News

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Family Law is a Canadian legal drama series created by Susin Nielsen. The Global series follows Abigail Bianchi, a talented lawyer struggling with alcoholism who begins working for her estranged father and two half-siblings in family law. She soon finds herself overwhelmed with the pressures of family law and the dysfunction of her own family. Family Law stars Jewel Staite, Zach Smadu, Genelle Williams, Lauren Holly, and Victor Garber. So, if you loved the familial bonds, legal drama, and compelling characters in Family Law, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

The Good Fight Credit – Paramount+

The Good Fight is a legal political drama series created by Robert King, Michelle King, and Phil Alden Robinson. The CBS series is a standalone sequel series to the popular CBS series The Good Wife, and it follows Diane Lockhart,...

Jeffrey Dean Morgan became a household name largely due to his performance as the ruthless Negan in The Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: Dead City. Negan is first introduced as an antagonist in the post-apocalyptic zombie drama, brutally murdering fan favorite Glenn (Steven Yeun) to establish himself as a major threat off the bat. Brilliant, sarcastic, and tyrannical, Negan menaces the survivors for seasons before somehow making a flip to the protagonist in the show's spin-off, thanks largely to Morgan's charisma and skill.

Morgan has a long history of portraying gruff, tough guy types. Sometimes, these roles are misunderstood anti-heroes, and other times, he plays outright heinous people. He has a tact for covering all shades of the villainous spectrum. Whether viewers love to hate him or just outright loathe him, Morgan knows how to bring a bad guy to life.

Morgan Briefly Plays an Alien In Star Trek: Enterprise...

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Does any major network do wacky show titles as well as CBS? I don't think so. It's the home of such creatively, chaotically named shows as "Jake and the Fatman," "Gary Unmarried," "Joan of Arcadia," "United States of Al," "Syzyszynk," and -- my personal favorite, name-wise -- "God Friended Me." The network's wacky titles go all the way back to TV's golden age, but their schedule still features several weirdly named shows today. Without giving each of them a watch, it's hard to tell your "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage" from your "Bob Hearts Abishola," but one unusually named show made its mark recently with a short but loved two-season run: "So Help Me Todd."

The name of "So Help Me Todd" gives few hints about the show's premise, but it was actually about a flailing private detective ("Pitch Perfect...

Exclusive: So Help Me Todd fans still mourning the cancellation of the CBS series after two seasons, has something to cheer about. Series creator Scott Prendergast is back with Pennies, another light broadcast procedural that has two immediate family members at the center. In a competitive situation, Fox has landed Pennies with a script commitment plus penalty. The project hails from Kapital Entertainment, which will serve as the co-studio with Fox Entertainment.

Written by Prendergast, the hourlong Pennies is about a reclusive forensic pathologist named Penny who is more comfortable with the bodies under her (dogged) care than with real people. Penny solves mysteries and murders stemming from the San Francisco morgue, aided by her over-confident extrovert sister, also named Penny, an attorney in the D.A.’s office.

Prendergast executive produces with Aaron Kaplan of Kapital Entertainment and Brian Morewitz of Morewitz Media.

In addition to creating and executive...

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Matlock is a mystery legal comedy-drama series created by Jennie Snyder Urman. Based on the 1980s iconic series of the same name created by Dean Hargrove, the CBS series follows the story of Madeline “Matty” Matlock, a brilliant lawyer who decides to rejoin the workforce in her 70s. She begins working in a prestigious law firm alongside a few highly competitive lawyers but soon we discover that Madeline is hiding some secrets that her colleagues don’t know. Matlock stars the always-brilliant Kathy Bates in the titular role with Jason Ritter, Skye P. Marshall, Leah Lewis, David Del Rio, Nicole de Boer, and Eme Ikwuakor starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the interesting storyline, thrilling courtroom scenes, and compelling characters in the Matlock reboot series here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Suits...

Two petitions to bring back So Help Me Todd have crossed a big milestone in response to the controversial cancellation by CBS. Debuting in September 2022, from creator Scott Prendergast and showrunner Elizabeth Klaviter, the lighthearted procedural drama follows a private investigator (Skylar Astin) as he agrees to work for his mother and her law firm despite their uneasy relationship. So Help Me Todd was cancelled in April of this year, lasting only two seasons.

Now, two petitions to bring back So Help Me Todd have gained traction. The first petition, from Change.org, calls for the procedural to be renewed for a third season. Addressed to networks like NBC, ABC, and The CW, the petition praises the show and pushes back on the fact that it was axed on a cliffhanger.

The second petition, also from Change.org, takes a more critical tone on CBS. It suggests the network behaved...

