Michael Courtney/CBS
SPOILER ALERT! This story contains details about the series finale So help me Todd on CBS.
For the small but dedicated fan base of the drama starring Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin, it was no surprise that the two-year-old crime comedy-drama ended for good on May 16.
What was a surprise was how it ended – with a maddening cliffhanger that involved the arrival of law firm partner Merritt Folding (or rather his feet) and how Margaret (Harden) was going to get fingered for shenanigans she didn’t had not committed. That’s not exactly the way you want to leave things for viewers who are already worried about the show being canceled.
Creator Scott Prendergast understands how painful this would be for fans and would like to offer some relief. Here, he explains why they ended on a cliffhanger and what would have happened if the series had returned for a third season.
DEADLINE: Let’s start with the cliffhanger. For what?
SCOTT PRENDERGAST: When we launched the season at the beginning of season 2, we told all the execs what we were going to do. They all said, “of course.” That’s great.’ Even they thought at the time, “well, of course you’ll come back.” Make a cliffhanger! “We wanted to do a sort of ending to Empire Strikes Back with a dangerous note. By the time we knew we were canceled it was too late. It had been a month since we shot this episode. We discovered it on April 19. We finished production at the end of March.
DEADLINE: When CBS told you about the cancellation, did you have a brief conversation about what you could do for the fans?
PRENDERGAST: The conversations were both very short. We knew this was going to happen. There had been little signs, little things that had happened, little administrative things. We thought, “Oh, maybe this won’t turn out the way we want it to.” » We said, “Can we try to find another house?” Can we keep the sets for a little while? Can we look around, try to sell the show to someone else? And they said, sure. So we didn’t specifically talk about wrapping up the story for the fans, but we were looking for another home.
DEADLINE: Where we are ?
PRENDERGAST: I believe CBS and Dr. Phil McGraw (an EP on the drama) have both spoken to different media outlets. So far we haven’t found any takers. But they still talk.
DEADLINE: What do you think led to the cancellation?
PRENDERGAST: I think it was a combination of factors. First, the strike shortened our season, then it was interrupted with March Madness. Then we heard the network might be for sale. This part of the bottom line is probably more important. Help Me Todd was therefore one of their lowest rated shows. So I think a lot of those factors played a role. But I think the first thing that worked against us was that CBS had too many hour-long shows that worked too well. The real estate is not there. CBS is such a wonderful place to work and they couldn’t have been more supportive. They were so sad about this decision, and on several occasions, executives contacted me to say, “This is heartbreaking.” We are really sorry. Please come back. We look forward to working with you again.
DEADLINE: So, do you want to wait to explain how you would have finished the story?
PRENDERGAST: I went to six different friends who are showrunners and I was like, “Okay, I get asked a lot. How will the show end? What should I do?’ And they say, just tell people. The feet that arrive and belong to Merritt Folding are my feet. I was there that day and played the role of substitute. I was the voice of Merritt Folding, which is ironic when you look back and think that my arrival ended the show. We were going to try to cast Joe Pantoliano, who is a friend of Marcia’s. He was going to be the big bad of season three, and Margaret was going to be in a lot of trouble, getting arrested, and she would have to be tried for all these crimes that she didn’t commit. And Todd is expected to work behind the scenes at the law firm to help clear his name. The whole family would have had to come together. And Susan (Inga Schlingmann) would come back and help him and they would all come together to find a solution.
DEADLINE: What was the future going to be for Todd and Judy?
PRENDERGAST: Todd and Judy (Heather Morris) were going to be together for a few more seasons. Heather Morris was spectacular. We like it. She was so charming, so great, so wonderful to work with. They would stay together for three seasons. But then my idea was that she would eventually move to Thailand, because she couldn’t be tied down, and Todd would eventually get back together with Susan.
DEADLINE: What about Todd’s future? Would he remain in this role of investigator?
PRENDERGAST: He was going to continue working. He would work behind the scenes to help his mother, as a detective. And finally, this empty 28th floor, he would take an office there and he would have his own private detective agency. Allison (Madeline Wise) was going to become a forensic pathologist, a medical examiner like Quincy Jones. We were trying to make Allison a spin-off where it would eventually become a crime drama series.
DEADLINE: Were you shocked by the fan reaction to the cancellation?
PRENDERGAST: I did not expect that. And let me tell you, I can’t go on social media anymore. Every time I open my Instagram or Facebook, I get about 35 to 40 new messages a day from people saying, “What’s going on?” How can you do that?’ I was trying to explain to people that I’m not the one canceling the show. And then they say, “But you can’t.” We want to know. We love the show. I think there are now three different petitions that are up to about 55,000 signatures. That’s very nice. It’s very rewarding to see how much people love the show. And the first thing that was surprising was that everyone was talking about how they watched the show with their whole family. This is a true story about me and my mother. So the fact that people are watching It’s a Family has been really nice.
DEADLINE: So what do you think resonated so well with viewers? Was it that chemistry between Marcia and Skylar?
PRENDERGAST: It’s an electric pair. They worked so well together. When I pitched the show, I said it was like Moonlighting, but it was a mother-son relationship and it was a different type of love. It’s a family love. Everyone can relate to dealing with their parents or their child. From the moment we first saw them together, we knew it was going to work. They were simply a perfect pair. And they both come from theater and they both prepare intensively. They both cared so much. They were both so invested in the show and they were truly spectacular. I think early on, when we started the show, the CBS executives – because their background is in procedurals – thought this had to be a very strict procedural. But the more the show went on, the more I said people didn’t care about the procedural aspect. They care about these characters and these relationships and they like it because it’s funny. I think that’s what carried us.
DEADLINE: So, with your show canceled, what do you think about the future of broadcast television?
PRENDERGAST: I feel pretty good. I don’t know if I have a delayed reaction. TV shows are a lot of work and we worked very, very hard. So it’s nice to take a little break. I’m sure I’ll be sadder about it. We had incredibly talented people. Allisa Swanson, our costume designer, was truly spectacular. Eric Norlin, our production designer, our composers, our editors… everyone was so talented. I worked 15 hours a day, seven days a week. And it was really nice to be around these people all the time. I guess now it’s like we’re moving on to the next opportunity. We’ll see what comes next.