The Boondocks is an American adult animated black sitcom created by Aaron McGruder for Cartoon Network's late-night programming block Adult Swim, based on his manga-influenced comic strip of the same name. The series focuses on a Black American family, the Freemans, and their experiences in the fictional, predominantly white suburb of Woodcrest. The perspective offered by this mixture of cultures, lifestyles, social classes, stereotypes, viewpoints and racialized identities provides for much of the series' satire, comedy, and conflict.
The series premiered on November 6, 2005, and ended on June 23, 2014, with a total of 55 episodes produced over the course of the show's four seasons. The last season was produced without any involvement from McGruder, reportedly because "a mutually agreeable production schedule could not be determined". The series also has aired in syndication outside the United States and has been released on various DVD sets and other forms of home media. The Boondocks has received critical acclaim and several accolades, including an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series and a Peabody Award.
In June 2019, it was announced that Sony Pictures Animation would be producing a reboot that was set to premiere in 2022 with McGruder's involvement; John Witherspoon was also set to reprise his role as Robert Freeman before his death in October 2019. In September 2019, HBO Max picked up the reboot, but in February 2022, they revealed that development had been canceled and that the project was shelved.
Setting The series opens with the Freeman family settling into the fictional, stereotypical white suburb called Woodcrest. Certain continuity errors have sparked debate over whether the show is set primarily in suburban Illinois or in suburban Maryland. It is stated throughout the series that the Freemans are originally from Chicago but moved out before the events of the first season. The first season features several Chicago landmarks: a skyline shot showing the Sears Tower, Grant Park, buildings of the Michigan Avenue Historic District, and Lake Michigan; and elevated rapid transit endemic to the city, resembling the Chicago "L".
More conclusive evidence is presented in the episode "The Trial of Robert Kelly", in which Riley asks Grandad, "Can you take us into the city tomorrow to watch the R. Kelly trial?". Grandad denies his request and tells him to walk, and Riley replies "But it's 40 miles!" R. Kelly is from Chicago, and his trial was held there, providing more evidence that some episodes of The Boondocks are set in Illinois.
Another reference to Chicago is Martin Luther King Drive, a major street running through the South Side of Chicago, mentioned for its violent activity in the 9th episode of season 1, "Return of the King". In "Let's Nab Oprah", Ed Wuncler III, Gin Rummy and Riley go to Oprah Winfrey's television studio in an attempt to kidnap her. The Oprah Winfrey Show was recorded at Harpo Studios in Near West Side Chicago.
Other evidence makes clear references to the show being set in the Columbia, Maryland area, where McGruder was raised and where his father worked for the National Transportation Safety Board. In the comics, Huey's cellphone number has a 443 area code, which belongs to the Baltimore metropolitan area. In "Wingmen", the Freemans fly "home" to Chicago, where they lived before moving to Woodcrest, to attend a funeral. In "The Fried Chicken Flu", a reporter on a passing television screen reports on the titular disease's effect on the state of Maryland.
In season 4's first episode, "Pretty Boy Flizzy", a man references an upcoming concert at Woodcrest Post Pavilion, which may be a play on Columbia's notable concert venue Merriweather Post Pavilion. The episode "It's a Black President, Huey Freeman" also depicts the Freemans and Woodcrest community as being close enough to Washington, D.C., for them to attend the first inauguration of Barack Obama.
Characters
Huey Freeman (voiced by Regina King) – 10-year-old Huey Freeman is the family's moral compass and voice of reason. He is an intelligent, wise-beyond-his-years avid reader who is knowledgeable about a variety of subjects. As a socially conscious leftist radical, he is heavily influenced by the theories of various left-wing social movements and social justice leaders. His brother and grandfather constantly ridicule and underestimate him, thinking he is a fool to have goals and values that aim higher than the expectations of mainstream American culture. It is mentioned that he has been declared a "domestic terrorist". While he promotes various social causes, he is openly contemptuous of gangsta rap/hip hop as portrayed in mainstream media for glamorizing wasteful extravagance, self-defeating lifestyles, and ignorance. Huey, unlike the other characters, rarely smiles; in the episode "Let's Nab Oprah" he smiles after his duel with Riley; he also smiles when Riley begins to win basketball games in "Ballin'". He is a highly skilled kung-fu fighter, and beats Riley with ease in any physical altercation between the two. He has only lost to a few opponents. Riley Freeman (voiced by Regina King) – Riley Freeman is Huey's mischievous, rebellious, and highly impressionable 8-year-old brother, who is an enthusiastic follower and fanatic of gangsta rap and street culture. Though he is otherwise charming, clever, and artistically gifted, Riley maintains loyalty to gangsta rap ideals, even in the face of their self-destructive consequences. In "The Fundraiser" Huey tries to warn him directly about the foregone conclusions of his poor decisions, but Riley offhandedly rebuffs him. The bulk of the series focuses on Riley's misadventures (most of which are fueled by his love of gangsta rap and a desire to emulate other people he admires) or on his various outlandish schemes, which his grandfather often endorses and aids. Despite his wild nature and attempts to appear tough, Riley occasionally shows a softer, innocent side. While his brother practices martial arts, Riley is skilled in street fighting, as shown in "Home Alone" and "Smokin' with Cigarettes". Robert Jebediah "Granddad" Freeman (voiced by John Witherspoon) – Robert Freeman, referred to as "Granddad" by his grandsons, is the grandfather and legal guardian of Huey and Riley. While he loves his two grandsons, he often explodes in tirades of frustration over their wisecracking observations, constant schemes, and misadventures, although he has his own moments; for instance, his eagerly misguided dating pursuits unwittingly attract bizarre or dangerous women. According to season 3's "It's a Black President, Huey Freeman", "Nobody knows exactly how old Robert Freeman is—not even himself." Robert often threatens and carries out discipline to his grandsons, primarily Riley, with Three Stooges-style corporal punishment and has developed a remarkable degree of speed and dexterity in wielding his belt for this purpose. He was an avid civil rights activist in his young adult years.
