The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret (2009–2016) User Reviews (38)

This show is great.

[bballbob09 · 8/10 · 17 January 2011]

So i just got done reading the review on here where dude was saying that this show isn't good. And I completely disagree.

First off, David Cross is the man, he's not gonna make a show just for the sake of making a show. He's gonna put a lot of dedication into it. Secondly, I guess I can see how you might not think this is funny if you don't get where the show is coming from. Todd Margret (David Cross) is a guy who is sent to London to sell energy drinks, and he has no experience in business whatsoever he is also a compulsive liar. A lot of the comedy in the show stems from these two aspects. And in my opinion it is hilarious. Pretty much the whole show he's just digging himself deeper and deeper into a hole (as the name of the show implies).

I saw in the review that I read that the guy watched Arrested Development. If your looking for a show like this, this isn't it, And really there is no other show like that. This is the type of David Cross humor that you would love if you were into "Mr. Show" the sketch comedy show he had with Bob Odenkirk on HBO.

Also the in this guys review he wrote that it was similar to Home Alone... WTF? Not even close, I would disregard that review completely, and give the show a chance. Because in my opinion it is great, and I can't wait for the second season to air.

This is my first post on this site, but a greatly needed one, after reading the review i saw on the page.

Thanks for reading.

Painful, cringey and hillarious

[elinorthw · 9/10 · 8 September 2020]

Watched after arrested development years ago, watching again and it really holds up. Wish their were more shows like this

Hilarious

[pattierney2010 · 8/10 · 29 January 2011]

I have always found David Cross to be pretty entertaining and humorous, but this show made me a huge fan. He was great on Mr. Show & Arrested Development, but he shines here in a show that was his own creation. Much of the show is about a man trying to find himself in a foreign country, but by doing so, he tries to hard and fails miserably at points, actually a lot. He is completely ignorant to the new culture and since he doesn't understand it, he doesn't grasp that he is insulting every one in sight. The supporting cast is great, including one of the main kids in "The Inbetweeners", another great show. Will Arnet is hilarious as usual and gets funnier as the show progresses through-out it's 6 episodes. The humor is intelligent, although it's hidden in the stupidity, I can almost compare it to South Park in that way, but live action and a little less subtle. Well worth a watch!

Original and Brilliant.

[f-ascaso · 10/10 · 31 March 2012]

I found this by accident, just did a random click on Netflix. Wow, just wow. I haven't seen anything this funny and original in a VERY long time. It was great, full of surprises, and absolutely impossible to guess where it was going next.

I give it an A+ on every front, originality, comedy etc. etc. They really can produce something that isn't just recycled clichéd CRAP and DRivel when they put their minds to it, and get as far away from the formulaic BS that's produced by the "beautiful people" in the West and East Coast entertainment PC mills.

I haven't ever laughed and been caught by surprise by anything on the small screen, ever, like I was by this. Cripes, I may even write a damn fan congratulatory letter to the folks involved.

Brilliant, just Brilliant.

Brilliant!

[derektrotteresq · 10/10 · 10 October 2010]

I just watched the pilot and laughed throughout the show. Very rarely do I find a pilot episode to be engaging and hilarious as its usually setting up the plot for the series and introducing characters but this is fantastic, it grabs you by the balls right from the first sentence uttered and doesn't let go until the closing credits! I'm English, so thought it was nice to see Blake from the inbetweeners in it (a must see show, similar to freaks & geeks) and David Cross is on top form as he was in Arrested Development. It does appear to be more British humour, than American which is strange for a US show, but you can't help but laugh at the predicaments the titular character gets into, no matter where you're from. Also Will Arnett's cameo is hilarious. I recommend this!

So well DONE, even you don't get it!

[microchipmatt · 22 January 2012]

Yes..this is it folks. You will watch this show, and your skin will crawl, and you will grimace and the incredibly, and increasingly poor decisions of this man. At first, you won't be sure if you actually like it, you'll tell yourself its unrealistic, and that maybe, the writing is bad, but then, lightening will strike, and you'll realize you'll watching pure gleaming brilliance.

