‘Cupertino’s Mike Colter Breaks Down Episode 4's Most Shocking Twist
Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Cupertino, Episode 4.
- Mike Colter praises Robert and Michelle King for the smart writing and rich character work in their TV shows.
- The CBS series ‘Cupertino’ mixes weekly cases with an AI arc, and Michael and Olivia bond as outsiders fighting the Goliaths of Silicon Valley.
- Colter relishes the show’s comedic surprises, the office conceit, working with Joe Morton, and the ensemble of female characters.
In Episode 4 of the CBS series Cupertino, entitled “A.J. & Buddy,” Michael Price (Mike Colter) and Olivia Siffre (Rachel Keller) defend the founders of a prediction market site as they’re pitted against each other. While Christy (Ella Stiller) is on a private jet with a guy that she spent the night with, who just so happens to be one of those founders, the other is being pushed for answers, putting Michael and Olivia at odds as they each try to figure out what’s best for their clients.
Collider recently got the opportunity to chat with Colter about his latest role in a TV series executive produced by Robert and Michelle King. During the interview, he discussed why he loves working with the Kings, the concept of having to build an office as they’re building their new law firm, taking on the Goliaths controlling Silicon Valley, what he enjoys about the dynamic between Michael and Olivia, having the formidable Joe Morton playing his father, the women in Michael’s life, that memorable moment in Episode 4 with all the baking powder piled on the kitchen counter, and the balance of weekly cases and ongoing stories. He also talked about returning to Luke Cage for Daredevil: Born Again and what it was like to get The Defenders back together for Season 3.
COLLIDER: First, I just want to reiterate how much I loved and will always love Evil.
MIKE COLTER: Yeah, we suffered through the cancellation, and we are still actively in mourning. There’s never a time when we aren’t thinking, “Oh, wouldn’t it be nice if we could just do this again?” And we still hold out hope, but it’s feigning. The hope is dwindling.
Do you and the Kings ever talk about a revival of Evil?
COLTER: A hundred percent. I’m sure they’re tired of me bringing it up. I’ve got to give it a break. It’s an embarrassment of riches. We’re having a great time doing Cupertino. It’s a new show with new characters. I’m having a lovely time. But I always want a little more Evil. I always want a little more.
Working With the Kings Is the Perfect Place for Mike Colter To Find a Challenge
“They write characters that no matter what side of the law they’re on, they’re interesting.”
<<img src="https://static0.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/3212214_cupo_s1_seamless_michael_price_look1_0362b_pe.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" />
Image via CBS</figure>
You were Bishop in The Good Wife and The Good Fight, David Acosta in Evil, and now Michael Price in Cupertino. What have you most enjoyed about your character journey with the Kings?
COLTER: They write smart characters. They write characters that no matter what side of the law they’re on, they’re interesting. They always write something interesting, and I find it the perfect challenge and the perfect place to put my talents. I really enjoy working with them. They’re very good writers, and I love the world they create.
Michelle King has said, “There is no show or character that’s wrong to build around Mike Colter.” How does it feel to have creators of their caliber feel that way about you?
COLTER: It’s an actor’s dream to have a collaboration with such prolific storytellers. We all hope for it. Never, in my wildest dreams, did I think to myself, when I got into the business, that I’d have a relationship with certain storytellers that would also want to keep telling stories with me. That didn’t cross my mind. There were a lot of things on my mind, but that wasn’t. And to find myself in this position, I feel quite lucky and fortunate.
I love a TV series from the Kings because I know that it’s likely to include very smart people battling each other with their wits. What is it like to get to do that? When everything really clicks into place in a scene in their shows, is it a lot of fun to get to do material like that?
COLTER: Yeah. It’s like a sport. Whether you want to call it a hacky sack or a volleyball, we’re bouncing and catching balls. There’s a rhythm to it, and when it’s flowing and it’s right, it’s so good. It’s enjoyable to play characters that probably are smarter than you are, or at least smarter than I am.
