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Cupertino (TV series)

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Cupertino
GenreLegal drama
Created byRobert King
Michelle King
Starring
Music byDavid Buckley
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producers
Producer
  • Fran Giblin
Cinematography
Editors
  • Matt Kregor
  • David Dworetzky
Production companies
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseOctober 8, 2026 (2026-10-08) –
present

Cupertino is an American legal drama television series created by Robert King and Michelle King, who also produce. It premiered on CBS on October 8, 2026.[1] The series stars Mike Colter as a Silicon Valley attorney who, after being denied his stock options and dismissed by his employer, forms a firm with another ousted lawyer (Rachel Keller) to represent people harmed by the technology industry.[2] It takes its name from Cupertino, California, the Santa Clara County city that is home to Apple Inc.[2]

Premise

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Michael Price, an attorney working in Silicon Valley, is cheated out of his stock options and fired by the technology start-up that he co-founded. Rather than accept the outcome, he partners with Olivia Siffre, a lawyer recently dismissed from her own position, to open a practice devoted to clients who have been exploited by the region's technology companies.[2][3]

Cast

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Main

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Recurring

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Episodes

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No.Title [7]Directed byWritten by [8]Original release date [7]U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Michael & Olivia"Robert KingRobert King & Michelle KingOctober 8, 2026 (2026-10-08)3.19[9]
2"Vik & Bo"Ron UnderwoodRobert King & Michelle KingOctober 15, 2026 (2026-10-15)2.86[10]
3"Juno"John DahlJennifer CacicioOctober 22, 2026 (2026-10-22)2.85[11]
4"A.J. & Buddy"Robert KingJoey HartstoneOctober 29, 2026 (2026-10-29)TBD
5"Celeste"[12]Nancy HoDewayne Darian JonesNovember 5, 2026 (2026-11-05)TBD
6"Harper"[13]Rosemary RodriguezKeith EisnerNovember 8, 2026 (2026-11-08)TBD
7"YUNGWOOD"[14]Rob HardyAurin SquireNovember 12, 2026 (2026-11-12)TBD
8"Judith & Michael"TBASejal PachisiaNovember 19, 2026 (2026-11-19)TBD

Production

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Development

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Legal drama The Good Wife (2009–2016) delved into technology and the law,[15] and in 2016, showrunners Robert and Michelle King pitched a spinoff for the Diane Lockhart character (Christine Baranski), who was originally envisioned as moving to Silicon Valley. The eventual spinoff series, called The Good Fight (2017–2022), instead retained the Chicago setting of the original.[16] After Paramount+ canceled Evil in February 2024,[17] the Kings refashioned their Silicon Valley idea into a standalone legal series,[18] with a focus on David-versus-Goliath stories[19][20] and the growing presence of AI in daily life.[16][21]

The series was first set up in development at CBS in 2024.[4] In May 2025 the network commissioned a full writers' room along with an order for thirteen scripts.[4][2] The room opened that September, after Robert King completed directing duties on an episode of the Kings' CBS series Elsbeth (2024–present).[3] CBS gave the project a formal series order in October 2025 for the 2026–27 television season, shortly after receiving the first material produced by the writers' room.[3][4] Technology journalist Brian Merchant was also brought on as a consultant for the show's writers.[22]

The Kings write and serve as co-showrunners, and executive produce through their CBS Studios-based banner King Size Productions alongside Liz Glotzer; Robert King directed the premiere episode.[3][2] Sam Hoffman also serves as an executive producer.[23] The series marks the Kings' first drama set against the technology industry, following their legal series The Good Wife, The Good Fight and Elsbeth.[2]

Casting

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Mike Colter was attached in a lead role at the time of the series pickup, reuniting him with the Kings after Evil and recurring roles on The Good Wife and The Good Fight.[3][2] In February 2026, Busy Philipps was cast in a series regular role, joining Colter, Rachel Keller, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Ella Stiller and Nik Dodani.[4] Later that month, Rob McClure, Joe Morton and Steven Pasquale joined as recurring guest stars.[6]

Some publications have noted that the real-world city of Cupertino has a population of 70.9% Asian Americans and noted that, apart from Dodani, this is not reflected in the show's main cast, with the producers apparently choosing the location as a metonym for Big Tech. The series' producers have not responded to this critique.[24][25]

Release

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Cupertino premiered on CBS on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 10:00 p.m. ET, airing in the slot following Elsbeth.[1] Episodes stream live on Paramount+ for subscribers to the service's premium tier and become available the following day to all subscribers.[23]

Reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 100%, based on 28 reviews, with an average of rated reviews of 8.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Cupertino revitalizes the legal procedural with sharp wit, addictive courtroom drama, and sophisticated explorations of the tech industry's moral complexities, crafting biting satire with surprising humanity."[26] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 85 out of 100 based on 20 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[27]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Bell, Amanda (September 9, 2026). "Cupertino TV Show: Cast, Premiere Date, and More Details About the New Legal Drama". TV Insider. Archived from the original on September 10, 2026. Retrieved September 12, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Porter, Rick (October 22, 2025). "Silicon Valley Drama Cupertino Lands CBS Series Pickup". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 13, 2026. Retrieved September 12, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Andreeva, Nellie (October 22, 2025). "CBS Picks Up Cupertino Legal Drama Starring Mike Colter To Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 13, 2026. Retrieved September 12, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Otterson, Joe (February 24, 2026). "Busy Philipps Joins CBS Legal Drama Cupertino". Variety. Archived from the original on September 13, 2026. Retrieved September 12, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 Roots, Kimberly (October 7, 2026). "Cupertino's Cast And Creators Talk a 'David' Law Firm Vs. Tech 'Goliaths' in New CBS Drama". TVLine. Archived from the original on October 8, 2026. Retrieved October 8, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Grobar, Matt (February 26, 2026). "Cupertino TV Series Casts Rob McClure, Joe Morton & Steven Pasquale". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 14, 2026. Retrieved September 12, 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Shows A-Z – Cupertino on CBS". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Cupertino". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  9. ↑ Bunch, Rebecca (October 16, 2026). "Thursday TV Ratings 10/8/26: Eternally Yours Premieres Solidly, SVU Returns to Highest Rating Since Early 2025, Georgie & Mandy and Elsbeth Also Return Higher". The TV Ratings Guide. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  10. ↑ Bunch, Rebecca (October 22, 2026). "Thursday TV Ratings 10/15/26: 9-1-1: Nashville and 9-1-1 Return Massively Up, SVU and Law & Order Slide, Elsbeth and Cupertino Also Falter". The TV Ratings Guide. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
  11. ↑ Bunch, Rebecca (October 29, 2026). "Thursday TV Ratings 10/22/26: Law & Order: SVU and The Traitors: New Blood Slide Again, 9-1-1 and Elsbeth Also Decline, Cupertino Rises (Updated with Cable)". The TV Ratings Guide. Retrieved October 30, 2026.
  12. ↑ "(#CUP105) "Celeste"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
  13. ↑ "(#CUP106) "Harper"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
  14. ↑ "(#CUP107) "YUNGWOOD"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
  15. ↑ Thompson, Clive (September 27, 2013). "From Anonymous to Bitcoin, The Good Wife Is the Most Tech-Savvy Show on TV". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Archived from the original on October 7, 2026. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  16. 1 2 Soloski, Alexis; Hamja, Amir (September 17, 2026). "On 'Cupertino,' Creators of the 'The Good Wife' Go to Silicon Valley". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  17. ↑ Butler, Karen. "Katja Herbers 'super-sad' over 'Evil' cancellation - UPI.com". UPI. Archived from the original on July 24, 2025. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  18. ↑ Gajjar, Saloni. "Robert and Michelle King want humanity to be the focus of Cupertino's AI stories". AV Club. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  19. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (August 26, 2024). "Robert & Michelle King Take On Silicon Valley With 'Cupertino' Legal Drama In Works At CBS". Deadline. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  20. ↑ Johnson, G. Allen (October 5, 2026). "The creators of 'The Good Wife' have a new target: Silicon Valley's tech giants". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on October 5, 2026. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  21. ↑ "'Cupertino' Brings Silicon Valley to the Courtroom | Skydance". www.skydance.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2026. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  22. ↑ Merchant, Brian (October 9, 2026). "The 15 best Luddite horror films". www.bloodinthemachine.com. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  23. 1 2 "Cupertino". CBS. Archived from the original on September 13, 2026. Retrieved September 12, 2026.
  24. ↑ Gentile, Dan (August 20, 2026). "The city of Cupertino is 70.9% Asian. A new TV show set there ignores this". SFGate. Archived from the original on September 14, 2026. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
  25. ↑ Mehta, Anjali (August 10, 2026). "CBS's Cupertino Cast: One Asian Lead in a 70% Asian City". SF Bay Area Times. Archived from the original on September 14, 2026. Retrieved September 14, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Cupertino: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 21, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Cupertino: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved October 9, 2026.
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