'So Help Me Todd' Casts Skylar Astin & Marcia Gay Harden In Aggressively Perky Drama: TV Review

On its surface, "So Help Me Todd" is quite simple. Based on creator Scott Prendergast's own experiences, the new comedy-drama tells the story of powerful lawyer Joan (Marcia Gay Harden) and her private detective son (Skylar Astin) forging an unlikely partnership. Each episode follows a different case before the odd couple team inevitably catches the culprit and teaches each other a valuable lesson. So far so appropriate for a CBS procedure. And yet, there's something deeply odd about "So Help Me Todd," which combines aggressive cheerfulness with dramatic moments that feel more forced than emotional.

Todd and Joan spend the first few episodes shooting each other for clues. After Todd proves he's a private detective good enough to overcome his uneven past, he joins Joan's office, where he locks horns with uptight colleague Lyle (Tristen J. Winger) and ex-girlfriend Lyle (Tristen J. Winger). friend Susan (Inga Schlingmann), who get neither. plenty to do outside, giving Todd other people to talk to besides his mother. Back home, Todd's sister Allison (Madeline Wise) occasionally gives the show a much-needed dose of dry skepticism, though she's also only around to back up her sibling's and mother's main storylines.

Harden accentuates the patrician obliviousness of Joan, who prides herself on being assembled even while staggering after her husband (Mark Moses) suddenly left her. Give or take a dozen sloppy pop culture references, Joan would be out of place as Diane Lockhart's friendly rival on "The Good Fight." (Whether or not "So Help Me Todd," which references a cuckold mayor's wife as "pulling an Alicia Florrick," takes place in the extended universe of "Good Wife" remains to be seen — and frankly, j would love to see it.) Astin's Todd, meanwhile, feels straight out of "Psych" with its self-referential asides and over-the-top gaping at every new twist. Beyond that pair, many of the supporting cast also don't seem to know what kind of show they're supposed to be in, which makes Cases of the Week particularly difficult to consider.

So even though "So Help Me Todd" has a decent setup, its discordant tones make watching the show a truly shocking experience. Through a flashy score pointing out hijinks, we learn harrowing details about murder and sexual assault cases. The setting of the series hinges on Joan and Todd learning to get along, but their constant bickering and dripping disdain make their detentes less than persuasive. If "So Help Me Todd" can take a cohesive approach to its premise, it might settle into something more balanced. Otherwise, it will remain more confusing than truly entertaining.

“So Help Me Todd” premieres Thursday, September 29 at 9 p.m. on CBS.

Comments

'So Help Me Todd' Casts Skylar Astin & Marcia Gay Harden In Aggressively Perky Drama: TV Review

On its surface, "So Help Me Todd" is quite simple. Based on creator Scott Prendergast's own experiences, the new comedy-drama tells the story of powerful lawyer Joan (Marcia Gay Harden) and her private detective son (Skylar Astin) forging an unlikely partnership. Each episode follows a different case before the odd couple team inevitably catches the culprit and teaches each other a valuable lesson. So far so appropriate for a CBS procedure. And yet, there's something deeply odd about "So Help Me Todd," which combines aggressive cheerfulness with dramatic moments that feel more forced than emotional.

Todd and Joan spend the first few episodes shooting each other for clues. After Todd proves he's a private detective good enough to overcome his uneven past, he joins Joan's office, where he locks horns with uptight colleague Lyle (Tristen J. Winger) and ex-girlfriend Lyle (Tristen J. Winger). friend Susan (Inga Schlingmann), who get neither. plenty to do outside, giving Todd other people to talk to besides his mother. Back home, Todd's sister Allison (Madeline Wise) occasionally gives the show a much-needed dose of dry skepticism, though she's also only around to back up her sibling's and mother's main storylines.

Harden accentuates the patrician obliviousness of Joan, who prides herself on being assembled even while staggering after her husband (Mark Moses) suddenly left her. Give or take a dozen sloppy pop culture references, Joan would be out of place as Diane Lockhart's friendly rival on "The Good Fight." (Whether or not "So Help Me Todd," which references a cuckold mayor's wife as "pulling an Alicia Florrick," takes place in the extended universe of "Good Wife" remains to be seen — and frankly, j would love to see it.) Astin's Todd, meanwhile, feels straight out of "Psych" with its self-referential asides and over-the-top gaping at every new twist. Beyond that pair, many of the supporting cast also don't seem to know what kind of show they're supposed to be in, which makes Cases of the Week particularly difficult to consider.

So even though "So Help Me Todd" has a decent setup, its discordant tones make watching the show a truly shocking experience. Through a flashy score pointing out hijinks, we learn harrowing details about murder and sexual assault cases. The setting of the series hinges on Joan and Todd learning to get along, but their constant bickering and dripping disdain make their detentes less than persuasive. If "So Help Me Todd" can take a cohesive approach to its premise, it might settle into something more balanced. Otherwise, it will remain more confusing than truly entertaining.

“So Help Me Todd” premieres Thursday, September 29 at 9 p.m. on CBS.

Comments

What's Your Reaction?

like

dislike

love

funny

angry

sad

wow