Produced by Scott Prendergast, the premise of the CBS show ‘So Help Me Todd’ surrounds Todd, a shrewd private investigator with a broken moral compass and his mother, Margaret (Marcia Gay Harden), a straight-shooting lawyer who is in the midst of marital turmoil. As a result of his aversion to respecting the law, he is out of work and is considered the bad egg of the family. On his mother’s persistence, he begins working with her at her firm.
However, their opposing life principles often lead to them being at a stalemate. The show is a blend of legal comedy and mother-son drama that are at once riveting and heartwarming, with a generous dollop of humor. This is one of the few shows that balances two genres without compromising on the quality of either. More shows like ‘So Help Me Todd,’ which we think are worth the watch, are listed below.
8. The Recruit (2022-)
In ‘The Recruit,’ Owen Hendricks (Noah Centineo), a newbie lawyer at the CIA, gets dragged into the hazardous world of international power politics. He is assigned to a case wherein an ex-asset of the CIA threatens to leak highly confidential information unless they abide by her conditions. And those conditions are seldom within the boundaries of the law.
Created by producers like Alexi Hawley and Doug Liman, this show is a well-paced spy story with sardonic plot twists. It is similar to ‘So Help Me Todd’ in the way both protagonists stumble over and clumsily crawl through the direst of situations, only to get back on their feet just in time for the next one.
7. Suits (2011-2019)
Created and written by Aaron Korsh, ‘Suits‘ is a legal drama series showing the lives of Harvey Spector, a corporate lawyer and his associate Mike Ross, a mnemonic genius and a law school dropout. He gets hired by Spector despite the latter being aware of his lack of a degree. His secret must be kept by the duo while Mike practices law like any licensed lawyer.
The series has garnered immense praise for its wit, swagger, and dramatic plotline. It is similar to ‘So Help Me Todd’ in the unquestionable genius of the characters while they deal with legal matters. They also portray the growing camaraderie between the central characters, which is less common than the usual couple bubble when there’s a pair of central characters.
6. Drop Dead Diva (2009-2014)
Created by Josh Berman, ‘Drop Dead Diva’ is a delightful legal-comedy show with a layer of fantasy fiction. After her sudden death, a young and superficial model, Deborah (Brooke D’Orsay), finds herself in the body of the brainy, hardworking and obese lawyer, Jane (Brooke Elliott). Left with no option, Deb continues living as Jane, working as a lawyer at her firm, where she deals with a long line of cases while adjusting to her new life. It is similar to ‘So Help Me Todd’ in its heartwarming sentimentality while tickling your funny bone and keeping your mind occupied with intriguing cases.
5. Shark (2006-2008)
The terrific series ‘Shark’ takes us along the break-neck-paced life of Sebastian Stark (James Woods), a mastermind lawyer practicing public prosecution under a Los Angeles District Attorney. With a past of successfully defending high-paying criminals, he uses his expertise to save innocent people with admirable panache. The show also touches upon his relationship with his daughter Julie, portraying Stark’s softer side. Created by Ian Biederman, ‘Shark’ is similar to ‘So Help Me Todd’ in the unconventional methods used by both Stark and Todd, as long as it means it’s a win for the right cause.
4. Ally McBeal (1997-2002)
Winner of 2 Golden Globes and an Emmy Award, ‘Ally McBeal’ is a hilarious, surreal, and dramatic series that observes the lives of the people of Cage & Fish, the law firm Ally works at. It also portrays the tension between Ally and her now-married ex-boyfriend Billy Thomas, who also happens to work at the firm. The creator David E. Kelley has used the legal cases as plot devices to heighten the level of drama for the characters. ‘Ally McBeal’ is similar to ‘So Help Me Todd’ in its eccentric and sometimes cringe humor.
3. Better Call Saul (2005-2022)
A critically acclaimed spin-off of ‘Breaking Bad’, Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould’s ‘Better Call Saul’ is one of those intelligently written shows that keep you coming back for more, making it the perfect binge. It is a deliciously cinematic piece of art about the criminal defense attorney Saul Goodman (because it’s all good, man!). It depicts how his transformation took place, from being a keen lawyer and con artist, to this egocentric person with a dark sense of humor. Both ‘So Help Me Todd’ and ‘Better Call Saul’ sail through the grey area between the good and bad of the legal world, although the latter is perhaps a few too many shades darker.
2. Boston Legal (2004-2008)
Nominated for 22 Emmy Awards, ‘Boston Legal’ is a popular series revolving around the lives of high-end lawyers of a law firm called Crane, Pool, and Schmidt. The main partners, Denny Crane and Shirley Schmidt, closely supervise their employees while taking on the most serious and eccentric of cases. Like Todd from ‘So Help Me Todd,’ Alan Shore (James Spader), one of their best, does not mind using less-than-honest tactics for the win.
1. Bull (2016-2022)
Driven by the power of his sharp instinct, hi-tech data and love for psychology, Dr. Bull charges through all his cases, taking the jurors, judges, and witnesses along in the direction of his convictions. The penchant for tapping into the human psyche allows the psychologist and a trial science expert to accurately predict the behavior of the people involved in cases and plan his defense accordingly. Todd and Bull are very similar when it comes to their astute instinct and tech-savviness.
Read More: Where is So Help Me Todd Filmed?