Emulating what many are expecting at next week’s Emmy Awards nominations, FX’s “The Bear” topped the field with 15 bids followed by Max’s “Hacks” and Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” with 13 apiece for the Astra TV Awards. The above comedies were followed in the overall nominations tally by ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” CBS’s “Ghosts” and Apple TV+’s “The Morning Show” with 11 honors each, while the Prime Video freshman drama “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” also came in at double-digits with 10. Leading the way for limited series were a pair of Netflix offerings, “Baby Reindeer” and “The Fall of the House of Usher,” along with Apple TV+’s “Lessons in Chemistry” and HBO’s “True Detective: Night Country” – all with seven bids apiece.

The Astras are unique among TV awards competitions in that they create separate stand-alone categories for broadcast, cable and streaming as well as...

This year, several television shows have been canceled much to the chagrin of fans. Several of them were popular shows that still got good ratings. However, some of them also didn’t get proper endings. An example is CSI: Vegas, which will end with several cliffhangers. Another show this happened to was So Help Me Todd.

Fans have lashed out at the network about the show’s ending and here is what you need to know.

So Help Me Todd Ends Series With Cliffhanger

When CBS explained why it was canceling shows like Blue Bloods, the network said it needed to “freshen up” the schedule by adding new shows. That means some fan-favorite shows had to end. However, they also said that they wanted to allow the shows to end on notes that ended the stories.

That isn’t what happened all the time. CSI: Vegas is ending with cliffhangers...

It was a bittersweet night for the cast and creator of So Help Me Todd. Despite protests from fans to the cancellation of the mother-and-son detective series, tonight’s Season 2 finale was a last glimpse of a show that many felt was gone before is time.

On the day of the finale, So Help Me Todd stars Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin, creator Scott Prendergast and cast member Heather Morris were among those who took to social media to say good bye. See their reactions below.

Related: ‘Young Sheldon’ Series Finale: EP Steve Holland Talks Return Of Mayim Bialik & Jim Parsons, Why The World Needs A Sheldon Cooper Memoir

For more on the finale’s cliffhanger and what might have been, read Deadline’s interview with Prendergast.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Marcia Gay Harden (@mgh_8)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by...

[Warning: The below contains Major spoilers for the So Help Me Todd series finale “The Tooth Is Out There.”] We were so close to finally seeing Merritt Folding! So Help Me Todd ended on a major cliffhanger: Todd (Skylar Astin), in his investigation into who was buying verdicts, discovers that Merritt Folding, the then-unseen partner at the firm, has framed Margaret (Marcia Gay Harden). And who should be stepping off the elevator in the final moments but Folding himself?! TV Insider caught up with creator Scott Prendergast, over email, to answer our burning questions after that finale and share what would’ve happened next. Talk about ending the season on Merritt Folding getting off the elevator. Was there already any casting or idea of what you wanted to see with that character onscreen? What did you want to do with bringing that character onscreen now and the effect of that on others like Margaret and Todd? Scott Prendergast:...

Spoiler Alert! This story contains details about the series finale of So Help Me Todd on CBS.

For the small but dedicated fanbase of the drama that stars Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin, it wasn’t a surprise that the two-year-old crime dramedy was ending for good on May 16.

What was a surprise was how it ended — with a maddening cliffhanger that involved the arrival of law firm partner Merritt Folding and how Margaret [Harden] was going to be fingered for shenanigans that she did not commit. That’s not exactly the way you want to leave things with viewers who are already smarting about the show’s cancelation.

Creator Scott Prendergast understands how painful that would be for fans and would like to offer some relief. Here, he explains why they ended on a cliffhanger and what would have happened if the series had returned for a third season.

Network: CBS

Episodes: 31 (hour)

Seasons: Two

TV show dates: September 29, 2022 -- May 16, 2024

Series status: Cancelled

Performers include: Marcia Gay Harden, Skylar Astin, Madeline Wise, Tristen J. Winger, Inga Schlingmann, and Rosa Arredondo.

TV show description:      

A legal drama series, the So Help Me Todd TV show was created by Scott Prendergast, based on some experiences from his own life.

In the story, Margaret Wright (Harden) is a razor-sharp and successful attorney who is reeling from the recent dissolution of her marriage. Her son Todd (Astin) is the black sheep of the family. He's a laidback and quick-thinking former private detective who's fallen on hard times after his "flexible interpretation of the law" got his license revoked.

Read...

Following the shocking news that CBS‘ dramedy series So Help Me Todd has been canceled after two seasons, the cast have taken to social media to share their thoughts on the matter. So Help Me Todd was one of two series canceled by CBS on Friday, April 19. CSI: Vegas also got the boot. Scott Prendergast, the writer and creator of the show, shared a heartfelt message on his Instagram alongside a picture of the CBS logo with a heart in the middle. “Thank you CBS for the phenomenal opportunity,” Prendergast wrote. “CBS is truly a wonderful place to work. Everyone is so supportive, respectful and Smart. Every single executive I interacted with had only one goal in mind: how do we turn your idea into a great show on CBS? Working on this level, with this scope, with these actors, on these sets, with these writers, with this brilliant crew,...

