The creator of The Boondocks, a cartoon strip and animated show that routinely courted cultural debates, is behind the upcoming Adult Swim comedy Black Jesus.
The new half-hour live-action scripted comedy finds Jesus living in present-day Compton, Calif., on a daily mission to spread love and kindness throughout the neighborhood with the help of his small but loyal group of downtrodden followers. Newcomer Gerald “Slink” Johnson (Grand Theft Auto V) stars as Black Jesus. Charlie Murphy (Are We There Yet), Corey Holcomb (The Cleveland Show) and The Boondocks’ John Witherspoon round out the cast.
The Boondocks strip occasionally upset readers with its characters and storylines.
After Sept. 11, “The Boondocks” generated a heated backlash when Huey suggested that the U.S. government’s — particularly the Reagan administration’s — past relationship with Osama bin Laden laid the groundwork for assaults.
An episode of the TV program actually touched on the “black Jesus” theme as well as other radical notions via a key character.
… Huey’s brother Riley (both siblings are voiced by Regina King) says to white partygoers in a dream sequence: “Jesus was black, Ronald Reagan was the Devil and the government is lying about 9/11.”
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