I subscribe to several Entertainment news feeds, which makes perfect sense for someone who is so into shows and movies as myself. This week, I was pleased to see it was reported by multiple sources CBS has given a series order to Robert and Michelle King’s legal drama Cupertino for the 2026-27 season. I now have at least one new show to look forward to on “traditional” television come next season.
If you are not familiar with the Kings, they are responsible for the current CBS hit Elsbeth, as well as other shows such as Happy Face, Evil, BrainDead, The Good Fight, and their monster hit The Good Wife. This new project reunites them with Mike Colter, who was one of the stars of Evil, and worked with them on the two “Good” series.
Cupertino is named after the city in California that is home to Apple. The series is billed as a David vs. Goliath legal drama set in the heart of Silicon Valley, following a lawyer (Colter) who is cheated by his former employer, a tech startup. He then teams up with another recently fired attorney to represent those taken advantage of by the tech industry elites.
The Kings have worked with CBS Studios for over fifteen years now, and will executive produce Cupertino, lead its writing room, and serve as co-showrunners. Robert will also direct the series premiere. They always have their hands on most aspects of their projects, and this new show’s back -office structure sounds much the same. They are used to working on more than one show at a time, which will be good news to fans of Elsbeth in terms of maintaining the quality of that series.
Let us discuss BrainDead for a moment – a show I recommend you sample if you have access to it, and are looking for something quirky. BrainDead was a one-season-and-done series…but to be honest based on its premise I think the Kings constructed it as such. It was extremely “out there” for network television. Still, if you have never seen it, you are in for a treat, especially if you are a fan of shows that parody politics. If that does not draw you in, the show’s premise is a comedy-thriller where alien insects take over the minds of politicians in Washington. Oh, and it also features one of the most intrusive earworms ever unleashed.
The Kings have said the 2013 government shutdown inspired them to create the “Body Snatcher” government scenario. Acting legend Tony Shalhoub plays a Senator who is one of the very first pols infected…and Mary Elizabeth Winstead is just wonderful in the lead role, returning to D.C. to work for her Senator brother…navigating the strangeness and trying to figure out why some staff and Congress members are acting so…weird.
Speaking of weird, it is weird Evil was cancelled last year. In a June 2025 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Robert King had a stronger feeling:
“I don’t f***ing understand why Evil was canceled, I still can’t. I lay awake at night wondering why it was canceled, and it all seems to come back to the new streaming model which is, “We have enough. We don’t need more. There’s no place for your show. What can you say except that it was stupid. And I think the business is stupid.”
Evil ran for four seasons before its series finale on August 22, 2024.
I happen to listen to a podcast where the host always asks his guest as the last question, ‘What hill are you most willing to die on?” It might be the drink or dish they swear by, their favorite movie or album…you get the idea. Something you will swear to everyone you meet…it is worth the taste, the watch, the listen.
I am willing to die on the hill of the television series Evil. There is so much good…in Evil.
Several of you know how I feel about this series (and are muttering to yourself “Evil…again?”). My wife and I started watching Evil in September 2019, when it debuted on CBS. Thirteen episodes later, Mrs. B was not quite sure how she felt about watching it going forward. I definitely wanted to see what was next, especially when it was announced the show was shifting from CBS over to Paramount+.
The Kings were now being given a much bigger canvas to paint upon. The broadcast censorship reins were completely taken off, and their characters could now live more realistic lives when it came to having no subject being off limits, using foul language, expressions of physical intimacy…as well as depicting more…pure…evil.
The show’s premise is easy to digest. Three diverse personalities come together to form a “dream team” of sorts investigating extraordinary events. The goal – to determine if there is a rational, scientific explanation behind the events…or not. A prospective priest wrestling with his career path, a cynical psychologist juggling work while serving as both parents for her children, and a no-nonsense contractor who offers an “earthly” reason for all he encounters.
That decision to move to a streaming service and engage with the full velocity of the Kings’ creative storytelling skill set paid off handsomely. I am sure you have heard this line from friends and relatives about their favorite TV series… “There is nothing like it.” Well, there is nothing like it.
God vs. Satan battle on cerebral and hand-to-hand levels alike. The show questions and challenges beliefs in religion, relationships…and reality. Twists and turns exist along the way. Sudden shocks and jump scares, but other frights proceed at a slow burn. Yet, there are guardrails built into the scripts which also ensure a balance between at least two…but often three…viewpoints on whether events, possessions, demons, miracles, etc. have explanations that are faith-based, science-based, or somewhere “in between.”
