Government Cheese
Hampton Chambers a newly released ex-convict striving to leave his criminal history behind and reunite with his family. Amidst this struggle, he grapples with frequent inexplicable moments of divine intervention.
Government Cheese, Paul Hunter and Ayesha Carr
Government Cheese (2025) is the latest original show from AppleTV+ and while it doesn’t reach the heights of Severance (2022 - Present) or The Studio (2025 - Present), this show certainly continues the Apple’s winning streak. Anchored by a terrific David Oweloyo we follow Hampton Chambers, an eccentric and innovative ex-fraudster trying to reconnect with his wife Astoria (Simone Missick) and his two sons Einstein (Evan Ellison) and Harrison (Jahi Wilson).
Hampton has big ambitions now that he’s back in society including becoming a big entrepreneur however the debt he owes to a gang in his prison looms over him making him question the righteous path. This sets the stage for the show and a whole host of odd and surreal escapades around the San Fernando Valley during the space age.
The show is based on Co-creator Paul Hunter’s real life and father but it’s clear Hunter and co have taken a more surrealist approach to the story, which I found to be entertaining. The filmmaking and production is overall quite sharp. The cinematography and set design does a good job at evoking a sense of space age surrealism - In discussion Ayesha Carr shared with me the effort to strengthen the surrealism on display by making sure as much as possible took place on set and in camera. This certainly shows as the whole series has a nice sense of tangibility to it, which really allows its cast to be performing at top form.
“Government Cheese is certainly a show where you can very easily figure out its influences.”
Government Cheese is certainly a show where you can very easily figure out its influences. Heavy shades of The Coen Brothers and Wes Anderson, in particular the incredibly underrated A Serious Man (2009), also about a man struggling to deal with family, faith and the surreal. Oweloyo and Missick really anchor the show, Hampton is a deeply frustrating character to watch but you never get tired of him due to how well Oweloyo makes us warm to him. We really buy his ambition and goals despite the arrogance. Missick is also fantastic as Astoria who grounds the show really well and makes us very quickly root for her and her own ambitions.
While the core cast is incredible the collection of characters is what really rounds out the show for me. Adam Beach, Sunita Mani, Bokeem Woodbine, John Ortiz and Louis Cancelmi are all really great and really stick out.
However the show isn’t without its faults. It meanders a fair bit, while the episodes are incredibly well paced some of the structure proves to be frustrating. Too many threads and themes thrown at the dart board that doesn’t really build to much, feeling like it’s constantly resetting itself and it’s lack of payoff makes the show end on a whimper. I also feel the show could’ve gone further with its surrealism. A lot of the surrealism found in the show, while entertaining, doesn’t really ring as anything new and at points feels somewhat derivative of its influences.
Nonetheless, Government Cheese is a fun time anchored by some fantastic work from it’s ensemble cast and is worth watching despite its meandering nature and derivative surrealism.
Release Date: 16 April 2025
Creator(s) Paul Hunter, Ayesha Carr
Written Paul Hunter, Ayesha Carr
Producer Paul Hunter, Aeysha Carr, David Oyelowo, Jessica Oyelowo, Charles D. King, Ali Brown, Ahmadou Seck, Jelani Johnson, Marta Fernandez
Starring David Oyelowo, Simone Missick, Jahi Di'Allo Watson, Evan Ellison, Bokeem Woodbine Cinematography Matthew J. Lloyd
Runtime: 60 minutes.