Ben Stiller, Mike Judge Team for Apple TV Comedy Series

Ben Stiller and Mike Judge are developing a comedy series for Apple TV, Variety has learned.

The series, currently called “Protective Custody,” would star Stiller as a “disgraced financier accused of massive fraud who is taken into protective custody, where he must navigate prison politics, salvage his reputation and face the consequences of his actions while awaiting trial,” according to the official logline.

Judge (“Silicon Valley,” “King of the Hill”) co-writes the series with Steve Hely (“Common Side Effects,” “Veep,” “The Office”) and Dave King (“Parks and Recreation,” “English Teacher”). All three are executive producers and co-showrunners, with Judge also involved in directing. Stiller will executive produce and star through Red Hour. Red Hour’s John Lesher is also executive producing, as are Propagate Content’s Ben Silverman, Howard Owens and Rodney Ferrell. Michael Rotenberg and Oly Obst are executive producers for 3 Arts Entertainment. Nanette Burstein will also executive produce.

Should “Protective Custody” be ordered to series, this would be Stiller’s second Apple TV starring role. He will also star in the series “The Off Weeks” at the tech company’s streaming division. He is also executive producer of the hit series “Severance” on Apple TV, which is currently in its second season. Other projects include the documentary ‘Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost’ and the upcoming feature film ‘The Dink’.

Judge, Hely and King are currently working together on the Adult Swim series “Common Side Effects,” which aired its first season in 2025 and is currently prepping its second season.

Stiller is repped by WME, ID and Sloane Offer. Judge is repped by WME, 3 Arts Entertainment and Morris Yorn. King is repped by 3 Arts Entertainment and Ginsburg Daniels Kallis. Hely is repped by WME, 3 Arts Entertainment and Ginsburg Daniels Kallis.