People See Michael Price Coming, but That’s Also What Makes Him a Trojan Horse in ‘Cupertino’
“They also know that I must be pretty good at something, otherwise I wouldn’t be here.”
<<img src="https://static0.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/3172660_cupertino_s1_3994bc.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" />
Image via CBS</figure>
There’s something so interesting to me about a small law firm taking on Silicon Valley tech companies because they seem like they’re taking over the world at this point. What did you find particularly interesting about that setting as a David vs. Goliath story and about taking the side that you are in this show?
COLTER: I love it. I talked to the Kings about it early on because I had the pilot, but I wanted to know their intentions and where they were thinking about taking the stories. I feel like Trojan horse is the best way of putting it. That fits me well because I get to be a Trojan horse, as well. When the outside doesn’t look like the inside, you have to figure out how to use that to your advantage. In Cupertino, you’re putting me in the tech world in Silicon Valley, and I’m a fish out of water, visually. This is not the biggest demographic in that world. Michael says to Olivia, “People see me coming.” Yeah, they do. They see me coming. She blends in and she’s understated and people don’t take her too seriously. Whereas with me, they see me coming, but they also must know that I must be pretty good at something, otherwise I wouldn’t be here.
There are a lot of unexpected and surprising moments in this series. Do you ever have that reaction when you’re reading these scripts?
COLTER: You say it with a straight face and hope for the best. I do feel like there are moments, for sure, where you’re like, “What?!” I guess I’ve worked with the King so much that I’m always more surprised watching other actors who haven’t worked with the Kings discover the material for the first time. I’m living vicariously through that.
I get such amusement out of the fact that they’re running this law firm out of a lobby without an actual office, and they’re building the office while these characters are rebuilding their lives. What was your reaction to that? How has it been to figure out how all of that would work? I love everything about it as a story device and because of the visual it provides?
COLTER: I love it too. It’s a very interesting concept because it adds to the immediacy of needing to win and to succeed. At the same time, there’s the tongue-in-cheek thing of how things are not as they always appear. You see these people and they should be well put together because they have an office in Silicon Valley, but they don’t really. It’s not even their office. That’s not real. That’s not really theirs. There’s nothing behind it. They don’t really have a lot of clients. They’re really taking fake it until you make it to the extreme.
Have you had conversations about how long it’s going to take for them to actually have a full office?
COLTER: Oh, yeah. I don’t think it’s going to be done this season. I don’t think they’ll have a full office yet.
Michael Price and Olivia Siffre Are Outsiders Using It to Their Advantage in ‘Cupertino’
“There’s a lot about them that just makes them so different.”
I really love the relationship between Michael and Olivia and how it continues to grow as they get to know each other. There’s so different, but they work so well together. What do you love about their relationship? What have you been enjoying about what you get to dig into with their dynamic?
COLTER: It’s always good to work with people that are opposites. I feel like it’s inherently interesting to have people who have opposite experiences in life. Visually they’re different. Their backgrounds are different. There’s a lot about them that just makes them so different. They’re both in a place that also makes them feel like outsiders, so they are using that to their advantage. I think it plays well when you have that. It also invites a lot more eyeballs from different demographics. Sometimes people don’t really watch anything that doesn’t have anyone that looks like them, so we have to keep that in mind.
Was the humming of the Annie song always in the script? That’s such a funny little part of the show.
COLTER: I think so too. I don’t think it was originally the Annie song. I think we might have done multiple options for clearance purposes. I don’t think it was always Annie. I think it might have ended up being Annie by default. I can’t remember what the other option was. The other option was fun too, but I don’t think we could clear it.
Were you always meant to pick up doing it yourself?
COLTER: Yeah, that part was planned. We just didn’t know what song it would be.
Mike Colter Is Happy To Have Joe Morton Playing His Father in ‘Cupertino’
“You’re only as good as the person across from you.”
