The Boondocks (TV series)

The Boondocks is an American animated television 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, 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.

The series was renewed for a 20-episode second season scheduled to premiere in June 2007.^[1][2] The second season will feature animation produced by the Japanese animation studio Madhouse.^[3]

Overview

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.^[4]

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^[4] (McGruder has said he's a huge fan of anime)^[5]. 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.

Main characters

• Huey Freeman: The show's protagonist. Huey is a ten-year-old, vegetarian, black radical who is portrayed as both a voice of reason and, at times, a mouthpiece for contemporary Afrocentrism. He is an excellent swordsman and near-master practitioner of the martial arts as seen in "Let's Nab Oprah" (a reference to anime, wǔxiá and Samurai epics). Although he often treats Jazmine Dubois coldly through various episodes of the TV series — most notably in "Wingmen", where his response is unsympathetic when Jazmine despairs at not having a best friend — he nonetheless appears to care about her and her opinion. During the course of the series Huey never seems to be in a good mood, as he never smiles. (It might be noted that the episode "Let's Nab Oprah" shows Huey smirking in a satisfied manner, momentarily, when disarming his brother by expertly slicing a chair to pieces in their opening fight scene.)

• Riley Freeman: Huey's eight-year-old little brother, Riley is subject to influence from gangsta rap. He is easily swayed and known to become caught up in the moment. Even though Riley may find and prefer himself on the wrong side of the law, he has been known to exhibit some of his older brother's verbal skills when required such as the tongue-lashing he gives Tom Dubois in the episode "The Trial of R. Kelly". He also exhibits intelligence through quick thinking on a regular basis. Riley is representative of the misguided black youth; he is the Santa stalker (shooting at a mall Santa with airsoft Glock 17s, hitting many innocent bystanders, after having first attacked him with a golf club for not "paying what he owe") and is portrayed as Huey's polar opposite. Riley does not own any real firearms and has only been seen owning Airsoft-style guns — a Glock 17 and an MP5K — but he pals around with Ed Wuncler III and Gin Rummy, who have on occasion granted him access to real weapons. He also falsely boasted to brother Huey that he fired a real hand gun to shoot at a gangster rival of his rapper idol Gangstalicious when they were chased at a hospital. (see The Story of Gangstalicious) Despite this he does indeed have something of a sensitive side and is shown artistically capable in spray-painting sentimental murals instead of typical graffiti in the episode "Riley Wuz Here".

• Robert Jebediah "Granddad" Freeman: Huey and Riley's grandfather and their legal guardian. Granddad moved to the suburbs so that he could raise the boys in a peaceful environment and enjoy his retirement. He has borne witness to many major incidents in American history. He was a part of the Civil Rights Movement, but was prone to certain faux pas (such as donning rain wear in preparation for getting doused by a police fire hose). Freeman was also a fighter pilot in World War II, where he flew the P-51 Mustang with the Tuskegee Airmen. He was also a part of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, even sitting next to Rosa Parks, though she received all the credit for refusing to give up her seat. Granddad serves as another figure of reason in contrast to Huey, although his reason tends to be more pragmatic. It is suggested, while not explicitly stated, that Huey and Riley's birth parents are deceased, based on Robert's dialogue from the first episode stating that he spent the boys' "inheritance" on their new house in Woodcrest [although this could just as easily mean that he had spent his own money on the house, as other episodes state that he lived in the house prior to the boys moving in with him]. In the episode "Riley Wuz Here", Riley's art teacher suggests he paint a picture of someone loved "who is no longer with us," inspiring Riley to then reproduce (in graffiti) a portrait of a younger Robert and his wife at their wedding; this image brings a tear to Robert's eye.

