CBS’ New Legal Thriller Series Earns Rare Rotten Tomatoes Score

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Mike Colter and Rachel Keller in a still from Cupertino

Published Oct 7, 2026, 8:40 AM EDT

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Cupertino, the new legal thriller series from Robert and Michelle King, is off to a great start.

A prolific writer and producer married duo, the Kings have arguably perfected a certain kind of high-stakes procedural thriller. They created The Good Wife, about a woman returning to her profession after her husband is caught in a very public scandal. That has since led to two successful spinoffs, The Good Wife and Elsbeth. The Kings also created Evil, the supernatural drama that harkened back to The X-Files with a more overtly apocalyptic focus.

The Kings have reunited with Evil lead actor Mike Colter on the CBS legal series Cupertino, which has debuted to a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The score is based on six reviews and may shift as more assessments are added. But in a positive sign, the Average of Rated Reviews is at 8.60 out of 10. This indicates that the reception is strongly positive.

Cupertino premieres on Thursdays, occupying CBS' 10 PM slot. It's pitched as a David vs. Goliath drama, centering on Michael Price (played by Colter), a lawyer driven out of his job by his former employer, a tech startup. He refuses to back down, teaming up with Olivia Siffre (Tokyo Vice star Rachel Keller), who has also been fired from the same startup. They aim to represent the people taken advantage of by the tech elite “in a high-stakes battle against the Goliaths controlling Silicon Valley,” according to the official logline.

Renée Elise Goldsberry, Busy Philipps, Ella Stiller, and Nik Dodani also star in the new broadcast drama, making Cupertino the show to watch for one of the best casts on television. Along with Keller and Colter, the latter of whom is known for being Marvel's Luke Cage, Goldsberry is a Hamilton vet who's skilled with both comedy and drama. The same can be said for Philipps, a familiar face going back to the days of Dawson's Creek and being part of the breakout Freaks and Geeks cast.

The Hollywood Reporter's Daniel Feinberg sums up Cupertino by noting that the ten episodes available to critics may not be on the level of The Kings' best work. It also may lack the dark edge that's found in Evil. But even allowing for those caveats, the legal saga is declared a ”must-watch” and looks on track to be one of the best new shows of the year.

Cupertino premieres Thursday at 10 PM ET on CBS