Apple TV+’s Government Cheese doesn’t play by the rules—and co-creator Aeysha Carr says that was the whole point.
“We wanted to tell a story about a Black family that wasn’t just about how they existed against the world,” she shares. “But how they existed within each other.”
READ: Bokeem Woodbine Brings a “Lovable Rogue” to Life in Apple TV+’s Government Cheese [INTERVIEW]
Set in the San Fernando Valley in 1969, Government Cheese follows Hampton Chambers (David Oyelowo), a dreamer fresh out of prison, who returns to find the world—and his family—moved on without him. His wife Astoria (Simone Missick) is holding it down. Their two sons, Einstein (Evan Alexander Ellison) and Harrison (Jahi Di’Allo Winston), have found their own rhythm. Hampton’s re-entry isn’t smooth, but it’s where the show’s charm lives: in the chaos, the awkwardness, and the weird little joys of family life.
The show pulled from co-creator Paul Hunter’s life but one Carr definitely could relate to—both growing up in “weird” families that didn’t fit a mold. And that title? Government Cheese? Carr admits it raised eyebrows but stands by it completely.
“It’s about taking nothing and turning it into something,” she says. “That’s the real meaning.”
Watch the full interview to hear Carr break down the inspiration, why joy was non-negotiable, and how Government Cheese is giving space for a kind of Black family we rarely get to see.