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The show was created by the same man in charge of the nationally syndicated comic strip, Aaron McGruder, whose politics are the foundation of the satire. McGruder has become well known for his views, constantly being contacted for appearances and speeches, even getting a call from Green Party officials about the possibility of representing the party in the presidential elections of 2004. He had to decline the offer, being too young to run for office, but his politics have continued to take center stage through his strip. He had begun, however, to feel confined by the printed medium and looked for a new way to express his creativity and his views, and also to make more money, so he began looking into making a show based on his comic.

Boondocks was originally produced for airing on Fox, but once executives saw the trailer they decided things needed to change if it were ever to be aired on network television. So instead of compromising his artistic freedom, McGruder took his idea to Cartoon Network who would give him free reign on the content of the cartoon.

The premise for the show is the same as that in the comic: two boys, the militant, socialist Huey whose knowledge and understanding of the world far surpasses his age and his younger brother Riley, a wanna-be gangster type youth, are removed from the streets of south-side Chicago to go live with their granddad, Robert Jebediah Freeman, in the suburbs. It is all about satire, and McGruder will take on any subject, but focuses a lot on race relations, black culture, white culture, and American society in general. His comics have created swarms of controversy through their focus on hot issues like the war in Iraq, the elections, and even 9/11 when politically charged cartoons like Doonesbury refused to address the subject. His use
of the n-word in particular has drawn harsh criticism from fellow blacks and from much of the press.
Boondocks has, on many occasions, been censored by papers across the country, being left out for up to a week at a time due to subject matter.

At first glance, the cartoon seems set on continuing in this controversial direction. Much like South Park or the former Adult Swim mainstay Home Movies, Boondocks spreads its message through the voice of children, albeit children with a much better understanding of the world around them than real American kids. Adult themes being presented through kids has provoked much controversy in the past in the case of South Park, and the controversy has already begun with the new show as well.

The premiere followed the three as they move into their new house and are immediately confronted by “the man,” who it turns out is the banker who owns the mortgage for the property they live in. After determining that the new family in the neighborhood fits his criteria for good neighbors, he invites the three to a block party being hosted at his house. What follows is a series of subtle and not-so-subtle attacks on American culture. At the party, Granddad is constantly criticized by the only other black man at the party, the servant, who resents his status as an invitee in the rich neighborhood. Meanwhile, Huey goes on a series of rants and speeches to the partygoers on topics from Ronald Reagan to Jesus to 9/11.
The listeners are impressed, not by the subject matter which they completely ignore, but by how well such a young black child can articulate his thoughts. On top of this is the host’s drunken, drug-induced son who has just returned from being dismissed from duty in Iraq and is intent on showing off his gun collection to the impressionable Riley.

The plot is a bit thick. The story jumps from one event to the next with little time to allow the meaning of the previous event to set in. Though the show, like the comic that ispired it, will target just about anything for satire, the underlying theme for nearly all of the content is race. Whether the show can avoid just playing off of racial stereotypes for laughs remains to be seen, but if the content is as well thought out as the comic strip, McGruden should have no problem staying fresh on material. The premiere was not as shocking, confrontational, or funny as I had anticipated, but it shows the promise of becoming a staple for nighttime entertainment.

For Cartoon Network’s sake, this had better be the case. The network has put the show in its most coveted time slot, Sundays at 10 p.m., and plans to make it the centerpiece of its programming line-up.