Hulu's King of the Hill Revival Can Finally Fix the Series' Greatest Sin

King of the Hill enjoyed a long, respectable tally connected the air, spanning good implicit a decennary and 13 seasons successful total. But fans inactive crave much propane and propane accessories, and creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels purpose to deliver. We’ve conscionable gotten our archetypal look astatine King of the Hill Season 14, a streaming revival debuting connected Hulu connected August 4.

King of the Hill is hardly the archetypal animated sitcom to emergence from the sedate successful the streaming era, but possibly much than immoderate different revival, it’s 1 with a batch of storytelling potential. In fact, Season 14 has an accidental to code the archetypal show’s top flaw. Let’s research what that flaw was and wherefore things are truthful antithetic now.

King of the Hill’s Unchanging Continuity

King of the Hill is akin to its animated sitcom contemporaries similar The Simpsons and Family Guy successful that the bid features a mostly static and unchanging continuity. These shows are procedural comedies, not episodic. The sleepy municipality of Arlen, Texas remained mostly the aforesaid from the premiere to the bid finale. Hank Hill (Judge) was ever the stalwart household antheral who struggled with displays of affection and connecting with his oddball son. His woman Peggy (Kathy Najimy) was ever the ambitious overachiever who overestimated her ain abilities. Their lad Bobby (Pamela Adlon) was ever the precocious preteen who strove to unrecorded up to his father’s rigid expectations.

In immoderate ways, that eternal, unchanging continuity could beryllium an asset. It made King of the Hill an casual bid to ticker and enjoy. You ne'er had to interest astir missing an occurrence and losing way of the tangled web of the characters’ kooky lives. The bid was animated comfortableness food, similar a burger cooked with the clean-burning powerfulness of propane.

But the occupation with staying connected the aerial for 14 years and ne'er changing is that the formula, nary substance however good, inevitably grows stale. That was surely a occupation that progressively came to canine the bid successful its aboriginal seasons. How galore episodes revolved astir immoderate saltation of this taxable - Bobby finds an improbable hobby helium excels at, and Hank comes to grudgingly o.k. of his son?

At immoderate point, the unchanging quality of the bid became grating alternatively than comforting. Will Hank ever get successful interaction with his repressed emotions? Will deranged conspiracy theorist Dale (the precocious Johnny Hardwick) ever aftermath up to the information astir Nancy (Ashley Gardner) and John Redcorn (Jonathan Joss), who had an matter close nether his chemoreceptor for overmuch of the archetypal series? Will Bill (Stephen Root) ever capable the gaping void successful his life? Because the antagonistic ever reset to zero astatine the extremity of each episode, the answers to each of these questions remained “No.”

King of the Hill whitethorn beryllium akin to The Simpsons and Family successful this regard, but determination was ne'er immoderate crushed that needed to beryllium the case. This is simply a overmuch much low-key, character-driven alternate to those shows. King of the Hill’s genius was ever successful however it recovered extent and nuance successful these goofy protagonists portion ne'er punching down oregon settling for inexpensive “Look astatine these dumb hillbillies!” humor. But the bid besides held itself backmost by not allowing for much improvement and alteration implicit time.

As it is, determination were occasional instances successful the archetypal bid wherever clip did walk and things did alteration slightly. Early connected successful the series, Bobby and his friends aged up a year, allowing them to woody with the throes of puberty. Hank’s cantankerous begetter Cotton (Toby Huss) was yet killed off. Luanne (the precocious Brittany Murphy) yet joined and gave commencement to a daughter. Those were each moments of genuine alteration and progression. But ultimately, they were conscionable the exceptions that proved the rule. Nothing ever truly changes that overmuch successful Arlen.

What’s Different successful Season 14

Until now. Having been disconnected the aerial for 15 years, King of the Hill is yet coming backmost and really reflecting that ample spread successful time. We cognize that Bobby is 21 years aged now, suggesting there’s astir 8 years separating the timeline of Season 13 and Season 14. Here’s Hulu’s authoritative summary of the caller season:

“The play 14 revival picks up respective years aft we past saw the Hill household - Hank and Peggy Hill are present retired and instrumentality to a changed Arlen aft years of moving successful Saudi Arabia; and Bobby is 21 and surviving his champion beingness portion navigating adulthood arsenic a cook successful Dallas.”

The recently revamped intro series hints astatine immoderate of the large changes that person unfolded successful those 8 years. We spot Hank and Peggy marque their large determination to Saudi Arabia. The thoroughfare deals with the interaction of the COVID-19 pandemic. A caller neighbour moves successful and takes Hank’s place. Dale seemingly runs for politician (whether helium was palmy oregon not volition surely beryllium revealed successful the premiere).

Right away, there’s a batch of nutrient for the writers and actors to chew connected present that clip has genuinely passed. Presumably, Hank and Peggy’s conflict to reintegrate into Arlen beingness is going to beryllium a large absorption going forward. Saudi Arabia seems similar the past spot the stuffy Hank would ever privation to live. How did that acquisition alteration him? Is helium much unfastened to caller radical and caller experiences aft having spent important clip halfway crossed the world.

And what of Bobby? How has helium fared aft moving to Dallas, pursuing his dream, and nary longer surviving nether his father’s roof? Has helium recovered his calling successful life, oregon is thing inactive missing?

Dale is besides a taxable of aggravated curiosity, and not conscionable due to the fact that Huss volition beryllium taking implicit for Hardwick. There’s, of course, the large elephant successful the country successful presumption of his narration with Nancy and whether helium ever enactment 2 and 2 unneurotic astir John Redcorn. Honestly, it’s debatable whether the bid could ever present a satisfying decision to that emotion triangle. But beyond that, however is Dale faring successful a satellite wherever ridiculous conspiracy theories person go the norm? Is helium thriving successful this post-Pizzagate climate, oregon does helium presumption his chap conspiracy nuts with disdain? And is determination a sliver of a accidental that he’d really marque for a decent politician?

There are truthful galore different questions that the revival tin research now. Did John Redcorn ever execute immoderate solution with Joseph (Breckin Meyer)? Did Strickland Propane clang and pain without Hank astir to enactment retired Buck’s (Stephen Root) fires? That’s to accidental thing of however Judge, Daniels, and the writers mean connected handling the fates of Luanne and Lucky (the precocious Tom Petty) and their daughter, Gracie.

Clearly, there’s nary shortage of compelling worldly for the revival to excavation successful Season 14. The bid wasted truthful overmuch imaginable successful its archetypal tally by refusing to advancement the story. Finally, that’s nary longer an issue.

There are a large galore questions that request to beryllium answered successful these 10 episodes. And with immoderate luck, determination volition beryllium much caller seasons to come. But the information present is that King of the Hill could instrumentality astir agelong capable to autumn backmost into aged habits. Once the caller presumption quo is established, the bid could go conscionable arsenic resistant to alteration and the transition of time.

Let’s anticipation that won’t beryllium the case. Let’s anticipation the bid is present much consenting to support an overarching continuity that evolves with time. The amusement doesn’t request to abruptly go profoundly plot-driven oregon advancement successful existent time, but immoderate connective insubstantial betwixt episodes would beryllium ideal. After truthful galore years of watching beingness successful Arlen revert backmost to mean each week, let’s spot what happens erstwhile Hank and the pack really person to contend with alteration connected a regular basis.

For more, cheque retired the biggest TV shows coming successful 2025.

Jesse is simply a mild-mannered unit writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intelligence thicket by following @jschedeen connected BlueSky.