Oscar-winner Marcia Gay Harden draws on her Tony-winning role in “God of Carnage” to shape her character in CBS’s new dramedy, “So Help Me Todd.”
“‘So Help Me Todd’ is a blend of drama and comedy, and that’s exactly my style,” Harden, 63, told The Post. “It’s what I love to do. I enjoy comedy … ‘God of Carnage’ was very intense, but you never stopped laughing, especially with the back-and-forth with [co-star] James Gandolfini on the couch.”
Harden believes that this knack for mixing intensity with humor might have caught the eye of series creator Scott Prendergast. “Maybe Scott saw ‘God of Carnage’ and thought, ‘If you can make angry funny, that’s a good thing.’”
In “So Help Me Todd,” which premiered on September 29 at 9 p.m., Harden plays Margaret Wright, a successful attorney in Portland, Oregon. Her grown children think she is overly controlling: her daughter Allison (Madeline Wise) is a married ER doctor, while her son Todd (Skylar Astin), a private investigator who lost his license two years ago, now works investigating disability scams for an insurance company.
The series kicks off with Todd unexpectedly getting involved in one of Margaret’s murder cases, while simultaneously searching for her husband Harry (Mark Moses), who has mysteriously disappeared amid his battle with Parkinson’s disease. By the end of the episode, Margaret sees Todd’s unique investigative skills and, despite his flaws, hires him as an in-house investigator at her law firm, setting the stage for the series.
Harden relates to the parent-child dynamic in the show, noting that Margaret and Todd’s relationship mirrors what many parents experience. “When you have a black sheep in the family, it’s hard to see their strengths until someone else points them out,” she said. “Todd is that black sheep. He’s unconventional and impulsive, probably has ADHD, and maybe even falls somewhere on the spectrum. He operates outside the box, while Margaret is very much a rule follower. She doesn’t initially realize his talent for digital and investigative work. At some point, you have to let your kids be who they are and stop trying to fit them into your mold.”
Harden hopes that as the series progresses, both characters will experience growth. “I want Margaret to stop trying to ‘fix’ Todd. I want her to grow just as much as he does. Women in their early 60s often ask themselves what they want in this next chapter of their lives, and I want Margaret to discover that, too.”
Margaret’s journey is one many women can relate to. “She worked her way up from being a legal secretary to becoming a partner in a law firm,” Harden said. “She’s fighting to break through the glass ceiling and get her name on the door, but hiring Todd might be a misstep since he keeps causing trouble that could jeopardize her career. I told the writers, ‘Make sure she doesn’t get her name on the door just because Todd helped her. Make sure she earns it because she’s a great lawyer.’”
As “So Help Me Todd” unfolds, viewers will see how Margaret navigates her career ambitions and her complex relationship with Todd, providing a mix of humor, drama, and personal growth.
