The 30 best cartoons even adults can enjoy

13. The Boondocks

Adam McGruder brought his comic strip The Boondocks to Adult Swim in 2005, and the adult cartoon was an immediate hit. The original comic strip ran from 1996 until 2006 and originally appeared online at Hitlist.com and then in the magazine The Source, creating a biting satire of African-American culture. When it came to Adult Swim, it filled a gap that had been missing in cartoons.

The Boondocks was a perfect fit for Adult Swim because creator Aaron McGruder struggled with Standards and Practices at networks like Fox allowing its content. The characters include an African-American family, the Freemans, living in a white suburb in Illinois. The central comedy and storylines come from the clashing of cultures when it comes to race, social classes and radicalized viewpoints.

For the first three seasons of the series, the social commentary and humor remained top notch with brothers Huey and Riley Freeman navigating life while their legal guardian and grandfather helped try to lead them to a better life. There was a lot of controversy over the years when the show dealt with hot-button topics and social issues, but McGruder never skirted the issues and remained faithful to his views.

The Boondocks lasted four seasons and had a total of 55 episodes. While the fourth season was without McGruder, the first three displayed one of the most essential adult cartoons to air on Adult Swim since its inception, ending in 2014, nine years after its premiere.