Even as a fully grown adult, there has got to be more than a few times when your parents have doted on you or to some degree, attempted to exert some control over your life.
Maybe it’s an instinctual parental thing and as their child, you’re inclined to indulge them in small doses, right?
Still, you’re bound to draw the line at some point so you can fully live your life the way you want.
This is kind of the idea behind one of CBS’ newest drama series, So Help Me Todd.
Production plans for the project began in February 2022 when the network announced its first pilot order for the then-“untitled mother and son legal drama”.
A few months later in May, it became known as its current working title So Help Me Todd, and was given a series order alongside two other drama shows: East New York and Max Thieriot’s Fire Country.
In between the pilot and series orders, many casting decisions moved forward, but we’ll get to that below!
In the meantime, here’s everything we know about CBS’ drama series So Help Me Todd.
Who’s in charge?
So Help Me Todd comes from CBS Studios in cooperation with the Studio 29 Productions studio.
It comes from and is written by Scott Prendergast (Wilfred, Silicon Valley) and Dr. Phil McGraw (yes, THAT Dr. Phil you’re thinking of); Prendergast is also executive producer, with McGraw, Jay McGraw, and Julia Eisenman producing under Studio 29.
Showrunners are Liz Kruger, Elizabeth Klaviter, and Craig Shapiro, while Amy York Rubin has been tapped to direct the pilot episode.
The timing for So Help Me Todd is perfect for Dr. Phil, as the series begins for him just as his previous project with CBS, Bull, is wrapping up (which was executive produced by him and based on his experiences).
What’s So Help Me Todd about?
The eponymous Todd is a grown man who had always wanted nothing more than to be a private investigator. He succeeds in becoming one – and a very good one at that – but that’s about where the good things end.
He’s always been the family’s black sheep and the rest of his life seems to be directionless, which is made worse when he loses his license due to some messy misunderstandings.
That’s when his mother steps in!
She may be recovering from a dissolved marriage but she’s always been a highly successful lawyer. She offers Todd a place in her law firm as an in-house investigator.
Todd accepts (reluctantly) but holds out hope that she’ll still, as per CBS’ official logline, “let her adult son be who he wants to be”.
Who will we see?
The talented yet aimless Todd will be played by Skylar Astin, who has just ended his work on Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.
His overbearing mother Margaret will be played by Marcia Gay Harden (who replaced Geena Davis when the latter exited the project).
Rounding out the cast are Madeline Wise as Todd’s ER trauma surgeon sister Allison, newcomer Inga Schlingmann as Todd’s ex-girlfriend Susan, Rosa Arredondo as Margaret’s efficient assistant Francey, and Tristen J. Winger as Lyle, another in-house investigator at the firm.
So Help Me Todd is set to premiere on Thursday, September 29th at 9/8 central on CBS as well as Paramount+! Stay tuned for more news and updates on the new series.