You will tell yourself that these situations are unrealistic, and that no person could ever roll on himself this much. And then you realize that Todd himself is a spiritual embodiment of exactly what most of us in an industrialized culture have become, because we have been conditioned to do so. We are the compulsive lying sociopath, who believes in our own intelligence to the detriment of our ignorance...Well, maybe not even North America, maybe the world, or those who have fallen for the reality show overdose, and believe that this is the way culture should be shaped on a base of twisted power.

Enjoy.

British knowledge and humour, well observed...

[brainlock-874-349384 · 10/10 · 18 October 2010]

nicely constructed, the viewer knows where things will lead to... the main character Todd (revealed to be somewhat inept from the outset, but with the need for bad 'self help' CDs) becomes increasingly trapped, both by his own, comically unconvincing lies, and also by the knowing action of his UK-staff, masterfully played by one of 'The Inbetweeners' cast members...

i love it, but i think it's going to be one of those easily missed, short-run comedy delights..e.g. BBC2 UK's Roman's Empire...Snuffbox, Catterick all spring to mind, just this has a US star in the lead...

I can understand why non-UK folks may miss many of the references, and do wonder how well it'll go down with a USA audience. Personally, i think it's laugh out loud wonderful

PS I miss 'Better Off Ted' too...great comedy transcends if one is open to thought and laughter..

The funniest show you never saw.

[13Funbags · 10/10 · 2 May 2017]

David Cross never disappoints but this is an exceptionally great series.And let's not forget that this is Will Arnett's best work ever.It is immediately dismissed by some because of the format, which can be considered confusing to those with lower IQs.The show starts at the end and Todd Margaret is on trial in England for many very serious charges.Then it cuts to the past and we see how a well meaning office temp from Portland has ended up in such a dire predicament.The extensive series of events that leads to Todd digging up Princess Di with a dildo, while also incurring the wrath of Americans for creating a catastrophe while he wasn't even there is something that must be seen.They will keep you guessing and laughing, while making you feel sympathy for people that don't deserve it.In the world of sitcoms with no likable characters, this show is the king.

The third season is equally great.It's basically the same story with everything reversed.This show is a definite must see.

amazing 1st 2 seasons. terrible 3rd season

[redeyeblues · 6/10 · 23 January 2016]

The first 2 seasons had lots of hilarious moments although at times cringe-worthy. The characters were well thought out and the plot, although ridiculous, made sense. Some jokes were terrible, but we couldn't help laughing.

Not sure what happened to the third season – not funny at all and very confusing. We watched all the episodes hoping it would become self-explanatory or funnier, but it did not. In the first 2 seasons, even random small characters were funny, but in the third season, none of the characters made us laugh, even the same characters lost their charm. I liked Jack McBrayer as Kenneth in 30 Rock, but he was terribly unfunny on this show.

It's really too bad because the first 2 seasons were so good!

A must watch for anyone that has ever laughed

[brianloughran55 · 10/10 · 12 June 2012]

From reading forums over the years many times I've seen people write "OMG LOL I just spat coffee all over the monitor". Now how many of those times has it been genuine i guess ill never know (though i am on a mission to find out). However during one episode i mistakenly got cocky and decided to gamble eating a dinner while watching....i lost

As i took a sip of my refreshment i ended up with a face full of soda pop, a beef lasagna now fit for the bin yet i still couldn't stop laughing even when drying myself down.

So with this review , yes it is a review, coming to an end, all i can say is so far this is the only show that made me laugh so hard so constantly.

David Cross is a genius and the whole cast was superb but with season 1 being the better of the 2 but Jsssh comedy gold

Gut-busting funny or eye-rolling workout

[bitemeupsidedown · 6/10 · 23 October 2010]

Whether or not you like this depends on what kind of humor you like. Though I have enjoyed a few chuckles, the jokes are mostly eye-rolling at best and nose-wrinkling at worst.

On the other hand...

This is my boyfriend's favorite new show. He nearly falls to the floor laughing at every episode, and often we have to pause it to let him wipe his tears of laughter away and compose himself before we can continue. He awaits each new episode eagerly, each and every week.

Truly, I have more fun watching him that the show...but, it's worth checking out and making your own opinion if you're looking for something new and supposedly humorous to watch. Depending on who you are, it'll either be a love or hate scenario!

Todd Margaret is a Winner!

