“The Boondocks” Second Season Premiere’s This Fall

The Boondocks by definition is a rural undeveloped area, wild dense brush or jungle. The writer of the comic strip series “The Boondocks”, Aaron McGruder must have a sense of humor and a love for playing on words. The series takes place in the suburbs of America where two young African American kids Huey and Riley are being raised by their granddad Robert Jebediah Freeman. The highlights in the series are discussions on race matters, politics, the state of hip hop and interestingly enough self hatred. The viewer is not only evoked to laughter but also consciousness is raised to the deeply seated issues of American society. The Boondocks will return for a second season this fall with many of the series previous characters in addition to a few surprise guest voice appearances from modern hip hop artists, actors and entertainers.

Here’s a brief description of the main characters from last season:

Huey is a ten year old revolutionary. This particular character is no stranger to controversy and having a militant state of mind. Huey would probably be at the center of any boycott or political rally. He has a voice that refuses to be silenced or manipulated into following the crowd.

Riley is the 8 year old troublemaker. The granddad Robert Freeman is always yelling or reprimanding young Riley for his devious actions. Riley just loves to play around and not take anything too seriously.

Granddad believes in nontraditional child rearing consisting of yelling, spanking and tough love. Granddad may not be a spokesperson for family value idealism but he is genuinely concerned about Huey and Riley’s well being.

The one character in particular that a viewer will love to hate but sometimes sympathize with is Uncle Ruckus. Uncle Ruckus is a black man who sandbags on discrediting the African American race by contributing to the spreading of racial propaganda and promoting stereotypes. As the series progresses, the viewer begins to realize that this is just an angry man mad at the world from a series of setbacks and disappointments in life. Hope is not lost for Uncle Ruckus but its hanging by a thread as he struggles to love and identify with his own race.

The Dubois Family which consists of Tom, his wife Sarah and daughter Jazmine live across the street from The Freeman family. A wealthy African American attorney and his family are conserative minded yet liberal in the sense of raising a biracial daughter. Tom will battle with his traditional views and values while engaging in conversations with his family, neighbors and peers.

Overall, “The Boondocks” is a great ice breaker for exploring racial taboos, misogyny and stereotypes in a frank and candid manner that may not be welcomed by the easily offended.

The Boondocks Cast includes the voices of the following actors:

Regina King: Huey Freeman/Riley Freeman

John Witherspoon: Robert Jebediah Freeman aka Grandad

Cedric Yarbrough: Tom DuBois

Gabby Soleil: Jazmine DuBois

Gary Anthony Williams: Uncle Ruckus

Jill Talley: Sarah DuBois

Check out The Boondocks this fall on The Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim Showcase.