So Help Me Todd is an American legal drama created by Scott Prendergast that premiered on September 29, 2022, on CBS. The series stars Marcia Gay Harden, Skylar Astin, Madeline Wise, Rosa Arredondo, Tristen J. Winger and Inga Schlingmann.
Synopsis[]
- "So Help Me Todd follows razor-sharp, meticulous attorney Margaret Wright and Todd, her talented but scruffy, aimless son whom she hires as her law firm's in-house investigator. As the black sheep of the well-heeled Wright family, Todd is a laid-back, quick-thinking, excellent former private detective who fell on hard times after his flexible interpretation of the law got his license revoked. Margaret's penchant for excellence and strict adherence to the law is at complete odds with Todd's scrappy methods of finding his way through sticky situations: by the seat of his wrinkled pants.
When Todd inadvertently teams with his mother on a case, she's surprised to find herself duly impressed by - and proud of - his crafty ability to sleuth out information with his charm and his wide-ranging tech savvy. At last, Margaret sees a way to put her son on a "suitable" path to living an adult, financially solvent life she approves of, and she asks him to join her firm. Todd agrees, since it means getting his license back and once again doing the job he excels at and loves.
Mother and son working together is a big first step toward mending their fragile, dysfunctional relationship, and they may even come away with a better understanding of each other at this pivotal point in their lives. But whether Todd and Margaret will be able to accept each other for who they are is another case entirely."
— Official CBS synopsis
Cast[]
Main[]
- Skylar Astin as Todd Wright
- Marcia Gay Harden as Margaret Wright
- Inga Schlingmann as Susan Yang
- Madeline Wise as Allison Grant
- Rosa Arredondo as Francey Jones
- Tristen J. Winger as Lyle Burton
Recurring[]
- Clayton James as Chuck Grant
- Thomas Cadrot as Chet Venables
- Matthew Wilkas as Lawrence Wright
- Artemis Litsiadis as Clementine Wright-Venables
- Rob LaBelle as D.A. Lars Boatman
- Jeffrey Nordling as Gus Easton
- Leslie Silva as Beverly Crest
Episodes[]
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired (US dates) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season premiere | Season finale | |||
| 1 | 21 | September 29, 2022 | May 18, 2023 | |
| 2 | 10 | February 15, 2024 | May 16, 2024 | |
Production[]
Development[]
So Help Me Todd was created by Scott Prendergast who serving as executive producer. On February 3, 2022, the show has picked up the pilot at CBS. Liz Kruger, Craig Shapiro, Amy York Rubin, Julia Eisenman, Jay McGraw and Phil McGraw were also announced as executive producers.
On May 12, 2022, So Help Me Todd was officially picked up to series.[1] It was also announced that Elizabeth Klaviter had replaced Kruger and Shapiro as the series' showrunner. On October 19, 2022, the series received a full season order.[2] On February 2, 2023, it was announced that the series has renewed for a second season.[3]
Casting[]
In March 2022, it was announced that Geena Davis would be portraying as Joan, then later announced that Skylar Astin joined the cast. On March 23, it was confirmed that Marcia Gay Harden to replace Davis for her unspecified reasons.
It also confirmed that Madeline Wise, Inga Schlingmann, Rosa Arredondo and Tristen J. Winger joined the cast of the pilot.
Reception[]
Critical response[]
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 50% approval rating based on 6 critic reviews. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 51 out of 100 based on 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Overall ratings[]
Cancellation[]
CBS announced on April 19, 2024 that So Help Me Todd would not be renewed for a third season.[4] Fans were shocked, many taking to the official social media accounts for the show to express their disappointment and ask the production company to change their mind.
The "Save 'So Help Me Todd' Movement", which launched after the announcement, continues to grow. In one week's time the Facebook group Save So Help Me Todd grew from zero to 1,300 members. The "Renew Todd for a 3rd Season Petition" garnered 18,000 new signatures in the span of 5 days (between April 22-April 27, 2024). The Facebook group requests entertainment reporters to write reciprocal stories about the number of amazing comments and tributes being left on the petition by ardent fans and also on the So Help Me Todd Facebook group.
(Update May 19. 2024), three So Help Me Todd Petitions now have amassed over 63,000 total signatures and the Petition numbers keep climbing. Two Todd Facebook groups have gone from 3,500 members to over 15,000 passionate members in the span of just one month).
So Help me Todd creator, Scott Prendergast, gave fans a tribute, reading aloud just a fraction of the comments that are deluging CBS, So Help Me Todd articles, and the petition.
Trivia[]
- The name of the series is a play on the catchphrase, "So help me, God."
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Picks Up 3 Drama Pilots to Series, Passes on Comedy Pilots in Programming Shift
- ↑ 'Fire Country', 'East New York', 'So Help Me Todd' Get CBS Full-Season Orders – Deadline
- ↑ 'So Help Me Todd' Renewed for Season 2 On CBS
- ↑ Porter, Rick (2024-04-19). 'CSI: Vegas' and 'So Help Me Todd' Canceled at CBS. Retrieved on April 24, 2024.
External links[]
- So Help Me Todd on Wikipedia
- So Help Me Todd on CBS Wiki
- So Help Me Todd on IMDb