History WesternAnimation / TheBoondocks

** Points out the BrokenAesop of [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqAC9eZk6bA Soul Food]].
** He also REALLY hates ''SoulPlane''

** When Grandad takes in his cousin Jericho and his large family after they're forced to leave New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Jericho and his family spend months trashing Grandad's house, eating his food, and worse, Jericho and his 20-something son refuse to get jobs. Jericho keeps insisting that he'll pay Grandad back when his constantly-delayed FEMA check arrives. However, the end of the episode reveals that the check for $200,000 ''did'' arrive and Jericho lied about it being delayed again. Instead, he and his family move back to rebuild and he guilts Grandad into dropping the debt altogether.

* AllTakeAndNoGive / KarmaHoudini: "The Invasion of the Katrinians," where Grandad takes in his cousin Jericho and his large family when they're forced to leave New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Jericho and his family spend months trashing Grandad's house, eating his food, and worse, Jericho and his 20-something son refuse to get jobs. Jericho keeps insisting that he'll pay Grandad back when his constantly-delayed FEMA check arrives. However, the end of the episode reveals that the check for $200,000 ''did'' arrive and Jericho lied about it being delayed again. Instead, he and his family move back to rebuild and he guilts Grandad into dropping the debt altogether.

** Ed Wuncler has so many connections '''everywhere''', he may just be the best example of this trope.
** Uncle Ruckus' mother in "The Color Ruckus", who was responsible in her son's [[BoomerangBigot white supremacy]]. After [[spoiler:her husband dies]], she hooks up with [[MayDecemberRomance a much younger bachelor]].

* BrokenAesop: The comic once had the moral that video games don't make one more violent... the ''show'', however, states that BET makes you a retard. [=McGruder=] clearly has a distaste for what BET considers "black" entertainment.

---> '''Huey:''' Ruin the party? They ''love'' me. These people aren't worried about us. They're not worried about ''anything''. They're ''rich''. No matter what happens, these people just keep applauding.

** "Boy, where's my belt?!"

** Riley: "Nigga, you gay!" (cartoon only)

** Huey in the cartoon, [[strike: so that we can get more of Granddad's wacky adventures in dating and Riley's thuggery!]] because Huey was basically the tool [=McGruder=] used to comment on current events. Current events are much more suited to daily strips because... [[CaptainObvious they're]] ''[[CaptainObvious daily]]''. If he tried to use current events in an episode that takes months to make, it wouldn't be current anymore.

** Poor Luna got a new lease on life after a tension-filled standoff with the Freemans... [[spoiler: only to kill herself just a few minutes later after being egged on by her friend(who ironically afterwards is heard saying words of encouragement)]].

* {{Gonk}}: Uncle Ruckus. Especially in the comic.

'''Riley:''' ''[voiceover]'' And that's when it hit me. The best idea I've ever had in my entire life.

* IssueDrift: Somewhat noticeable in the comic's run, though it started in earnest fairly early.

** A notable comic instance for Granddad would be when Huey confesses that sometimes he feels like nobody listens to him, only to have Granddad yell, "How many times do I have to tell you to shut up?! I can't hear the people singing badly on [[Series/AmericanIdol Idol]]!"

* StopBeingStereotypical: Both the newspaper comic and the animated series make regular use of this trope.

** In the comic strip there was a TakeThat againt Vivica Fox and her fans that was extended to the point of being a type of RunningGag.

* TwoWayTapping: In early strips of ''ComicStrip/TheBoondocks'', Huey's politically-charged phone conversations would often be interrupted by wiretapping agents asking him to repeat what he just said, as there was too much to write down in one go.

** [[Series/{{Newhart}} Ruckus' brother Darryl and his other brother Darryl.]] Who are dressed like Mr. T and WesternAnimation/FatAlbert.

Not to be confused with ''TheBoondockSaints''.

** Jimmie Walker who played JJ on ''GoodTimes'', plays a older angrier {{Expy}} of himself with JJ's trademark hat.

* AffectionateParody. ''TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'' in the episode "Pause."