Members of the So Help Me Todd team are reacting to CBS’ cancellation of the legal drama last week after two seasons.

Creator Scott Prendergast posted a tribute to the series on Instagram Friday, thanking CBS “for the phenomenal opportunity,” and called the network “a wonderful place to work.”

More from TVLineCSI: Vegas Star Reacts to Cancellation, Shares Message for Fans: 'We Did It All for You'Ratings: S.W.A.T. Draws Friday's Biggest Audience, SmackDown Dominates in DemoCBS Cancels Two Dramas, Including So Help Me Todd

“Working on this level, with this scope, with these actors, on these sets, with these writers,...

Updated with more reactions: So Help Me Todd creator, cast and crew members have responded to the news of the CBS’ dramedy’s cancellation after two seasons.

In a message Friday on Instagram, series creator creator Scott Prendergast gave a heartfelt thank you to CBS for what “has been the best professional experience of my life.”

“I took a story about me and my Mom and hundreds of people came together to build it into something else, something huge, something beautiful, something funny,” he wrote in part. “Thank you to everyone involved, and to all our viewers. One million thank yous will never be enough.”

You can read his entire message below.

Series co-star Inga Schlingmann reposted the image of Prendergast’s post on her Ig story, adding a heart hands emoji.

Star Marcia Gay Harden thanked the series’ “fantastic crew” over a behind-the-scenes group photo on her Ig stories.

Both “So Help Me Todd” and “CSI: Vegas” have been canceled at CBS, Variety has learned.

“So Help Me Todd” is currently airing its second season at the broadcaster, while “CSI: Vegas” is airing its third. Both shows are scheduled to air their season finales in May, which will now serve as series finales.

The two shows were some of the few CBS shows awaiting words on their fates for next season. The only other CBS shows with pending renewal statuses are “The Equalizer” and “NCIS: Hawai’i.” They are both solid performers, with “So Help Me Todd” averaging 7.7 million viewers an episode in multiplatform Live+35 and “CSI: Vegas” averaging 7.6 million. According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, CBS simply did not have enough room on the schedule to bring them back.

In addition to its many previously announced renewals, CBS already has a number of new shows set to debut next season.

CBS has canceled CSI: Vegas after three seasons and So Help Me Todd after two. The news is not surprising as Deadline revealed earlier this week that both dramas were heavily on the bubble and in grave danger.

That despite CSI: Vegas and So Help Me Todd being solid ratings performers. With the entire CBS schedule doing well this season and three new drama series joining in 2024-25, NCIS: Origins, Matlock and Watson (in addition to a second season of the Australian NCIS: Sydney), the network was faced with painful decisions, and So Help Me Todd and CSI: Vegas are the least watched CBS drama series this spring in both linear and multi-platform ratings.

In most current linear Nielsen viewership (2/12 to date), CSI: Vegas, which improved its time period, is at #21 among all non-sports broadcast programs with 6.234M viewers and So Help Me Todd at #22 with 6.224M. That is more...

Matthew Wilkas as Lawrence Wright and Skylar Astin as Todd Wright in ‘So Help Me Todd’ season 2 episode 6

Dean Winters, from Allstate’s “Mayhem” commercials, continues his guest-starring arc as a veteran private investigator on CBS’s So Help Me Todd season two episode six. “Is the Jury Out?” will air on Thursday, April 18, 2024 at 9pm Et/Pt. Todd Holland directs from a script by Scott Prendergast and Katherine Langenfeld.

Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden leads the cast as Margaret Wright and Skylar Astin stars as the titular Todd. Season two also features Madeline Wise as Allison, Tristen J. Winger as Lyle, Inga Schlingmann as Susan, and Rosa Arredondo as Francey.

“Is the Jury Out?” Plot: Lawrence enlists Todd’s services to find out the sexual orientation of a judge. Also, with her client’s livelihood at stake, Margaret and Lyle search for a reluctant witness.

Dean Winters and Allison Wise...

If you thought an emergency appendectomy would stop Todd from solving a case, you don't know the man vying to be Portland's number-one private investigator.

While Todd finds himself stuck in a hospital bed, he still can't escape a murder mystery!

So Help Me Todd Season 3 Episode 4 was a vintage hour for the series, full of laughs, heart, and all the things that make the series so charming.

We got to jump on a Zoom call with Todd himself, Skylar Astin, to break down the episode, including working alongside Dean Winters and Dick's unconventional advice, as well as diving into some teases for the rest of the season.

Skylar was nothing short of fantastic to speak with and offered excellent insight into a fun hour and what's ahead. Enjoy, So Help Me Todd fanatics!

It's an interesting episode for Todd because after he gets ill, he ends up in the...

So many words come to mind when one thinks about Jenifer Lewis: Diva. Icon. Legend. But killer? That’s a new one.