<<img src="https://static0.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/3172660_cupertino_s1_5290b.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" />
Image via CBS</figure>
What’s it like to have Joe Morton play your father and what can we expect from how that relationship will continue to play out?
COLTER: Joe is a really great actor. He’s formidable, and he brings so much to the character, with so much ease. I just like working with great actors. It’s fun. You’re only as good as the person across from you. That brings out the best in you. I’m happy that Joe Morton is a part of the cast. It’s great.
It feels like there’s a lot of history there that we don’t fully know. Will we see more of that?
COLTER: Yeah, they do a good job at bringing Joe back when it makes sense. A little bit of Joe goes a long way because there’s so much history and so much tension there. He’s going to be around. I just don’t know how much. I don’t want to give too much away, but we have to use him sparingly to make sure that when we do use him, it’s to great effect.
In Episode 2, during the drone case, when Olivia gets the upper hand with the CEO and the two of you have your own little hand gesture under the table together, was that scripted or was that something you guys worked out together?
COLTER: Actually, I don’t remember if that was scripted. I’m pretty sure it was scripted at least once, and then we may have done it again without it being in the script, because I think we do it more than once. We might have just improvised it.
I love the other women in Michael’s life as well. Between his ex, Nichole, and Natalia, who is newly in his life, what is it like to find those relationships and have those actresses to play off of?
COLTER: I love a cast with a bunch of strong women. It’s always fun. I have my work cut out for me because I have to be able to balance all of that out. It’s a lot going on. But I welcome that challenge because it creates so many colors within the script and within the storyline. Everybody’s got their own motivations and their own history. Renée [Elise Goldsberry] and Busy [Philipps] have their own off-camera history because they were both in Girls5Eva. It’s nice to have this concoction of people working together.
What does Michael think of someone as honest and direct as Natalia? At the moment, they’re keeping things professional, but what does he think of her?
COLTER: He appreciates the directness, but he also has to tread carefully. He’s trying to play chess, not checkers. He’s in a compromised situation. Once you cross the line, who holds the upper hand? What then? What if she was a man and I was a woman? How different would the context of the power dynamic be? We would look at it completely differently. This juxtaposition of who has the power and who has the upper hand, and who needs who, I think is a little more balanced, just innately, because of the gender. But I still got to tread carefully because this could blow up in my face.
She’s always willing to push things further before she thinks about the consequences.
COLTER: Yeah, a hundred percent. And then, I could be collateral damage.
That Very Memorable Moment in Episode 4 of ‘Cupertino’ Rang True for Mike Colter
“There’s no question that there’s an inherent bias when it comes to how law enforcement treats certain people.”
<<img src="https://static0.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/3200667_cupo_s1_1270b.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" />
Imae via CBS</figure>
In Episode 4, there’s a funny moment when Michael and Olivia go to a client’s house to get cash that he has stashed around his house as their retainer. And then, you walk into the room with the pile of baking powder on the kitchen counter and tell her that she has to be the one to answer the door because she’s white. What was your reaction to that entire situation?
COLTER: It’s just the truth. If they didn’t say it, I would have suggested it. If cops are at the door, and there’s a white woman and a Black man in the house, in our country, I would definitely send the white woman to the door. There’s no question that there’s an inherent bias when it comes to how law enforcement treats certain people. No matter how polished and accomplished I am, suit or no suit, I’d rather send her to the door than myself. Yeah, a hundred percent. It was an obvious retort. Her asking why was more of a problem than my response. He was like, “What do you mean? What are you talking about?”
While you have the different weekly cases, you also have this Colt AI case going on. How strange was it to have a non-human living inside a computer as a co-star? What was your personal reaction to that case and how it plays out?