** ''DoTheRightThing'' in season one, with the lemonade episode. Going as far as using the same intro music

** "The Red Ball" from season 3 is a direct homage/parody of the ''SamuraiChamploo'' episode "Baseball Blues".

* {{Animesque}}: [=McGruder=] specifically had the cartoon be made with an anime-esque design, right down to hiring Korean animation studios Creator/MoiAnimation (Owned by the Japanese studio Creator/{{Madhouse}}, who did some uncredited work) and Creator/DongWooAnimation (owned by StudioGallop) to help animate the series.

* CarnivalOfKillers: Gin Rummy tells the tale of Bushido Brown fending off a group of these hired by the beef industry to take out OprahWinfrey, including pastiches of WalkerTexasRanger and Billy Jack.

* ComicBookFantasyCasting: Played with. The Hateocracy consists of Lord Rufus Crabmiser, Lady Esmerelda Gripenasty and Mister George Pistofferson. Their designs are based on [[SanfordAndSon Redd Foxx]], [[SanfordAndSon Lawanda Page]] and [[GoodTimes Jimmy Walker]], respectively.

* {{Expy}}: Bushido Brown is based on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Kelly_%28martial_artist%29 Jim Kelly.]] He also takes a few pages from [[BruceLee The Dragon himself]]. During his fight with Stinkmeaner's crew, Bushido Brown literally curbstomps Esmerelda Gripenasty's ribs, belting out a several seconds-long {{Kiai}} and twisting his legs to further injure her, reenacting [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJGndrjP0i8#t=2m50s this scene]] from ''EnterTheDragon''.

* GoldDigger: Cristal ([[InsistentTerminology like the champagne]]), who briefly dates Robert in the episode "Guess Ho's Coming To Dinner." To drive the point home, the start of the second half of the episode had KanyeWest's "Gold Digger" playing during a ShoppingMontage of Robert buying Cristal a lot of expensive gifts.

** The first season opening sequence is basically an extended reference to ''SamuraiChamploo''.

** A fight sequence that took place in one of Huey's dreams in the episode, "Granddad's Fight" payed homage to Shinichiro Watanabe in regards to his work on ''SamuraiChamploo''. Aaron [=McGruder=] is a big fan of the series, hence the show's animation style.
** The dream, as well as the film Huey shows Granddad to prepare him, are also obvious references to the {{Zatoichi}} series.
** Ruckus' and Huey's fight in "...Or Die Trying" pays tribute to ''FistOfTheNorthStar'': The leaping kicks that the two do to each other is a reference to the Shin vs. Kenshiro fight.
** Ruckus' demonstration with Huey's nunchaku is taken directly from (and might even be using the same sound effects from) BruceLee's iconic performance with the weapon in ''EnterTheDragon''.

** "The Red Ball" is an homage to ''ShaolinSoccer'' and the ''SamuraiChamploo'' episode [[http://www4.funimation.com/video/?page=video&v=2292 Baseball Blues.]]
** The episode "Guess Hoes Coming to Dinner" has a ''very'' similar plot to a SamuraiChamploo episode.
** There is a hilarious homage to a scene from ''BoogieNights'', and a botched cocaine deal.
** In "The Fried Chicken Flu", there is a scene that looks like a homage to the [[MadMax TheRoadWarrior]].

* InspirationNod: In "The Red Ball," the weapons the Chinese team attacks the Tibetan player with are the same as the ones the American team attacked Jin with in SamuraiChamploo's "Baseball Blues".

* {{Leitmotif}}: You'll hear a very ugly tuba (Jabba The Hutt's theme from ''StarWars'') play every time Uncle Ruckus makes an appearance in an episode.

* MalcolmXerox: Dewey Abbado [[MichaelJackson "Mamma-say, mamma-saw, mamma-ma-cu-saw"]] Jenkins, one of Huey's old friends back in Chicago.

** Also, Uncle Ruckus. A reference to Uncle Tom, Amos Rucker, (a slave to purportedly wanted to stay a slave after the Civil War.) and [[SongOfTheSouth Uncle Remus]]

-->'''Bushido Brown:''' ''(to Huey)'' [[EnterTheDragon Man... you come straight out of a comic strip!]]

