Subscribe
Close
Entertainment

‘The Boondocks’ Reboot Should Revisit These 6 Topics To Stay Relevant

2019 brings a new set of issues.

Published on June 12, 2019
Comment

Share the post

Share this link via

Or copy link

Los Angeles Launch Party For The TV Series 'The Boondocks'

Source: Stephen Shugerman / Getty

A lot has changed since 2014.

On June 23, 2014, the last episode of The Boondocks aired on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. Less than two months later…Ferguson happened.

The uprising that occurred in the Missouri city showed the outrage people felt after another unarmed Black person, Michael Brown, was killed by the police. This time, however, people were getting organized around the country and the weeks that followed were filled with heated online debates, news coverage and a new awareness of police brutality and Black oppression.

Since then, a plethora of movements have followed suit pertaining to women’s rights, LGBTQ rights and more. Tensions probably hit a national peak in 2016 when Donald Trump was elected President of the United States.

Could Aaron McGruder, the creator of The Boondocks, have predicted all this?

2005 TCA - Turner

Source: L. Cohen / Getty

Now, in 2019, there’s even more to talk about and McGruder might partake with his signature satire in a Boondocks reboot. According to Deadline, Sony announced the reboot at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival on Wednesday. They say the reboot will be a “complete re-imagining” of the previous show and it “chronicles the adventures of the Freeman family against the evil local government tyrant Uncle Ruckus, who rules fictional Woodcrest County, Maryland with an iron fist.”

Well…it definitely sounds interesting.

With such a grand set-up, the show could be a more serialized comedy with different story arcs that last multiple episodes.

But the question remains, what kind of political themes will the show cover, or will it completely abandon the hot button issues the original series was known for tackling?

If politics are still the name of the game, hit the flip for six topics the show should revisit to still be relevant in 2019.

1. White people and the police

id="wpcom-iframe-af121cc7a8072ec32d2fd27ae0e6c5c2-51287776-117076425"
width="480"
height="474"
src="https://embeds.go.ione.nyc/protected-iframe/af121cc7a8072ec32d2fd27ae0e6c5c2-51287776-117076425"
scrolling=""
frameborder="0"
class="giphy-embed"
>

The Boondocks briefly covered White people’s excessive need for surveillance and the police in the season two episode “Thank You For Snitching.”

But they weren’t around when “BBQ Becky” and “Permit Patty” were going viral for calling the police on Black people. In Uncle Ruckus’ local government, he probably has an army of such White women with their fingers hovering over 911.

2. Black women 

id="wpcom-iframe-e4c2017e452693dc573e15d65658d048-51287776-117076425"
width="480"
height="239"
src="https://embeds.go.ione.nyc/protected-iframe/e4c2017e452693dc573e15d65658d048-51287776-117076425"
scrolling=""
frameborder="0"
class="giphy-embed"
>

// Autosize iframe
var funcSizeResponse = function( e ) {

var origin = document.createElement( 'a' );
origin.href = e.origin;

// Verify message origin
if ( 'embeds.go.ione.nyc' !== origin.host )
return;

// Verify message is in a format we expect
if ( 'object' !== typeof e.data || undefined === e.data.msg_type )
return;

switch ( e.data.msg_type ) {
case 'poll_size:response':
var iframe = document.getElementById( e.data._request.frame_id );

if ( iframe && '' === iframe.width )
iframe.width = '100%';
if ( iframe && '' === iframe.height )
iframe.height = parseInt( e.data.height );

return;
default:
return;
}
}

if ( 'function' === typeof window.addEventListener ) {
window.addEventListener( 'message', funcSizeResponse, false );
} else if ( 'function' === typeof window.attachEvent ) {
window.attachEvent( 'onmessage', funcSizeResponse );
}
}
if (document.readyState === 'complete') { func.apply(); /* compat for infinite scroll */ }
else if ( document.addEventListener ) { document.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', func, false ); }
else if ( document.attachEvent ) { document.attachEvent( 'onreadystatechange', func ); }
} )();

The Boondocks didn’t have the best record when it came to Black women characters. Although most people on the show are more caricatures than characters, the Black women especially had a bad rep for being conniving, adversarial or simplistic love interests. Rarely were any of them political leaders or just everyday women trying to understand their complicated lives.

Considering a lot of movements, including #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo and #BlackGirlMagic, have been led by Black women over the years, The Boondocks is going to have to switch up their writing if they want to stay relevant to the cause.

3. “That’s gay” 

id="wpcom-iframe-132b23d7055909ea02a66bc40d448532-51287776-117076425"
width="480"
height="384"
src="https://embeds.go.ione.nyc/protected-iframe/132b23d7055909ea02a66bc40d448532-51287776-117076425"
scrolling=""
frameborder="0"
class="giphy-embed"
>

One of The Boondocks most popular and admittedly hilarious episodes came with season one’s “The Story of Gangstalicious,” a closeted gay rapper who fronted as “straight” for the public. Since the first episode aired in 2005, many rappers have actually become more open about their sexuality, including folks like Taylor Bennett and iLovemakonnen. Not to mention, representations of Black gay men have thankfully become more varied, rather than just the “closeted rapper.” It’d be nice to see these interpretations in the new series.