Several critics have compared it to The X-Files. I think that is fine if you are trying to give people familiar with that show a general idea of what the structure is, but there are more layers to the characters in Evil…as well as more protagonists.
Season 1 does start very slowly, and there is some real weirdness which will absolutely have you questioning your decision to even give it a go. If you do start watching Evil, give it time to produce a return on your investment. Get to Season 2.
The writing, editing, score, and direction are all top-shelf. The cast is stellar. In addition to the afore-mentioned Colter, there is Katja Herbers (The Leftovers, Westworld), Aasif Mandvi (The Proposal, Million Dollar Arm), Michael Emerson (Lost, Person Of Interest), Christine Lahti (Chicago Hope), Kurt Fuller (Psych), and Andrea Martin (My Big Fat Greek Wedding).
Colter, Herbers, and Mandvi come together to investigate, debate, and navigate all kinds of crazy. Consider one episode where the primary mystery revolves around answering an eternal question…”How much does a soul weigh?”
Emerson’s portrayal of forensic psychologist Leland Townsend remains a candidate for the most vile, evil television villain ever. Yet, this show also provides its fair share of laughs…especially with a family whose well-meaning kids have a habit of all talking at the same time. They are hilarious.
I encourage everyone to check out Evil if they have access to it. And, keep an eye out for Cupertino on CBS/Paramount+ in 2026. It won’t be insanely off-the-wall, outside-the-box gonzo as Evil, but based on the consistent viewing quality the Kings have produced for television recently it will likely be another wonderful watch.
Picture Courtesy Paramount+
Thanks for all the insights and recommendations, Bruce. As someone who is overwhelmed by all the viewing options and finds it daunting to separate the rare quality from the crap, this post is quite helpful.
I also appreciate the nod to Tony Shalhoub, who brings class and talent to almost any show he’s in.
Lastly, a show “where alien insects take over the minds of politicians in Washington” sounds more like a 2025 real-world documentary than a TV series parody to me….
Mark, I used to throw a disclaimer out there when recommending things that I myself will never get to all the shows and movies people have recommended. I get it. I still like to get those recommendations because I just re-prioritize my to-watch list as suggestions come to me. Braindead is definitely a timely watch based on the “real” world.😁
Loved Evil, did not like the ending. I have enjoyed the Diplomat on Netflix but it’s not hugely political in the sense that they are focusing on immediate current events- which I don’t need more of.
I liked Keri Russell in The Americans and I am sure I’d like her in The Diplomat. One for me to check out.
I loved Elsbeth and was happy when it was renewed after Season 1. But then they moved its time to 10pm Eastern Time which is 9pm Central Time–my time. Too late for me. I’d never be awake at 10pm to see how it ended!
I get it. Fortunately, we have the advantage of watching it (and other 10 pm shows) the next day…or whenever. That being said, most all the time we’re still in wide-awake mode.
I did start watching Evil but I guess I got lost in the shuffle when it went to Paramount. Cupertino does sound interesting!
The Kings really do legal-ese well, and I agree Cupertino sounds like they’ll have another hit on their hands.
Okay, I have to watch at least one episode of Cupertino since I lived in that city way back when–Apple didn’t exist, nor, for that matter, did Silicon Valley. It was a nice, middle-class neighborhood. The home we lived in was $26K at the time and sold a few years ago for over 4 million!! Anyway, I remember Braindead. It was bizarre but intriguing.
I can’t begin to get my head around how much that area grew, and grew in value! Bizarre is a great way to describe Braindead.
Okay cool, some new shows to check out! Thank you!
You are welcome, Brian!
I enjoyed The Good Wife, so I’ll look out for Cupertino. 🤓🥂
👀
Evil is on netflix, or it was a couple of months back, but sometimes they take them off for whatever reason. I did watch S1 E1 or at least part of it. It scared me! Haven’t watched any more of it. How much scarier does the series get? Isn’t the woman in the trio raising her kids alone because dad is out mountain climbing?
Yep, dad is out making a living in the mountains, and mom is raising all their daughters by herself. To be honest, it does go on to have a lot of scary moments. Most are actually psychological, but some are shocking and violent.
I like the cast, but my psyche probably doesn’t need it. That said…. I watched, “Weapons” movie last night. Scary af!
I was listening to a sports podcast today and one of the hosts volunteered he sat the whole family down to watch Weapons last night. He had seen it before and thought it would be ok. He was wrong!
No! Are you serious!?!? I hope he was pulling the listeners’ legs. To me that constitutes child abuse through willingly traumatizing the children.
