Could CBS’s newest Big Tech-battling attorneys soon find themselves on the case with one of TV’s quirkiest crime-solvers?
Cupertino stars Mike Colter and Rachel Keller spoke exclusively with Us about the upcoming series — and made the case for why an Elsbeth crossover could happen.
During CBS Fest 2026 in April, Colter, who plays attorney Michael Price on the upcoming series, entertained the idea with Us. “Sure, there could be,” he said, before pointing to a built-in excuse to make it happen, given his role on The Good Wife, with both shows being a part of creators Robert and Michelle King’s lineup. “I played Lemond Bishop, and he’s still alive the last time I checked.”
When it came to the potential cross-series cameo, Keller — who plays Olivia Siffre, law partner to Colter’s character in their fight against Silicon Valley’s tech giants — kept the verdict open. “I think it’s possible,” she told Us.
Cupertino, set to premiere on CBS Thursday, October 8, at 10|9c, puts two attorneys on the same side after they’re fired from a tech startup and decide to build a law firm of their own. While Michael’s (Mike Colter) fight initially stems from what happened to him personally, Colter said their characters soon find a greater purpose in their shared mission to push back against the industry’s most powerful players by bringing justice to others.
“The way our characters connect is because [Olivia, Keller’s character] was wrong and unjustly treated [and] so was I,” Colter told Us. “At first, it’s like a game, a relationship of being a benefit, a mutual benefit, and sort of like not using each other, but understanding that we could help each other,” Colter continued. “And so together, we’re like an odd couple, but we play off each other very well. We’re so different, but we recognize that our strengths and weaknesses work well together.”
Cupertino isn’t the only series from husband-and-wife creators Robert and Michelle King on CBS’s fall schedule. Fan-favorite Elsbeth returns for season 4 on October 8, with Carrie Preston back in the delightfully chaotic New York City Lawyer — and taking the stand on what could send her character out to Silicon Valley.
“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.”
Colter knows a thing or two about carrying a role across King’s shows. After debuting in 2010 as Lemond Bishop in season 1 of The Good Wife and weaving in and out of the series’ storylines through season 6, he reprised the Chicago drug kingpin in The Good Fight in 2018 and then again in season 2 of the series.
“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 told Us. “So maybe Mike could come on as a totally different role.”
Although a crossover is still on the wish list, Cupertino is poised for its own share of legal drama. Keller hinted that the show will feature an intense courtroom tug-of-war where the advantage is never certain.
“I think that’s when the actors really get to shine and tell the story of how you take on these big stock corporations,” Keller told Us. “Those are my favorite days, so far.”
Colter, meanwhile, said he is happiest when the cameras leave the courtroom behind. With a series named after the California city at the center of the tech world, the actor revealed shooting outside of standard sound stages has helped make the setting feel like more than just a backdrop.
“I want people to feel like they’re in Cupertino, because most people don’t know where Cupertino is, so I really love that about it,” Colter said. “I feel like it’s nice for us to get outside of the stages and just see what it’s like.”
Cupertino airs on CBS Thursdays at 10|9c, and streaming on Paramount+.