** BET director Weggie Rudlin, who is an extremely unflattering parody of BET director ReginaldHudlin... who happens to have an executive producer credit on the show itself. It was an artifact of Hudlin's involvement with the series while it was being developed for {{Fox}}. He left by the time the series was on air.

** [[BillOReilly Two]] [[RushLimbaugh guesses]] as to who Dick O'Rushballs is a parody of.
** Winston Jerome is TylerPerry with elements of David Koresh and Jim Jones.

** Xzibit and PimpMyRide in season 2

** In "A Huey Freeman Christmas", Huey, who was placed in charge of the school's Christmas play, is shocked to walk into the auditorium to find [[ACharlieBrownChristmas all the other children dancing to music]]. He even asks, "Do I look like Charlie Brown? Do I ''look'' like ''Charlie Brown''?!"

** In the "Killer Kung-Fu Wolf Bitch" when Luna beats up Tom, an unseen announcer proclaims it a [[MortalKombat flawless victory]]. She also performs Kano's heartrip fatality during a flashback.
** A [[http://isthisagoodidea.tumblr.com/post/55834129654/let-the-record-show-that-samurai-champloos-jin character strikingly similar to]] Jin of ''SamuraiChamploo'' made a cameo. Makes sense, given that ''Champloo'' was influential on the cartoon's {{Animesque}} style.

*** The scene where [[spoiler: Huey blocks the return of the final with his hands]] is one to a similar scene during the final match of ShaolinSoccer.

** Lord Crabmiser, one of the members of the Hateocracy wields a crab trap suspiciously similiar to [[MasterOfTheFlyingGuillotine the Flying Guillotine.]]
** In "The Fundraiser", one of Riley's classmates is cast in molten chocolate and mailed back to Riley. When he arrives, he looks like [[StarWars Han Solo]] frozen in carbonite.
** The whole episode served as a parody to movies like {{Scarface}}. Most of the music is a SuspiciouslySimilarSong version of one song or another from that film.

** In the episode with [[TylerPerry Winston Jerome]], there's a musical number featuring many beautiful men and [[TheRockyHorrorPictureShow a crossdressing Winston in black leather.]]

** Debra L'Eevil, head of BET, is based on [[AustinPowers Dr. Evil]], from her clothes to the bizarre "pinkie held to lip" gesture, to her {{leitmotif}}.
** The Kumite ([[{{Kiai}} Wah-Tah!]]), shown in "Attack of the Killer Kung Fu Wolf Bitch," is a dual shout out to both EnterTheDragon and MortalKombat, complete with a Shang Tsung expy and "Finish Him" / "Fatality!" nods.
** [[TheColorPurple The Color Ruckus]] has a few, aside from the title, specifically the opening that reveals Ruckus' "origins" which is a shot for shot remake of the opening for ''TheCuriousCaseOfBenjaminButton.''
** [[{{Newhart}} Ruckus' brother Darryl and his other brother Darryl.]] Who are dressed like Mr. T and FatAlbert.
** The beginning of the fight between [[spoiler: a Stinkmeaner-possessed Tom]] and the Freemans closely resembles that of the climax of Spike Spiegel vs. Vincent Volaju from ''CowboyBebop''.
** When Granddad punches out Stinkmeaner, a nurse runs over to the body, checks his pulse, then signals his death with the same gesture used by the Mook who checked Oharra's body after Lee killed him in ''EnterTheDragon''.
** The scene in "Bitches to Rags" where Thugnificent, Leonard, and Ed go to the record producer's house to sell him cocaine is based on the "Sister Christian" scene in ''BoogieNights''.

** The episode where Jazmine runs a lemonade stand has numerous shout-outs and references to ''DoTheRightThing'', including constant references to the heat, police brutality, and a riot diverted from assaulting a human to destroying property (Huey gets permission first, though).
** Good Times has Ed Wuncler Jr. and Vanderbilt wrecking people's lives over a $1 bet, just like TradingPlaces.

** The episode "Pause," a.k.a. the Winston Jerome episode, is a sucker punch to TylerPerry's plays and films.

** To BarackObama's speech patterns, throughout season 3.
*** The Season 3 premier was TakeThat at the "Obama Hype Machine" going into the election, and especially at [[BlackEyedPeas will.i.am]].
* TakeThatAudience: ''"It's a Black President, Huey Freeman"'' comes off as an extended TakeThat at fans pestering McGruder for his feelings about BarackObama. It was summed up in one word, "meh."