COLTER: It’s happening. We don’t know to what degree. We don’t know what the names of these AGIs are, but it is happening. It’s happening while we sleep. It’s been talked about by many different entities, including people who were contributors to this technology and people who invested in it. They did it anyway, and now we’re dealing with the repercussions. We don’t know how far it’s going to go. We don’t know to what degree it’s going to affect us all. There’s a real concern about the autonomy of this force that is controlling a network of our communication, surveillance, weapons systems, food supply, and water supply. All of it’s intertwined. It’s concerning.
In Episode 4, Michael and Olivia have to go head-to-head a little bit. What can you say about how that will progress during this season? Will we see more of that, where there’s some tension between them? Will they continue to clash a little bit?
COLTER: I think it’ll come and go. I think they’ll hopefully always be allies, but there will be moments when they disagree. They may end up on opposite sides of the table, but I don’t think it will always be a contentious thing. It’ll be mutual respect, but it also will be out of practicality and convenience. It’s about money and success, what’s right for the company, and ultimately maybe what’s right for each individual. Right now, we’re in a good place. We’re competitive, but it’s a healthy competition and a healthy competitive spirit. So far, so good. But we’ll see. It’s like a band. Sometimes, the band can’t continue. You’re on tour and you don’t want to tour together anymore, or one gets too famous, or they want to do a solo album, or they can’t take the grind of the touring. There are all kinds of reasons. I’m a Strokes fan, and 25 years later, they’re still kicking it. Red Hot Chili Peppers had a nice run, and so did U2. It’s hard to keep the egos out. So, let’s see if this band of lawyers can stick together.
Mike Colter Loves Playing Luke Cage for the Marvel Fans
“I think the diehard Luke Cage and Marvel fans enjoy these characters, so it’s bringing a bit of joy to their lives.”
<<img src="https://static0.colliderimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/luke-cage-mike-colter-netflix-1.jpeg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2" />
Image via Netflix</figure>
When it comes to your work, I also loved the Luke Cage Netflix series, and I’m fully in the camp of folks that thought that first season was a masterpiece. We only got the smallest taste of Luke Cage’s return at the end of Daredevil: Born Again Season 2. How did you feel about easing back into that character in that way? Is that a character you’d always hoped to come back to?
COLTER: Yeah. It was in the back of my mind somewhere. It wasn’t in the forefront. I wasn’t actively campaigning or worrying about trying to revisit it because actors get into the business wanting to play different characters. I’m not really obsessed with one particular character over the other. It’s nice to have the opportunity to play characters and move around and come back, but it was in the back of my mind. And I knew Charlie [Cox] was actively campaigning, so when he got the show picked back up, I thought, “Well, there’s a chance.” It wasn’t in the forefront of my mind, but I really enjoyed playing the character. I probably enjoy it as much for the fans than anything. I think the diehard Luke Cage and Marvel fans enjoy these characters, so it’s bringing a bit of joy to their lives. That’s where I am on it right now. I love doing it for the people.
That character, in particular, felt unfinished, so it must be fun to get the band back together.
COLTER: Absolutely. I met Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin years ago when I was working at a restaurant. He’d come into this restaurant that I worked at. We’d get a lot of celebs and public figures that would come in. It was in this very affluent neighborhood and he popped in, and it was like, “Oh, my gosh, it’s Robert Plant.” I recognized him and was like, “Wait a minute, that’s Robert Plant.” I’ve met people over the years that I would consider some of the great frontmen of bands. I got a chance to meet Chris Cornell shortly before he passed away, just randomly. I was a big fan of their music and their artistry. Even if they hadn’t played for years, you pick it back up, even if it’s for a night. Oasis took 20 years. It doesn’t matter, people want to see Oasis get back together. ABBA stopped, but if ABBA came back and did a reunion, we’re going to go see it. There’s always someone who wants to see that greatness. I don’t care how long it takes, we will wait. And if they come back, we will be there. That’s how I feel about The Defenders and Luke Cage. If you bring it back, somebody will be interested in seeing it.
Cupertino airs on CBS and is available to stream on Paramount+.
Cupertino
Discover more from NAIRAVOICE.COM.NG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.