About The Show
broadcast debut on November 6, 2005; it was originally set to broadcast debut on November 6, 2005; it was
originally set to premiere on October 2, 2005, but was pushed back for November sweeps. It is a production of
Rebel Base in association with Sony Pictures Television, executive produced by Aaron McGruder, the creator of
the comic strip, and Reginald Hudlin.
and Reginald Hudlin.
The series was renewed for a 20-episode second season scheduled to premiere in 2007. The second season will
feature animation produced by the Japanese animation studio Madhouse.
McGruder and one-time collaborator Reginald Hudlin had originally created a pilot show for the Fox Network, but
found great difficulty in making the series acceptable for broadcast television. Hudlin left the project after the Fox
deal fell through, although McGruder and Sony Television are contractually bound to continue to credit him as
an executive producer.
Like the comic strip, the television version of The Boondocks is a satirical situation comedy revolving around the
lives of the Freeman family. Elementary-school aged black brothers Huey and Riley Freeman have been moved
by their Granddad, Robert Freeman, from inner city South Side Chicago, Illinois to the quiet and almost
completely white suburb of Woodcrest (similar to Woodridge, Illinois). Because of the long turnaround time
required for each episode, The Boondocks show avoids the topical nature of its newspaper counterpart, and
instead covers more long-standing issues involving race relations and politics, including: the assimilation of black
people into white culture and the bias against black people that is still evident in it, what would have happened if
Martin Luther King, Jr. had gone into a coma instead of dying (and finally awoke in 2000), and the R. Kelly sex
scandal controversy.
Expanding upon the anime / manga influence present in the comic strip, the show also has an anime style, as
McGruder has said he's a huge fan of anime. In the animated series, younger Freeman brother Riley was
redesigned with cornrows, and the comic strip followed suit with a month-long story arc involving Riley growing
cornrows. Uncle Ruckus, a self-hating black man originally intended to have been introduced to the strip before
9/11, was introduced into the strip in late 2004 and is being primarily developed in the animated series. The
Freemans' neighbors, the Dubois family (Tom, Sara and their daughter Jazmine), also appeared during the show's
first season; Huey's best friend Michael Caesar is being withheld for later seasons. The opening theme song was
recorded by hip hop artist Asheru.
The Boondocks makes constant references to past events in previous episodes. The Boondocks also shows
continuity with the comic strip that serves as its basis. A running theme in the series is the concept of black unity;
even though Huey and others may disagree with the points of view of characters like Tom Dubois, Uncle Ruckus
and Old Stinkmeaner, they still feel obliged to provide them with support and respect.
broadcast debut on November 6, 2005; it was originally set to broadcast debut on November 6, 2005; it was
originally set to premiere on October 2, 2005, but was pushed back for November sweeps. It is a production of
Rebel Base in association with Sony Pictures Television, executive produced by Aaron McGruder, the creator of
the comic strip, and Reginald Hudlin.
and Reginald Hudlin.
The series was renewed for a 20-episode second season scheduled to premiere in 2007. The second season will
feature animation produced by the Japanese animation studio Madhouse.
McGruder and one-time collaborator Reginald Hudlin had originally created a pilot show for the Fox Network, but
found great difficulty in making the series acceptable for broadcast television. Hudlin left the project after the Fox
deal fell through, although McGruder and Sony Television are contractually bound to continue to credit him as
an executive producer.
Like the comic strip, the television version of The Boondocks is a satirical situation comedy revolving around the
lives of the Freeman family. Elementary-school aged black brothers Huey and Riley Freeman have been moved
by their Granddad, Robert Freeman, from inner city South Side Chicago, Illinois to the quiet and almost
completely white suburb of Woodcrest (similar to Woodridge, Illinois). Because of the long turnaround time
required for each episode, The Boondocks show avoids the topical nature of its newspaper counterpart, and
instead covers more long-standing issues involving race relations and politics, including: the assimilation of black
people into white culture and the bias against black people that is still evident in it, what would have happened if
Martin Luther King, Jr. had gone into a coma instead of dying (and finally awoke in 2000), and the R. Kelly sex
scandal controversy.
Expanding upon the anime / manga influence present in the comic strip, the show also has an anime style, as
McGruder has said he's a huge fan of anime. In the animated series, younger Freeman brother Riley was
redesigned with cornrows, and the comic strip followed suit with a month-long story arc involving Riley growing
cornrows. Uncle Ruckus, a self-hating black man originally intended to have been introduced to the strip before
9/11, was introduced into the strip in late 2004 and is being primarily developed in the animated series. The
Freemans' neighbors, the Dubois family (Tom, Sara and their daughter Jazmine), also appeared during the show's
first season; Huey's best friend Michael Caesar is being withheld for later seasons. The opening theme song was
recorded by hip hop artist Asheru.
The Boondocks makes constant references to past events in previous episodes. The Boondocks also shows
continuity with the comic strip that serves as its basis. A running theme in the series is the concept of black unity;
even though Huey and others may disagree with the points of view of characters like Tom Dubois, Uncle Ruckus
and Old Stinkmeaner, they still feel obliged to provide them with support and respect.
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