Following the series order at CBS for Cupertino, Robert and Michelle King have set up another drama series project named after a city a continent and an ocean away. Hulu is developing Vatican City, written/executive produced by the Kings, which comes from their frequent collaborator Scott Free as well as CBS Studios whether the married duo’s King Size Productions is under an overall deal.
According to sources, the project was initially set up at the Disney streamer earlier this year, prior to the August close of Skydance’s acquisition of CBS Studios parent Paramount. The Kings have been working on the creative while deals were being negotiated. (Vatican City is a rare CBS Studios sale to Hulu and would be the studio’s first series on the streamer if greenlighted, so the companies had to work on a business template.)
During the months of regulatory approval limbo ahead of the Skydance-Paramount transaction close, Paramount+ was not buying and greenlighting a lot beyond expanding the Tyler Sheridan universe. In the post-merger structure, CBS Studios’ focus is on supplying the CBS broadcast network with the studio also able to develop and produce streaming series for internal and external platforms.
Vatican City follows Caroline, an American reporter working in Rome who’s unexpectedly invited by the newly-elected Pope to serve as the Vatican’s first female spokesperson and join Cardinal advisors at the very top of Vatican power. A startled Caroline struggles with papal politics, Vatican misogyny, and her own disbelief and worldly past.
Robert King, Michelle King and Liz Glotzer executive produce via King Size Productions alongside Scott Free’s Ridley Scott, David Zucker and Clayton Krueger.
This marks the latest collaboration between the Kings and Scott Free following their three series, CBS’ The Good Wife, its CBS All Access/Paramount+ spinoff The Good Fight and CBS’ BrainDead, as well as a couple of development projects.
“We’ve kept a really nice relationship,” Zucker told Deadline of the Kings earlier this year. “They’re wonderful, talented and treasured friends. Obviously, we’ve had a long run with them, and we’ve been eager to do more together.”
For Scott Free, Vatican City marks a return to an arena the company previously explored with the 2013 Showtime drama pilot The Vatican, written by Paul Attanasio, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Kyle Chandler.
Robert and Michelle King have two drama series on CBS, The Good Wife crime drama offshoot Elsbeth, now in Season 3, and the upcoming legal drama Cupertino, slated for the 2026-27 season. In addition to The Good Wife and The Good Fight, on which the duo served as co-creators, showrunners and executive producers, their previous series include Evil for CBS and subsequently Paramount+, which they also created, executive produced and showran, as well as Showtime’s Your Honor and Paramount+’s Happy Face, which they executive produced. All but two of the Kings’ series to date have been within the Paramount-CBS ecosystem. Their very first show, In Justice, was at ABC, and they also did The Bite for Spectrum Originals. The Kings, Emmy nominees and WGA Award, Peabody and Humanitas Prize winners, are repped by UTA and Del Shaw Moonves.
Scott Free recently produced the Apple limited series Dope Thief. The company has FX’s Alien: Earth, which has been renewed for a second season, and the upcoming Blade Runner 2099 for Prime Video. Scott Free is repped by CAA and Gang Tyre Ramer.
