[Editor’s note: The following contains some spoilers for Season 2 of So Help Me Todd.]

The Big Picture

In Season 2 of the CBS series ‘So Help Me Todd,’ Todd is in an optimistic place in his life and career, aiming to become Portland’s top detective.
Todd (Skylar Astin) and his mother, Margaret (Marcia Gay Harden), have a complex relationship, but want the best for each other.
Todd’s personal life will be further explored this season, with new aspects and relationships emerging.

In Season 2 of the CBS drama series So Help Me Todd, Todd (Skylar Astin) has his PI license back, things are evolving in his work and personal relationship with his mother Margaret (Marcia Gay Harden), and his life is seemingly on a better track than his previously well-centered sister Allison (Madeline Wise). After attending the opera together, where the star performer and international supreme diva Jacqueline (Jenifer Lewis) turned out to be Lyle’s (Tristen J. Winger) mother, Margaret and Todd unexpectedly found themselves in a courtroom defending her. And as the second season continues to dig deeper into the family relationships and work bonds, viewers will also get a bit of insight into Todd’s personal life and what could be next for him there.

During this interview with Collider, Astin talked about shooting So Help Me Todd on the same soundstage where he used to shoot Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist and how it would be a dream to get any of his former castmates from that show to guest on this one, that Todd is in a very optimistic place in his personal and professional life, how Todd and Margaret really do want the best for each other but also each believe they know the best way to achieve it, wanting to earn the comedy, what makes Todd a good PI, the little improvised moments he gets to share with Harden, what sort of energy Lewis brought as a guest star, whether there would ever be the chance of a musical episode, and if we could see some romance this season.

So Help Me Todd Release Date September 29, 2022 Main Genre Drama Seasons 2 Network CBS Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Image via CBS

Collider: As much as this is such a fun show to watch, it makes me sad that its existence means no more Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. That show will forever hold a little happy place in my heart.

SKYLAR ASTIN: I know. And I film it on the same stage that we shot Zoey’s. Every day, I open the door expecting to see SPRQ Point, but now it’s fully been replaced by the law firm and all the Todd sets.

Did you know going into this that you wouldn’t actually be leaving where you shot your last TV series?

ASTIN: I knew that we were shooting the pilot in Vancouver, which generally means the series will be in Vancouver. I was like, “Okay, so definitely I’m familiar with the town, and it’s crazy that I’ll be filming again in Vancouver.” And when I was talking to one of the executive producers, they were looking at spots, and I was like, “I wonder if that one spot is available.” There are 77 productions constantly going on in Vancouver, so I thought the chances of that happening were so slim. And then, when they said the name of the studio, I thought that they were pranking me. I was like, “Oh, you clearly looked up the one. Nothing against it, but it’s a little far away and cell service isn’t the best.” And no, they were not lying. I would constantly send videos, especially Season 1, to Jane Levy and (show creator) Austin Winsberg and some of the other people involved with Zoey’s, like Mary Steenburgen, going, “Can you believe where I am right now?” And they were like, “Is this a fever dream? How are you still there?” It’s very surreal for everyone involved.

Maybe it’s just a sign that you need to have them all guest star on an episode.

ASTIN: Oh, my gosh, that would be a dream. They know I want any one of them, at any point.

‘So Help Me Todd’s Skylar Astin Says His PI Character Is Feeling Optimistic in Season 2

This season started out with some pretty major changes for the characters, with Todd having had his PI license restored and his mother finally obtaining partnership. How does Todd feel about everything?

ASTIN: I think Todd is in a really optimistic place in his life and his professional life, so he’ll always see the glass half full. The fact that he even has a place that he can technically call an office now is a humongous win. Of course, as you saw in episode 202 when he had his interview process, it didn’t go according to plan. He definitely was expecting it to go straight from zero to hero, but Todd is definitely up to the challenge of becoming Portland’s number one detective. He aims to make that happen no matter where his office is.

Does it feel like Todd and his mother understand each other a bit better now? Does it actually help Todd get some of his own footing back to see his mother face her own challenges?

ASTIN: I think so. I think that Todd truly does want the best for Margaret and the firm, so there’s definitely no competition there. But I think that there is a mutual respect underneath what they do. They’ll always think that their way of going about things is the correct way, and there’s a bit of stubbornness in both of their approaches, but Marcia [Gay Harden] and I make a clear point to have everything that we’ve been through as characters inform the current landscape of what we’re shooting. It would be repetitive and monotonous if we had to start from scratch with every episode, and it would almost feel predictable. There were moments in earlier scenes where we were a bit softer to each other, or moments in scenes early on where we’re hotter than ever because we’d been through so much that the gloves are off right away. It really is exciting to explore each scene within such a complex, nuanced relationship, like Todd and Margaret.

Related ‘So Help Me Todd’ Season 2 Review: Skylar Astin and Marcia Gay Harden Still Got It The procedural series’ sophomore outing is still worthy of your attention.

Does it also feel like he is getting closer this season to rediscovering himself? Does having this new purpose give him a stronger sense of who he is?

