Government Cheese

This is the trend these days; since Hollywood has been around a while so they have apprenticeships and schools for all things production, and with the addition of $$ you can make a "decently-looking" show. But writers just show up, usually being chosen for values other than skill (skin color, age, sexual orientation, etc.), without much background or experience...especially lacking life experience. Add those two and Hollywood hopes you'll come for the description and stay for the production.

This is the case for Government Cheese: lackluster humor, pedantic storytelling, unexplained circumstances, actors not given any depth to work with. Black family good, white family bad. White family...French?? We all know at the least it would have been Latino (French "mafia" family in LA in the 60s or 70s? Nope.). That last choice will indicate how this writing will go, btw: it will pay more attention to hit all the "right" messages along the way than focusing on dialogue, plot, consistency, etc.=too many speed bumps in the storytelling.

The main character is somehow a genius mechanic who can make a drill in his backyard, but was kiting checks? Huh? Ambivalent wife and kids. Inane prison setup w/ a "surprise!" killing? Couldn't stomach it.

There is a lot going on in Government Cheese and, for the most part, it works. The actors are all very appealing. The writing is quirky and engaging. The period sets, costumes and music are fantastic. Having said that, I'm not sure the whole show comes together, as there are a lot of disparate elements, rabbit holes and dead ends that make the first season a bit scattered.

Still, I appreciate that Apple TV+ continues to produce out-of-the-box, entertaining series that you typically won't find anywhere else. This includes offerings like Acapulco, Hello Tomorrow, The Big Door Prize, The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin, Palm Royale, etc. All those series kept me entertained, even if some of them didn't completely work.

Without giving anything substantial away, Government Cheese leaves a lot of balls in the air at the end of season one. So, like some of the above-mentioned shows and others, I really hope that Apple TV+ greenlights a second season. As far as the first season, I'd rate it an 8.2.

Is this an alternate reality? If so, then I'll stop objecting to banks being open until 6:00pm in the 1960s. Or French Canadian gangsters, which cracks me up. And I'm not seeing any overt racism or objections to Hamilton being an x-con. Astoria is having a hard time because she's a woman with children, not because she's a Black woman. In general, I like this alternate universe, faults and all, and I'm guessing there's going to be a happy ending, because happily ever after is how dramatic narratives end in America. I want it to have a tragic ending, but it probably won't. It is a fun watch, so I'll watch until the not too bitter end.

Had it in my watchlist for a while. Any show / movie PRE - cellphones i appreciate more and will give it a shot. And I am happy I did. A needed break from serious drama's - It won't get the recognition it deserves because majority of people like instant gratification and don't give things a shot. And anyone younger than millennials (IMO) tend to shy away from series set before the 90's (again, IMO) - I think the acting is solid all around, and takes a used base storyline and adds a great, unique twist. Parts of the storyline that are usually filled with predictable characters, stereotypical placement is not what you find. Even "the bad guys" have a unique and funny take. Highly recommend.

Between Aeysha Carr's wicked sense of humour, and director Paul Hunter's zany music clip background, the two creators and writers have got this absolute hilarious series covered. It is a blend between the Coen brothers and Wes Anderson, with David Lynch in the mix, creating what could have been a basic story and embellishing it with magical creative flare. To top it all off is David Oyelowo, playing the main role of Hampton Chambers to near perfection, entertaining us with the wild antics of an ex-con attempting to make it straight in an unforgiving world. Oyelowo is backed by a brilliant cast who play it right, giving this outrageous story an extra edge with the quirky characters and surreal moments...