‘So Help Me Todd’ Episode 19 Photos, Cast, and “86’d” Plot Details

So Help Me Todd Episode 19
Marcia Gay Harden as Margaret and Skylar Astin as Todd in ‘So Help Me Todd’ episode 19 (Photo: Michael Courtney © 2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc)

Jamie Chung (Dexter: New Blood) guest stars as a murder suspect on CBS’s So Help Me Todd season one episode 19, “86’d.” Directed by Larry Teng from a script by Lisa Kyonga Parsons, episode 19 will air on Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 9pm ET/PT.

Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden stars as Margaret Wright, Skylar Astin plays Todd Wright, and Tristen J. Winger is Lyle. Madeline Wise plays Allison, Inga Schlingmann is Susan, and Rosa Arredondo stars as Francey.

Jordan McGraw guest stars.

“86’d” Plot: Margaret represents Lauren (Chung), Susan’s good friend, in a hostile work environment lawsuit after she quits her job at a Michelin-starred restaurant, but it unexpectedly turns into a murder trial when the head chef is found dead. Also, when Todd gets sick, Margaret must go undercover as a dishwasher in a fancy restaurant while Todd acts as a restaurant critic to gather more intel on the possible suspect.

So Help Me Todd Episode 19
Inga Schlingmann as Susan and Jamie Chung as Lauren Park in episode 19 (Photo © 2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.)

The Plot:

Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin star as razor-sharp, meticulous attorney Margaret Wright and Todd, her talented but scruffy, aimless son whom she hires as her law firm’s in-house investigator. As the black sheep of the well-heeled Wright family, Todd is a laidback, quick-thinking, excellent former private detective who fell on hard times after his flexible interpretation of the law got his license revoked. Margaret’s penchant for excellence and strict adherence to the law is at complete odds with Todd’s scrappy methods of finding his way through sticky situations: by the seat of his wrinkled pants.

When Todd inadvertently teams with his mother on a case, she’s surprised to find herself duly impressed by – and proud of – his crafty ability to sleuth out information with his charm and his wide-ranging tech savvy. At last, Margaret sees a way to put her son on a “suitable” path to living an adult, financially solvent life she approves of, and she asks him to join her firm. Todd agrees since it means getting his license back and once again doing the job he excels at and loves.

Mother and son working together is a big first step toward mending their fragile, dysfunctional relationship, and they may even come away with a better understanding of each other at this pivotal point in their lives. But whether Todd and Margaret will be able to accept each other for who they are is another case entirely.

So Help Me Todd Episode 19
Leslie Silva as Beverly Crest and Skylar Astin as Todd in episode 19 (Photo: Michael Courtney © 2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc)
So Help Me Todd Episode 19
Jordan McGraw as Gavin West in episode 19 (Photo: Michael Courtney © 2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc)
So Help Me Todd Episode 19
Skylar Astin as Todd, Marcia Gay Harden as Margaret, Inga Schlingmann as Susan and Jordan McGraw as Gavin West in episode 19 (Photo: Michael Courtney © 2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc)
So Help Me Todd Episode 19
Inga Schlingmann as Susan, Jordan McGraw as Gavin West, Marcia Gay Harden as Margaret and Skylar Astin as Todd in the “86’d” episode (Photo: Michael Courtney © 2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc)
So Help Me Todd Episode 19
Skylar Astin as Todd and Marcia Gay Harden as Margaret in episode 19 (Photo: Michael Courtney © 2023 CBS Broadcasting, Inc)