[dwlaboy · 10/10 · 16 January 2012]

This is a refreshingly hilarious comedy of errors. If you liked the humor of Arrested Development then this is the show for you! David Cross play the biggest liar ever and as everything crumbles under his lies, he just tells more of them. The whole story takes place in 14 days and backtracks over how Todd Margaret ends up in a huge mess. The cast of characters is wonderful, there is Todd's vile boss who spouts politically incorrect comments at everyone in sight, the trashy neighbor who keeps pawning her kids on everyone, Todd's mysterious employee who seems to be behind Todd's misfortunes and Todd's love interest who wants nothing to do with him. Supporting characters add to the mystery of Todd's predicaments.

Lazy but watchable

[chasewood645 · 6/10 · 31 July 2016]

It's hard to tell what Cross was going for with this series. He's always been a pessimistic anarchist with a dark sense of humor, but the genius behind Mr. Show is just lacking in this show. I feel bad because he nearly went broke trying to get this show made. The show is in the same spirit of Meet the Parents, where the protagonist just can't catch a break and gets sh@t on throughout the story. The difference is that I feel bad and can sympathize with Gaylord Focker, but I feel nothing for Todd Margaret besides annoyance. That being said...it's very well paced. The first two seasons are never boring and it has a weird cartoony vibe that makes it watchable. Also Arnett is at his most coke'd out, and it's incredible. If anything can be said about this show it's that Arnett is acting his balls off. One more thing...season 3 is garbage. It's the opposite of inspired and brilliant. The overall story arc is one of the laziest I've seen on TV. Anyways...6/10. I love you David Cross, and you're welcome to judge my poorly worded reviews.

Not great.

[team_liam · 5/10 · 2 March 2011]

There are some funny moments in this show but overall it's a bit too ridiculous to be classed as anything better than average. I watched it as a big fan of Arrested Development and the Inbetweeners so I wanted to see how Cross, Arnett and Harrison were in the show. One reviewer said that the problem is none of the characters are particularly likable and you don't particularly want anyone to succeed, especially Todd. Though there is some truth to that and the characters are a bit one dimensional there is glimmers of comedy.

The problem is that it's far too unrealistic at every turn. For example, Todd is unbelievably stupid to the point of it making the humour feel a bit too low brow. He doesn't understand exchange rates, he can't pronounce "snooker", he thinks the houses of Parliament is a block of flats and he accepts a briefcase of £30 notes with Helen Mirren on instead of the Queen. Even a fish out of water would not be this dumb. His neighbour is the most stereotypical chav possible, a single mother of four who wets the baby's head by taking it straight on a night out, hours after it's birth.

This is not intelligent comedy but it is a comedy nonetheless and probability states that in 6 episodes a cast like that will make you laugh enough to make it watchable. Basically if you think the pilot shows any promise then watch the rest as it's not exactly a waste of time but leave your brain at the door.

I love it

[Benicky · 8/10 · 7 November 2010]

It is stupid, tasteless and I love it. Sometime TV has to be like this so I can relax from the all to real world. Everybody has a little Todd in them, I certainly do. They way he lies and keeps digging deeper and deeper is very funny to me. If you do not like stupid slap stick or never got Monty Python like my wife, you will not like it. It is not supposed to be anything but what it is.

In somebody's review they said how can this gets picked up while Arrested Development gets dropped. The same reason this will get the Axe after a while. It it can only go on for so long before it runs out of good plot lines.

Very amusing with foul language and jokes

[jttebeest · 10/10 · 30 April 2021]

I only started watching it because of David Cross and Will Arnett because I really liked them in Arrested Development. Although this series is quite different, I find it to be very funny and very.rough sometimes, which I like a lot because I miss that in many shows nowadays. Especially Will Arnett acting as Brent Wilts, specifically in season one and two has some very rough not-politically-correct-at-all sayings that astonished me, but in a positive manner. Very, very funny.

The Increasing Necessity to Watch Todd Margaret

[gary89436 · 8/10 · 13 January 2012]

If ever it was possible to have an American show with a strong dose of British humor (or should this be humour?), 'The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret' is it. I admit I was put off by the name of the show (shortened to just 'Todd Margaret' by my DVRecorder), petty I know, committing the error of judging a book by it's cover, which I suppose is actually an inside joke in itself. This is definitely one of those 'love it or hate it', shows, so be warned. Caveat: I have sometimes found myself not liking something at first, but come to appreciate it over time. Likewise, some things I like immediately prove to lack staying power. 'Todd Margaret' brings a mix of these moments, and I'm curious what I will think of this show in a couple of years, even if I were to never see another season. (I am just hoping, to the producers, PLEASE Please please don't try to drag five seasons out of a two or three season story arc, which has become a fatal flaw in all too many shows in the past.)

