neutralize audience feelings toward Lassiter resulted in the show “moving on” from Lucinda Barry. The role of Detective Lassiter’s partner was filled instead by Maggie Lawson’s sensitive-yet-determined junior detective Juliet O’Hara.
Psych hinted at Lucinda Barry’s fate years later
In the wake of Juliet’s introduction in Episode 2 of Season 1, Lucinda Barry would never again appear in an episode of “Psych.” However, the USA Network series ultimately offered a hint at the fate of Lassiter’s original partner: In the Season 7 opener “Santabarbaratown 2,” a firing range investigated by Shawn (James Roday Rodriguez) and Gus (Dulé Hill) contains a plaque establishing the existence of a “Lucinda Barry Memorial Tournament,” suggesting that the character died off screen.
In addition to “Psych,” Anne Dudek appeared in other TV cult classics from Fox police procedural “Bones” to AMC critical darling “Mad Men.” “I’m very lucky to be involved in shows that have hit the nerve of people who want to see it,” she told entertainment column Bullz-Eye in a 2011 interview regarding her extensive resume.
“I feel so blessed just in that regard, because you can work and work and work as an actor and never be a part of something like that. I’ve been a part of a few things that I think people really respond to. That’s always very rewarding.”
