CBS’ fun legal sitcom So Help Me Todd was canceled after just two seasons, leading fans to wonder why. The show starred Skylar Astin as the titular Todd, and Marcia Gay Harden as Margaret, Todd’s mother and a high-powered attorney. Todd is bright but a slacker, and he reluctantly agrees to work at his mother’s law firm as an in-house private investigator. Thanks to the premise, So Help Me Todd earned praise for being just as much a family drama as it was a legal comedy.
Unfortunately, So Help Me Todd season 3 won’t be happening as CBS pulled the plug on the well-received show after just two seasons. The news, announced in April, came as a shock to fans, who didn’t expect So Help Me Todd to be canceled so soon – or at all. It’s all the more disappointing as the reason given for the cancellation is incredibly flimsy, even if it’s understandable from a business standpoint. While CBS defended its show cancellations, there’s no doubt So Help Me Todd got a raw deal.
So Help Me Todd Was Part Of CBS’ 2024 Show Purge
It Was Cleared To Make Way For Incoming Fall Shows
This year, CBS was ruthless when it came to cutting TV series, both new and otherwise. It cut and canceled more shows than any other network or cable channel; the only studios that canceled more were streamers Max, Netflix, and Prime Video. Unfortunately, So Help Me Todd was part of that purge, getting the ax after just two seasons, the shortest run of any show canceled by CBS in 2024.
The reason So Help Me Todd was canceled was the same as any other network show: ratings weren’t high enough. Compared to CBS’ other dramedies – and just straight dramas – So Help Me Todd was at the bottom of the list when it came to viewership. Unfortunately, with CBS having a crowded slate and needing to make room for new pilots and incoming series, the decision was made to sacrifice So Help Me Todd. In particular, Kathy Bates’ highly anticipated Matlock reboot would be in direct competition with So Help Me Todd as another crime/legal drama. Thus, So Help Me Todd became the victim of too many shows and too few spots.
In particular, Kathy Bates’ highly anticipated Matlock reboot would be in direct competition with So Help Me Todd as another crime/legal drama.
The reason So Help Me Todd was canceled was the same as any other network show: ratings weren’t high enough. Compared to CBS’ other dramedies – and just straight dramas – So Help Me Todd was at the bottom of the list when it came to viewership. Unfortunately, with CBS having a crowded slate and needing to make room for new pilots and incoming series, the decision was made to sacrifice So Help Me Todd. In particular, Kathy Bates’ highly anticipated Matlock reboot would be in direct competition with So Help Me Todd as another crime/legal drama. Thus, So Help Me Todd became the victim of too many shows and too few spots.
In particular, Kathy Bates’ highly anticipated Matlock reboot would be in direct competition with So Help Me Todd as another crime/legal drama.
Why So Help Me Todd’s Cancelation Is Controversial
The problem for fans is, even though So Help Me Todd’s ratings were lower than the other comparable shows on CBS, it still had really solid ratings. If an overcrowded slate weren’t a factor, So Help Me Todd would have easily been renewed based on the viewership figures alone. Its multiplatform figures averaged 7.7 million in the Live+35 segment for the second season. Considering other networks have renewed shows with ratings half that, it’s been frustrating for fans to know that, because the show has done so well and has built a solid fanbase, in any other year it would have been renewed. Especially galling is the fact that the average viewership numbers for So Help Me Todd season 2 actually increased a bit from season 1.
While there was fan outcry and a petition to renew the series, CBS has remained firm that So Help Me Todd is canceled for good. It was briefly hoped that, since the show had been so successful, CBS might move it to Paramount+ instead, but those hopes have since been dashed. That’s not for lack of trying on the fans’ collective part, though. To date, almost 80,000 signatures have been gathered on three different petitions on Change.org asking to save the show. While chances are slim, with So Help Me Todd earning such fan support and solid ratings, it’s possible that another network or a streamer may rescue the well-liked show in the end.