* DarkerAndEdgier: The TV series has much darker humor and content than the newspaper comic strip.
** There is a difference between appearing on the same page reserved for the likes of Garfield and TheFamilyCircus and on the time slot alongside shows such as WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce and {{FLCL}}. Imagine the speech in the MLK episode, rife with [[ClusterFBomb Cluster]] [[NWordPrivileges N Bombs]] in a newspaper comic strip.

It now has a [[BestEpisode/TheBoondocks Best Episode Crowner]].

** A visual example in "The Color Ruckus", when Uncle Ruckus is telling the story of his childhood. When his father is throwing him out of the house: [[RakeTake he steps on a rake]], which hits him in the face and gives him his trademark bulging eye and broken teeth; he steps in a bear trap, giving him a limp; and he... gets wet paint from the fence on his shirt. His mother cries it'll need a presoak to get out.

* BadCopIncompetentCop: What few police in this show aren't being paid off by Wuncler Sr are astoundingly incompetent, probably best seen in Season 4 where they arrest Pretty Boy Flizzy for a crime he didn't commit (it having actually been staged by Flizzy with the help of a professional film crew and the consent of the "victim"), because they couldn't be bothered to watch the surveillance footage two seconds past the alleged crime.

* BigBad: Ed Wuncler Sr. is the closest the series has to one.

* BringMyBrownPants:

* BrokenAesop: The comic once had the moral that video games don't make one more violent... the ''show'', however, states that BET makes you a retard. [=McGruder=] clearly has a distaste for what BET considers "black" entertainment.

---> '''Huey:''' Ruin the party? They ''love'' me. These people aren't worried about us. They're not worried about ''anything''. They're ''rich''. No matter what happens, these people just keep applauding.

* CatchPhrase:
** Granddad:
** "Boy, where's my belt?!"

Soul Plane, Soul Pla-aa-aa-aa-''aaa''-ane!\\
** Riley: "Nigga, you gay!" (cartoon only)

** Huey in the cartoon, [[strike: so that we can get more of Granddad's wacky adventures in dating and Riley's thuggery!]] because Huey was basically the tool [=McGruder=] used to comment on current events. Current events are much more suited to daily strips because... [[CaptainObvious they're]] ''[[CaptainObvious daily]]''. If he tried to use current events in an episode that takes months to make, it wouldn't be current anymore.

* {{Gonk}}: Uncle Ruckus. Especially in the comic.

** All the time in the comic strip, from pretty much everyone - most commonly it comes from Riley or Granddad and is lampshaded by Huey, or it comes from Huey and is lampshaded by Caesar. Occasionally, it's directed [[http://www.gocomics.com/boondocks/2001/02/24 at [=McGruder=] himself or the newspaper editing process.]]

* IronicEchoCut:
'''Riley:''' ''[voiceover]'' And that's when it hit me. The best idea I've ever had in my entire life.

* IssueDrift: Somewhat noticeable in the comic's run, though it started in earnest fairly early.

** A notable comic instance for Granddad would be when Huey confesses that sometimes he feels like nobody listens to him, only to have Granddad yell, "How many times do I have to tell you to shut up?! I can't hear the people singing badly on [[Series/AmericanIdol Idol]]!"

* LastDisrespects: In ''Wingmen'', everyone at the funeral acts as if Moe is the best at everything at first. He is being given credit for things Robert did in World War II, all the women swoon for him, etc. Robert finally breaks all the lies by announcing how much of a jerk Moe really was. Everyone else then starts agreeing and pointing out how he owed many of them money and other negative aspects about him.

** Other terrible foods served during this episode were broccoli boiled in ham broth, and "Two pig knuckles glazed in honey; pig tongue marinated in butter for two days; chitlins'... soaked in hot sauce, drizzled in mayonnaise, and then set to harden on our back porch in three pounds of cheddar cheese."

** All the time in the comic. Whereas in the show the characters curse all the time, in the newspaper comic they can't get away with that too often, so [=McGruder=] saved particularly strong words for particularly good punchlines, to great effect.

