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Trailer for Apple TV+ Comedy Government Cheese; Remembering Saved by the Bell and TV Producer Peter Engel

Apple TV+ unveiled the trailer for Government Cheese, starring multi-award-winner David Oyelowo, who also serves as executive producer. The 10-episode comedy will make its global debut on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, April 16, with the first four episodes, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through May 28, 2025. Simone Missick, Jahi Di'Allo Winston and Evan Ellison star alongside Oyelowo in the Apple Original series hailing from creators Paul Hunter and Aeysha Carr.

Government Cheese is a surrealist family comedy set in 1969 San Fernando Valley that tells the story of the Chambers, a quirky family pursuing lofty and seemingly impossible dreams, beautifully unfettered by the realities of the world. When Hampton Chambers (Oyelowo) is released from prison, his long-awaited family reunion doesn't go quite as he'd planned. During his absence, Hampton's wife Astoria (Missick) and sons Einstein (Ellison) and Harrison (Di'Allo Winston) have formed an unconventional family unit, and Hampton's return spins their world into chaos.

The ensemble cast also includes Jean-Michel Richaud, London Garcia, Djilali Rez-Kallah, Bokeem Woodbine, Jeremy Bobb, Louis Cancelmi, Julien Heron, Louis Ferreira, Thomas Beaudoin and Kyle Mac, with John Ortiz and Adam Beach.

Television producer Peter Engel, who worked on Saved by the Bell, Hang Time and City Guys, has died. He died on March 4 at his home in Santa Monica, California. Mr. Engel was 88.

Engel's early television producing credits included the 1971 CBS variety series The Ice Palace, which had an ice skating theme. He was an executive producer of the 1974-1975 NBC soap opera How to Survive a Marriage. He was a producer of the short-lived 1976-1977 NBC sitcom Sirota's Court, which starred Michael Constantine, Cynthia Harris, and Fred Willard.

He was an executive producer of the 1988-1989 Disney Channel sitcom Good Morning Bliss. Starring Hayley Mills as teacher Miss Carrie Bliss, the series takes place at the John F. Kennedy Junior High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. The original pilot aired on NBC in the regular primetime timeslot of The Facts of Life. He also wrote an episode in 1988.

After one season on the air on the Disney Channel, the show was retooled as Saved by the Bell, which aired on NBC from 1989 to 1993. The show follows a group of high school friends and their principal at the fictional Bayside High School in Los Angeles. The series ran for four seasons and 86 episodes. Engel also wrote 12 episodes of the series. The series starred Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez, Dustin Diamond, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Elizabeth Berkley, Lark Voorhies, and Dennis Haskins.

Engel was an executive producer of the 1993-1994 NBC sitcom Saved by the Bell: The College Years. The series follows Zack Morris, Screech Powers and A.C. Slater, and their three female suitemates, including Kelly Kapowski, in the dorms at college. It was the only series of the franchise to air in primetime.

He was an executive producer of the 1993-2000 NBC sitcom Saved by the Bell: The New Class. The show had the same concept as the original series but featured a new group of students roaming the halls of the fictional Bayside High School. At seven seasons, it was the longest-running incarnation of the franchise. Engel appeared as Murray in a 1997 episode.

Engel worked as an executive producer of the 1992-1996 NBC sitcom California Dreams. The series centers on the friendships of a group of teenagers (shifting toward a multi-ethnic makeup beginning with the show's second season) who form the fictional titular band.

He was an executive producer of the 1995-2000 NBC sitcom Hang Time. The series centers on the exploits of the Deering Tornados boys' varsity basketball team of the fictional Deering High School in the fictional Midwestern town of Deering, Indiana. Engel became the showrunner for the second season, resulting in extensive changes to the show. He appeared as The Commissioner in a 1997 episode.

Engel created and executive produced the 1997-1999 USA Network sitcom USA High. The series revolves around six friends enrolled at the American Academy boarding school in Paris, France. He played Chancellor Engel in a 1999 episode.

He created and executive produced the 1997-2001 NBC sitcom City Guys. The series centers on two teenagers from different backgrounds who both attended Manhattan High School that became best friends.

Engel was an executive producer of the 1998-2001 NBC sitcom One World. The series centers on the Blakes, a family mostly made up of six racially diverse foster teenagers living under one roof under the care of parents Dave, a former professional baseball player and Karen, a sculptor.

He and Carl Kurlander co-created the 1998-2000 first-run syndicated sitcom Malibu, CA. The show centers on the lives of twin brothers Scott (Trevor Merszei) and Jason Collins (Jason Hayes), who move to Malibu, California, from New York City to live with their father, Peter (Edward Blatchford).

