Has So Help Me Todd Taken its Cliches from the Sublime to Ridiculous?

Skylar Astin is adorable, and Marcia Gay Harden is brilliant, and together, on So Help Me Todd Season 1, those two became an unbeatable duo.

From the outset, the show seemed to be, intentionally, a bit of a parody of itself. Part comedy, part procedural, and part slapstick.

Even the title is a bit tongue-in-cheek, and if you watched the promos for So Help Me Todd Season 2, it’s evident that the writers relish the wordplay.

Throughout the first season and so far in the second, physical comedy is a staple: Margaret falls in the water when she visits Gus on his houseboat, Lawrence accidentally ingests psychedelic mushrooms in Episode 12, and Todd bears the physical effects of getting injected for a study. 

The show is intentionally light-hearted and never takes itself too seriously, even when dealing with potentially serious consequences, as was felt on So Help Me Todd Season 1 Episode 18 when a bomber threatened the firm. 

As a whole, So Help Me, Todd, until now, has been a gleeful walk or skip through the park. And while actions and reactions are a bit exaggerated in Season 1, that doesn’t seem to carry into Season 2.

The writing and the cast’s actions are becoming too over the top for So Help Me Todd Season 2. Margaret solves the case in Episode 2 by asking the security guard where she got her $1200 Prada Brogues.

Todd uses a bizarre dinosaur puppet to use the skimmer on a suspect’s smartwatch, and Allison winds up on a grand jury. All three things happen in ten minutes, and none are remotely believable.

Even stranger is the increased presence of Beverly Crest (Leslie Silva). She has become a caricature of the “bad guy.” Forcing Margaret to fire people is terrible, but certainly within her role as partner, heinous as it may seem.

And could it have anything to do with Alex, Lyle’s favorite forensic accountant, breaking into Beverly’s computer with a stolen fingerprint? Who put Alex up to this? And what will she learn about Beverly?

Are we to believe Beverly is just awful, or is something more serious happening? Let’s hope so because if not, Evil Beverly is overly trite; it would not be surprising if she rubbed her hands together and cackled.

Allison’s downfall is also over the top. We haven’t seen her back to work yet, although previews for Episode 4 show her back in scrubs.

Yes, we know she is going through a lot with the breakup, Harry’s return, and being scammed on the wellness retreat, but it’s too much. 

Gus may be the saving grace this season. He is as stable and enjoyable as always (even his odd sandwiches are clearly delicious if you wait for them).

He may have been a little freaked out by Harry’s return and annoyed that Margaret ran to him while omitting the reason for running, but he’s in it for the long run and truly cares for Margaret.

His presence was sorely missed in Episode 3.

And now we come to Todd. As a funny side note, did you know that when Skylar Astin guest-starred on Grey’s Anatomy Season 18, his character’s name was Todd?

Yes, Todd has always been a bit bumbling buffoon, a bit lovesick puppy, a total mama’s boy, and always very, very lucky when it comes to being a private detective. We are all proud of him for getting his PI license back and felt bad when everyone in the courthouse dissed him.

He’s not exactly stealthy, speaking into his watch at a volume anyone within 100 feet of him could hear.

While Todd was less bumbling during Episode 3, his demeanor seemed off, less funny, and more cringe-worthy. Toe-mageddon? And his interactions with the delightful Heather Morris didn’t feel very Todd-like either.

Is the bloom off the rose? Can So Help Me Todd be redeemed this season? Maybe a few of the following suggestions would help the writers out. 

First, cool it with Beverly. She can be Margaret’s nemesis without looking like she’d about to rub her hands together and cackle with glee. And is Alex out to get her or bring down the whole firm?

Either way, it’s an unnecessary element. The gold of this show is the chemistry between Todd and Margret and the others in their orbit, not the manufactured drama.

Allison needs to grow up. She needs to stop walking around all dazed and get herself together. Let her go back to being a kick-ass doctor.

She’s better served as a medical resource than a Season 1 Todd call-back, complaining about living with and mooching off her brother.

Keep Gus the way he is; he’s perfect. And please give Susan more screen time to share with Todd.

Let’s see Todd do more work on his PI firm and branch out a little. Perhaps he could land some jobs and then pay Crest Folding & Wright rent; that would help them out with the cash crunch.

When they bring back the family dinners, the interactions between Margaret and her kids are gold. 

Lastly, keep the excellent guest stars coming.

Seeing Mark Moses back as Harry, Lisa Rinna, and Sandra Bernhard was great. They were fun to have around in So Help Me Todd Season 2 Episodes 1 and Season 2 Episode 3.

The next outing will bring us Dean Winters and hopefully more of Heather Morris’ Judy as a potential love interest for Todd.

Over to you, So Help Me, Todd Fanatics!

Are you still up for more stakeouts with Todd, or are you throwing your hands up in exasperation?

Let me know in the comments, and we’ll see how the next episode goes!

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Lucy Peel is a staff writer for TV Fanatic.