Lewis will take center stage in the April 11 episode of CBS’ So Help Me Todd (9/8c), TVLine has learned, playing the role of an international opera star known simply as “Jacqueline!” Plot twist: She’s also the estranged mother of Lyle (Tristen J. Winger), whose decision to give up music in favor of a legal career never sat well with her.

More from TVLineCBS Renews Ghosts and Fire CountryYoung Sheldon EP on the Guest Star They 'Really...

Exclusive: Gersh has hired veteran TV lit agent Doug Fronk as SVP and an agent in its Television Literary department.

Fronk spent the past three years at A3 as a Partner and Head of Television Literary. His move to Gersh follows A3’s shutdown earlier this month. Fronk’s clients will follow him to Gersh. The list includes So Help Me Todd creator Scott Prendergast, The Company You Keep creator Julia Cohen and fellow writer-producers Jennifer Corbett (Star Wars: The Bad Batch), Dan O’Keefe, Kim Rome (The Equalizer), Jerome Schwartz (La Brea), and Andi Buschell (The Lincoln Lawyer).

Prior to A3, Fronk spent 19 years at Paradigm, where he worked his way up to co-head of the TV lit department.

This is the latest Gersh hire in an expansion following the 2023 equity investment by Crestview Partners. Gersh has added 31 new agents since the start of the year, largely...

Skylar Astin as Todd and Marcia Gay Harden as Margaret in ‘So Help Me Todd’ season 2 episode 1

Lisa Rinna guest stars a co-anchor of the Morning Show on CBS’s So Help Me Todd season two episode one. Directed by Nancy Hower from a script by Scott Prendergast, episode one – “Iceland Was Horrible” – will air on Thursday, February 15, 2024 at 9pm Et/Pt.

Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden leads the cast as Margaret Wright and Skylar Astin stars as the titular Todd. Season two also features Madeline Wise as Allison, Tristen J. Winger as Lyle, Inga Schlingmann as Susan, and Rosa Arredondo as Francey.

“Iceland Was Horrible” Plot: Margaret and Todd tackle a case involving a murder on live local morning news and must rethink their working relationship after Todd decides to open his own Pi business.

Lisa Rinna as Jennifer and Marcia Gay Harden as Margaret in season 2 episode 1

The Plot,...

“I think I loved the fact that it was a comedy,” reflect Marcia Gay Harden on what first drew her into the script for her CBS series “So Help Me Todd.” Even though the show seems like a legal procedural, its episodes are always threaded through with hijinks. “Even if Margaret is ostensibly serious, it’s because she’s serious about her work, but in life, her inabilities in life to master technology, her rigidness, and her vanity are really funny and her anger is really funny,” comments the actress about her character. Watch our exclusive video interview above.

“So Help Me Todd” centers on Harden’s Margaret, a powerful Portland, Oregon, attorney who hires her sharp but unorganized son Todd, played by Skylar Astin, to be her firm’s temporary, in-house investigator. “It’s not like anything I’ve ever done,” admits the Oscar winner, discussing how the show has a “screwball comedy sensibility,...

Marcia Gay Harden as Margaret and Jeffrey Nordling as Gus Easton in ‘So Help Me Todd’ episode 21

Fortunately, So Help Me Todd received an early season two renewal, so episode 21 is just the season finale and not the end of the series. The network’s other new dramas – True Lies and East New York – said goodbye after just one season, but So Help Me Todd‘s impressive ratings earned it a spot on CBS’s 2023-2024 primetime lineup.

Episode 21, “Are You There Todd? It’s Me, Margaret,” was written by Scott Prendergast and directed by Nancy Hower. The season finale airs on Thursday, May 18, 2023 at 9pm Et/Pt.

Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden stars as Margaret Wright, Skylar Astin plays Todd Wright, and Tristen J. Winger is Lyle. Madeline Wise plays Allison, Inga Schlingmann is Susan, and Rosa Arredondo stars as Francey.

“Are You There Todd? It’s Me, Margaret...

So Help Me Todd Season 1 Episode 16 Episode Description And Spoilers So Help Me Todd Season 1 Episode 16 Photos Twelve Worried Persons – When a juror dies during Susan’s first big trial as lead attorney, Margaret and Todd work to exonerate Amy, a juror from the same trial suspected of the murder. Also, Margaret’s sister Patty is in town and sparks fly between Todd and Amy, on the CBS Original drama So Help Me Todd, Thursday, March 30 (9:01-10:00 Pm, Et/Pt) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+*. s01e16 1×16 1.16 s1e16 so help me todd episode Written By: Scott Prendergast Directed By: Ali LeRoi 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...

Skylar Astin as Todd in ‘So Help Me Todd’ episode 16

A juror’s death causes big problems for Susan and Todd on CBS’s So Help Me Todd season one episode 16, “Twelve Worried Persons.” Directed by Ali LeRoi from a script by Scott Prendergast, episode 16 will air on Thursday, March 30, 2023 at 9pm Et/Pt.

Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden stars as Margaret Wright, Skylar Astin plays Todd Wright, and Tristen J. Winger is Lyle. Madeline Wise plays Allison, Inga Schlingmann is Susan, and Rosa Arredondo stars as Francey.

“Twelve Worried Persons” Plot: When a juror dies during Susan’s first big trial as lead attorney, Margaret and Todd work to exonerate Amy, a juror from the same trial suspected of the murder. Also, Margaret’s sister Patty is in town, and sparks fly between Todd and Amy.

Episode 16 guest stars include Briga Heelan as Amy, a former Rose Festival Queen,...

Skylar Astin as Todd and Marcia Gay Harden as Margaret in ‘So Help Me Todd’ episode 13

Season one of CBS’s So Help Me Todd continues with an episode that finds Todd and Margaret’s cases colliding. Directed by Wendey Stanzler from a script by Scott Prendergast, episode 13 – “Wall of Fire” – will air on Thursday, February 9, 2023 at 9pm Et/Pt.

Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden stars as Margaret Wright, Skylar Astin plays Todd Wright, and Tristen J. Winger is Lyle. Madeline Wise plays Allison, Inga Schlingmann is Susan, and Rosa Arredondo stars as Francey.

“Wall of Fire” Plot: When Todd agrees to help Susan’s fiancé locate a missing employee, he stumbles into a case Margaret agreed to co-counsel with Gus. Margaret and Todd realize their cases are converging and a firewall is put into place to prevent them from communicating with each other.

Episode 13 guest stars include Clayton James,...

So Help Me Todd: Pictured: Skylar Astin and Marcia Gay Harden. Photo: Bettina Strauss/CBS ©2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. CBS has announced that it has renewed the hit drama So Help Me Todd for the 2023-2024 season. Since its premiere in September, So Help Me Todd has become Thursday’s #1 new series and has averaged 6.3 million viewers per episode, growing to 7.4 million with live plus 35-day multiplatform viewing. “So Help Me Todd has charmed viewers with the incomparable chemistry between Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “With the series’ unique blend of captivating legal drama, laugh-out-loud humor and intriguing family dysfunction, it’s no wonder the audience continues to grow. I am delighted that these two inimitable characters and their entertaining banter will extend into a second season.” So Help Me Todd stars Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden, Skylar Astin,...

So Help Me Todd starring Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden has been officially renewed for season two. CBS’s popular primetime drama has been averaging an impressive 6.3 million viewers since its premiere on September 29, 2022.

Season one, which ranks as the top new Thursday night series, currently airs on Thursdays at 9pm Et/Pt in between Ghosts and CSI: Vegas.

“So Help Me Todd has charmed viewers with the incomparable chemistry between Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “With the series’ unique blend of captivating legal drama, laugh-out-loud humor and intriguing family dysfunction, it’s no wonder the audience continues to grow. I am delighted that these two inimitable characters and their entertaining banter will extend into a second season.”

Harden stars as Margaret Wright, Skylar Astin plays Todd Wright, and Tristen J. Winger is Lyle. The first season cast also includes Madeline Wise as Allison,...

We have great news for fans of one of the freshman dramas on CBS.

CBS announced today that it has renewed the So Help Me Todd for the 2023-2024 season.

This is a very early renewal for a scripted drama series on CBS that isn't tethered to one of the network's big franchises.

"Since its premiere in September, So Help Me Todd has become Thursday's #1 new series and has averaged 6.3 million viewers per episode, growing to 7.4 million with live plus 35-day multiplatform viewing," said CBS in a press release.

"So Help Me Todd has charmed viewers with the incomparable chemistry between Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin," said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment.

"With the series' unique blend of captivating legal drama, laugh-out-loud humor and intriguing family dysfunction, it's no wonder the audience continues to grow. I am delighted that these two inimitable characters and their entertaining banter will extend into a second season.

The verdict is in for So Help Me Todd: CBS has renewed the mother-son legal drama for Season 2, TVLine has learned.

Thus far this season (with Live+7 playback), So Help Me Todd is averaging 6.3 million total viewers — making it the third-most watched freshman series of this TV season — and a 0.5 demo rating. Out of the 13 dramas CBS has aired this TV season, it ranks 11th in audience while besting only NCIS: Los Angeles in the demo.

More from TVLineFor Young Sheldon, the Time Has Come to Decide Whether or Not to Rewrite a Major Piece of Big Bang Theory...

CBS has renewed freshman drama “So Help Me Todd” for another season.

The series follows meticulous attorney Margaret Wright (Marcia Gay Harden) and Todd (Skylar Astin), 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 laidback, 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. Madeline Wise, Tristen J. Winger, Inga Schlingmann and Rosa Arredondo also star.

