Add The California Post on Google A forthcoming CBS legal drama series named after the home of Apple appears to have one glaring problem — the lack of Asian Americans in the show.
Users on social media blasted a newly released trailer for the tech-centric show “Cupertino,” which premieres October 8, for being wildly out of touch with reality.
A look at the trailer, which features a black man and white woman as protagonist lawyers, appears to show only one person of Asian descent — despite 70% of the Silicon Valley city’s population claiming Asian ancestry, according to US Census numbers.
“Cupertino” is named after the city in the heart of Silicon Valley that acts as a hub for the Bay Area tech industry and hosts Apple’s massive headquarters.
The show centers on character Michael Price, played by Mike Colter, an attorney who after being canned by a Silicon Valley startup teams up with a fellow fired lawyer to represent victims of greedy tech giants.
“No Silicon Valley law firm has nearly all-white faces like in the trailer,” one user wrote on Reddit.
Another suggested it was a glaring oversight by producers of a show that was filmed primarily in and around New Jersey.
“This is what happens when creators skip basic local research. Big budgets still manage to mess up basic demographic facts,” added another user on X.
Others found the mismatch hilarious and predicted the TV show would not last long.
“Calling a show ‘Cupertino’ and having a cast not full of Asians is like calling a show ‘Compton’ and having a cast with few black people,” another user chimed in.
The California Post contacted CBS for comment on the backlash.
In addition to Colter, Rachel Keller will play the other fired attorney. According to Paramount’s website, the show also will star Ella Stiller, daughter of actor Ben Stiller, and Nik Dodani, who is of South Asian descent.
Dodani appears to be the only headlining actor with Asian descent.
The show is produced by Robert and Michelle King, and 12 episodes were ordered for the first season.
