‘So Help Me Todd’ Creator Explains Series Finale Cliffhanger and What Could Have Happened in Season 3

So Help Me Todd might have taken its last bow, but there are still so many questions to be answered.

The series, which aired its final episode on Thursday, May 16, ended on a cliffhanger, with the first-time introduction of Merritt Folding (Joe Pantoliano), the law firm’s founding partner. Fans were left on a juicy note, wondering how exactly Todd (Skylar Astin) would deal with the news that Margaret (Marcia Gay Harden) had been framed by Folding.

Series creator Scott Prendergast revealed to TVLine in a post mortem interview that the finale was written before he realized So Help Me Todd had been canceled. “By the time we got the cancellation news, the episode was long finished,” he explained. “There was no going back. We had pitched out the whole arc at the beginning of the season, including the cliffhanger, and at that time we had every reason and assurance to believe we’d someday get a season 3.”

Prendergast offered the outlet a sneak peek of what would have happened if the show had been picked up, including Beverly (Leslie Silva) and Margaret becoming friends, an exciting comeuppance for Allison (Madeline Wise) and a breakup for Todd and Judy (Heather Morris).

Which TV Shows Are Renewed, Which Are Canceled in 2024-2025? Get the Status of Your Favorite Series

News broke in April that So Help Me Todd would not be returning for a third season. The show was one of many CBS shows to get the ax, including CSI: Vegas and NCIS: Hawai’i.

“We’re all super sad,” Harden, 64, exclusively told Us Weekly at the 2024 GLSEN Respect Awards at New York City’s Gotham Hall that same month. “The whole cast and the crew and the writers and showrunners, everyone is really sad. We’ve had a great run with CBS.”

Harden said what makes her “sad” about So Help Me Todd not making the cut is the fact it was “one of the few original comedic and dramatic shows on CBS,” adding, “And it seems like a lot of the programming is syndicated crime shows.”

Spring TV Preview 2024: Inside Must-Watch New and Returning Shows

Despite the series’ end, Harden told Us she knows “CBS loved our show” and that it likely “made them sad as well to have to cancel it.”

The actress took to Instagram ahead of the finale to share a message to the people who had been tuning in for two seasons. “Parting is such sweet sorrow….you all know the rest,” Harden wrote. “Thank you for being such loyal fans, such a fabulous crew, wonderful writers and amazing cast.”

Astin, 36, shared his own disappointment about the show’s cancellation, taking to X after the finale to write, “What kills me the most is I know how the series was really supposed to end. It was perfect. Emotional, full circle, and perfectly Todd.”