“So Help Me Todd” is created by Scott Prendergast, who executive produces alongside Elizabeth Klaviter, Dr. Phil McGraw, Stuart Gillard, Jay McGraw and Julia Eisenman. CBS Studios produces.

The series has been a ratings success...

CBS is adding another early series to its roster for the 2023-24 season.

The network has renewed its first-year drama So Help Me Todd for a second season. The CBS Studios series starring Skylar Astin and Marcia Gay Harden has been a consistent performer for CBS on Thursday nights so far, averaging 6.3 million viewers on-air over seven days and 7.4 million over five weeks of cross-platform viewing.

“So Help Me Todd has charmed viewers with the incomparable chemistry between Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin,” CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach said in a statement. “With the series’ unique blend of captivating legal drama, laugh-out-loud humor and intriguing family dysfunction, it’s no wonder the audience continues to grow. I am delighted that these two inimitable characters and their entertaining banter will extend into a second season.”

The pickup is the latest in a string of early renewals for the 2023-24 season at CBS.

So Help Me Todd will be back for a second season. Amid strong ratings, CBS announced today it has renewed the hit drama series starring Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin for premiere in the 2023-24 broadcast season.

The early renewal continues So Help Me Todd’s Cinderella story. Taking a big blow early in its pilot stage when the female lead was recast, with Harden replacing Geena Davis opposite Astin, the project hung in there in the middle of the pack before making a big pilot season finish with strong testing results, landing a series order.

There was also a showrunner change, with Elizabeth Klaviter replacing Liz Kruger and Craig Shapiro, who had signed on as EP/showrunners for the pilot only. But, just like NBC’s This Is Us whose trailer exploded after the upfronts, So Help Me Todd quietly gained momentum last summer, placing on lists of...

Matthew Wilkas guest stars as Margaret’s oldest son, the Lawrence from the episode’s title, on CBS’s So Help Me Todd season one episode seven. The Thanksgiving-themed episode, directed by Daniella Eisman from a script by Scott Prendergast and Stefanie Woodburn, will air on Thursday, November 10, 2022 at 9pm Et/Pt.

Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden stars as Margaret Wright, Skylar Astin plays Todd Wright, and Tristen J. Winger is Lyle. Madeline Wise plays Allison, Inga Schlingmann is Susan, and Rosa Arredondo stars as Francey.

Episode seven guest stars include Clayton James, Thomas Cadrot, Artemis Litsiadis, Kimmy Shields, Craig March, Frances Flanagan, and John C. Macdonald.

“Long Lost Lawrence” Plot: When Margaret is disappointed that no one but Todd can attend her family Thanksgiving dinner, Todd tries to convince his brother, Lawrence (Wilkas), to come home. Also, Margaret’s family inadvertently helps her crack a case involving an injured bank teller and robbery.

Skylar Astin and Marcia Gay Harden. Photo: Bettina Strauss/CBS ©2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The new CBS legal series So Help Me Todd is based on the experiences creator Scott Prendergast has had working in a law office with his mother. So, the way he sees it, that element of the show is no gimmick. In fact, he told us that the stories he’s accumulated already have given him material for many, many years of the show, and he’s totally prepared for a long prime-time run. (Click on the media below to hear Scott Prendergast) https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Soctt_So_HelpMe_Todd_.mp3 So Help Me Todd airs Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS, and episodes start streaming the following day on Paramount+.

The post ‘So Help Me Todd’ Creator Has Years’ Worth Of Stories To Tell appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.

CBS has given full season orders to its three freshman dramas — “East New York,” “So Help Me Todd,” and “Fire Country.”

“CBS is off to a tremendous start this season, said Kelly Kahl, president of CBS Entertainment. “We are thrilled to have the three most watched new series, each with their own unique settings, characters and storylines. These dramas are elevating our already successful lineup, resonating with diverse audiences both on-air and on streaming, and continuing to grow each week.”

“We thank the talented casts, executive producers and their incredible writing and production teams for bringing these shows to life,” Kahl added. “Additional kudos to our CBS programming teams for shepherding these series to success. We are delighted to give them well deserved full season orders.”

According to Nielsen’s Live+7 data as of Oct. 16, “Fire Country” is averaging 8.3 million viewers per episode, while “East New York” is at 7.4 million per episode.

Click here to read the full article.

CBS is wasting little time in locking down its trio of first-year scripted shows.

The network has extended the orders for East New York, Fire Country and So Help Me Todd after promising starts for all three. CBS is calling the extensions “full season orders,” though it hasn’t set episode counts for the trio. In the era of shorter season orders, a full run can mean anything from 15 or 16 episodes to the once-standard 22.

The pickups for the three shows come as little surprise, as Fire Country, East New York and So Help Me Todd are the three most watched rookie network shows of the 2022-23 season so far. The Jerry Bruckheimer-produced Fire Country drew 8.26 million viewers over seven days for its series debut. East New York is averaging 7.37 million over its first two episodes — and is the top-rated new series (and No.

