Dr. Woodrow Juniper "Woody" Strode (b. 1954) is the coroner operating at the SBPD from season four onward (although the retcon in "Remake A.K.A. Cloudy... With a Chance of Improvement" does cast doubt). He is portrayed by Kurt Fuller.
Biography
Woody works as the Santa Barbara Police Department's corner and he has appeared many times since 2009, but he figures prominently in season six. He even goes on a bender with Shawn, Gus, and Lassiter. He's a bit strange, often agreeing with Shawn and Gus's crazy theories, like vampires as the cause of death. He was in the All Coroner's League. Woody is also very quirky, using strange examples and making comments and morbid jokes that even Shawn is slightly disturbed by. His wife cheated on him twelve times; the known instances are with her personal trainer, White Sox slugger Harold Baines, and a cabbie from Khartoum named Matak. He is wanted in the Philippines for unknown reasons.
In "Autopsy Turvy", Woody begins a romantic relationship with Grace Larsen, a former flame and a mortician who helps Woody with a case. At the end of the episode, it is revealed that it was Grace who was the murderer, and she wanted to be thought of as good as Woody. In this same episode, it is revealed that Woody may have a crush on Chief Vick, as he asks her if she was currently seeing anyone, and then when she tells him she's married with a child he says he guesses she'll only, "be the chief of doing (him) in (his) dreams!" Woody begins a relationship with Ursula, Marlowe's parole officer and lover of Carlton after a one-night stand after Juliet gets them together to help Carlton and Marlowe live together in their own home. Woody stated that they were both what each other was looking for.
Despite being disturbing and making strange comments (for example he once proposed that a woman died of smallpox only to find out that it had been eradicated several decades previously), he seems to be good at his job.
Quotes
- "I cannot thank you enough for believing in me!"
- — Woody Strode (from Autopsy Turvy)
Appearances
- High Top Fade Out (4.07; 25 Sep 2009)
- Thrill Seekers and Hell Raisers (4.11; 3 Feb 2010)
- The Head, the Tail, the Whole Damn Episode (4.15; 3 Mar 2010)
- Feet Don't Kill Me Now (5.02; 21 Jul 2010)
- Not Even Close... Encounters (5.03; 28 Jul 2010)
- Shawn 2.0 (5.08; 1 Sep 2010)
- Dead Bear Walking (5.15; 15 Dec 2010)
- Shawn Rescues Darth Vader (6.01; 12 Oct 2011)
- Last Night Gus (6.02; 19 Oct 2011)
- This Episode Sucks (6.03; 26 Oct 2011)
- Dead Man's Curve Ball (6.05; 9 Nov 2011)
- Indiana Shawn and the Temple of the Kinda Crappy, Rusty Old Dagger (6.10; 29 Feb 2012)
- Heeeeere's Lassie (6.11; 7 Mar 2012)
- Let's Doo-Wop It Again (6.13; 21 Mar 2012)
- Autopsy Turvy (6.14; 28 Mar 2012)
- Santabarbaratown (6.16; 11 Apr 2012)
- Santabarbaratown 2 (7.01; 27 Feb 2013)
- Lassie Jerky (7.03; 13 Mar 2013)
- Cirque du Soul (7.06; 3 Apr 2013)
- Deez Nups (7.07; 10 Apr 2013)
- Right Turn or Left for Dead (7.08; 17 Apr 2013)
- Juliet Wears the Pantsuit (7.09; 24 Apr 2013)
- Santa Barbarian Candidate (7.10; 1 May 2013)
- Office Space (7.11; 8 May 2013)
- Nip and Suck It (7.13; 22 May 2013)
- Psych: The Musical (7.15/7.16; 15 Dec 2013)
- Remake A.K.A. Cloudy... With a Chance of Improvement (8.03; 22 Jan 2014)
- Someone's Got a Woody (8.04; 29 Jan 2014)
- Cog Blocked (8.05; 5 Feb 2014)
- 1967: A Psych Odyssey (8.06; 26 Feb 2014)
- The Breakup (8.10, 26 March 2014)
Trivia:
- He predicts Shawn will die in a gangland-style execution; they'll never find his head.
- He predicts that Gus will die by slipping in the bathtub.
- He and Grace Larsen were lovers in college.
- He frequents Furry websites.
- He is attracted to Mr. Yang.
- He is attracted to Karen Vick.
- In the Psych fan vote, the result of which was announced in "After Pshow", Woody was the winner in the "Best Supporting Character" category.
==Gallery== 
The gallery page for Woodrow Strode can be found here.