• Tom Dubois: The Freemans' neighbor from across the street, Tom Dubois is a well-to-do African-American attorney. Tom is skittish and easily frightened. He adheres strictly to the law due to an irrational fear of being anally raped in prison, as explained by narration from Huey in the episode "A Date With The Health Inspector": a flashback shows Tom at age ten watching a prison movie on television and being terrified by it; from then on, he refuses even the slightest legal infractions. ("But what if we get caught? We'll get arrested and anally raped!") Huey mentions that Tom's job as a prosecutor is, ironically, to send other black men to the very fate he most fears. His character can be interpreted as an "Uncle Tom" as he is seen as having turned his back on his black heritage to marry a white woman (Sara), producing a mixed-race child (Jazmine), and becoming a criminal prosecutor who often convicts black people. Although, in line with the complexity of the show, the "Dubois" portion of his name may be an homage to W.E.B. DuBois, thus putting his character in a state of conflict. In the episode "The Trial of R. Kelly", Tom was the prosecuting attorney attempting to prosecute R. Kelly, though he failed - a failure both he and Huey were disappointed with. He also fancies himself as a singer, dreaming of being a successful recording artist.

• Sara Dubois: Tom Dubois' white wife. She is incredibly casual toward their interracial marriage, even going so far as to joke about it by stating "I told you not to mess with those white women" when Tom is mocked and attacked for it in "The Trial Of R. Kelly".

• Jazmine Dubois: Tom and Sara's biracial daughter. She can be extremely paranoid and a bit naive, making her an object of ridicule for Huey and Riley. Jazmine was shocked by both the September 11 attacks (and hid in her room for two years as a result in the comic strip) and finding out that the tooth fairy isn't real. She is a strong believer in Santa Claus, viewing him as the true meaning of Christmas to the point where she dreams of preaching the gospel of Santa to the masses. Jazmine seems to have a crush on Huey Freeman despite the fact he is often cold toward her. Jazmine first appears in the episode "The Trial of R. Kelly".

• Uncle Ruckus: An overweight black man with a grotesque appearance who idolizes white culture. Ruckus is self-hating, disassociating himself from his African-American heritage as best he can, and instead championing whatever small traces of Native American, French, 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" ("It's the opposite of what Michael Jackson's got, lucky bastard" as he always retorts). His hatred of black people is strongly evidenced in the episode The Garden Party to the point that when Riley, Huey and Granddad arrive he exclaims "We have a 'code black' at the front gate". During the same episode Ruckus performs an impromptu song entitled "Don't Trust Them New Niggas Over There". Ironically, he is the darkest-skinned character on the show. His character is a hyperbolic parody of the self-hating black man. However, as much as he may hate black culture, he has been shown in other episodes to still socialize with the Freemans. He also speaks with what seems to be a Southern United States accent.

• Ed Wuncler, Sr., voiced by Ed Asner, is an overweight, rich realtor whose family founded the town of Woodcrest and have lived in the area for decades. The wealthy Wuncler owns the mortgage loan on Granddad's house (as he does with every house in Woodcrest) and somehow Woodcrest's police force, and is embarrassed by his inept grandson, Ed Wuncler III. Wuncler also owns the fictional fast food restaurant franchise, "McWuncler's", and the character bears a resemblance to his voice actor. Wuncler sometimes does things considered racist, such as referring to Grandad as "Robert Free-man", and employing only illegal Mexicans at his restaurants; ultimately, though, his racism is portrayed as simply being a byproduct of his insatiable greed rather than an active hatred of those from different races. Ed seems to have taken a general liking to Robert, referring to him as "Old School," and even funding his Soul food Restaurant venture in the episode "The Itis", though this may have merely been a plot to lower property values in the area so that he could purchase the nearby park and "develop" it. He also has a sweatshop which is run by 12-year-old Indonesian girls as Huey reveals and Ed confirms in "The Block is Hot", demonstrating his ruthless manner.

