I don’t think anyone would argue that CBS had some really tough decisions to make this TV season. It had some shows that are relatively low-rated performers (at least by the Eye Network’s standards), but those shows also happened to be niche programs with very intense fanbases. I’m talking shows like So Help Me Todd, the quirky legal dramedy featuring the unlikely pairing of Pitch Perfect’s Skylar Astin and icon Marcia Gay Harden. People loved it; I loved it. In fact, it sounds like CBS’s bigwigs loved it, but it wasn’t enough and the dramedy was canned.
In fact, during a recent press conference, some of these aforementioned CBS head honchos were asked about the decision to let the series go as soon as Season 2 wraps, and CEO George Cheeks admitted he and other members of the network's executive team found the decision "heartbreaking."
Every show is different. We certainly had a wonderful experience with So Help Me Todd. It was heartbreaking.
The comments came from a press conference (via Deadline) about the impending fall TV schedule, which will include some major shows like an NCIS Spinoff and Matlock, which will star Kathy Bates. In fact, if you've been asking, "why was So Help Me Todd canceled?," those newbies may be a big factor.
To note, the show was among the lower-rated programs on the network (though if you’d stack those ratings up next to some CW shows, they’d be positively A+). Still, the show was a consistent performer and it was allegedly CBS’ slate of upcoming freshman dramas that really led to the network saying sayonara.
Expanding on this idea further, entertainment president Amy Reisenbach also relayed the following:
We had some tough choices this year. Everything came back very strong. There is a cohesive schedule, a flow.
I guess the show went against that flow, but that's exactly why fans liked it and also why those same fans are so avid about asking for more episodes. There's even been a fan campaign to bring So Help Me Todd back.
I think one of the reasons the possibility of a reversal of a cancelation feels so possible is that there's a track record for network TV shows to return, often on streaming. S.W.A.T. has been a prime example of a show that has survived through multiple decisions to end it -- at CBS itself. But plenty of other shows do get a second shelf life on a streamer, and given CBS is the sister network to Paramount Plus, it seems like it could be an easy fit. Of course, it all boils down to mapping out the numbers and making the budget work, and streamers are less lucrative than shows on traditional platforms.
Personally, I'll really miss So Help Me Todd. I think it was the rare show on CBS that went for something a little different tonally and because of that I also equally see why its numbers weren't quite as large. The one thing that's keeping me from getting too annoyed is knowing in my heart of hearts that I would have been more bummed if other oddball series Elsbeth had been cancelled, and maybe these were the choices CBS was facing as well. It doesn't ease the sting, though.
