The Boondocks

The Boondocks is an American animated television series created by Aaron McGruder for the Adult Swim programming block of Turner Broadcasting's Cartoon Network, based upon McGruder's comic strip of the same name. The Boondocks is a social satire of American culture and race, revolving around the lives of the Freeman family – ten-year-old Huey, his younger brother Riley, and their grandfather, Robert. The series is produced by Rebel Base in association with Sony Pictures Television and is currently airing its second season on Adult Swim.
The Boondocks takes place in the same place and time frame as its comic counterpart. The Freeman family, having recently transplanted themselves from the South Side of Chicago to the peaceful, fictional suburb of Woodcrest, find different ways to cope with this acute change in setting as well as the drastically different suburban cultures and lifestyles to which they are exposed. The perspective offered by this mixture of cultures, lifestyles, and races provides for much of the comedy on which the series plays.
The TV-MA-rated satire premiered on November 6, 2005. The fifteen-episode first season ended on March 19, 2006. The second season premiered on October 8, 2007 and is expected to consist of twenty episodes.

The Boondocks began its life as a comic strip in The Diamondback, the student newspaper at McGruder's alma mater, University of Maryland, College Park. The strip later found its way into The Source magazine. Following these runs, McGruder began simultaneously pitching The Boondocks both as a syndicated comic strip and as an animated television series. [1] The former goal was met first, and The Boondocks debuted in newspapers in April 1999.
In the meantime, development on a Boondocks TV series continued. Aaron McGruder and film producer/director Reginald Hudlin created a Boondocks pilot for the Fox Network, but found great difficulty in making the series acceptable for network 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.[2]
Because of the long turnaround time required for each episode as well as a desire to appeal to a wider audience,[citation needed] The Boondocks avoids controversial and topical subject matters for more sitcom-esque tropes, with occasional reference to the running theme black unity regardless of the character, regardless of their flaws. The opening theme song used in the series (slightly remixed for the second season) is performed by hip hop artist Asheru.
The series differs from the comic strip in that it focuses more heavily upon Granddad and Riley, often relegating Huey (who was the main character during the comic strip's run) to providing each episode's narration and playing the role of the put-upon straight man. Also, the show has omitted the character of Caesar (Huey's best friend), in favor of introducing a new character Uncle Ruckus, a self-hating black man/jack-of-all-trades who constantly uses racist slurs towards black people while preaching of white superiority.
Also, The series has a loose connection with the continuity of the comic strip, though during the final year of the comic strip McGruder made a point to try and synchronize both. He introduced Ruckus into the strip, and also had the comic strip version of Riley grow cornrows to match the character's design in the series.
During the series' first season, McGruder put the strip on a six-month hiatus beginning in March 2006. He did not return to the strip the following November, and the strip's syndicate, Universal Press Syndicate, announced that it had been canceled.

Huey Freeman is the series' narrator (with rare exceptions). He is a ten-year-old black radical and intellectual who is portrayed as the voice of reason and a spokesperson for contemporary Afrocentrism. However, he is constantly being verbally browbeaten and generally mocked by his grandfather and his younger brother Riley, neither of whom share his beliefs.
Riley Freeman, Huey's trouble-making eight-year-old brother, is heavily influenced by gangsta rap and is a general representation of misguided black youth. The bulk of the episodes of the series focus on Riley's misadventures (most of which are fueled by his love for gangsta rap and desire to emulate other street characters in the media) or his various wild schemes involving his grandfather.
Robert Freeman aka Grandad, is the grandfather and legal guardian of Huey and Riley. While he loves his two grandkids, he sometimes gets bent out of shape in response to the constant schemes, misadventures and commentary the two provide on life. Robert himself is no stranger to weirdness, as he has an affinity for women, but usually ends up biting off more than he can chew in that department.