• Ed Wuncler III: The grandson of Ed Wuncler I. Ed III is a drunken, psychopathic, trigger-happy ex-soldier freshly discharged from active duty in Iraq, and is portrayed as a representation of the "wigger" stereotype: a white person who acts like an exaggerated version of a young black person. His character, voiced by Charlie Murphy, could be seen as a parody of a young George W. Bush, painted in broad strokes — a figure destined to be president on the strength of his family's wealth and power, despite his sub-average intelligence (as referenced at the end of "The Garden Party", where his grandfather says, "In 30 years, that boy will be President of the United States... and he'll still be a fucking idiot!") as well as his poor military record, revealing in the same episode that he was refused from being taken on patrol after compromising the unit's position by habitually defecating in his pants out of fear. Ed's bling includes a large medallion in the shape of the letter W. Ed III and his friend, Gin Rummy, get away with their misguided and comically inept criminal antics because Ed Wuncler I has the police and everyone else in the city on his payroll, and because his status as a member of the U. S. Armed Forces confers the public image of a hero no matter how immoral his actions may be, while Gin Rummy often argues that their escapes are the result of his being a master planner. For example, the pair go unpunished when staging a poorly executed bank robbery; Ed is seen as a hero when they rob a convenience store owned by a person of "terrorist descent"; in attempting to kidnap Oprah Winfrey, they mistakenly abduct Maya Angelou, then Bill Cosby instead. Ed's signature line is "What the fuck y'all looking at?"

• Gin Rummy, voiced by Samuel L. Jackson, is a former soldier and Ed Wuncler III's best friend. The character is apparently intended as a parody of Donald Rumsfeld by similarities in name, appearance, and use of actual quotes. His last name, "Rummy," matches the nickname given to Rumsfeld that was often spoken by President George W. Bush. Even though he is shown to be more intelligent than his best friend (albeit marginally), he shares the same homicidal tendencies. His name is also a reference to the card game, Gin rummy. He repeatedly tries to justify his poor criminal planning by asserting that "the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence" (parodying the claims of Bush and Rumsfeld regarding Saddam Hussein's supposed weapons of mass destruction in Iraq,) or by insisting that he could not plan for "unknown unknowns". Gin Rummy considers himself a patriot and will do whatever it takes to bring the "Fugitives of Justice" their due. He first appears in the episode "A Date With The Health Inspector". His style of speaking often parodies Samuel L. Jackson's character Jules from Pulp Fiction.

