So Help Me Todd stars Skylar Astin and Marcia Gay Harden tease their 'oil-vinegar' mother-son relationship
Skylar Astin and Marcia Gay Harden bring kooky mother-son dynamics to the legal world in So Help Me Todd, a new CBS crime dramedy premiering Sept. 29.
Astin portrays Todd Wright, a talented former private investigator who has fallen on hard times after his license was revoked. His estranged mother Margaret (Harden) is a prominent attorney whose penchant for excellence and adherence to the law is at complete odds with his methods. When the two unwittingly team up to get to the bottom of a mystery, Margaret finds herself impressed by her son and asks him to join her firm, setting the stage for more Wrightisms in and outside of her firm.
Michael Courtney/CBS Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin in 'So Help Me Todd'
"I love the relationship between the two," Harden tells EW. "As mother and son, they've been a bit at odds and through this oil-vinegar relationship. They — or will, not yet, they haven't — will find a way to work together and to love each other. I thought that was really fun." Astin adds, "We're going to see them work together, but work together differently as they do. The banter will be alive and well, but they'll also really complement each other, whether they want to admit it or not."
Such contrasting personalities and banter ("What if he hung himself in that garage, like Bradley Coopman in that Madonna movie?" "Like Bradley Cooper in the Lady Gaga movie?") make for good laughs. "Todd is a big goofball, even though he's very smart and witty and a great detective," Harden says, "and this person comes into this uptight strict firm. You have to imagine that there's comedy and it was ripe with opportunity for things to go wrong."
Bettina Strauss/CBS Thomas Cadrot, Madeline Wise, and Marcia Gay Harden in 'So Help Me Todd'
The series created by Scott Prendergast also stars Madeline Wise, Tristen J. Winger, Inga Schlingmann, Rosa Arredondo, Thomas Cadrot, and Mark Moses. "From what we've shot so far, each case has been delicious," Astin says. "There's been twists and turns. It goes where you don't expect. It's [not] always wrapped up in a perfect bow, but it's always wrapped up with a lot of heart."
Ahead of the season premiere, Astin and Harden played a round of EW's costar game to test their knowledge of each other and their fellow castmates. Who would make the best private detective? Who would make the best attorney? Who would be the best partner to have on a stakeout? Watch Astin and Harden respond and banter in true Todd and Margaret Wright fashion in the video above.
So Help Me Todd premieres Thursday, Sept. 29 at 9 p.m. on CBS.
Make sure to check out EW's Fall TV Preview cover story — as well as all of our 2022 Fall TV Preview content, releasing over 22 days through Sept. 29.
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