Will There Be a ‘Cupertino’ and ‘Elsbeth’ Crossover? The Stars Weigh In on Possible Show Connection
A new CBS legal drama from Robert and Michelle King lands on Thursday nights this month, and its stars are already floating one very intriguing possibility, a crossover with the network’s breakout hit. Cupertino, starring Mike Colter and Rachel Keller, premieres October 8 and was a major talking point at CBS Fest earlier this year, where the cast teased their hopes for a shared universe moment with a familiar face.
The show follows two attorneys taking on the tech elite of Silicon Valley, and its creative pedigree, plus its willingness to leave the soundstage behind, has prestige drama fans watching closely before the first episode has even aired.
What ‘Cupertino’ Is About and When It Premieres
The series premiere, titled “Michael & Olivia,” airs Thursday, October 8, on CBS at 10|9c and streams on Paramount+. Colter and Keller play Michael Price and Olivia Siffre, respectively, two lawyers who are wrongfully terminated from a tech start-up and decide to strike out on their own. Their new firm targets the very companies that dominate the region, giving the show a David vs. Goliath backbone that runs through the pilot.
Per the official premiere logline, “Michael and Olivia join forces to form their own law firm to represent those taken advantage of by the tech elite and fight back in a high-stakes battle against the Goliaths of Silicon Valley. Also, Michael’s former assistant, Christy Palladino (Ella Stiller), uses her close-knit family connections to help the firm in its inception.”
The Cast, the Creators and the King Connection
Colter and Keller lead the ensemble, with Ella Stiller playing Christy Palladino, the former assistant whose family ties help the fledgling firm find its footing. Behind the camera, Cupertino is executive produced by Robert and Michelle King, the same duo behind Elsbeth, The Good Wife and The Good Fight. That pedigree is the headline here for anyone who has followed the Kings’ work.
Colter also brings his own history in the Kings’ universe. He starred in both The Good Wife and The Good Fight as Lemond Bishop, a powerful Chicago drug dealer whose criminal ties tangled up the lawyers around him. The character was portrayed as calm, intelligent and intimidating, a fan favorite who complicated every case he touched.
Could There Be an ‘Elsbeth’ Crossover?
This is the question the cast keeps getting asked, and none of them are shutting it down. Elsbeth, itself a spinoff of The Good Wife and The Good Fight, has already made a habit of pulling actors from that shared universe back into new stories. With the Kings steering both series, a Cupertino/Elsbeth event is at least on the table.
“Sure, there could be,” Colter teased to Us when asked about the possibility. He then reminded fans that his old character has not been written off. “I played Lemond Bishop, and he’s still alive the last time I checked.”
Keller agreed the idea has legs. “I think it’s possible,” she told Us.
Elsbeth star Carrie Preston went a step further, connecting the dots between the two shows’ legal DNA. “Cupertino is a legal show. Elsbeth is a lawyer. I mean, she’s a detective on our show, but first and foremost, she’s a lawyer,” Preston told Us. “So I could definitely see how she might wanna slide on over to the West Coast and save the day over there somehow.”
Preston also floated the idea that Colter could return in an entirely new role, since Elsbeth has already done exactly that with Good Wife alumni. “Well, I don’t know what Mike Colter’s character is [on Cupertino], but I do know that our show has broken the mold, and we’re bringing actors back from The Good Wife and The Good Fight in different roles,” Preston said. “So maybe Mike could come on as a totally different role.”
Elsbeth has previously brought back Christian Borle as Carter Schmidt in season 2 and Sarah Steele as Marissa Gold in season 3. The show landed in the top 25 in Nielsen’s 35-day multiplatform viewing data for the full 2025-2026 broadcast season, giving any potential crossover a sizable built-in audience. Season 4 of Elsbeth premiers October 8 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.
Where ‘Cupertino’ Fits in the CBS Fall Lineup
Cupertino joins a heavy-hitting CBS fall slate that includes favorites Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, Fire Country and Boston Blue, giving the network a stacked week of scripted programming. The show airs Thursdays at 10|9c on CBS and streams on Paramount+, positioning it as a late-evening anchor for viewers looking for a fresh legal drama with a Silicon Valley twist.
For fans of the Kings’ broader television universe, the pilot rewards close attention, not just for the case of the week, but for any breadcrumbs that could hint at how Cupertino might connect to the rest of their expanding roster.