One-time characters

• Moe Jackson: Robert Freeman's former friend. He dies during the television show run; an episode focuses on the destruction of the friendship between Moe and Robert Freeman. He finally got one last laugh on Robert in death by leaving him a jar of peanuts in his will (The joke being in the phrase "Deez Nutz!"). (Voiced by comedian Mike Epps.)
• Cairo: Huey Freeman's former best friend. He and Huey ended up fighting each other during Moe's funeral. Huey apologizes by offering him a conciliatory fruit basket, but Cairo only responds with a headbutt to the face, closing his door on Huey without another word.
• Dewey: Cairo's new best friend. A sanctimonious afrocentric youth who believes that no one can be a part of the black struggle without following some mainstream guidelines, such as writing black poetry, which in his estimation must follow rigid rhyming structure (often exaggerated to ludicrous effect). He also seems to believe that a headwrap, sandals, and capri pants are necessary to be "down with the struggle".
• Cristal: A "ho" (stripper / prostitute) who charms Robert Freeman into a brief relationship for chiefly financial reasons. Cristal aspires for more than life as a prostitute but can't handle schooling and has no desire to do real work. She leaves Robert when her pimp shows up at the Freeman residence searching for her, exposing her true occupation much to Granddad's disappointment.
• A Pimp Named Slickback: Cristal's pimp, who gets easily irritated when someone calls him "Slickback" for short, demanding to be addressed by his complete self-professed name: "It's like 'A Tribe Called Quest' — you say the whole thing." He made a cameo appearance in "Return of The King" but had no speaking lines. (Voiced by comedian Katt Williams.)
• Colonel H. Stinkmeaner: A blind old black man who fights Granddad Freeman. As Huey states, Stinkmeaner has acted like an ornery old man for his entire life. Huey mistakes Stinkmeaner for a blind swordsman (specifically the zatoichi) and has Grandpa train to fight Stinkmeaner. During the second fight, Huey realizes Stinkmeaner does not actually have sensitive hearing, but fails to stop the fight before Granddad kills him. Stinkmeaner comes back in the as-yet unaired episode "Return of Stinkmeaner" (voiced by Cedric Yarborough).
• Gangstalicious: Riley's favorite rapper, featured in episode 6, "The Story of Gangstalicious", is responsible for the hit single 'Thuggin Love' heard in the show. He was formerly involved in a secret homosexual affair with a gangster named Lincoln who attempts to kill Gangstalicious for betraying their love while on tour. His real name is Frederick. (Voiced by Mos Def.)
• Eat Dirt: Gangstalicious' rap rival in episode 6 "The Story of Gangstalicious". In a parody of the violence that broke out at the 2000 Source Awards and the 2004 VIBE Awards, Eat Dirt is hit by a metal folding chair at an awards show, which incites a brawl. He also accidentally shot himself in a club while fighting with Gangstalicious.
• The White Shadow: The secret agent sent to spy on Huey. He may or may not be a figment of Huey's overactive imagination. The "White Shadow" appears in the episode, "The Real" (voiced by John C. McGinley).
• The Art Teacher: An art teacher who is clearly a parody of painter Bob Ross in both appearance and mannerisms. He seems to be happily deranged, and is said to be a veteran of the first Gulf War. He appears in the episode "Riley Wuz Here" (voiced by Rob Paulsen).
• Aunt Cookie: Aunt of Huey and Riley, and sister of Robert (whom she usually calls "dumbass"). She seems to care for the boys more than Robert does. She appears in the episode "Wingmen" (voiced by Niecy Nash).
• Lincoln: Gangstalicious's former lover; appears to be gay. He claims that Gangstalicious betrayed their love on tour. He has two henchmen, one a Mexican, the other an African American. Neither are named in episode. All three appear in "The Story of Gangstalicious" (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson)
• Mr. Uberwitz: Huey's history teacher. He convinces Huey to direct the elementary school's Christmas concert, but is foolish enough to sign a contract allowing Huey to do anything to achieve his vision (even after Huey states that Mr Uberwitz will "be fired for being an irresponsible white man."). Despite his radical vision, Mr. Uberwitz appears to be the only other adult who supports Huey (Quincy Jones being the other supporter.) Appears in “A Huey Freeman Christmas” and is voiced by Judge Reinhold.
• Martin Luther King, Jr.: The late civil rights activist. Huey dreams of a world where King was only put into a coma, and woke up many years later. His "controversial" opinions (such as turning the other cheek) took him from beloved national hero to despised terrorist supporter he and Huey try to revive the Civil Rights Movement but becomes so disgusted with the "niggas" (as he refers to them as) of today that he expresses how he feels about black pop culture causing the "niggas" to become angry with their situation. Refusing to stoop to their level he leaves for Canada where he dies in 2020 at the age of 91 the same time Oprah is elected President (whom King is a great admirer of). He appears in the episode “Return of the King” (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson)
• R. Kelly's Lawyer: The lawyer of R.Kelly who appears in “The Trial of R. Kelly” who takes advantage of the jury by playing the 'race card' every chance he gets and comes up with many excuses to let Robert Kelly off the hook (e.g. saying that Tom's marriage to a white woman and all of the evidence of Kelly's crime are racism). (voiced by Adam West)
• Ronald Reagan: Former President appears during Ruckus's visit to White Heaven, which he claims is for decent white people who despise black people. Reagan also claims to hate black people, saying he did everything he could to make their lives miserable, and also says God doesn't have a problem with racism. Appears in the episode “The Passion of the Ruckus”, and mentioned in “The Garden Party”.
• The Health Inspector: A very tall and muscular man who intimidates Tom DuBois in his nightmare about dropping the soap in a prison shower. His real name is not known but he tells DuBois his alias after demanding that DuBois look at him up and down for good hygiene (voiced by Terry Crews, who bears a strong resemblance to the character).
• Bushido Brown: An African-American martial artist who acts as a bodyguard to Oprah. Brown is a clear spoof of actor Jim Kelly. Bushido Brown was hired by Oprah after her comments on the beef industry. He attacks Huey while on duty, after a prank call placed by Riley, which is used to act as a diversion so that Ed Wuncler III and Gin Rummy could kidnap Oprah. Appears in the episode “Let's Nab Oprah”

