User:D-Rock/The Boondocks (television series)

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The Boondocks
Format Animated Series
Created by Aaron McGruder
Starring Regina King
John Witherspoon
Cedric Yarbrough
Gary Anthony Williams
Jill Talley
Gabby Soleil
Country of origin USA
No. of episodes 6 aired
Production
Running time approx. 0:22
Broadcast
Original channel Cartoon Network (as part of the [adult swim] programming)
Original run November 5, 2005 – present
External links
IMDb profile

The Boondocks is an animated series produced for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block, based on the comic strip of the same name. The show made its broadcast debut on November 6, 2005; it was originally set to premiere on October 2, but was pushed back for November sweeps. It is a production of Sony Pictures Television, executive produced by Aaron McGruder, the creator of the comic strip.

Contents

[edit] Overview

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 African American 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. Because of the long turnaround time required for each episode, The Boondocks cartoon avoids the topicality of its newspaper counterpart, and instead covers more long-standing issues involving race relations and politics, including assimilation of black people into white culture, what would happen if Martin Luther King, Jr. never actually died, and the R. Kelly sex scandal controversy.

The show's design is firmly rooted in anime style (especially fellow Adult Swim show Samurai Champloo), as is the original comic. For the cartoon series, younger Freeman brother Riley was redesigned with cornrows (to symbolize his "wannabe gangsta" persona), 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 Duboises (Tom, Sarah, 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 Boondocks series has attracted a great deal of controversy for its heavy use of the word "nigga"; a community group in Los Angeles led by Najee Ali plans to protest the series for this reason. Aaron McGruder defended the usage of the word, stating that its use made the show feel "more sincere", since the word is commonly used in the everyday conversations of African Americans.[1] The show's premiere episode, "Garden Party", makes a joke of the long-standing controversy surrounding the word "nigga":

Granddad: ...and all I ask y'all to do is act like you got some class!
Riley: [to Huey] Hey...what's "class"?
Huey: It means, "don't act like niggas."
Granddad: Now, now, see? That's what I'm talkin' about right there! We don't use the "n-word" in this house!
Huey: Granddad, you used the word "nigga" 46 times yesterday. I counted!
Granddad: Nigga, hush!

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 even Old Stinkmeaner -- they still feel obligated to provide them with support and respect.

According to an article in The Washington Post, references to Rosa Parks were removed from one of the series' completed episodes within a week of her death. [2] In the second episode, "The Trial of R. Kelly", Parks was originally outside the courtroom protesting Kelly.

McGruder and one-time collaborator Reginald Hudlin had originally piloted the show for the Fox Network, but found 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 [3].

[edit] Characters

  • Huey Freeman: The show's protagonist. Huey is a ten-year-old black radical, prone to conspiracy theories and other subversive ideas such as that the U.S. Government is covering up the truth about the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks, that Jesus was black, and also that Ronald Reagan was Satan.
  • Riley Freeman: Huey's eight-year-old brother, who is subject to influence from gangsta rap culture. He is often easily swayed or caught up in the moment.
  • Robert "Granddad" Freeman: Huey and Riley's grandfather, who is raising the boys. The fates of the boys' parents has not yet been addressed in the series. He retired to the suburbs so that he could raise the boys in a peaceful environment. He was part of the Civil Rights Movement, but was prone to certain faux pas (such as wearing rain gear in preparation for getting shot with a fire hose).
  • Tom Dubois: The Freemans' next-door neighbor. Tom Dubois is a wealthy African-American attorney. Tom Dubois strictly adheres to the law and is a "do-gooder". He is often seen as a "race traitor" by other black characters, as he is seen as having turned his back on his black heritage to marry a white woman, have a mixed-race-child, and become a prosecutor. His name is a play on both Uncle Tom and W.E.B. Dubois. Tom is also skittish and easily frightened. In one episode, Huey suggests that Tom's entire life of following the law and being an attorney is the result of his fear of being anally raped in prison.
  • Sarah Dubois: Tom Dubois' wife, who is white.
  • Jazmine Dubois: Tom and Sarah's mulatto daughter. She can be extremely paranoid and a bit naive, and is an object of ridicule for Huey and Riley. Jazmine was shocked by the September 11 attacks and by finding out that the tooth fairy isn't real. She also has her own religious take on Santa Claus, whom she worships.
  • Uncle Ruckus: An overweight man with a grotesque appearance who idolizes white culture. Ruckus is self-hating, dissassociating himself from his African-American heritage as best as he can, and instead championing whatever small traces of Native American and Irish ancestry he may have. His greatest wish is that black people were still enslaved, because he believes that they were better off that way. He claims to have a mythical disease called "re-vitiligo" ("the reverse of what Michael Jackson has," he always retorts).
  • Ed Wuncler III: The grandson of Ed Wuncler I, who owns the Freeman's home. Ed III is a somewhat psychotic ex-soldier portrayed as a representation of the "poser" stereotype: a white person who acts like an exaggerated version of a young black person. He has recently returned to America from Iraq, where he was serving military duty; he is also implied to be an alcoholic. His character is voiced by Charlie Murphy.

