Government Cheese is a surreal family comedy created by Paul Hunter and Aeysha Carr for Apple TV+, set in the San Fernando Valley in 1969. Whimsical and visually stylized, the series filters an African American family's story through a dreamlike, almost fable-like sensibility that sets it apart from conventional period sitcoms.
David Oyelowo stars as Hampton Chambers, a dreamer and recently released ex-convict who returns home determined to reinvent himself as an inventor, pinning his hopes on a self-sharpening drill he calls the "Bit Magician." But the family he left behind has moved on without him, and his comeback is complicated by debts, dangerous acquaintances, and moments of seemingly divine intervention. Simone Missick plays his wife Astoria, with Bokeem Woodbine among the supporting cast.
Premiering in April 2025, Government Cheese earned generally favorable reviews, holding a 73% Rotten Tomatoes score, with critics praising its offbeat writing and warm, tangy performances even when its tone proved divisive. It stands as one of the more idiosyncratic comedies in the Apple TV+ catalog.
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