I like to think of myself as being reasonably sophisticated and eclectic, yet found at some points the show becomes so edgy that I can't bear it, and have to pause the show and go watch something else for a while before returning. While some possibly more prudish viewers might read 'bad' here and not 'edgy', fine. Go watch something else like I did, and come back to it or not. The show isn't trying to be either G-rated or aimed at social conservatives, so if you find it offensive, go count your blessings, warn your fellow church goers not to watch, and leave this behind you. No harm, no foul.

Many parts of the show are intentionally melodramatically exaggerated, which if they weren't being obviously absurd might otherwise not care for, but after adjusting my brain from 'Normal' to 'Todd Margaret', I don't find off putting. After all, no one expects 30 open cans of tuna to precipitate a biologic hazard that condemns an entire apartment block and sets off an international manhunt, but in Todd's world, it's just one more way that world conspires against him.

If any loyal Season One viewers are having trouble tying some of these diverse pieces together, I recommend 'The Increasingly Necessary Recap of Todd Margaret'. (Sorry if I got the exact title wrong, I'm working from my ever-decreasing memory.) While the description informs us in advance that this is "an animated special, in the Korean visual style" (again, from memory) which I found agonizing since I don't like anime or anything like it, try not to be put off by this description as I was for so long. It really lends insight to some of the most subtle humor (much of which admittedly will miss many American viewers like me), which Cross freely admits aren't really expected to be discovered by viewers anyway.

In the final analysis, there are far to many derivative productions that I just don't or no longer find entertaining (recent example 'Persons of Interest'), or which drag on long after their 'Use By...' date (Law and Order season 100). Other than its classification as comedy/other, 'Todd Margaret' can't be pigeonholed into any category—it is different from almost all other shows out there, which to me is in itself is meritorious in this age of derivative entertainment. Love it or hate it, I'm pretty sure that after you've seen it, you can't forget it.

People need to stop over-analyzing everything.

[ffbadd · 8/10 · 9 January 2012]

I enjoyed it. Im not saying its a masterpiece but it was interesting and it produced laughs. The story may seem far-fetched at times but thats something I think TV shows nowadays seem to avoid. Its nice to see something a little different for once. Not every show starts out great either. The first season of Parks and Recreation wasn't anything special but look at it now. A few characters seem a little one dimensional but if the series continues to grow that can easily be rectified. My only problem with the show maybe would be the gullibility of a couple of the characters. Specifically Todd and the cafe owner, Todd at first seems to accept anything dave has to say. Which seems ridiculous to me but I guess thats what makes his character interesting aside from his compulsive need to lie when he doesn't have the right solution. I probably rambled a little but its late, bottom line its a worth a shot and it won't bore you.

Actually pretty funny

[policy134 · 7/10 · 13 December 2013]

David Cross finally starts to grow on me. He's created a desperate character that appears to be what we all aspire not to be at first, but then suddenly, we realise - gee, we are him, most of the time anyway. We all like to think that we are morally superior to everybody else sometimes. For example, when we hear about somebody who did something terrible, we are pretty quick to condemn that person and without getting all the facts.

By the way, this is not a civics lesson on morals that I am writing here, but it's to put David's Cross character in perspective. Here is a man with no real life experience. He comes off as the most ignorant person you have ever met and still, there is a part of us all that are just like him. Haven't we all tried to impress somebody about something we really know next to little about?

Anyway, this is a comment about a comedy show and it is hilarious at times. Especially Will Arnett, who is by now pretty famous for his politically incorrect characters. He's done them on both 30 Rock and Parks & Recreation. The British characters are also extremely well written and I have met several people from England, who were a lot like them.

The plots, however, are pretty unbelievable and you just have to take them for what they are. Situations that drive the comedy. What makes this serial superior is the character stuff and to a lesser degree, the archetypes. You won't laugh for a full 20 minutes, but you will get a few and at the same time you will experience some dynamite acting. This has been a positive review for once.