Huey, the show's protagonist, is a ten-year-old black leftist revolutionary 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 kung fu, as seen in the episodes "Let's Nab Oprah" and "...Or Die Trying". He maintains an austere yet strangely loving relationship with his brother, Riley, and has shown the willingness to go out of his way to prevent his brother from succumbing to bad influences (occasionally giving him some "tough love"). Over the course of the comic strip and television series, Huey retains a sober demeanor, tending not to let his countenance relay his mood. During most episodes, Huey takes on the role of narrator, and it is often only through his narration that his thoughts and emotions are revealed.
Well read and precocious in terms of intelligence, Huey does not hesitate to challenge ignorance wherever he recognizes it, even if it comes from his own grandfather, Robert. Though Huey obeys and respects Robert to the extent expected of a ten-year-old, he has demonstrated a maturity that perhaps surpasses his more cantankerous, at times peevish grandfather. Nevertheless, his granddad is often the first person he turns to when something is on his mind.
In the comic strip, Huey had a best friend, Michael Caesar, who effectively balanced out Huey's pessimistic world outlook with his upbeat personality and temperament. Since Caesar has yet to make an appearance in The Boondocks television show, this niche is being filled by Huey's neighbor, Jazmine Dubois. Jazmine, unlike Caesar, tries to balance Huey's demeanor with a childlike, naive innocence. Although Huey sometimes treats Jazmine coldly, he has shown a proclivity to empathize with her on occasion.
Some readers and critics alike believe that Huey acts as the vehicle for delivering some of creator Aaron McGruder's more radical political views.

Riley, Huey's eight-year-old brother, could be described as a product of mass media influence, in that he, though young, refers to women as "bitches" or "hos," frequently alludes to his "rep" and his status on the "streets," and idolizes gangsta rappers and their lifestyle. Though he, indeed, would seem to be everything his brother is not, he has demonstrated his ability to rationalize and plan things out, such as when he rendered Tom Dubois, an attorney, speechless after debating with him regarding the R. Kelly trial in "The Trial of R. Kelly". His criminal aptitude is put to the test when he goes on some crime sprees with the incompetent Ed Wuncler III and Gin Rummy in the episode "Let's Nab Oprah," during which he effectively acts as the brains behind the operation to kidnap Oprah.
Riley can be seen as representative of the misguided black youth. He has a fascination for firearms, and his tendency for violence is displayed time and time again. At Christmas, he declared himself "The Santa Stalker" and attacked the Santa at the local mall with airsoft Glock 17s, hitting many innocent bystanders. 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.
Indeed, though, beyond this tough-guy facade, there would seem to be some measure of sensitivity that is especially apparent in the episode "Riley Wuz Here," during which he learns to use his incredible artistic abilities to create art for the sake of creating art, and not for personal glory.

Robert is Huey and Riley's grandfather and legal guardian. He moved them all to the upscale suburb of Woodcrest so that he could raise the boys in a peaceful environment and enjoy his retirement. Robert has bore witness to many some major incidents in American history. He was a part of the Civil Rights Movement, but was prone to certain faux pas such as donning a raincoat in preparation for getting doused by a police fire hose. Robert was also a fighter pilot in World War II, during which time he flew a 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 while he, having actually refused before her and much to his chagrin, received none.
Granddad occasionally serves as a more pragmatic voice of reason. Though he has expressed his ashamedness for Huey and Riley, and though he sometimes gets distracted with his unending quest for a younger wife, his intentions are, for the most part, derived from what he believes is in his family's best interest. This is where he most often finds himself at odds with his grandsons. Huey and Riley, though possessing contrasting personalities, tend not to act in a manner in line with their grandfather's desire for simplistic living. Riley gets in trouble a lot, and Huey always has his eye on some bigger picture. As a guardian, he does not hesitate to use corporal punishment where necessary.
It is unknown exactly how Robert came to be Huey and Riley's guardian. It is strongly suggested that Huey and Riley's birth parents are deceased. This is, in part, based on Robert's dialogue from the first episode stating that he spent the boys' "inheritance" on their new house in Woodcrest.

