Excuse me. Everyone, I have a brief announcement to make. Jesus was black, Ronald Reagan was the devil, and the government is lying about 9/11. Thank you for your time and goodnight. —Huey Freeman
Oh, and one more thing—The Boondocks is officially coming back, thanks to HBO Max!
Created by Aaron McGruder and based on the comic strip of the same name, The Boondocks originally premiered in November 2005 and ended in June 2014. So, Boondocks fans have been waiting 5 damn years to hear this news.
And it’s some major news, y’all. A trifecta, if you will.
Three major things are happening here:
1. All 55 episodes of the original Boondocks will be available to enjoy on the new premium cable streaming platform.
2. HBO Max has ordered 2 seasons of a freshly revamped Boondocks. That’s 24 episodes of McGruder goodness.
3. There will also be a 50-minute special on the beloved snarky series.
So what’s that new-new Boondocks going to give us? Well according to the HBO MAX press release:
The new Boondocks follows the adventures of self-proclaimed “Civil Rights Legend” Robert “Granddad” Freeman, and his two rambunctious grandsons Huey and Riley. The family has recently moved to an idyllic community in suburban Maryland only to see it taken over by the tyrannical Uncle Ruckus and his bizarre neo-fascist regime. Life under Ruckus turns out to be an everyday struggle to survive.
“The Boondocks was a revolutionary series that sparked conversations on hot button issues and brought dark subjects into the light with episodes like ‘The Trial of Robert Kelly’, ‘The Fundraiser’ and ‘The Story of Gangstalicious’,” Kevin Reilly, Chief Content Officer, HBO Max and President, TBS, TNT and truTV said in a press release. “Aaron is a gifted visionary whose unique style of storytelling is a welcome voice and we are elated The Freemans are making their thugnificent comeback on HBO Max.”
McGruder will serve as executive producer and showrunner of the series. Norm Aladjem (Mainstay Entertainment), Seung Kim and Meghan Collins Robertson will also receive executive producer credit. Sony Pictures Animation will be producing in partnership with Sony Pictures Television.
“There’s a unique opportunity to revisit the world of The Boondocks and do it over again for today. It’s crazy how different the times we live in are now - both politically and culturally - more than a decade past the original series and two decades past the original newspaper comic. There’s a lot to say and it should be fun,” said McGruder.
There is a lot to say and lots of fun to be had, indeed. In this economy?! The answer is yes. My body is ready.
The Boondocks will launch on HBO Max in Fall 2020.