Why Allison From So Help Me Todd Looks So Familiar
The CBS show "So Help Me Todd" is nothing short of delightful. Talented actor Skylar Astin lends his talent to Todd, a man holding onto his childhood dream of being a private investigator. He's been unsuccessful so far, and he owes his mother, Margaret (Marcia Gay Harden), a total of $9,000. Margaret, a well-accomplished defense attorney, hires Todd to her firm to help turn his life around.
While Todd and his mother occasionally don't see eye to eye, as Todd is more than happy to bend a few rules to help him solve a mystery, he can at least depend on the advice of his more successful sister, Allison. Allison is a well-established ER surgeon, and Todd comes to her for advice regarding their mother and life in general, as it appears Allison has it all figured out. While Todd laments his broken relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Susan (Inga Schlingmann), Allison has her life together just how Todd wants his to be.
Allison is portrayed by actor Madeline Wise, who has held quite a few entertaining and impressive roles since her first role in 2013. Here is what she's done leading up to "So Help Me Todd," and why she looks so familiar.
She was Deidre in Curb Your Enthusiasm
One of Madeline Wise's big TV appearances came as Deidre in an episode of HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
"Curb Your Enthusiasm" follows Larry David, a popular comedian writer, and actor, responsible for the iconic sitcom "Seinfeld," as he navigates a semi-retired life in Los Angeles. The show ran from 2000-2011 and then returned in 2017 and again in 2020, continuing to air new seasons since. Wise appeared in Season 11 and was part of one of Larry's plots.
In Episode 8 ("What Have I Done?"), Larry is trying to make amends with Irma (Tracey Ullman) because he wants to get her to repeal a fence law so he can fire Maria Sofia (Keyla Monterroso Mejia). Larry takes her out to dinner, which is where we meet Diedre, Irma's daughter.
Deidre makes a joke about her mother stealing her "Little Women" DVD, to which Larry begins complaining about the March sisters, describing them as annoying and commenting that it would've been more realistic for only one sister to have a successful career while the rest would go on to be housewives. This understandably upsets Deidre, who calls her mom the next day to complain about Larry's comments.
Irma informs Larry that she isn't willing to maintain a relationship unless her daughter likes him, so he attempts to win her over and is somehow successful when he pretends to be emotional at her wedding vow renewal party.
She features in Single Drunk Female
There's a lot to love in the Freeform comedy, "Single Drunk Female," which was released in early 2022. The show's premise follows a young alcoholic named Samantha (Sofia Black-D'Elia), who, after a rather embarrassing public stunt, has to move back home with her mom and sober up to avoid jail time for her actions.
It's a great redemption story filled with awkward second-hand embarrassment. We can't help but feel awful when we see Sam find out her ex-boyfriend (Charlie Hall) is now engaged to her former best friend. Everything is falling apart, and nothing would make it better than a drink, except now Sam can't indulge.
Sam finds support through her AA meetings, where she leans on leader Olivia (Rebecca Henderson) to help her get where she needs to be. Desperate for her advice, Sam arrives at Olivia's doorstep outside of meeting hours.
Who answers the door? Olivia's partner, Stephanie — pronounced "Stefani, like Gwen." Olivia promises it'll only be a few minutes, and when it takes a little longer, Wise stumbles back onto the scene passive-aggressively to get the couple's large cat, Josh. She's against Sam arriving up until she's complimented on her Ruth-Bader-Ginsburg patterned leggings, after which she's more than eager to offer Sam a pair.
The show has been renewed for a second season (via Variety), so audiences may see Wise reprise her role as Olivia's wife, having featured in four episodes of Season 1.
She is the loving, but depressed matriarch of the Picard family
Fans of "Star Trek" young and old, and even those not as well versed in the show's universe, are likely aware of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, portrayed by legendary actor Sir Patrick Stewart. Picard has been a character in multiple iterations spanning movies and television series — in other words, he's pretty important.
"Star Trek: Picard" hit CBS in 2020 and is set to release Season 3 in 2023. In Season 2, Madeline Wise joined the cast as Yvette Picard, the admiral's late mother. Wise's time on the show was unfortunately short; told through flashbacks, Picard reveals that his mother took her own life after suffering from depression for many years.
In a 2022 interview with TV Fanatic, Wise shared what it was like to take a role in the "Star Trek" universe: "It was daunting, for sure. In a way, I felt sort of relieved that I personally was never a Trekkie, so in a way, it felt like I didn't have as much pressure on myself because I don't personally have the full depth of knowledge." Luckily for Wise, as she revealed in the interview, she could turn to her sister for help: "She was extremely helpful in getting me up to speed on everything I needed to know."
While audiences can watch Wise in a main role in "So Help Me Todd," they can also catch her in "Crashing," and another CBS series, "Evil."