Season 2
The new season finds Huey, Riley and Granddad encountering a roster of characters, both new and familiar, in uproarious situations, including Granddad's feud with Thugnificent, a world-renowned rapper who moves into the neighbourhood; their friend Tom DuBois enlisting the counsel of A Pimp Named Slickback, when he fears losing his wife to R&B superstar Usher; the family's day at the movies, where they go to see Soul Plane 2; Granddad's attempt at online dating; and their experiences in taking in a family after Hurricane Katrina.
Throughout the season, an eclectic mix of hip-hop artists, actors, comedians and media personalities will voice guest characters on the series, including Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, Ghostface Killah, Cee-lo, Lil Wayne, Donald Faison, Aisha Tyler, Kym Whitley, Tichina Arnold, Mo'Nique, Marion Ross, Tavis Smiley, Terry Crews, Bill Duke and Cedric the Entertainer.
Reprising their guest roles from last season are Mos Def, Xzibit, Charlie Murphy, MTV's Sway and Katt Williams, among others.
In The Boondocks, which is based on McGruder's popular comic strip by the same name, Robert "Granddad" Freeman is the legal guardian of his rambunctious grandkids and has moved them from the south side of Chicago to the quiet and safety of "The Boondocks" (in this case, suburban Woodcrest), hoping that he can ignore them altogether and enjoy the golden years of his life in peace.
But Huey, a 10-year-old left wing revolutionary, is determined not to enjoy the affluence of suburbia. This attitude is seconded by his 8-year-old brother, Riley, a proud product of contemporary rap culture. Although they torture each other and provoke the neighbourhood, they are no match for Granddad, who is eccentric even by "crazy-ass-old-black-man" standards.
Regina King voices brothers Huey and Riley Freeman, the two characters central to the series, while John Witherspoon voices Robert Jebediah Freeman aka "Granddad," the boys' cantankerous grandfather. Cedric Yarbrough, Gary Anthony Williams, Gabby Soleil and Jill Talley round out the show's principal cast.
Aaron McGruder serves as creator and executive producer of The Boondocks. The series is produced by Rebel Base in association with Sony Pictures Television.
The Comic Strip
McGruder first brought Huey and Riley Freeman to life in April 1999. The Boondocks comic strip was published in over 150 newspapers, making it the second largest launch for a strip ever.
Within its first few months in print, The Boondocks quickly made its way into 200 publications, and at its peak the groundbreaking strip was read in more than 300 newspapers across America.
Through his adolescent characters, McGruder tackled topics such as race relations, interracial marriage, bi-racial identity and juvenile delinquency, in addition to political happenings and current events.
Not surprisingly, it's McGruder's edgy take on these issues that often drew criticism and even resulted in the strip being pulled from newspapers or moved to their op-ed pages.