* RunningGag:

* SequentialSymptomSyndrome: The Fried Chicken Flu episode has Huey explaining to Jasmine the symptoms of the eponymous disease while Tom suffers the effects of salmonella poisoning, having eaten tainted Buffalo Wings.

** In the TV series first season, Uncle Ruckus refers to [[{{Bloom County}} Berke Breathed]] as "that genius that drew that strip with the talkin' penguin, Master Penguin Drawer", while listing great white artists.

** Huey describing the symptoms of the Fried Chicken Flu while Tom acts them out behind him is mostly likely a ShoutOut to a similar moment in Airplane!

*** The cop caught in Gin and Ed III's crossfire at the mini-mart [[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail isn't quite dead yet]].

* StopBeingStereotypical: Both the newspaper comic and the animated series make regular use of this trope.

** In the comic strip there was a TakeThat againt Vivica Fox and her fans that was extended to the point of being a type of RunningGag.

* TwoWayTapping: In early strips of ''ComicStrip/TheBoondocks'', Huey's politically-charged phone conversations would often be interrupted by wiretapping agents asking him to repeat what he just said, as there was too much to write down in one go.

** Huey in the cartoon, [[strike: so that we can get more of Granddad's wacky adventures in dating and Riley's thuggery!]] because Huey was basically the tool [=McGruder=] used to comment on current events. Current events are much more suited to daily strips because... [[CaptainObvious they're]] ''[[CaptainObvious daily]]''. If he tried to use current events in an episode that takes months to make, it wouldn't be current anymore.

* {{Gonk}}: Uncle Ruckus.

* BrokenAesop: The comic once had the moral that video games don't make one more violent... the ''show'', however, states that BET makes you a retard. [=McGruder=] clearly has a distaste for what BET considers "black" entertainment.

* StopBeingStereotypical: Both the newspaper comic and the animated series make regular use of this trope.

* TwoWayTapping: In early strips of ''ComicStrip/TheBoondocks'', Huey's politically-charged phone conversations would often be interrupted by wiretapping agents asking him to repeat what he just said, as there was too much to write down in one go.

* {{Gonk}}: Uncle Ruckus. Especially in the comic.

** All the time in the comic strip, from pretty much everyone - most commonly it comes from Riley or Granddad and is lampshaded by Huey, or it comes from Huey and is lampshaded by Caesar. Occasionally, it's directed [[http://www.gocomics.com/boondocks/2001/02/24 at [=McGruder=] himself or the newspaper editing process.]]

* IssueDrift: Somewhat noticeable in the comic's run, though it started in earnest fairly early.

** All the time in the comic. Whereas in the show the characters curse all the time, in the newspaper comic they can't get away with that too often, so [=McGruder=] saved particularly strong words for particularly good punchlines, to great effect.

** In the comic strip there was a TakeThat againt Vivica Fox and her fans that was extended to the point of being a type of RunningGag.

** A notable comic instance for Granddad would be when Huey confesses that sometimes he feels like nobody listens to him, only to have Granddad yell, "How many times do I have to tell you to shut up?! I can't hear the people singing badly on [[Series/AmericanIdol Idol]]!"

** Granddad:
** "Boy, where's my belt?!"

Soul Plane, Soul Pla-aa-aa-aa-''aaa''-ane!\\

** Riley: "Nigga, you gay!" (cartoon only)

---> '''Huey:''' Ruin the party? They ''love'' me. These people aren't worried about us. They're not worried about ''anything''. They're ''rich''. No matter what happens, these people just keep applauding.

'''Riley:''' ''[voiceover]'' And that's when it hit me. The best idea I've ever had in my entire life.

[[folder:S-Z]]

[[folder:K-R]]

* ComicBookFantasyCasting: Played with. The Hateocracy consists of Lord Rufus Crabmiser, Lady Esmerelda Gripenasty and Mister George Pistofferson. Their designs are based on [[SanfordAndSon Redd Foxx]], [[SanfordAndSon Lawanda Page]] and [[GoodTimes Jimmy Walker]], respectively.

[[redirect:ComicStrip/TheBoondocks]]