David Oyelowo Leads Offbeat Comedy Government Cheese
Already missing the wildly successful Severance, and looking for something else to watch on Apple TV? Fear not, for the streaming service still has plenty in store for 2025- including oddball comedy Government Cheese.
Set in the late 60s, it stars award winning actor David Oyelowo (Selma) as a former criminal released from prison and trying to adjust to his new life, it blends surreal comedy with family drama. The premise is certainly an intriguing one, with Hampton (Oyelowo) betting everything on his genius new invention- despite struggling to fit back in with the lives of his loved ones.
What is Government Cheese about?
Hampton Chambers is a former criminal recently released from prison for a burglary conviction. It’s now 1969, and he heads home to the San Fernando Valley and begins his journey to readjust to life on the outside. However, when he arrives back to his family, he finds that his long awaited reunion with them won’t go quite as planned: other Chambers haven’t quite moved on, but have gotten used to his absence. His wife Astoria (Simone Missick) and their sons Harrison (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) and Einstein (Evan Ellison) are now an “unconventional family unit”, and Hampton’s return disrupts things rather than making life easier.
Hampton meanwhile has his eyes set on an invention that he’s created, a self-sharpening power drill that he’s sure will allow him to permanently leave his old life behind and move on. “This invention is my family’s future” he says in the trailer as he sets to work- but unfortunately, his past is about to catch up with him. While his wife and children try to welcome him back into their lives, dangerous figures from his crime days resurface, and complicate his plans. Clues from the trailer suggest shady criminals who claim Hampton owes them money, and threats to his life. But there’s a surreal bent to the show as well, with Apple’s synopsis teasing strange, abnormal events and apparent “divine intervention”- expect it to be a wild ride.
Who else stars, and is there a release date?
Government Cheese’s cast also includes Bokeem Woodbine (Ripley), Adam Beach (The Power of the Dog) Sunita Mani (Mr Robot), Louis Cancelmi (Killers of the Flower Moon) and Stephen Schneider (Nobody Wants This). The surrealist comedy is set to land on Apple TV+ on 16th April.
