In a movie starring Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Austin, ‘So Help Me Todd’ gives audiences delicious and hilarious dysfunctional family and legal battle drama. What else does this movie have in store? Let’s find out.
The plot
Set in Portland, Oregon, this new CBS dramedy follows the life of private investigator Todd Wright ( Pitch Perfect’s Skylar Austin) after he hits rock bottom. It follows a series of unfortunate events that result in Todd losing his detective license.
In the opening scenes, we see Todd living off his older sister Allison (Madeline Wise), and her husband, Chuck (Clayton James). With no clear plan on how to rise back up despite an upbeat attitude, Todd feels stuck. But, of course, it also doesn’t help that his family has no issues passing judgment on his current predicament.
In the episodes that have aired so far, So Help Me Todd gives viewers the best of both worlds. This combines a deep dive into the dysfunctional Wright family and a detailed legal procedure with no end to twisty, complex cases.
How the series touches on Dysfunctional families
The series quickly thrusts the viewers into the middle of rocky family relationships with a focus on Margaret and Todd. Once Todd starts working as an in-house investigator at her law firm, their relationship gets more complex, given their apparent differences.
Margaret is very by-the-book and loves being in control. This has helped advance her career but put a strain on her personal life. On the other hand, Todd prefers to operate with non-conventional methods when finding evidence and solving cases. Given this approach to work, it doesn’t take the audience long to realize this is part of the reason for losing his license.
The Wright family bond shows they love each other despite apparent struggles.
Top-notch legal drama
Weekly cases use Margeret’s legal knowledge and Todd’s investigation skills to resolve messy situations and save the day. For example, this gives Todd a chance to prove himself after his license was revoked despite getting a job through nepotism.
Final Thoughts
So Help Me Todd combines brilliant writing and a talented cast to produce some of the best content on the big screen. With its legal and courtroom twists and family struggles between siblings and parents, it’s bound to keep viewers spellbound for a long time.
The series airs every Thursday on CBS, streaming each episode on Paramount+.
