# So Help Me Todd (2022)

> A directionless private investigator reluctantly becomes the in-house sleuth for his overbearing, newly divorced attorney mother.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/125518

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 31
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: comedy, drama, mystery
- Created by: Scott Prendergast
- Network: CBS
- Cast: Marcia Gay Harden, Skylar Astin, Madeline Wise, Tristen J. Winger, Inga Schlingmann, Rosa Arredondo, Clayton James, Thomas Cadrot
- TMDB rating: 7.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18573724/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: breezy, sardonic, bickering, warm, light

## What critics say

Audiences rated the first season highly for its warm family comedy-drama and its lead performances, while the shorter second season was rated markedly lower.

## Synopsis

So Help Me Todd (2022-2024) is an American CBS comedy-drama mystery series created by Scott Prendergast. Skylar Astin plays Todd, a talented but directionless private investigator and the black sheep of his family, who begrudgingly agrees to work as the in-house investigator for his overbearing mother Margaret (Marcia Gay Harden), a successful attorney reeling from the recent end of her marriage. Their opposing personalities generate constant friction as they take on cases that pull them into the orbit of their family and colleagues. Madeline Wise, Tristen J. Winger and Inga Schlingmann round out the supporting family and office circle. The engine of the series is the uneasy partnership itself: Todd wants his independence and a life of his own, Margaret wants control and a reason to keep him close, and each investigation exposes old wounds and new loyalties. The show runs for two seasons, the first carrying most of its episodes and the second cut short, so its arc stays open-ended. Its tone is breezy and sardonic, with warm, bickering domestic comedy underneath a light mystery structure. Fans of Psych, Monk and Gilmore Girls will find resonance in its mix of quirky investigation and prickly mother-son chemistry.

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