Development and production
Written and illustrated by Aaron McGruder, The Boondocks began as a comic strip on Hitlist.com, one of the first music websites. The strip later found its way into The Source magazine. Following these runs, McGruder began simultaneously pitching The Boondocks as both a syndicated comic strip and an animated television series. The former goal was met first, and The Boondocks debuted in newspapers in April 1999.
In the meantime, the development of the TV series continued. In between fall of 2003 to summer of 2004, McGruder and film producer/director Reginald Hudlin, President of Entertainment of BET from 2005 to 2008, created a Boondocks pilot for Fox, but found great difficulty in making the series suitable for network television. Hudlin left the project after the Fox deal fell through, though McGruder and Sony Pictures Television were contractually obligated to credit him as an executive producer for the first two seasons. Mike Lazzo, president of Adult Swim and executive producer of Space Ghost Coast to Coast and Aqua Teen Hunger Force, stumbled across the pilot and declared it "too networky". He then ordered a 15-episode season and told McGruder to "just tell stories".
The series shares little continuity with the comic strip, though during the final year of the strip, McGruder made a point to try to synchronize them. He introduced Uncle Ruckus into the strip, and the comic-strip version of Riley's hair was braided into cornrows to match the character's hair in the series. During the first season, McGruder put the strip on a 6-month hiatus beginning in March 2006. He did not return to the strip the following November, and the strip's syndicate, Universal Press Syndicate, announced that it had been canceled.
The opening theme song of the series is performed by hip hop artist Asheru. It was slightly remixed for seasons 2 and 3.
The series was produced in widescreen since the beginning, but the image was cropped to accommodate the 4:3 aspect ratio at the time of their original broadcasts as well as reruns, with the uncropped versions releasing on DVD and streaming. Starting with the third season, the series was produced in 16:9 high definition and presented in its original aspect ratio and resolution.
In 2014, it was announced that McGruder would not be involved with the show's fourth season, with Adult Swim stating that the reason was that "a mutually agreeable production schedule could not be determined." The fourth and final season premiered on April 21, 2014 and concluded on June 23, 2014, with the season and complete series DVD sets releasing the next day in the United States.
Episodes
Both the comic strip and the animated series were influenced by McGruder's love of anime and manga. He cites Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo as sources of inspiration for the series' fight scenes. The opening sequence of season 1 contains similarities to that of Samurai Champloo. Some of the humor is based on the characters' anime-style movements.
In 2006, McGruder explained in an interview, "We now have a Japanese anime studio named Madhouse to help us out", but at some point, the deal with Madhouse fell through. Instead, the Emmy Award-winning South Korean studio Moi Animation handled the animation for season 2 onwards. As a result, the following seasons of the series have more detailed animation, as well as minor updates for most of the character designs.
The episode "Pause" features a thinly veiled parody of Tyler Perry, presented as using his religion to hide his cross-dressing. The episode reportedly angered Perry, with the network responding to his complaints by saying that they should have warned him before the episode aired.
While the series was originally going to end with the third season, on March 21, 2014, it was revealed via a press release from Adult Swim that The Boondocks would return for a fourth and final season.Peep "The Boondocks" Season 3 Trailer It was later revealed that the fourth season would be produced without the involvement of McGruder. The reason cited for the split between the creator and the company was a disagreement over the production schedule. The fourth and final season was co-produced and animated by South Korean studio Studio Mir.
Social critique Political criticism