It was a good night for the premiere of CBS’ Thursday night lineup. Young Sheldon was not only broadcast primetime’s most-watched show last night with 6.61 million viewers, the sophomore-season premiere of Ghosts won its half hour (6.15 million) and jumped 11 over last year’s premiere on October. 7, 2021 (5.5 million), according to Nielsen Live+Same Day ratings.

The strong performance by the comedies gave So Help Me Todd — a new drama starring Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin — a huge boost in its first outing. The series from Scott Prendergast about a private investigator who agrees to work for his attorney mom finished first in its time period with 4.69 million viewers, making it the best series premiere on any network so far this season.

Related Story 'CSI: Vegas': How Marg Helgenberger Was Brought Back As Catherine Willows Related Story Robin Weigert, Abby McEnany & Eric Graise Join Justin Hartley In 'The Never Game'...

CBS’s new primetime drama So Help Me Todd‘s premiere set up the dysfunctional relationship between Todd, a disgraced private detective, and his mom, Margaret, a talented lawyer. Season one episode two – “Co-Pilot” – finds the two reluctantly working together. Directed by Michael Spiller from a script by Scott Prendergast, episode two airs on Thursday, October 6, 2022 at 9pm Et/Pt.

Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden stars as Margaret Wright, Skylar Astin plays Todd Wright, and Tristen J. Winger is Lyle. Madeline Wise plays Allison, Inga Schlingmann is Susan, and Rosa Arredondo stars as Francey.

“Co-Pilot” Plot: Margaret and Todd work two seemingly unrelated cases, only to discover a key piece of information in the details of Todd’s humorously boring civil case could help Margaret’s high-profile client.

Hiro Kanagawa, Clayton James, Thomas Cadrot, Artemis Litsiadis, Sunita Prasad, and Shawn Ahmed guest star.

Season 1 Episode 1 Preview Skylar Astin as Todd...

“So Help Me Todd” made its debut on CBS Thursday night, and for anyone who saw the episode and thought, “That couldn’t happen,” well, the show’s jaw-dropping plot is rooted in creator and executive producer Scott Prendergast’s own experiences.

In the premiere episode, Joan (Marcia Gay Harden) enlists the help of her son Todd (Skyler Astin) – despite him being somewhat adrift in his life – to help her out when her husband disappears, like, without a trace.

“It is very personal to me,” Prendergast, who created the series, told TheWrap. “There was a time in my early 30s when my life was falling apart and I was trying to get into entertainment. I had just turned 30, I guess…. I had been doing various things.”

Prendergast had moved back to Portland from New York after his career wasn’t taking off. After some son-mother friction, he told his mom...

So Help Me Todd. Pictured: Marcia Gay Harden as Margaret and Skylar Astin as Todd. Photo: Michael Courtney/CBS ©2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

So Help Me Todd is a new legal drama about to premiere on CBS, starring Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin as a mother and son who work together on cases. The origins of the project come from creator/executive producer Scott Prendergast’s real life, and he explained to us how, out of his own personal turmoil, a really interesting pitch (and show) came from it. (Click on the media bar below to hear Scott Prendergast) https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Scott_Prendergast_so_Help_me_todd_.mp3 So Help Me Todd airs Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS, and episodes start streaming the following day on Paramount+.

The post How ‘Todd’s’ Creator Got The Show Off The Ground appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.

Click here to read the full article.

The punny title of CBS’ So Help Me Todd is the best part of So Help Me Todd.

It’s not a great pun, mind you. But it does, in general terms, what it needs to do. It evokes altruism, and the show is about a young man helping his mother. It evokes the law, and the main character’s mother is a lawyer. It also evokes God, but that part is a bait-and-switch. Audiences thinking So Help Me Todd might be a stealth continuation of CBS’ God Friended Me will be disappointed.

Speaking of name-based puns, the eponymous Todd’s mother’s name is Margaret, so if there isn’t an episode titled “Are You There, Todd? It’s Me, Margaret” before Christmas, we burn the whole place down. And speaking of Todds and Margarets, does anybody remember the comedy The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret?...

On its surface, “So Help Me Todd” is fairly straightforward. Based on creator Scott Prendergast’s own experiences, the new dramedy tells the story of high-powered lawyer Joan (Marcia Gay Harden) and her private investigator son (Skylar Astin) forging an unlikely partnership. Each episode follows a different case before the odd couple team inevitably catch the culprit and teach each other a valuable lesson. So far, so fitting for a CBS procedural. And yet there’s something deeply uncanny about “So Help Me Todd,” which pairs an aggressive perkiness with moments of drama that feel more forced than moving.

Todd and Joan spend the first few episodes sniping at each other in between finding clues. Once Todd proves that he’s a good enough private investigator to overcome his spotty past, he joins Joan’s office, where he locks horns with an uptight coworker Lyle (Tristen J. Winger) and ex-girlfriend...