As it turned out, the kids tuned out before the final act. Got bored midway and went to bed. The parents finished the movie and the wife, who had not seen it, determined if the kids asked about the ending it would be explained rather than shown.
Bored my azz! Sounds like maybe he was scamming you by saying he let them watch it. Trying to generate some controversy on the podcast maybe?
Nah, no podcast host would do that, would they?😁
🙂
Bruce, did you hear that CBS has a new head of something (programming? news?) John Oliver did a whole show on her. Sounds a little scary in a sort of ambiguous way.
Yes, Lisa. I saw Oliver’s comments. She has a background in opinion journalism, and the fear is the new owners of the network want to move away from factual reporting.
Oh, hey! I wondered what happened to “Evil”. We loved it…and I just noticed (last night as we watched “Elsbeth”) that the duo of Robert and Michelle King were behind Elsbeth, too. Super timely intell, Bruce! 😉
Thanks, Vicki. The Kings have been making a lot of fans in recent years to be sure!
Wow – what a great post about two fascinating sounding shows, Bruce. Thanks for the intriguing reviews!
Thank you, Wynne!
Gosh, I had never heard of the show Evil, but it sounds amazing. Will have to look out for it.
I hope you get the chance to check it out, Emma.
I feel totally divorced from TV culture, seeing as I don’t have cable or satellite or any streaming memberships. I just have a TV and a DVD player, so I usually only catch series years after they first air, if they ever get a DVD release. And then I never binge watch so it takes me years to get through a whole show.
I haven’t even heard of any of these, which makes me feel really out of touch!
Alex, there is so much great content out there…there is no way we’re ever gonna see 1/10 of it. Mrs. B and I “grew up” together with just a TV and a DVD player, and while we are all in on the cable and streaming now, at the end of the day we won’t allow ourselves to feel out of touch because there are only so many hours in the day. You are most definitely “in touch!”
I spent almost three decades not watching much television, so I know what you mean. We’re living in a new golden age of television/streaming right now. If you have access at all, or can find DVD collections at a reasonable price (try the library), you should treat yourself.
There definitely has been an elevation of quality as a result of all the “streaming wars.” Lots of great viewing choices out there.
My good friend’s son is a writer, and was the head writer for Elementary. I will ask him about Evil.
Elementary was/is one of our very favorite shows. Watched every episode from the first time it aired on CBS.
It was good!
There sure is a lot of options now right? I’ve never seen this before…but I haven’t watched regular televison except for sports, in a long time. It sounds great though…I’ll see if I can check it out Bruce!
My wife and I live in the 70s lol….I have a server with 14 TB worth of shows and movies…but I do like to see the newer stuff as well.
Ton of options out there, Max. I always use that disclaimer when making recommendations like this. I know people have to-watch lists a mile long. This one is a good one.
We are always looking for something new…so I’ll give it a try Bruce…thank you!
I just book marked this post. Thanks for all these mentions. I will check them out.
I started Elsbeth some time but never got too far.
You are welcome, Mimi.
I’m finishing up Season 3 of Evil, and I’m a fan. If there aren’t media tie-in novels out there about David, Kristin and Ben, then I might have to write them myself after I finish the final season. Good write. I was unfamiliar with the Kings before your post. I bailed on Elsbeth during the first episode—maybe I need to open my mind just a little more.
I would be in line to gobble up anything written about Evil, and I am sure there would be many others. Elsbeth had to grow on me – Mrs. B took to it immediately. In the season of Elsbeth that is currenly airing, they actually are using the “time jump” device more like on Evil, where fast forwarding action results in a quick cut message to the viewer how much time has elapsed before you see the next scene, and is usually funny as hell. Elsbeth also gets a tad dark the more you go along, as the Kings can’t resist having mayhem with their humor. When Michael Emerson joined Elsbeth as a guest star, it started to get more Evil-y as well. Thank you for stopping by and commenting!
I’ve never heard of these series, but I do hear you on your love for Evil. I just looked it up and saw Luke Cage in it! It looks funny to see him in any other role beyond Luke Cage. 😛
Lashaan, Mike Colter is soooo good in Evil. If you liked him at all in Luke Cage, you should give Evil a try for that alone. It is an excellent piece of television. And as always, thanks for visiting some of my older posts. I haven’t done any posting lately, so it is nice to know I’m still on someone’s radar lol.
Hahahah that last part had me laughing. It’s always a pleasure to check out the older posts that I missed out on. And you hovering around my own content does make it very easy for me to have you on my own radar. 😛