New Season of ‘The Boondocks’ Excludes Its Creator Aaron McGruder

It was recently announced that, after a nearly four-year hiatus, the Adult Swim animated series The Boondocks would be returning on April 21st for its fourth and final season. However, any excitement that fans of the show experienced when hearing the news was cut short when they learned that the show’s creator, Aaron McGruder, would not be involved.

Adapted by McGruder in 2005 from his popular syndicated comic strip of the same name, The Boondocks follows the social misadventures of Huey and Riley, two urban black pre-teens being raised in suburbia by their eccentric grandfather. Its unapologetic ridicule of everything from conservative politics to black intellectuals has made it a source of controversy since its premiere while earning it a cult status among Adult Swim viewers.

When Sony Pictures Television, which produces the show, announced news of the final season, they simply stated, “This season was produced without the involvement of Aaron McGruder, when a mutually agreeable production schedule could not be determined.” McGruder, who is currently working on his new live-action Adult Swim show Black Jesus, hasn’t offered up details about his departure. However, all may not be well in the relationship between McGruder and the producers of the show. Both prior to and after Sony’s announcement, McGruder has posted on his Black Jesus Facebook page alleging that The Boondocks Facebook page has been “hijacked” and that he has “absolutely no control over the content being posted as of Friday, March 14.”

The result of the “hijacking” on The Boondocks Facebook page has been several re-postings of a single Los Angeles Times article announcing the new season and McGruder’s exclusion, culminating in thousands of comments from Facebook followers, which run the gamut from outrage to optimism.