Episodes

Main article: List of The Boondocks episodes

Controversy and critical reception

The Boondocks series has attracted a great deal of controversy for its routine use of the word "nigga". 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 some African Americans. ^[6] The show's premiere episode, "The Garden Party", makes a joke of the long-standing controversy surrounding the word:

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 said the word "nigga" 46 times yesterday. I counted.

Granddad: Nigga, hush!

In the episode, "Granddad's Fight", Huey coins the term "Nigga moment" to describe a "moment where ignorance overwhelms the mind of an otherwise logical African-American male," causing him to act in a self-destructive manner. Huey's narration goes on to say that, "If they had their own category, nigga moments would be the third leading cause of death in black people, next to Pork Chops and FEMA" (likely a reference to the criticism of government response to Hurricane Katrina).

The show has stated in the episodes that the term "nigga" is used to describe an ignorant person, a person being ignorant, or a person displaying such attributes of ignorance.

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. ^[7] In the second episode, "The Trial of Robert Kelly", Parks was originally outside the courtroom protesting Kelly when she was hit with a large piece of fried chicken. In 2006, The Rev. Al Sharpton protested Martin Luther King's use of the word "nigga" in the episode "Return of the King". Rev. Sharpton felt it was defacing the name of Martin Luther King, and sought an apology from Aaron McGruder and The Boondocks. The controversy stirred by Rev. Sharpton was later referenced in the cartoon strip itself five times - February 6-9 and February 16, 2006 and also in the cartoon in the episode "The Block is Hot" in the form of a morning radio announcement. The segment appeared as a deleted scene on the Season 1 DVD release of the program.

In January 2006, The Boondocks was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series at the 37th NAACP Image Awards, alongside The Bernie Mac Show, winner Everybody Hates Chris, Girlfriends, and Half & Half. Adult Swim has ordered 20 more episodes for season two of The Boondocks. The Boondocks was also picked up by the Canadian broadcaster Teletoon, which has aired all the episodes, reserving the Christmas episode for the holiday season.

Running gags

• Whenever a chair is thrown among a crowd of people, regardless of whether it makes contact with anyone, a riot will ensue as proven by Riley in the episode Granddad's Fight.

• Virtually all episodes involving Ed Wuncler III (who represents George W. Bush) and Gin Rummy (Donald Rumsfeld) are parodies of the Iraq War in some discernible way, the most obvious being A Date With The Health Inspector.

• Sometimes, Ed Wuncler or Uncle Ruckus will address Granddad by his last name, nonchalantly pronouncing it as two separate words — "Free Man" — as an obvious slavery pun.

• When a character is shown to be watching television, the images shown are almost always specific criticisms of black pop culture. For example, BET always has a music video with women dressed in skimpy outfits with an MC singing, "Booty butt, booty butt, booty butt cheeks!" McGruder has parodied and criticized the content in hip-hop music videos for some years — particularly the late-night programming on BET Uncut. Furthermore, "Booty Butt Cheeks" or a song called "Thuggin Love", by Gangstalicious, are songs that play frequently whenever a character listens to a radio. Gangstalicious' "Thuggin' Love" video, Bobby Brown's trial (during which he strikes his wife in the middle of court), and a video of rapper Eat Dirt being hit with a folding chair are three other segments that almost always appear whenever a character is shown to be watching television.

• Uncle Ruckus has held many different jobs. Duties he has fulfilled include valet, janitor, mall Santa, mall security, maître d', police officer, and preacher.