Weird

[mk_ever-15005 · 10/10 · 15 September 2018]

This show feels like a fever dream that's all I gotta say

Two hits and a miss

[cherold · 7/10 · 6 May 2016]

It's hard to give an overall rating to Todd Margaret because the third season is so vastly inferior to the first two. The first two would get a 9 rating, the third a 4, so I'll just give it a seven.

Those first two seasons were amazing and insane. The premise is simple; Todd Margaret is an idiot who does everything exactly wrong, and through a series of flukes is in the position to do the maximum amount of harm. There is something insanely delightful about the pure idiocy of Todd Margaret, who is both a terrible person and ultimately a well-meaning one. It was outrageous, imaginative television.

Then came the third season. Since the second season ended in a way that would make a third season seem impossible, that third season does a clever jumble of the first two, with a different, more competent and rather unpleasant Todd meeting the same characters in different roles.

Conceptually that's interesting, but the show fails to be funny. My girlfriend and I had eagerly watched the first two seasons, but she gave up on the third after one episode while I made it through two. Those two episodes are especially outrageous or funny, and the new Todd is not nearly as interesting as the old one.

From what I've read, the jumbling of the story gets increasingly interesting, but if it's not funny, it really doesn't matter. It's clear the show is building to something, but that doesn't matter if the episodes used to build towards that something are tedious and unlikable.

Weirdly, critics liked the third season as well as the first two. But they're 100% wrong. Todd Margaret is a two-season series, and the third season should be ignored entirely.

Comedy Masterpiece!

[bushclippr · 10/10 · 2 November 2015]

A masterpiece of comedy! Bizarre, over the top, and sometimes uncomfortable humor. I have to break often, as my abdominal muscles hurt too much from laughing.

From an American perspective, being an Anglophile is very helpful in understanding much of the humor. Those who know a version of Todd Margaret cannot help but be amused. The American ignoramus, plus rude and overly sensitive, self centered American characters are at the of the humor. Some Americans may find the American stereotypes insulting - especially, since so many of them exist.

I recommend this series to all with open minds - and who can laugh at themselves. I can hardly wait for the third season.

Should have been an entirely British production

[death-hawk1 · 6/10 · 17 July 2014]

My main problem with this programme is that it was obviously aimed at an American audience yet it still retains the subtlety and charm of a British comedy hence its watch-ability.

David Cross plays Todd Margaret very well portraying his pitiful nature superbly. However Todd's "increasingly poor decisions" are really that he keeps lying to people over trivial matters and is an idiot. It's the usual question that appears in much of comedy TV and cinema "Why don't you just tell the truth you blithering idiot?" The premise that Todd doesn't know anything about Britain and its culture is acceptable, and this is where the majority of the comedy stems from. However I find it difficult to believe that anybody is thick and gullible enough to be strung along as much as Todd Margaret is whilst also being so totally ignorant of British culture. Calling football soccer is one thing but Todd might as well be on a different planet considering the apparent culture shock he appears to be suffering.

Had the show been made slightly differently it could have been truly great. If for example Todd Margaret wasn't American but had say been sent down from Scotland to London and had problems with the English vs Scottish culture the show would have been far superior. Todd's American accent is very grating amongst all the English ones.

I'll probably keep watching but won't be anticipating any BAFTA's for the show

No one to root for No one to relate to.

[brienmalone · 2/10 · 18 July 2013]

With Cross and Arnett front and center, it's hard not to draw comparisons with Arrested Development. Instead of being a lovable, clueless idiot… Cross as Todd Margaret is a lying, clueless idiot. Instead of being a lovable jerk, Arnett's character is just a jerk.

Dave (Blake Harrison) is also a jerk whose sole purpose is to set Todd Margaret up to fall from greater heights. Alice (Sharon Horgan) is supposed to be the relatable one but her pity on Todd is as inexplicable as her unnecessarily complicated backstory.

I guess I just don't get the humor. It appears to be based on laughing at a liar who is too stupid to know how transparent he is. That doesn't make me laugh, it makes me cringe.

Very good show

[mathieuvanwoudenberg · 10/10 · 13 November 2018]

The show is really clever and has very surprising pot twists. The attention to detail and the continuing story-in-story developments are very entertaining. But you to keep paying attention!