Season one episode one of CBS’s new legal drama So Help Me Todd will premiere on September 29, 2022 at 9pm Et/Pt. In support of the show’s debut, CBS has just released a batch of photos from episode one along with plot details, a trailer, and cast list.

Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden stars as Margaret Wright, Skylar Astin plays Todd Wright, and Tristen J. Winger is Lyle. Madeline Wise plays Allison, Inga Schlingmann is Susan, and Rosa Arredondo stars as Francey.

Episode one guest stars include Clayton James, Thomas Cadrot, Mark Moses, Artemis Litsiadis,

Andrea Brooks, Christine Cattell, and Donia Kash. Amy York Rubin directed from a script by Scott Prendergast.

CBS released the following description of the pilot and season one:

“Pilot” – Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin star as razor-sharp, meticulous attorney Margaret Wright (Harden) and Todd (Astin), her talented but scruffy, aimless son whom she...

CBS has unveiled its fall schedule and while there’s a few changes, it’s largely business as usual.

New drama series So Help Me Todd is getting a Thursday night slot, taking over an hour that was previously dominated by comedies including the canceled B Positive. Fire Country, starring Seal Team’s Max Thieriot, gets the Friday 9pm slot that was previously inhabited by Magnum P.I., Wednesday goes full alternative with The Real Love Boat while CSI: Vegas moves from Wednesday to Thursday, replacing Bull.

New series East New York gets a Sunday night debut at 9pm, while NCIS: LA moves back an hour to 10pm.

New drama series True Lies, based on the James Cameron film, is confirmed for midseason.

There’s also midseason bows for alternative series Superfan and Lingo as well as Tough As Nails and Secret Celebrity Renovation.

“CBS had another incredible season. In...

The network upfronts are once again front-and-center for the television industry as major players gather in New York May 16-19 for the springtime ritual of presenting programming plans for the upcoming TV season.

The business has changed markedly in the three years since industry insiders last gathered in person at Radio City Music Hall, Carnegie Hall and the like. The pandemic accelerated television’s embrace of on-demand streaming platforms and direct-to-consumer distribution models.

But broadcast TV still has its sway — just look at the list of top performing series on the largest SVOD platforms.

As content chiefs outline their plans for the 2022-2023 television season, here is a running list of new drama and comedy series orders handed out by ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and the CW. This post will be updated throughout upfront week.

ABC Drama

Alaska (20th Television)

Logline: After a reporter is “cancelled” she reinvents herself and...

Exclusive: Elizabeth Klaviter, who served as executive producer/showrunner on CBS’ drama series Clarice, has been tapped to serve in the same capacity on the network’s newly picked up hourlong series So Help Me Todd, starring Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin. She succeeds Liz Kruger and Craig Shapiro, who had signed on as EP/showrunners for the pilot of the CBS TV Studios-produced light drama.

Created by Scott Prendergast, in So Help Me Todd, despite their opposing personalities, a talented but directionless P.I. who is the black sheep of his family begrudgingly agrees to work as the in-house investigator for his overbearing mother, a successful attorney reeling from the recent dissolution of her marriage.

Madeline Wise, Tristen J. Winger, Inga Schlingmann and Rosa Arredondo also star.

2022 CBS Pilots & Series Orders

Klaviter also joined Clarice, co-produced by CBS Studios and MGM TV, after the pilot. She previously served...

CBS is changing focus.

After brutally slaying a good portion of their comedy lineup and Magnum Pi, the network announced three drama pickups.

They've picked up none of the comedies they had under consideration.

The best news of the day by a long margin is that CBS formally picked up Fire Country (formerly known as Cal Fire) from CBS Studios.

This series has been exciting our readers since it was first announced, and we couldn't agree more. This one comes from Seal Team's Max Thieriot, who co-wrote the story and serves as an executive producer.

It's co-written by executive producers Tony Phelan & Joan Rater. Other EPs include James Strong (pilot only), David Grae, Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, and KristieAnne Reed (Jerry Bruckheimer Television)

The official logline is: Seeking redemption and a shortened prison sentence, young convict Bode Donovan joins a firefighting program that returns him to his small Northern California hometown,...

CBS on Thursday handed series orders to a trio of dramas, including a firefighter procedural starring Seal Team‘s Max Thieriot.

Other projects scoring a coveted green light at the Eye Network: Cop drama East New York and legal yarn So Help Me Todd.

More from TVLineMagnum P.I. Star Jay Hernandez Reacts to Reboot's Surprise CancellationWho's Playing in NFL's Christmas Day Triple-Header? Plus, Prime Video's Exclusive Thursday Night Match-UpsYoung Sheldon Recap: The Cooper Family Begins to Fall Apart

The pickups come just hours after CBS cancelled five of its current series, including Magnum P.I., The United States of AI,...