Thomas Lancaster Dubois (voiced by Cedric Yarbrough): The Freemans' neighbor from across the street, Tom Dubois is a well-to-do African-American attorney. His character is seen to be a stereotype of a successful white collar Caucasian man. Tom is skittish and easily frightened. He adheres strictly to the law due to an intense 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. He also played basketball in college. 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 (Sarah), 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. For example, in one episode the neighborhood watch was convinced of the Freeman family's guilt in a string of local break-ins due to their unwillingness to speak to the police, and Tom, rather than acquiescing, confronted the neighborhood watch with the ridiculous nature of their accusations. 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. His only problem is that he has no talent as a singer. Tom's was at one point the unwilling vessel for Stinkmeaner after Stinkmeaner's escape from Hell, however Stinkmeaner was eventually exorcised returning Tom to normal (albeit a few bruises).
Sarah Dubois (voiced by Jill Talley): 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". Sarah and her daughter have an affection over the singer Usher which makes Tom jealous.
Jazmine Dubois (voiced by Gabby Soleil): Tom and Sarah'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 despite the fact he is often cold toward her. Jazmine first appears in the episode "The Trial of R. Kelly".
Uncle Ruckus (voiced by Gary Anthony Williams): 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 main 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. In "...Or Die Trying", Ruckus demonstrates a mastery of the nunchaku and hand to hand combat, equalling or possibly exceeding Huey's skills.
Ed Wuncler, Sr. (voiced by Ed Asner): an overweight, rich realtor whose family founded the town of Woodcrest and have lived in the area for over a century. He acts as the hyperbolic archetypal capitalist in the show, seen praising the freedom to exploit cheap labor and complaining about high taxes in "The Block is Hot". 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. His last name originates from Dr. Seuss's book The Lorax where the antagonist is a faceless business owner called the Once-ler. The Lorax portrays the Once-ler as a satirical character embodying intense greed. Ed Wuncler (last name pronounced the same way as "Once-ler") even bears a physical resemblance to the character.
Ed Wuncler III (voiced by Charlie Murphy): 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 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): 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. And in many episodes Rummy drives a black Cadillac Escalade.

A Pimp Named Slickback (voiced by comedian Katt Williams): 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. He appears in the season 2 episode Tom, Sarah and Usher, in the episode where Tom believes Sarah is having an affair with singer Usher, attempting to teach Tom to gain the respect of his wife through violence and intimidation. The character is modeled after voice actor Katt Williams' character of "Money Mike". He also drove a matching purple BMW in his first appearance
Colonel H. Stinkmeaner (voiced by Cedric Yarbrough): 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; Granddad only escapes prosecution for the death because Tom and Huey had the fight legally sanctioned at the last minute. Stinkmeaner comes back in the episode "Stinkmeaner Strikes Back", being sent to Earth by the Devil to spread ignorance and chaos among black people, having perfected martial arts in his time in hell. He possesses Tom Dubois and attempts to take revenge upon Robert Freeman. Strangely enough, both Stinkmeaner and Tom are voiced by Cedric Yarbrough
Cindy McPhearson: (voiced by Tara Strong): A girl who originally appeared as recurring character in the comic strip. In the strip, Cindy is a girl in Huey's class who is oblivious to racial issues. She enjoys rap music, especially Snoop Dogg. In the TV series, she appeared as an extremely talented junior basketball player for her team, and just as cocky as Riley. Riley soon resorts to insulting her mother and the problems related to her in Cindy's life to put her off her game, which leads to her crying and running off the stadium. Appears in the episode Ballin'.
Gangstalicious (voiced by Mos Def): Riley's former favorite rapper, featured in "The Story of Gangstalicious," is responsible for the hit single 'Thuggin Love' heard in the show. Inspired as a child by Ice Cube, he acted "like a killer" so people would like him. This behavior carried over into his adult life, and he's been living a lie ever since. 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. Also, earlier at one point he assaulted someone, and rapped about it on TRL only to be arrested later. His real name is Frederick and he is a parody of Tupac Shakur, in his violent rivalry with another rapper and sensitive side.
Xzibit (voiced by Himself): He pimps the Freeman car Dorothy as a result of one of Riley's scams, and makes a short appearance in the second season when Granddad asks him to assist with a diss rap.
Thugnificent (voiced by Carl Jones) : A famous rapper hailing from the fictional town of Terra-Belle, Georgia who moves into the neighborhood. He is the artist of the background song "Booty, Buttcheeks." He is Riley's most recent idol since he found out the truth about Gangstalicious. He is loud-mouthed, sports a Mickey Mouse-styled afro, and has a narcissistic attitude, which is shown in his home with the numerous statues of him reminiscent of Ancient Greek gods, and a painting of himself above Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.. Soon after moving into the neighborhood he begins a rivalry with Robert and later initiates Riley into his gang, the "Lethal Interjection Crew," consisting of himself and fellow rappers Macktastic and Flonominal. Despite his less-than-attractive traits, he does attempt to be a good neighbor by asking for permission to throw his loud parties and encouraging face-to-face communication within the neighborhood.
Macktastic (voiced by Snoop Dogg): A rapper, and member of Thugnificent's Lethal Interjection crew. Despite his stereotypical gangsta attitude, he is shown to be quite articulate in his speech at times (slightly similar to his voice actor), and is a man of few words.
Flonominal (voiced by Busta Rhymes): A rapper, and member of Thugnificent's Lethal Interjection crew. His vocabulary seems to be quite limited, and uses hip-hop slang frequently at the end of, even in between his sentences, and if he can't think of anything else to say such as "Word!" and "Nah mean?". Althogh he puts on a hard-man, gangsta facade and is as loud as Thugnificent at times, he is shown to be soft and sensitive, as seen as when his mother called him and scolded him about the controversy caused the Lethal Interjection label and the constast attacks on the elderly by Thugnificent's rivalry with Robert Freeman (Granddad), and when Butch Magus Milosevic hit him on the leg with a baseball bat, after demanding Riley's chain back.

