Cupertino Star Mike Colter Introduces His Team In The New David Vs. Goliath Legal Drama

Published Oct 7, 2026, 1:55 PM EDT As a graduate of Columbia University in New York City, Tatiana studied theater and comparative literature. She has been passionate about all manner of storytelling from Jane Austen adaptations to anime. Aside from writing for Screen Rant, she co-hosts podcasts: The Flash Podcast and Ladies With Gumption. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Two years after Evil's series finale, Mike Colter is stepping outside the realm of the spiritual in Cupertino — though it could be argued that his character, Michael Price, is fighting for the soul of modern society. The new CBS legal thriller comes from Evil creators Robert and Michelle King, who are teaming up with Colter yet again for what is sure to be another crowd-pleaser of a series. Cupertino follows Michael's David vs. Goliath battle against the Silicon Valley tech start-up he co-founded after his wrongful termination. He joins forces with Olivia Siffre (Rachel Keller), who was also fired from the same company, and soon they decide to take their fight even further by starting their own firm. The series also stars Renée Elise Goldsberry, Busy Phillips, Ella Stiller, and Vikram Malhotra. ScreenRant interviewed Colter prior to the premiere of Cupertino, and the actor candidly discussed why he felt drawn to the Kings' projects, as well as how his character fits into the landscape of (a slightly fictionalized) Silicon Valley. Colter also broke down several of the show's most important dynamics, from allies like Olivia and Christy to frienemies like his ex, Nicole, and his father, Bayard (played by the iconic Joe Morton). Breaking Down Cupertino’s Team Of Avengers ScreenRant: Michael and Olivia gel together incredibly well from the start as two wronged underdogs getting their licks in. How will that partnership evolve over the season? Mike Colter: Michael is a person who is always strategizing and doing intentional things, and I think he does see the value in someone like Olivia because when you're putting together a team in order to take on these huge tech companies, you have to have either a wolf in sheep's clothing or a Trojan horse. You have to come in at a side angle; you can't come at them straightforward. In the pilot, he's like, "People see me coming," whereas those same people are dismissive of her because of the package. I need to utilize that to my advantage! I think the hiring of Christy [played by Ella Stiller] and the relationship that you see developing with Natalia [played by Busy Philipps], is him building an Avengers team. He's putting together a team of people that all bring certain sets of skills that help us get to where we want to be. We all have our own motivations, but I do feel like that's what immediately drew him to Olivia, this idea that she's motivated. She has an axe to grind, and I have something I need to get accomplished. If we put our heads together, we can make this happen. And then from there it's like, "Well, that worked out!" Suddenly, it's a snowball effect. We have the momentum, we have another case, and we see there's a niche in this town for us. We were people in need. Who else is like us? ScreenRant: You mentioned Christy, and I'm really curious how she fits into the Silicon Valley world based on what I've seen of her so far. She is so well-connected, and yet seems so disillusioned with the tech beat. What can you say about her and Michael's dynamic this season, and will we see their backstory as boss and secretary? Mike Colter: I thought it was sort of important that she and I have a connection. Sometimes with actors, it just happens, or else you have to work on it. But I feel like as an actor, I try to figure out the backstory of the character. I didn't have all the whys here because we started off [in media res], but I made the assumption as a character that she's important to me because I let her tag along, and wanted to her hire her again. Secretaries often become almost indispensable. They're priceless. Your secretary is like a personal assistant. They do everything for you. They answer your calls, they coordinate your day. They know where the skeletons are buried. They're intimately intertwined into your life. I figured that if she was working for me, whether it's been a year or two or whatever, she knows me pretty well. I know her pretty well. Maybe I know more about her than I'd like to know. Maybe she knows more about me than she'd like to know. But that's the relationship you have with secretaries, and people who are intimately intertwined into your daily life. You spend so much time with them. And for her: if you lose your job, do you want to go with your boss, or is your allegiance to the company? She's practical. She's like, "Well, wherever he's going, I'm going to try to find another gig," because she's working at TGI Fridays. And she's already soliciting and just pitching herself. I love that about her character. Plus, Michael is attached to her. I like her spunk. I like her fire. I like her energy. And let's be honest, she knows everybody in town. She's got a cousin who's this, an uncle who's that. She knows people. She's a useful utilitarian character, but also ambitious and funny. ScreenRant: Michael’s relationship with his dad is definitely not hunky dory, but we don’t get too many details upfront. What can you say about playing that adversarial dynamic, and how it shapes Michael’s approach to law? Mike Colter: That's another axe to grind, and I do think he wants to take it to his father any way he can. There's a reason for that feeling of competition, and unfortunately, it makes for great drama when sons want to be better than their fathers. A lot of times, fathers want their sons to be better than they were - innately, they hope their sons exceed them and surpass them. It's just