Endless Reboots

With streaming sites (Disney, Netflix, Amazon, Peacock and numerous others) hungry for shows, shows, freaking SHOWS! of the animated persuasion) this comes as little surprise:

A new animated version The Boondocks on HBO Max [is coming].

This new version of The Boondocks from creator Aaron McGruder (which is a two season, 24 episode order) will launch in fall 2020 with a 50-minute special. Originally airing on Adult Swim from 2005 to 2014, the series follows an African American family named the Freemans who settle into a predominantly white suburb called Woodcrest. And the storylines are themed to the mixture of cultures, lifestyles, social classes, stereotypes and viewpoints.

The Boondocks had a lengthy run in its first incarnation, so it's hardly surprising the series is being duested off and reconfigured. The various distribution outlets clawing for content often reach for what worked before.

Disney, of course, has a library to draw from, as does Warner Bros, which owns the Hanna-Barbera stash. (Which reminds me. Why haven't Top Cat and Ruff and Reddy been resuscitated?) And Dreamworks Animation Television has been creating shows for Netflix for years. Those piles of half-hours will now migrate to Universal-Comcast's streaming services.

There's a reason our fine, entertainment conglomerates are making details with animated show creators with street cred. But even with all the reboots, there aren't enough old figs to eat, so the big companies have to corral farmers to grow new ones.