In 2001, he was an executive producer of the short-lived NBC comedy-drama All About Us. The series focuses on the development of four teenage girls who live and attend high school in Chicago.

After producing teen-focused series for NBC, Engel transitioned to producing reality television series. He was an executive producer of 28 episodes of the NBC reality series Last Comic Standing from 2004 to 2014. The series received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program in 2004.

He was one of the executive producers for 11 episodes of the 2020-2021 Peacock sitcom Saved by the Bell. The series is set 26 years after Zack and Kelly's wedding, with the main characters of the original series reunited in their 40s and trying to navigate their lives.

In 2016, he released a memoir titled I Was Saved by the Bell: Stories of Life, Love, and Dreams That Do Come True. He opened up for the first time about his life, from personal and professional highlights to the serious challenges that shaped him.

Mr. Engel was one of the most prolific producers in television with more than 1,000 episodes produced under his banner. He was the architect behind Saved by the Bell, which he executive produced through all of its many incarnations, and which led to his many other teen series. We thank him for the laughs and entertainment that he brought us on Saved by the Bell and his many other sitcoms. He will be greatly missed.

SitcomsOnline Digest: Santa Clarita Diet and Wrecked Both Cancelled; Remembering Dallas Actor Ken Kercheval

• There won't be a fourth season of Netflix's Santa Clarita Diet. (Hollywood Reporter)
• TBS has given up on Wrecked, and there won't be a fourth season of it either. (Variety)
• We didn't get much advance notice of it (not that it matters unless you were in the Los Angeles area anyway), but last night, the cast of California Dreams reunited for a performance with Ryan Cabrera at the Saved by the Bell themed restaurant, Saved by the Max. (Deadline) 
• Ken Kercheval, who was known for his role of J.R. Ewing's rival Cliff Barnes on Dallas, has died. (Hollywood Reporter)
• Antenna TV is celebrating Mother's Day with a marathon of Hazel. (SitcomsOnline)

WEEKLY PLANNER (APRIL 27 - MAY 3)

• It's a weekend of The Commish on Decades.
• The fifth season of iZombie debuts Thursday on The CW.
• Netflix has a new animated comedy, Tuca & Bertie, coming on Friday.
• Netflix also has another new comedy, Dead to Me, also coming on Friday.

California Dreams Reunion on Jimmy Fallon; NBC Renews Thursday Comedies for 2010-11, While Fox and ABC Do Same For Two Dramas

We were told there was sort of a surprise California Dreams reunion on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last Thursday (March 4, 2010). Fallon was unsucessful in reuniting the cast of Saved by the Bell so he went and did the second best option he could think of, which was reuniting the series that aired after it on TNBC... California Dreams. I guess the shows were similar enough. Personally I thought maybe Hang Time would have been better, but that is just my opinion. Anyway, there were seven members of the California Dreams cast who attended this (short) reunion. They were Brent Gore who played Matt, William James Jones who played Tony, Heidi Noelle Lenhart who played Jenny, Kelly Packard who played Tiffani, Jay Anthony Franke who played Jake, Jennie Kwan who played Sam, and Michael Cade who played Sly.
If for some reason you have not seen it yet, check it out now:


NBC has renewed three more of its Thursday-night comedies for next season: 30 Rock, The Office and the freshman series Community for the 2010-11 season. The returning programs join the previously announced Parks and Recreation that also will return for next season. This means all four of NBC's Thursday night comedies will return in 2010-11. Will all four be on the fall schedule though? Will some be held for midseason (to make way for new comedies) or moved to another night in the fall? We will find all that out in May, but the focus right now is that all four are safe to air next season.

Meanwhile Fox has given an early renewal for sophomore drama Fringe for 2010-11, its third season. The series airs on Fox on Thursday nights but currently it is on a bit of a hiatus. It has not done too well on Thursday nights but in its most recent airings it showed some gains when the competition was lighter, so it proved it does have an audience. The second season resumes with eight all-new and uninterrupted episodes beginning Thursday, April 1 at 9:00 PM ET/PT on Fox.
And ABC has renewed Sunday night family drama Brothers and Sisters for a fifth season for the 2010-11 season. This is no surprise though. The series is also entering weekend local syndication this coming fall, once clearances are made. Brothers and Sisters airs Sundays at 10pm on ABC and it will have a special two-hour event on Sunday, April 11, 2010 from 9-11pm that will flashback to the '70s. But in the meantime, we still have a few new episodes before that, such as this coming Sunday (March 14).