10 TV Shows That Led To Other TV Shows Being Cancelled (And Why)

One of the most uncompromising voices in American satire, The Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder never seemed likely to excel in the infamously conservative environs of television. Nonetheless, 2005 saw the debut of a television adaptation for McGruder’s embattled comic strip, one of the most frequently challenged cartoons in the history of American newspaper comics. The critically acclaimed series took no prisoners, with targets as diverse as President Bush, hip hop culture, and even R Kelly being brutally lambasted by the show.

However, after three seasons the series seemed to reach its end in 2010, only for Adult Swim to announce in 2014 that a revival was being planned with the original cast—and without series creator McGruder.

McGruder instead opted to work on Black Jesus, a surreal satirical sitcom airing on the same network, and the series was well received where the McGruder-less Boondocks was roundly dismissed by critics. The revival was soon cancelled and largely forgotten as a lame end to one of TV’s edgiest comedies, though recent rumours claim McGruder may return to salvage the franchise by show-running a fifth season—we’ll believe it when we see it, particularly after the passing of star John Witherspoon.