Hulu to Revive King of the Hill With Updates

King of the Hill had a long and successful run on television, lasting over a decade and spanning 13 full seasons. Yet, fans are still eager for more propane-fueled adventures, and creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels are ready to deliver. We’ve just gotten our first glimpse of King of the Hill Season 14, a streaming revival premiering on Hulu on August 4.

King of the Hill is far from the first animated sitcom to make a comeback in the streaming era. However, unlike many other revivals, it has immense storytelling potential. In fact, Season 14 presents an opportunity to tackle the original show’s biggest weakness. Let’s examine what that weakness was and how things are different today.

King of the Hill’s Static Timeline

Similar to other animated sitcoms like The Simpsons and Family Guy, King of the Hill followed a largely static and unchanging continuity. These shows are built around standalone comedic episodes rather than ongoing storylines. The quiet town of Arlen, Texas, stayed mostly the same from the series premiere to its finale. Hank Hill (voiced by Judge) remained the dependable family man, often struggling to express affection and connect with his eccentric son. His wife Peggy (Kathy Najimy) was consistently the ambitious go-getter who tended to overestimate her own talents. Their son Bobby (Pamela Adlon) was always the witty preteen trying to meet his father’s strict expectations.

In some respects, this timeless, unchanging format was a strength. It made King of the Hill a comfortable and easy show to watch. Viewers never had to worry about missing an episode and losing track of complex character arcs. The series was like animated comfort food—reliable and satisfying, much like a burger cooked with the clean efficiency of propane.

But staying on the air for 14 years without evolving also meant the formula, no matter how strong, began to feel repetitive. That became a growing issue in the show’s later seasons. How many storylines revolved around a similar theme—Bobby discovers an unexpected talent, and Hank eventually, if reluctantly, accepts it?

Eventually, the lack of change became more irritating than reassuring. Will Hank ever learn to express his bottled-up emotions? Will paranoid conspiracy theorist Dale (the late Johnny Hardwick) finally uncover the truth about his wife Nancy (Ashley Gardner) and her long-running affair with John Redcorn (Jonathan Joss)? Will Bill (Stephen Root) ever find a way to fill the emptiness in his life? Because each episode reset the status quo, the answers to these questions always remained “No.”

King of the Hill shares this static quality with shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy, though it never had to. It always stood out as a more grounded, character-focused alternative. The series excelled at finding depth and nuance in its quirky protagonists, never relying on cheap stereotypes or mocking its characters. Still, it limited its own potential by resisting meaningful growth and evolution over time.

Occasionally, the original series did allow time to pass and events to unfold. Early on, Bobby and his friends aged by a year, introducing themes of puberty and adolescence. Hank’s irascible father, Cotton (Toby Huss), was eventually written out of the show. Luanne (the late Brittany Murphy) got married and had a daughter. Those were genuine moments of progression. Still, they were exceptions that highlighted the overall lack of change. In Arlen, things rarely shifted in any lasting way.

What’s New in Season 14

Until now. After 15 years off the air, King of the Hill is returning and finally addressing that long time gap. We now know Bobby is 21 years old—suggesting roughly eight years have passed between Season 13 and Season 14. Here’s Hulu’s official description of the new season:

“The Season 14 revival picks up several years after we last saw the Hill family. Hank and Peggy, now retired, come back to a transformed Arlen after spending years working in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Bobby is living his best life while navigating adulthood as a chef in Dallas.”

The updated opening sequence hints at major shifts over those eight years. We see Hank and Peggy move to Saudi Arabia. The neighborhood grapples with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. A new neighbor moves into Hank’s old spot. Dale appears to run for mayor (something the premiere will likely address).

Suddenly, the writers and actors have plenty of new material to explore now that time has actually moved forward. Hank and Peggy’s efforts to readjust to life in Arlen will likely be a central focus. Saudi Arabia seems like the last place conservative Hank would ever choose to live. How did that experience change him? Is he more open to new people and experiences after living so far from home?

And what about Bobby? How has he handled moving to Dallas, pursuing his passion, and stepping out from under his father’s influence? Has he found his true purpose, or is something still missing?

Dale is another intriguing subject, and not just because Toby Huss is stepping in for Johnny Hardwick. There’s the lingering question of his relationship with Nancy and whether he ever figured out the truth about John Redcorn. To be honest, it’s hard to say whether the revival can wrap up that love triangle in a satisfying way. Beyond that, how is Dale coping in a world where outlandish conspiracy theories have gone mainstream? Is he thriving in this new environment, or does he look down on the newer believers? Could he actually be an effective politician?

How is Dale managing in a world where outlandish conspiracy theories have become commonplace?

So many other questions remain for the revival to tackle. Did John Redcorn ever reconcile with his son, Joseph (Breckin Meyer)? Did Strickland Propane collapse without Hank there to manage Buck’s (Stephen Root) mistakes? And how will the show address the absence of Luanne and Lucky (the late Tom Petty) and their daughter, Gracie?

Clearly, there’s no shortage of compelling material for Season 14 to explore. The original series wasted significant potential by avoiding story progression. Finally, that’s no longer a problem.

Many questions need answering throughout these ten episodes. With any luck, more seasons will follow. Still, the risk remains that King of the Hill could settle back into old habits. Once a new status quo is established, the series might again resist change and the progression of time.

Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. Let’s hope the show embraces a more dynamic, evolving continuity. It doesn’t need to become heavily serialized or move in real time, but having some connection between episodes would be a welcome improvement. After so many years of watching life in Arlen reset each week, it’s time to see Hank and his friends face the challenges of real change.

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