A new legal drama is making a surprisingly strong early impression with viewers, and it could be the next series to fill the void for fans of The Lincoln Lawyer.
Cupertino, CBS’ new legal drama starring Mike Colter and Rachel Keller, is currently dominating Paramount+ in the U.S. The series landed among the streaming service’s top shows on Sunday, Nov. 1, giving the new drama another boost just weeks into its first season.
‘Cupertino’ Has a Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score
According to Rotten Tomatoes, Cupertino currently has a 100% Tomatometer score based on 28 critics’ reviews. Its audience score is also solid at 80%, although that figure is based on fewer than 50 ratings. That’s a commendable start for a brand-new broadcast drama.
The series comes from Robert and Michelle King, the creators behind The Good Wife and The Good Fight, and follows two lawyers who find themselves taking on powerful Silicon Valley interests.
Colter stars as Michael Price, while Keller plays Olivia Siffre. After the two lawyers are pushed out of their jobs, they team up to represent people taking on some of the biggest players in the technology industry.
Rotten Tomatoes’ critics consensus praises the series for revitalizing the legal procedural with sharp humor, courtroom drama, and an examination of the tech industry’s moral complexities.
It’s Also Finding an Audience on Streaming
The critical response is one thing, but Cupertino is also starting to make an impression with viewers.
Collider recently reported that the show’s premiere audience grew substantially when delayed viewing was taken into account. The premiere initially drew 3.19 million viewers in live-plus-same-day viewing, but that number climbed to 7.17 million with seven days of viewing.
Collider also characterized Cupertino as a potential Lincoln Lawyer replacement, which is currently all caught up on Netflix with only one more season to come.
The show’s audience grew even further after a Sunday encore, reaching 10.58 million viewers, according to Nielsen figures cited in the report. According to FlixPatrol’s November 1 figures, Cupertino is the fourth-highest overall (combined figures from the Paramount channel on Prime Video and the Paramount+ streaming service directly) for Paramount+.
What Is ‘Cupertino’ About?
Unlike The Lincoln Lawyer, which centers on a defense attorney working in Los Angeles, Cupertino takes its legal battles into the heart of Silicon Valley.
Michael and Olivia aren’t simply handling traditional courtroom cases. They’re taking on powerful technology companies and cases that raise questions about artificial intelligence, corporate power and the people who can get caught underneath it.
The first season has already tackled cases involving a drone accident and an AI companion chatbot, with upcoming episodes turning to issues including AI training companies, algorithmic decision-making, and AI-generated music.
That contemporary subject matter may be part of what separates Cupertino from more familiar network legal procedurals. And while it’s far too early to know whether the series will ultimately have the staying power of The Lincoln Lawyer, the early numbers and critical response are certainly encouraging.
