In 2010’sThe Increasingly Poor Decisions Of Todd Margaret, Jon Hamm parodied his screen persona by playing a bizarre version of himself.Jon Hamm reprising hisMad Menrolefor 2024’sUnfrostedproved that the actor doesn’t take himself too seriously, as do his supporting comedic roles in everything fromBridesmaidsto30 Rock. However, while Hamm doesn’t mind mocking the gravitas he earned with roles inThe Town,Richard Jewell, andBeirut, the actor only occasionally plays himself as a comedic self-parody.
Hamm appeared as versions of himself in 2016’sAbsolutely Fabulous: The Movie, 2019’sBetween Two Ferns: The Movie, and individual episodes ofAmerican Dad,Family Guy,Toast of London, andBarry. However, only one show managed to convince Hamm to play himself as a supporting character throughout its three seasons. UnlikeHamm’s uncredited role inBridesmaids, the actor’s appearances inThe Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaretnever hid the actor’s identity.
Jon Hamm Played An Offbeat Version Of Himself In The Increasingly Poor Decisions Of Todd Margaret
The Increasingly Poor Decisions Of Todd Margaret Spoofed Hamm’s Screen Persona
The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaretstars series creator David Cross as the titular Todd Margaret, a temp worker who gets in far over his head when he is tasked with selling an energy drink to the UK market. Margaret is aided in his efforts by Dave, a British employee who delights in exploiting Todd Margaret’s lack of understanding of British social norms and his tendency to compulsively lie under pressure. Dave is revealed to be the son of a rich lord who has secretly engineered Todd Margaret’s string of professional and personal struggles throughout the show.
As if this weren’t weird enough,The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaretsees Jon Ham play a fictionalized version of himself who is Dave’s manservant. Eventually, viewers learn that Dave hired Hamm to record the self-help CDs that led to Todd Margaret’s unearned promotion into a sales role. AlthoughThe Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaretseason 4never happened, the season 3 finale did reveal that this entire storyline was almost certainly all been a dream. Bizarrely, the ending of season 3 implied its events could have also been imagined.
Why The Increasingly Poor Decisions Of Todd Margaret Deserves More Attention
The Starry Cast and Funny Writing Of David Cross’s Show Received Little Attention
As implied by the synopsis above,The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaretwas a surreal, chaotic series that never held back and constantly escalated its dramatic absurdity. Its starry cast included Cross, Hamm, Will Arnett, and British comedy mainstay Sharon Horgan. Characters who appeared throughout seasons 1 and 2 played different versions of themselves in season 3 after the surreal dream twist.
The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret blended the dark, cynical humor of British TV comedy with the wild, anything-goes approach of a US sketch show.
AlthoughThe Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret’s dark sense of humor is an acquired taste, the series still deserved more attention than it received upon release. A UK/US co-production,The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaretblended the dark, cynical humor of British TV comedy with the wild, anything-goes approach of a US sketch show. The result was a unique series that, while imperfect, allowedThe Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaretto give Jon Hamm a memorable role as a bizarre parody of his real-life self.