ASTIN: Of course. He was playing the blame game a bit in Season 1 because his defenses were up. He was without a license and without a leg to stand on. Now, he has to confront what follows. It’s not just a lottery ticket to get your license back. You now need to do the work, and I think he’s up to the challenge. I also think that he has this unwavering confidence that only Todd has. So, no matter what, he’s gonna make it happen. He is singularly focused on his career, which is why he doesn’t really have time to be pining for anyone or splitting his focus at work.

Is it ever challenging to find that balance of being optimistic without it becoming too much?

ASTIN: I think I have a pretty good sense of that line. I have to credit the writers because they really strike that balance very well, and they know that I’m very mindful of that balance, as well. There are maybe a few times where, since the writers just have so much fun writing the humor for Todd, it’s very tempting for them to have him, not poke fun in a scene, but maybe take a scene a little lighter because there’s just a really funny joke that it’s building to. Far be it for me to cut material for myself or for anyone else around me, but we definitely have the conversation about how to massage those moments and make them feel real and all the more grounded. We want to earn the comedy. I think that’s something that our show does so well. We always make it a point to have those moments of heart, layered with humor, and layered with the case, and of course, all the drama and high stakes that ensue, as well.

These are all characters that could become too much in the wrong hands, but instead we love them even though they have faults and we find them endearing.

ASTIN: Totally. You see that on shows that have a different concept. I’m not comparing us to the tone of Succession, but those people were loathsome and yet we rooted for them and wanted to see what happened with them. There’s a little bit more of an endearing side to our family because it’s a totally different show, but there is so much bite within our family and within our dynamic, and I just love that. That’s real, and that’s how a lot of families interact and how some siblings interact. When push comes to shove, only I can say that about my mom, and you can’t. That’s one of my favorite lines to play. Similarly with Allison (Madeline Wise), I can tease her and say the meanest things towards her, but we both know that there’s a bit of light play and that’s where it’s coming from. When push comes to shove, we are a family and we do count on each other.

Skylar Astin Thinks His ‘So Help Me Todd’ Character Has Spidey Instincts When It Comes to Being a PI
Image via CBS

How do you view his PI skills? Do you think he’s a good PI with the necessary skills, or has he just gotten lucky a lot?

ASTIN: I think Todd is actually very resourceful and whip smart. He’s got really great instincts, almost like Spidey. And his ability to see outside the box really informs the way he goes about being a detective. To be a detective of the ilk that he wants to be, there has to be something quite unconventional about you, like Sherlock Holmes or Inspector Gadget. I think he sees himself as one of those iconic figures, and maybe that might come across as overly confident, at times, but I think that’s why he’s able to admit when he’s wrong, and also admit when he’s right.

Todd is someone who seems to go for it and just jump into something, but doesn’t necessarily realize that he’s right until he’s proven that he’s right.

ASTIN: Because he often has obstructions along the way. There’s always the Susans, the Lyles and, at times, the Margarets of the world who are telling him, “You’re out of your mind and you’re just seeing things,” when it turns out he was right the whole time. But then, by the same token, sometimes the logical side really does win. I think that’s why this two-hander is so successful. You really do need that balance in thinking to be a really dynamic duo.

Related ‘So Help Me Todd’s Sibling Relationships Are the Best Part of the Show The relationships between Todd, Allison, and Lawrence are beautifully complex and offer a true understanding of what it means to be siblings.

I love the little moments in this, like the double high-five that he and his mother give each other. Was that moment scripted? Are all those moments always scripted, or do you have room to play with that?

ASTIN: That moment, in particular, was a Skylar choice. But then again, it’s one of those things where I put my hands up in the rehearsal and Marcia just hit it right back. Sometimes we talk about it. Sometimes we’ll be like, “Oh, it would be funny if we do a little double high-five here.” We’ve definitely done a lot of little handshakes and spirit fingers at each other at times. We really like relating to each other in those in those scenes, especially when we’re interviewing suspects or victims. There’s a lot of subtext underneath when we ask these questions, and then when we’re alone, we do get to have those moments of literal victory dances. I think that’s what makes Margaret and Todd so endearing.

What has it been like to have Marcia Gay Harden as a scene partner for two seasons now? When you get into that banter between your characters, what’s it like to really get into that with her?

ASTIN: Marcia is an expert in detail, so she has a really incredibly efficient way of thinking and she does question the scenes, when appropriate, to make certain things more clear. She also understands rhythm because she’s a theater actor, like myself. That is very helpful in approach, in rehearsal and even in execution when something doesn’t feel right, rhythmically, or when it’s just very clear. There are definitely easier days on set where the directors that come in will say, “Gosh, it’s so nice having the two of you because I know that I’m just gonna put you guys walking and talking and you’re gonna fill it in with all the stuff that we’ve now come to know and love about Marcia and Skyler, and Margaret and Todd.”

Related ‘So Help Me Todd’ Season 2 Needs to Do Better With Susan Off-screen development and a fizzling slow-burn romance? Yawn.

