"The Boondocks" Premiere

The characters of "The Boondocks" start their year out with a bang...


"Excuse me? I have brief annocement: Jesus was black, Ronald Regan was the devil and the Goverment is lying about 9/11. Thank you for your time and good night."

Those are the opening words from Huey, as he fittingly kicks off the long-awaited adaptation to the small-screen in much of the same in-your-face manner as he does regularly in the daily comic. It's going to take some time getting used to, but first and foremost this show has the potential to be one of the best on television, and really falls somewhere in between the occasional subtlety of Chappelle's Show, to the incredibly brash moments that instead recall some of South Park's edgier moments. The voices as a whole left something to be desired, as Regina King isn't the best match for either Huey or Riley. While John Witherspoon (the voice of Granddad) originally appeared to falter as well, given his talent, he'll probably be able to do a much better job as the show progresses. Despite the beautifully anime-influenced animation, the show's content is hardly roses and rainbows, and really it's quite amazing what MacGruder (the man behind "The Boondocks") managed to get away with. There's gratuitous use of the "n" word, so you're unfortunately out of luck if that automatically puts you off. In all honesty though, it's not meant in a glorifying manner by any means, and is really used as a social commentary, which is really what the entire show is about. Besides the (in)famous rambunctious kids Huey and Riley, there’s the aforementioned Granddad who represents the “old school” man that’s just trying to make it in the suburban societal setting, and also the hilariously wrong Uncle Ruckus, a butler that’s more racist than any of the white people that live in the area. Without revealing too much about what happened during the first episode, among the highlights are Granddad’s flashback scene, Uncle Ruckus’ song (although everything about him is so absurd you can’t help but laugh), and finally Charlie Murphy who plays the neighbors’ grandson. Admittedly, the humor won't appeal to everyone, but if you're not offended easily, and are willing to learn a few things from a perspective that you certainly won't see on CNN, much less MSNBC, then please do give this show a few watches. It's not perfect, far from it, but what show was from the first episode? If there's enough support for this show, and I really hope there is (there needs to be more people willing to take chances in the entertainment industry such as this), this show should be right up there with Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Family Guy, and Comedy Central's South Park in the adult animation's crème de la crème.

"The Boondocks" comes on Cartoon Network every Sunday at 11PM ET as a part of the Adult Swim set, check your local listings for rerun times

★★★★½