that, in this case, we have a situation where there's bad blood. We'll get to why at some point down the road in the season, and we'll show you exactly what is behind it. But there's a reason that Michael and his father are not on good terms. There's respect for his father, but he also despises him for personal reasons. It's hard to be as successful in any field and have a great relationship with your children at the same time because you put so much attention into the work. If you're exceptional in any field, most likely, your home life suffers. ScreenRant: Renee Elise Goldsberry as Michael’s ex and opponent is delicious to me. What history is there between them, and how might she throw him off his game? Is romance still on the table, or is it purely professional rivalry at the moment? Mike Colter: Well, it would be nice to revisit that romance, but it's hard to say. Is it worth revisiting, or is it just better to keep that tension for the entirety of the series? I think anytime you have someone like Renee onscreen, it would be a shame to waste the chemistry. If you're telling me there's backstory, well, I think we want to see a little bit of that, don't we? We want to revisit that. You know what I mean? Cupertino Tackles Big Tech & Other Hot-Button Topics Head On Elizabeth Fisher / ©CBS / Courtesy Everett Collection ScreenRant: You knocked it out of the park with Robert and Michelle King on Evil. What brought you back to them for Cupertino? Mike Colter: Great characters and great scripts keep bringing me back. I like to think of myself as smart enough to know when there's great material, and where there's a very unique place in this industry for me. And when you find that collaboration with someone, you try to make sure that you continue to collaborate with them. It's hard. We move about, and we work with so many people, but when you find a collaboration with someone you're comfortable with, and you feel like their writing suits you and the characters that they create for you are worthy and interesting and challenging? You want to foster the relationship and make sure that you nurture it and maintain it. I've always had it in the back of my mind to continue working with them, and thankfully, the opportunities have always been there. I'm just happy that we're still doing it all these years. ScreenRant: We hit the ground running in the pilot with the topic of AI and how it exploits humans. Do you feel any pressure when it comes to how these all-too-relevant storylines may be received, or is that part of the fun for you? Mike Colter: It gets me excited! It's just nice to work on a project that's speaking about something important. I think entertainment's great, but you want to entertain, and you want to inform and educate. It's hard to do all those things at once, but I think the Kings do a good job at it because I don't think they lead with a heavy hand. They don't come at you with the energy of, "This is what we're trying to tell you," and they don't try to beat you over the head with it. I don't think we sacrifice any drama or any entertainment for the sake of teaching someone something that they may or may not already know. At the end of the day, we are trying to create a story that captivates and pulls you in. I'm happy when the subject matter is something applicable to our lives and something that resonates with us, because we know it and we see it and we're dealing with it on some level. ScreenRant: Obviously, Silicon Valley has been the basis of much discussion in recent decades with all the advances in technology and the insane amounts of money going in and out of there. How does Michael fit in or stand out there, in your mind? And what does it take to bring such a specific location to life on screen? Mike Colter: I think, inherently, anytime you're in an affluent part of the country while a minority, there's a tendency to stand out because those opportunities aren't as available or not as plentiful. You're always breaking through a glass ceiling of sorts. You have to be twice as good, or even five times as good, to get where you want to be. Michael's father - I'm obviously riding his coattails a little bit - has created space in this town, and people know him. They know who I am, because it's a lineage. There's nepotism, but I've been in these spaces before. I, Mike Colter, know and understand what that is, and what it's like to be in rooms where no one looks like you. When you're comfortable in your own skin, and you don't think about that often, you can flourish. Not because things aren't hard, but because you can't focus your attention on what makes you different. When they're focusing attention on what makes you different, you're attacking. I'm not thinking about what they're thinking about. I don't preoccupy my mind with how uniquely different I am in the space that I'm in, which I think is an advantage. A lot of people aren't good at functioning in rooms where they don't see anyone that looks like them. Whether you're a woman in a room full of men, or a white person in a room full of Black people - when you're the only one, sometimes that becomes bothersome. It feels like you can't find an anchor, but I've never felt like I've had to worry about that. Not because I don't see it and I'm not aware of it, but because I've gotten used to it. I think Michael understands that, and he's used to it. Other people may be fixated on it, but I don't think he is. Cupertino premieres October 8 at 10pm ET/PT on CBS, with new episodes airing every Thursday. Release Date October 8, 2026 Network CBS Showrunner Michelle King, Robert King Cast Mike Colter Michael Price Rachel Keller Olivia Siffre Renée Elise Goldsberry Nichole E. Ferebee Ella Stiller Christy Palladino Directors Michelle King, Robert King, Sam Hoffman, Ron Underwood, Joe Menendez Writers Michelle King, Robert King, Joey Hartstone Creator(s) Michelle King, Robert King