[a] Taking advantage of his eidetic memory and keen observational skills, he poses as a psychic and works as a private detective who often consults with the Santa Barbara Police Department.

Shawn Spencer works as a freelance consultant to the Santa Barbara Police Department, along with his business partner and lifelong best friend Burton "Gus" Guster.

Franks' father would ask him how many people were wearing hats in a restaurant, a tactic Henry employs in the series pilot.

However, he started acting as a consultant for the police because they suspected him of being involved in one of the crimes he was reporting a tip for, not believing that he could have known the information from just watching a news broadcast.

[3] Robert Arp draws similar comparisons, likening him to Holmes in that both have "seemingly supernatural powers of observation".