• Whenever Riley becomes exceptionally disrespectful, Granddad will take him off screen and audibly beat him ("whoop his ass").

• The series occasionally references the movie Soul Plane in a bad light, which may be another criticism of black pop culture. In Return of the King, Martin Luther King Jr. begins, "And now a word about Soul Plane..." as he speaks out against ignorance in African-American pop culture. In A Date With The Health Inspector, a man selling four bootleg copies of Soul Plane is sentenced to two weeks imprisonment.

• The Wunclers have a tendency to refer to Arabs or those who appear Arab as "people of terrorist descent."

• Anytime Ed and Rummy commit a crime (mostly felonies), they are never punished. Such an example would be in A Date With The Health Inspector during which they are in fact hailed as heroes after robbing a liquor store.

• Any time two males hug or show signs of affection while in Riley's presence, Riley says either "Y'all niggas are gay!" or (when referring to a single person) "Nigga, you gay!"

• Whenever Ed Wuncler III is being gawked at by a crowd of people, he angrily declares, "What the fuck y'all looking at?"

• Whenever a high-speed chase is featured, the driver always requests that the passenger buckle up, as in Riley Wuz Here and The Story of Gangstalicious

• Whenever a character shoots a weapon, they almost never hit their target even if they fire every round. (e.g., the opening "Nigga Moment" in Granddad's Fight, when the police open fire on Uncle Ruckus and miss 118 times in The Block Is Hot or when all of the three men trying to kill Gangstlicious, open fire at the end of The Story of Gangstalicious)

• The line, "Ah, a full-day's supply of vitamin C!" has been used multiple times whenever a character drinks orange juice.

• Uncle Ruckus is frequently featured having passed out after some form of traumatic event, such as in the A Huey Freeman Christmas when he is shot by Riley at the end.

• Granddad often uses quotes from movies that John Witherspoon has acted in, such as Soul Plane and Friday.

Trivia

For episode-specific trivia, see List of The Boondocks episodes.

• Aaron McGruder enjoys watching anime,^[5] martial arts films^[8] and Samurai epics^{[citation needed]}, elements of which find their way into both fantasy segments and actual fights throughout the series. Two specific anime McGruder said would influence the show were Samurai Champloo and FLCL.^[5] For example, the opening sequence to the show is a homage to the introduction of Samurai Champloo, and a Jin look-alike is shown in "Guess Hoe's Coming to Dinner". Also, Gin Rummy's quotation, "The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence" is very similar to that of Heike Shige's from episode 22 of Samurai Champloo, in which he states, "The absence of proof is not the proof of absence" when talking about the location of the treasure he is searching for. Huey also showed Granddad a Zatoichi film to illustrate the "blind swordsman" legend; in that same episode, the fight between Huey and the blind man is an apparent spoof of a scene in the animated film Samurai X: The Motion Picture. Part of this segment was used for a promo on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.

• The comic strip Bloom County is referenced several times.^[4] There are similarities between Ruckus and Bill the Cat, mainly in their eyes. Also, in "Riley Wuz Here", Ruckus directly references the creator of Bloom County when discussing master artists as "that genius that drew that strip with the talkin' penquin... Master Penquin Draw'er."

• The show parodies scenes from several Bruce Lee films. When Huey and Grandad are training for combat, Huey uses the line "What was that? An exhibition? You need emotional content!", all while wearing the same uniform Bruce Lee wore in Enter the Dragon. Also, Bushido Brown from the episode "Let's Nab Oprah" is inspired by Jim Kelly's character in Enter the Dragon, with his martial arts, general appearance, and quotes like "You come straight out of a comic strip" itself referencing the fact that the show is adapted from a comic strip.

• Ed Wuncler Sr. bears a strong resemblance to American actor Ed Asner, his character's voice.

