The Boondocks Confirmed to Return for Season 5

The Boondocks is finally making its return to the airwaves — at least that’s what one of the show’s cast members is saying. Actor John Witherspoon was recently on the Joe Rogan podcast, where he confirmed that Boondocks Season Five is currently in pre-production.

Witherspoon dropped the bomb reveal while discussing how his real-life persona and on-screen persona are one and the same. As he put it:

“I’m on the cartoon – what is it? The Boondocks? I didn’t change my voice for The Boondocks. And they coming back: Boondocks is coming back… It’s one of the best cartoons I’ve ever been on.”

Adult Swim’s cartoon adaptation of Aaron McGruder’s acclaimed comic strip became a breakout hit after its first season, and maintained high acclaim for three seasons (2006, 2008, 2010). Things hit the wall after some difficulties with Season Three, and after a lengthy delay, Season Four of The Boondocks was released in 2014, carrying the black mark of having absolutely no involvement from McGruder.

With so little to go on right now, there’s no way to know if McGruder is in any way involved with this season, or if other members of the original creative team (Brian Ash, Carl Jones) are involved as well. If the project is on Witherspoon’s radar (given his clearly loose knowledge of events), it’s safe to assume that the principal voice cast of the series has been tapped to return.

That cast includes Witherspoon as the elderly “Grandpa,” a black man who moves to an affluent white suburb to live out his golden years. Fans will be eagerly awaiting confirmation that Regina King (fresh off a Best Supporting Actress Oscar win) will be returning as well; King voices both Huey and Riley, Grandpa’s two young grandsons who come to live with him in the suburbs after the loss of their parents. The series revolves around Grandpa, Huey, and Riley’s misadventures in this suburban setting, in stories that offer heavy socio-political satire and commentary about everything from race to big pop-culture headlines.

If there ever was a time for The Boondocks to return, now is probably it. The show launched in the deep run of the Bush era and was unabashed in its criticisms of the times, but was equally exacting on the “post-racial” era of Obama’s presidency. It would almost be a crime for the Trump era to come and go without The Boondocks having its say on the matter. If McGruder is involved with Season Five, it’s a sure bet that the result is going to be hard-hitting, to say the least.

We’ll keep you updated on the status of The Boondocks Season Five.