Is ‘Cupertino’ based on a true story? Creators explain the real-life inspiration behind CBS drama
Michelle King and Robert King’s latest project, the CBS legal drama ‘Cupertino’, has caught everyone’s attention with its storyline. The show premiered on October 8 and follows Silicon Valley lawyers who get fired and eventually start their own firm to take on big, corrupt corporations. The two lawyers featured on the show are Mike Colter and Rachel Keller. Notably, recent layoffs at giant tech companies, which caused quite a commotion, and the CBS series focusing on similar matters have drawn strong interest from fans. As a result, some fans may be wondering whether ‘Cupertino’ is based on a true story. In a recent interview with Town & Country, Robert and Michelle said they’ve been “fascinated” with tech and its impact on law and culture.
Sharing more about the legal drama, Robert added, “We’ve always been fascinated with tech and the impact it’s having on law and culture. Obviously, that’s become even more pervasive. It felt to us like there was a natural story about people who are looking at what’s going on around them and how much it’s changing who they are. There’s a certain lawlessness that comes with the kind of gold-rush mentality Silicon Valley has.” Michelle also noted that the duo “love” legal shows. She added, “And it seemed like a perfect arena in which to tell this David-versus-Goliath story. As we say on the show, there’s no one defending the people being stomped on.”
The show’s early episodes focus on AI and related issues. It also featured an ex-wife of a tech mogul, played by Busy Phillips. Regarding that storyline, Michelle mentioned, “We don’t have to block out the laws. We’re sucking it up, and the show becomes a bit like therapy, a way to deal with your own sense of what’s real and what isn’t in a world where the culture and law get twisted up with all of the money thrown around.” Robert added that they wanted to keep the characters focused and avoid getting lost in the issues. Answering whether the cases and individuals featured in the legal show are based on a true story, Robert pointed out, “There’s so much you can watch about these people. I wouldn’t say that we’re copying anyone, but we’re inspired by people who’ve been given all the money in the world and think they’re invulnerable to the law.” ‘Cupertino’ airs new episodes on CBS every Thursday at 10 pm ET/ PT.