• McGruder is an avowed Star Wars fan.^[4] Quotes like "Let him have it. It's not wise to upset a Wuncler," and the name of the show's production company (Rebel Base) are indirect references to the movie. Also, when Granddad Freeman is training for his fight with Stinkmeaner, he tells Huey he is "not afraid"; Huey replies, "You will be. You will be..." — a reference to Luke Skywalker's training with Yoda on Dagobah. Huey once spoke a direct quote from Obi-Wan Kenobi, "'Your eyes can deceive you, don't trust them'" (while stating that Kenobi was the original source).

• There is a brief image of Huey in the opening sequence of the show that is drawn in the style of the iconic photo of the Cuban guerilla Che Guevara. Guevara's photo can also be seen as a poster in Huey's room.

• An image of Riley in the opening sequence is a reference to Al Pacino's Scarface character Tony Montana as depicted on the film's poster.

• Since many of the voice actors were also in the Friday film series (King, Witherspoon, D.J. Pooh, Mike Epps, Katt Williams, Terry Crews and Kym Whitley), random references are made to the films. For example, in the episode "The Passion of the Ruckus", Granddad, voiced by John Witherspoon, is seen watching a DVD of Friday in his car. Granddad says "Nobody go in the bathroom for 35-45 minutes" in "The Itis", and "It's your ass, Mr. Postman" in "The Passion of the Ruckus", reiterating two of his lines from Friday. Also, in the episode "A Huey Freeman Christmas", Riley says "It's your ass, Santa." Riley and Granddad's conversation about "game" in "Guess Hoe's Coming to Dinner" is similar to the "game" conversation in the first Friday film. Riley also recites part of the infamous Chris Tucker line, "You got knocked the fuck out" in "Wingmen". In "The Story of Gangstalicious", Gangstalicious mentions that Ice Cube, also a star of Friday, was his favorite rapper.

• The show references Monty Python, especially Monty Python and the Holy Grail. In "Riley Wuz Here", the scene cuts to a man who speaks about the dangers of Black television, with the subtitle "An Expert Guy," not unlike the "A Famous Historian" scene. There are also references to the "not dead yet" running gag, as well as the well-known song "Freddie's Dead" by Curtis Mayfield, whose music has been featured in a number of black films, such as Friday:
  • Gin Rummy: I want you to know that you are not going to die... in vain.
  • Officer Frank: I don't think I'm dyin'.
  • Gin Rummy: Oh. Well, I want you to know you wasn't mortally wounded... in vain.
  • Officer Frank: Actually, I think I'm gonna make it.
  • Ed Wuncler III: You hear that, you sweaty bastards? Freddy [sic] ain't dead. Freddy say, "Bring it on, bitch"! BRING IT!

• In a scene in episode 5, "A Date With The Health Inspector", Samuel L. Jackson's character, Gin Rummy, reenacts some lines from Pulp Fiction (such as the "Say what again!" conversation) nearly line for line. His dialogue about "Nigga Technology" before the bank robbery in "Let's Nab Oprah" is inspired by the conversation between Vincent (John Travolta) and Jackson's character Jules before their killing of Brett in the movie.

• In a scene in "A Date With The Health Inspector" Ed Wuncler III tells Gin Rummy "yo nigga, let me get some links with them grits man, hurry up. I'm hungry than a motherfucker out here", a line taken from the film Menace II Society.

• Armstrong Elders, the conservative black media personality who provides Ruckus with publicity for his idea of "white heaven", is a direct reference to Armstrong Williams and Larry Elder. The character's body is modeled after Williams while the mustache is similar to Elder's. McGruder has had well-publicized confrontations with Elder in particular, referring to him as an embarrassment to black people in his strip.

• In episode two, "The Trial of Robert Kelly", two of the protesters against R. Kelly bears a striking resemblance to African-American intellectual Cornel West and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.

• In the episode "The Block is Hot", as Ed Wuncler, Sr. is about to buy lemonade from Jazmine's stand, he declares "Lemonade was a popular drink in my day... and it still is." This is a very obscure reference to an odd line from the Gang Starr song "DWYCK".