R. Kelly's Lawyer (voiced by Adam West): 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).
Bushido Brown: a kung fu master who is hired by Oprah to act as her bodyguard. He is significant as he provides the first major kung-fu style face-off with Huey. He makes a cameo appearance in the episode "Attack of the Killer Kung-Fu Wolf Bitch." He is inspired by the character Black Belt Jones.
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 (A Pimp Named Slickback) shows up at the Freeman residence searching for her, exposing her true occupation much to Granddad's disappointment.
Eat Dirt: Gangstalicious' rap rival in "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. His speech is completely unintelligable, and a member of his crew (Mudpie) often has to translate. Extremely filthy. He could be seen as a parody of Ol' Dirty Bastard.
Quincy Jones (Voiced by himself): Appears in A Huey Freeman Christmas to produce Huey's Christmas play.
The White Shadow (voiced by John C. McGinley): 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."
Mr. Uberwitz (voiced by Judge Reinhold): Huey's history teacher. He convinces Huey to direct the elementary school's Christmas play, 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 person."). 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.”
Martin Luther King, Jr. (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson): 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.”
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 and fake Muslim (Full name: Dewey Ababaoo Mamasee Mamasay Mamakusa Jenkins) 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". He also looks like Erykah Badu
Mo Jackson (voiced by comedian Mike Epps): Robert Freeman's former friend. He dies during the television show run; an episode focuses on the destruction of the friendship between Mo and Robert Freeman. Despite the fact that Robert spent his eulogy saying how much they all hated Mo, he finally got one last laugh on him in death by leaving him a jar of peanuts in his will (The joke being in the phrase "Deez Nutz!").
Aunt Cookie (voiced by Niecy Nash): Great 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" , she is also mentioned in the episode shinin'."
Chico: A Mexican who is a cook at Granddad's restaurant in "The Itis" . His real name is unknown but he is referred to as "Chico" by Ed Wuncler because he's a Mexican. He has taken classes in African-American history and CPR while in a community college. Incidently, series creator Aaron McGruder has a college degree in African-American studies.
The Art Teacher (voiced by Rob Paulsen): 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."
Shabazz K. Milton Berle: A black man sentenced to be executed despite a ridiculous amount of evidence that he did not commit the crime. His sentence is commuted to life decades later. Somewhat modeled after Mumia Abu-Jamal. Appears in "The Passion of Ruckus".
Usher: Appeared on the episode Tom, Sarah and Usher
Luna (voiced by Aisha Tyler): A woman who Robert Freeman invited over to Freeman household over the weekend after contacting her on MySpace, who to Freemans' anxiety turns out to be deranged, as well as trained in the deadly kung-fu style of "White Lotus". When Robert tricks her into leaving, lying to her that he is invited to Fidel Castro's birthday, she learns from her friend, Nicole over the Bluetooth earpiece that it was a lie. After spying on Robert, she hears him call her a "crazy bitch", making her upset and very angry. She then breaks into the house and locks Huey and Riley in their room, while she knocks Robert out and ties him up on his bed, planning to kill him with a gun (the same is later done to Tom Dubois). She then reveals she's the victim of several bad (and often abusive) relationships with men, including a father who usually beats her mother. Robert convinces her to free them and take responsibility for her actions. However, more bad advice from her friend leads her to committing suicide in her car by blowing herself up with a grenade. Appears in Attack of the Killer Kung-Fu Wolf Bitch.
Nicole (voiced by Tichina Arnold): Luna's girl-friend who isn't seen but talks over the Bluetooth earpiece Luna wears. From what is known, she also has had bad relationships with men and is single herself. She constantly gives bad and irrational advice to the troubled Luna, which eventually led to her suicide (even though she didn't intentionally tell her to kill herself). Appears in Attack of the Killer Kung-Fu Wolf Bitch
Butch Magnus Milosevic (voiced by Daryl Sabara): A bully and sociopath who is known for knocking out kids with one punch, thus earning the nickname "One Punch Butch". He also often terrorizes adults, and was excluded from a Catholic school for beating the nun with a pad. Butch is also overweight and seen with a permanent sneer on his face. He steals Riley's chain which he received from Thugnificent, after knocking him out. He fights Riley for the chain in which he wins, then later discards it altogether after taking it to the jeweller and finding out it was worthless, but not before smacking Flownominal on the leg with a baseball bat after he demands the chain back. Appears in Shinin'.
Jericho Freeman (voiced by Cedric The Entertainer): Robert Freeman's second cousin who Robert hasn't spoken to in 30-40 years. He and his very large family travel from their home in New Orleans, Louisiana to Woodcrest after they were displaced by the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster. After much pleading, Robert allows him and his clan into his home. However, he and his grandchildren, Huey and Riley, soon find out that nearly all of them (with the exception of one girl) are lazy and unappreciative of their gratitude, although Jericho insists once he receives his FEMA check he will pay him back. However, his and the clan's freeloading habits tests Robert's patience forcing him to make several attempts to get them out of the household to no avail. The mail does eventually come in and he tells them that the FEMA check didn't come as planned. However, he reveals to his son Nique that it was a ruse, showing him a check worth $200,000. He then craftily heaps praise on Granddad's warm heart while subtly getting him repeatedly to refuse to make them pay, just in case he were ever to find out the truth, and leaves off with his family to New Orleans. Appears in Invasion of the Katrinians.