[edit] Voice cast

[edit] Episode guide

[edit] Season 1

# Screen Shot Title Original Airdate Description Notable Guest Stars
1 Image:Garden-party.jpg "The Garden Party" November 6, 2005 Huey and Riley are forced to adjust to life in Woodcrest, and attend a garden party with Granddad. The Freemans meet the Wunclers and Uncle Ruckus. Ed Asner, as Ed Wuncler, Grandad's rich white next-door neighbor and Charlie Murphy as Ed Wuncler III
2 "The Trial of R. Kelly" November 13, 2005 The R.Kelly statutory rape trial (an event that had not happened as the episode went to air) is parodied. First appearances of Tom, Sarah, and Jazmine DuBois. Adam West, as R. Kelly's lawyer.
3 "Guess Hoe's Coming to Dinner" November 20, 2005 Granddad falls in love with a prostitute that Huey and Riley get annoyed with. Katt Williams, as a pimp named "A Pimp Named Slickback".
4 "Granddad's Fight" November 27, 2005 Granddad is humiliated when he is taken down by a mean old blind man, and challenges the man to a fight to regain his pride. Jim Meskimen, as Colonel H. Stinkmeaner
5 "A Date with the Health Inspector" December 4, 2005 Tom DuBois is arrested for "fitting the description" of the "X-Box Killer". Huey and Riley enlist the help of Ed Wuncler III and his friend "Gin Rummy" (who has similar black affectations) to clear his name, leading to a shootout in a convienience store. First speaking appearance of Jazmine. Samuel L. Jackson, as Gin Rummy. Jackson parodies his famous "What" dialog from the movie Pulp Fiction.
6 "The Story of Gangstalicious" December 11, 2005 Riley's favorite gangsta rapper is shot while performing in Woodcrest, and when Riley goes to visit his hero in the hospital, he learns that Gangstalicious is not as "gangsta" as he seems. Mos Def as Gangstalicious; MTV News anchor Sway as himself.
7 "A Huey Freeman Christmas" December 28, 2005 In a parody of A Charlie Brown Christmas, Huey writes, produces, and directs the school's Christmas play: The Adventures of Black Jesus. Quincy Jones as himself; Judge Reinhold as Mr.Uberwitz.
8 "The Real" January 8, 2006
9 "The Return of the King" January 15, 2006
10 "The Itis" January 22, 2006
11 "Let's Nab Oprah" February 5, 2006
12 "Riley Wuz Here" February 19, 2006
13 "Wingmen" March 5, 2006
14 "The Block is Hot" March 12, 2006
15 "The Passion of Ruckus" March 19, 2006

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

Boondocks, The Boondocks, The Boondocks, The Boondocks, The Boondocks, The Boondocks, The