• In "Riley Wuz Here", Riley displays his habit of using lines from the film Scarface. One of these is "Fine, say hello to the bad guy, but a white man told me to do it." — this being a reference to the line Tony Montana said as he left the restaurant. And in the episode "The Garden Party", Riley says "Wanna play rough?" and "Say hello to my little friend!" as he is dared to shoot at Ed Wuncler III, who is wearing a bulletproof vest. Additionally, some of the suits Riley wears to "The Garden Party" and "Wingmen" are similar to what Tony Montana wears in Scarface.

• In the episode "The Block is Hot", Tom Dubois tells Ed Wuncler, Sr. that he thinks he's taking his daughter's lemonade stand a little too far. Ed Wuncler takes Tom aside and tells him, "You know the name of the game, your daughter chose me. Now, we can handle this like some gentlemen, or we can get into some old gangster shit." This is a reference to the blaxploitation film The Mack. The episode is also rife with scenes which reference the Spike Lee film Do The Right Thing: Huey walks around with a boom box playing Public Enemy's "Fight The Power", a la Radio Raheem in the movie; Uncle Ruckus quotes Sal's lines in the movie about turning off the music; the scene where Riley breaks the fire hydrant; the scene in which Huey throws a trashcan through the glass of Jazmine's Lemonade Parade stand, resulting in a riot, similar to Mookie's actions at Sal's Famous Pizzeria in the film.

• In the episode "Riley Wuz Here", Riley's art teacher is an obvious parody of Bob Ross and indeed repeats almost verbatim Ross' popular phrase, "I don't believe in mistakes; I just believe in happy accidents."

• The only episode not to use the word "nigga" is "The Itis" (though still using "negro"). Meanwhile, the episode using the term most often is "Granddad's Fight", where "nigga" is said 65 times.

• The only episode that did not have Huey narrate was "The Story of Gangstalicious" (which is instead narrated by Riley).

• Teletoon's website erroneously notes that the show is made by MGM; it is in fact produced by Sony Pictures Television.

• The only episode not to include Granddad is “A Date With The Health Inspector”, although he is mentioned in dialogue.

• In the episode "A Huey Freeman Christmas", in the midst of Huey's summarization of the history of Christmas, Granddad's attention tunes away from Huey's long speech to hear only indiscernable 'wonking' vocalizations, as popularly practiced in Charles M. Schulz's Charlie Brown cartoons; a second reference is made where Huey dismisses the entirety of the cast and compares himself to Charlie Brown; a third occurs when Riley writes a letter to Santa with the handwriting appearing superimposed above his head.

• The Wuncler name is likely a reference to Dr. Seuss' greedy, wasteful "Once-ler" character in his 1971 pro-environment story, "The Lorax".

• The name of Martin Luther King's book in "Return of the King", "Dream Deferred," is both a reference to his famous 'I have a Dream' speech as well as a Langston Hughes poem, "Dream Deferred".

• Despite censoring of curse words in the Teletoon airing of the show, the subtitles remain uncut.

• In "Return of the King", part of Martin Luther King's "I Had a Dream" speech was actually lyrics quoted from a song by Asheru (who did the theme song) called "Niggas".

Voice cast

• Regina King: Huey and Riley Freeman
• John Witherspoon: Robert "Granddad" Freeman
• Cedric Yarbrough: Tom Dubois
• Gary Anthony Williams: Uncle Ruckus
• Jill Talley: Sarah Dubois
• Gabby Soleil: Jazmine Dubois
• Ed Asner: Ed Wuncler, Sr.
• Charlie Murphy: Ed Wuncler III
• Samuel L. Jackson: Gin Rummy
• Mos Def: Gangstalicious
• Mike Epps: Moe "Guns" Jackson
• Katt Williams: A Pimp Named Slickback
• John C. McGinley: The White Shadow

DVD Releases

Season Releases

See also

• List of The Boondocks episodes
• The Boondocks comic strip

Notes

Wikipedia information about The Boondocks (TV series) This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "The Boondocks (TV series)". It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer). Help contribute to Americola and edit this article.