It feels like all the dynamics are definitely shifting this season, whether it’s Todd and Margaret, or Todd and Allison, or even Todd and Lyle. We’ve spoken about some of the shifts between Todd and Margaret, but what have you most enjoyed about those changing character dynamics with the other characters? Does that all help change Todd’s perspective on things?

ASTIN: Oh, my God, it’s interesting that you use the word perspective. I’m not sure if you saw episode five, but it’s a whole episode about perspective. With Todd and Allison, their chemistry has been so fun to play this season. It’s always fun, but now that there’s a bit of a role reversal and we’ve presented our audience with that role reversal, we’re taking the time to fill in the details and carve it out. I think the audience is now starting to ask the question of, what is actually going on with Alison? We get the satisfaction of finding that out and finding her perspective, and absolutely, that’s gonna give Todd a better understanding of what his sister is going through, but he also can share shed some light with her on everything he’s been through. He’s truly been at the bottom, totally destroyed, totally sabotaged, and had to completely pick himself up by his bootstraps. And it appears that Allison is finding herself or punishing herself, or maybe a combination of the two. It’s really nice when the characters can rely on each other to find that inner strength and not be codependent on it, but be interdependent on each other as a family, amidst all the barking and biting that we do from episode to episode.

I love a good group dinner scene, and there have been a few on this show. There’s one in particular in the episode with Jenifer Lewis, “End on a High Note,” that I love because Lyle and his mother are having their own argument at the same time that Todd and his sister are fighting. What was that scene like to shoot? Does it take a lot of time to do something like that?

ASTIN: That one didn’t take too long. With those dinner scenes, when there are eight actors and a cat and a child, there are a lot of angles and a lot of looks to get, so it’s always a bit of a beast. And now, we’ve actually put dinner scenes, not only in Margaret’s apartment or Allison’s house, but at Todd’s apartment. Anytime we’re shooting in a new space, we have to figure out what that’s gonna look like But it was really fun. The way it was divvied up in the script, dialogue wise, almost felt like a play. It was two separate conversations happening at other ends of the table and where they intersect. Sometimes they write those scenes to feel a little bit more theatrical or even sitcomy, which I mean in the best way because there’s a real rhythm to them. It has to be organic with the actors. Along with the director and the writer, we capture it in the way that feels grounded, but also has that musical rhythm that (show creator) Scott [Prendergast] and the writers aim for.

Will ‘So Help Me Todd’ Ever Have a Musical Episode?
Image via CBS

There’s a little moment in that episode when Todd is on stage and very briefly tests his voice out in the empty theater. Was there ever any thought about you belting out a little bit more, or are you trying to keep the singing out of it with this character?

ASTIN: I think they went with more of a yell/scream big voice crack moment for Todd. We did a bunch of them that were a little bit more subtle and a little bit more like you had just moved the tuning dial on somebody, either way down or way up, and I thought that that was very funny. Elizabeth Klaviter, our showrunner, who was there on that day kept saying that even me at my worst sounded good, but I don’t think that’s the case. I really don’t. There’s definitely a version of that where he could have made more of an effort, but maybe that gives him a place to go. It starts with a scream, and then it will have some pitchiness, and then maybe one day, it’ll actually land in a musical episode or something.

What was it like to have Jenifer Lewis on set for an episode? What sort of energy did she add to things?

ASTIN: First of all, she’s one of the most entertaining people I’ve ever met. When the cameras are on and when the cameras are off, she is hilarious, insightful, and a deep well of experience. Honestly, she’s one of those people that you meet and you’re like, “Oh, this is an icon.” We have mutual friends and mutual experiences, starting in theater, so there’s that whole language we both speak. And then, on top of that, just keeping her energy up and staying in that larger-than-life character, the lines definitely started to blend. I just loved having a front row seat for all of it.

‘So Help Me Todd’ Viewers Will Get More Insight Into Todd’s Personal Life in Season 2
Image via CBS

As Todd gets his career back on track, would you like to dig deeper into his personal life and see him a bit more successful there?

ASTIN: Sure. Todd will definitely be faced with a bunch of those choices. Those aspects of his life will definitely show themselves, as Season 2 progresses. We’ve got some stuff coming up that fans can expect. This season, Heather Morris is heavily recurring, Inga Schlingmann is there playing Susan, and there’s always the looming threat of Eliza Coupe, who plays Veronica. So, yeah, absolutely. It wouldn’t be So Help Me Todd if we were just focused on one thing and one aspect of someone’s life. Fans can definitely expect to get a little bit more insight into where Todd’s at in his personal life. One thing that I love, whenever I read things about the show from fans or even outlets like yourself, is that a lot of the questions that you’re asking, you’re always asking at the perfect time. We’re just that much ahead of you that it’s good to know, and that’s definitely the case here. There’s gonna be a lot of really great stuff in that world while still having a case every week, and still having Todd and Margaret barking and biting every week, too.

So Help Me Todd airs on Thursday nights on CBS and is available to stream on Paramount+. Check out a clip from the episode:

Watch on Paramount+