The Boondocks also had a horrible habit of equating gay pride with Whiteness, virtually erasing anyone who was proud to be Black AND gay. Revisiting the subject with more nuance would make for a refreshing show.

4. R. Kelly 

id="wpcom-iframe-c32c747b0002521ede0ac275aa000422-51287776-117076425"
width="480"
height="317"
src="https://embeds.go.ione.nyc/protected-iframe/c32c747b0002521ede0ac275aa000422-51287776-117076425"
scrolling=""
frameborder="0"
class="giphy-embed"
>

This one isn’t as urgent since The Boondocks already had a critique of R. Kelly and his irrational supporters in the episode “The Trial of Robert Kelly.” But considering R. Kelly has continued to be put on blast via campaigns like #MuteRKelly, and he now faces multiple abuse charges, it would be interesting to revisit his case and all the other Black men who were idolized but have since fallen from grace (*ahem* Bill Cosby). This would be a good time for McGruder to make room for the Black women writers.

5. Prisons

id="wpcom-iframe-2eb90d03b4b08237bbc15f3f974e1ca2-51287776-117076425"
width="480"
height="270"
src="https://embeds.go.ione.nyc/protected-iframe/2eb90d03b4b08237bbc15f3f974e1ca2-51287776-117076425"
scrolling=""
frameborder="0"
class="giphy-embed"
>

Huey’s straight-laced Black neighbor Tom was terrified of going to prison and getting anally raped. In one season three episode, “A Date With The Booty Warrior,” Tom even has to escape a number of sex-crazed inmates.

Back in 2010, the episode might have been funny to some, but now more real-life stories are being told about the horrors of incarceration and the failings of the criminal justice system. A fresh lens on how prisoners are actually navigating incarceration could be powerful without losing The Boondocks‘ signature satire.

6. Obama’s presidency and what came after 

id="wpcom-iframe-71732c3dc2c4ff818fa407cbce5ee63a-51287776-117076425"
width="480"
height="336"
src="https://embeds.go.ione.nyc/protected-iframe/71732c3dc2c4ff818fa407cbce5ee63a-51287776-117076425"
scrolling=""
frameborder="0"
class="giphy-embed"
>

In the season three episode “It’s a Black President, Huey Freeman,” Huey is wary of Barack Obama even though he’s the United State’s first Black president.

And let’s face it, Obama did have some major faults.

But how would Huey prepare for the exhausting Donald Trump and the far right politics that rose behind him? If Uncle Ruckus is leading a local government in The Boondocks reboot, will the conservative policies sweeping the nation, such as attacks on abortions, be a topic of discussion?

Seems we’ll have to wait and find out.

Related Tags

Aaron McGruder animation Cartoon Network politics reboot television the boondocks tv

Stories From Our Partners

    More from Global Grind

    You May Also Like

    404 Day 2026

    They So ATL! A Gallery Of Pretty Peaches, Swoon-Worthy Shawties & Beltline Belles Who Put On For The A On 404 Day

    Bossip
    Gurus Magazine's #30VOICES30DAYS Cover Launch Party

    Aubrey O’Day Claps Back At Trolls Over Kanye West Concert Appearance

    Hip-Hop Wired
    Celebrities Attend 2024 US Open

    Speedy Sweeties Noah Lyles & Junelle Bromfield’s ‘All-Shades Of Melanin’ Themed Wedding Was Black Excellence

    Bossip

    David Schwimmer Thanks Companies Pulling Out of Wireless Festival In Protest of Kanye West

    Hip-Hop Wired
    Trending
    17th Annual ASCAP Women Behind the Music
    Celebrity  |  Shannon Dawson

    Kehlani, Kali Uchis And EJAE Named 2025 ASCAP Women Behind The Music Honorees

    Comment
    The 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards - Arrivals
    Celebrity News  |  Sammy Approved

    My Brother’s Keeper: Tyler James Williams’ Little Brother Says He Helped Their Family Deconstruct Their Idea Of Masculinity

    Comment
    The Braxtons Season 2 Asset
    Entertainment  |  Davonta Herring

    Bigger & Bolder: We TV Reveals Sneak Peek Of The Highly Anticipated Second Season Of ‘The Braxtons’

    Comment
    Mary J. Blige
    Entertainment  |  Davonta Herring

    Just Fine: Mary J. Blige To Receive Entertainment Icon Honor At The 2024 ‘Urban One Honors’

    Comment
    Happy black couple toasting during Thanksgiving meal in dining room.
    Lifestyle  |  Sammy Approved

    BLK Dating App Crowns Houston Best For Black Singles In New Study

    Comment

    Global Grind

    Quick Links

    Legal

    Subscribe
    Close