Filmmaker Mike Judge, known for "Idiocracy", "Silicon Valley", and "King of the Hill", is reportedly developing a comedy series with Ben Stiller attached to star as the lead.
According to Variety, the show is titled "Protective Custody". Judge will direct.
The official logline says Stiller plays "a disgraced financier accused of massive fraud who is thrown into protective custody, where he must navigate prison politics, salvage his reputation, and confront the consequences of his actions while awaiting trial.”
Steve Hely (“Veep", “The Office”) and Dave King (“Parks and Recreation,” “English Teacher”) are said to be co-writing the series with Judge, while also undertaking executive producer and showrunner duties jointly. Stiller is also an exec producer.
This marks Stiller's third collaboration with Apple TV, following the highly acclaimed "Severance" (on which he worked as a director and exec producer) and his second acting venture for the platform after the recently announced series "The Off Weeks". In the meantime, Stiller is also at work on a third season of "Severance".
Stiller is also actively working on several high-profile movie projects, both in front of and behind the camera. After focusing heavily on directing television in recent years, he is making a major return to feature films. There is the fourth "Meet the Parents" film ", Focker-in-Law" (slated for November 2026 release), which sees the return of Robert De Niro, Owen Wilson, and new cast member Ariana Grande.
He is also starring in "A Matter of Time" for Netflix and Sony. Nicholas Galitzine and Bella Maclean are his co-stars in this supernatural romance film directed by Harry Bradbeer ("Enola Holmes").
The third movie project is "The Dink" (arriving July 2026), which he is also producing. It's a pickleball sports comedy co-starring Jake Johnson, Ed Harris, and Mary Steenburgen.