An excellent new crime series is now available to stream at home

Stephen Porzio

Its first four episodes are streaming now.

Apple TV+ has just added Government Cheese, a very fun new crime comedy series starring David Oyelowo (Silo).

Set in ’60s Los Angeles, the show sees Oyelowo play Hampton, a man who begins the story in prison for forging cheques.

In jail, the petty criminal finds religion, as well as a new life goal. This is to create a self-sharpening drill that will make he, his wife Astoria (Simone Missick, Luke Cage), and their two teenage boys (Evan Ellison and Jahi Di’Allo Watson) millionaires.

This is easier said than done, however. After his release from jail, Hampton’s reunion with Astoria is much frostier than expected.

And as he struggles to get people to take his drill idea seriously, he learns that his time in prison has left him thousands of dollars in debt – something which may drag him back to a life of crime despite his newfound religion.

Having seen the first episode, JOE can say that Government Cheese – which was created by acclaimed music video director Paul Hunter alongside Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Aeysha Carr – looks absolutely fantastic.

It recreates the San Fernando Valley in 1969 as a gorgeous, seemingly idyllic place, which makes Hampton’s misfortunes there feel all the more painful. This, combined with Oyelowo’s winning performance, means you can’t help but root for the antihero.

On top of this, the show’s comic tale of petty criminals and its heavy doses of absurdism, existentialism and irony have led many critics to draw comparisons to the Coen Brothers’ work – something which is always high praise.

The cast is excellent too, with supporting players including Bookeem Woodbine (Fargo), Jeremy Bobb (The Outsider), Louis Cancelmi (The Irishman) and Sunita Mani (Mr. Robot).

You can check out a sample of some of the glowing reviews for Government Cheese below:

AV Club: “Don’t pass on the clever, Coen brothers-esque Government Cheese… It’s a funny, well-acted, unpredictable show that takes a few episodes to find its footing but settles into a nice, confident groove in which you won’t really be able to tell where it’s going—but you’ll be willing to follow along anyway.”

Inverse: “A visually gorgeous, stylistic journey that uses the TV format for all its worth, telling a winding story that’s worth it just for the journey to get there.”

Newsday: “You can see a touch of Wes Anderson and a helping of the Coen Brothers in the ways Government Cheese plays with kitschy archetypes to develop its off-kilter vision of Hampton’s pursuit of the American dream… It’s unclassifiable and unpredictable, in the best possible ways.”