Few shows have had as exciting a journey as USA’s Suits. The series, which aired nine seasons from 2011 to 2019, was a success from the very beginning. With twisty storylines and lovable, messy characters, the legal drama attracted legions of fans. Suits‘ popularity grew even further after the show’s original conclusion when it became available to stream on Netflix, earning millions of obsessed viewers. Since then, audiences have had streaming series like The Lincoln Lawyerto fill the Suits-sized hole in their hearts, but weremissing a network legal drama practically designed to keep them tuning in — until now.
What Is ‘Cupertino’ About?
Robert and Michelle King have been crushing the procedural format. With acclaimed series such as The Good Wife, Evil, and Elsbeth, the husband-and-wife creative team has delivered some of the best television in recent years. The duo’s new CBS show, Cupertino, which premiered on October 8, is a fast-paced legal drama about a pair of underdog lawyers who decide to take on some of Silicon Valley’s biggest tech companies. The series is set in the titular Cupertino, California, where tech bros have created a new class of entitled, wealthy foes whose power is currently going unchecked.
Michael Price (past Evil collaborator Mike Colter) has been dismissed by his employer, but gets the idea to start a brand-new firm alongside gullible attorney Olivia Siffre (Rachel Keller). Even though the two make a good team, their journey to success is far from easy. Each episode features a new case for the lawyers to take on, with overarching storylines that carry throughout the season. With a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, Cupertino is a must-watch.
‘Cupertino’ Soars With Its Prescient Storylines and Brilliant Cast
Every legal drama runs the risk of falling into the same patterns of generic predictability. From the very first episode, it’s clear that Cupertino is in a class of its own. The Kings and the show’s writing team have crafted storylines that feel almost terrifyingly prescient. By covering wildly timely issues like the far-reaching impacts of AI chatbots, voice cloning, military drone catastrophes, and an AGI deepfake that seems to have a mind of its own, Cupertino tackles problems that are already becoming embedded in our lives. It’s not just that the writing feels like it’s diving into real-time issues; it’s also somehow predicting near-future crises, as well as delivering action-packed storylines. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep things interesting, and the characters are written so smartly that you can’t help but be sucked into their stories.
Cupertino is already entertaining because of the writing, but the actors are really where the show thrives. Colter has developed Michael into a perfect protagonist, with intelligence, integrity, and smoldering good looks. Keller also holds her own as the naive and inexperienced Olivia, and their platonic chemistry helps to create a partnership that actually feels believable.
Collider Exclusive · Villain Personality Quiz Which Criminal Mastermind Would Be Your Nemesis? Lecter · Joker · Moriarty · Chigurh
Four of the finest criminal minds ever put on screen. One of them would look at you and see something worth their time. Eight questions decide which one comes for you, why they picked you, and what they would want when they arrived.
🍷Lecter
🃏Joker
♟️Moriarty
🪙Chigurh
01
What would a criminal mastermind notice about you first? Great villains choose their opponents carefully. Something about you got their attention.
02
How do they make first contact? The introduction tells you everything about what is coming next.
03
What do you actually believe about right and wrong? Every nemesis is really an argument about the thing you believe most.
04
What finally gets under your skin? Everybody has a pressure point. Finding yours is the whole plan.
05
They have made their move. How do you fight back? This is the part of the film where the audience finds out who you are.
06
What would they use against you? A good villain never brings a weapon you have not already handed them.
07
What do they actually want from you? The money is never the point. Something else always is.
08
How does it end between the two of you? Eight questions in, this is the one that decides who comes for you.
The Case File Is Complete Your Nemesis Is…
Four criminal masterminds. One of them was always going to be yours.
Here is who comes for you, why they picked you out of everyone available, and what they want from
the encounter.
The Silence of the Lambs · Hannibal · 1991–2002
Hannibal Lecter
Your nemesis does not want to beat you. He wants to know you
completely, and he is patient enough to wait for it. The frightening part is how good the
conversation is.
Lecter is the most dangerous kind of opponent: the one who finds you interesting. He
never raises his voice, because he has never needed to.
You keep a great deal to yourself and you are careful about what you show. That reserve
is exactly the door he would knock on.
The films understood something other thrillers missed. The horror is not the violence.
It is being perfectly understood by the wrong person.
He would be unfailingly polite about all of it. That is the worst part.
Batman · The Dark Knight · 1989–2019
The Joker
Your nemesis is not after money, territory or revenge. He is
after a demonstration, and you are the person he has chosen to prove his point on.
The Joker only picks opponents who believe in something. Your decency is not a defence
against him. It is the entire reason he showed up.
He has no plan you can predict and nothing you can take away, which removes every tool
you would normally reach for.
His whole argument is that you are one bad day away from being him, and you would spend
the rest of your life proving him wrong.
He would call it a magic trick. You would call it the worst night of your life.
Sherlock Holmes · The Final Problem · Since 1893
Moriarty
Your nemesis respects you, which sounds flattering until you work
out what it means. He chose you because nobody else was worth his time.
Moriarty is the original criminal mastermind, the template every later one borrows from:
a mind the equal of the hero’s, pointed the wrong way.
You enjoy being the cleverest person in the room. He is counting on exactly that, and he
has already built the room.
This is the rare nemesis who would be genuinely disappointed if you lost badly. He needs
the game to be worth playing.
It ends the way these things always end. Two people, one problem, and only one way down.
No Country for Old Men · 2007
Anton Chigurh
Your nemesis has no personal interest in you whatsoever, and that
is precisely what makes him unsurvivable. You are not a rival. You are a stop on the way.
Chigurh does not negotiate, gloat or explain. He arrives, he asks one question, and the
answer was decided long before you opened your mouth.
You trust yourself to handle things. He is the one problem in the world that has no
interest in how capable you are.
No Country for Old Men rewrote the screen villain by removing the thing audiences
quietly rely on: the sense that talking might work.
Call it. He will wait.
As strong as its leads are, Cupertino also features talented supporting actors that help the show flourish. Ella Stiller, who plays the firm’s quirky yet devoted assistant, is able to build on her comedic timing from HBO’s The Comeback. The always-game Busy Philipps is reunited with her Girls5Eva co-star Renée Elise Goldsberry, and both actors bring extra charisma and wry humor to the series. Joe Morton also pops up as Michael’s father in a role that will expand in the future, and Broadway veteran Rob McClure appears as an eerily realistic character.
Cupertino is already doing well in the ratings, ensuring that the era of network television is far from over. There will surely be many more intriguing cases to follow as Michael and Olivia pursue their David vs. Goliath battles. The Kings are continuing to demonstrate their genius when it comes to crafting stories that feel inherently captivating, and we can’t wait to see what else Cupertinotackles in the courtroom.
Cupertino airs Thursday nights on CBS and is available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.