Like the comic strip, the show is influenced by McGruder's love of Japanese animation.[4] He cites Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo as sources of inspiration for fight scenes.[5] The second season features segments animated by Japanese animation studio Madhouse.[6] As a result, the second season of the series has more detailed animation as well as minor updates for most of the character designs, but the lip synch remains the same..

Aaron has defended the show's heavy and at times gratuitous use of the word "nigga", by arguing that the large-scale usage of the word provides the show with a level of realism, due to the fact that the word is commonly used in the everyday conversations of many African Americans.
In 2006, Reverend Al Sharpton protested Martin Luther King's use of the word in the episode "Return of the King". Sharpton felt it defaced the name of Martin Luther King, and sought an apology from the series producers. The controversy was later referenced in the cartoon strip five times and in the TV episode "The Block is Hot" in the form of a morning radio announcement. 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.[8] 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. The scene appears as a deleted scene in the season one DVD set.
In spite of this criticism, the show has garnered praise from critics. Critic Jeffrey M. Anderson of the San Francisco Examiner said "Each episode is beautifully crafted, with an eye on lush, shadowy visuals and a pulsing, jazz-like rhythm... the show is almost consistently funny, consistently brilliant, and, best of all, compulsively watchable."
On 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. As of November 18, 2007, The Boondocks has a 72% rating on MetaCritic, based on 21 reviews.

While there in no official soundtrack for the series, there is an official mixtape, Hip-Hop Docktrine, that has been released for season one and two which feature popular hip-hop artists like Asheru, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Dead Presidents, Lauren Hill, Method Man, Rakim, Ghostface Killah, Gnarls Barkley, Common, A Tribe Called Quest and Styles P.
The tracks feature various cuts from the series and even creator Aaron McGruder. The mixtape's tone has a mixture of socially conscious and mainstream hip-hop. The series has been critically acclaimed by both review sites and fans of the series, and has been made available for free on MySpace.