Mike Judge and Greg Daniels’ King of the Hill holds a special place in my heart for many reasons. The original 13-season run still works as a slice-of-life comedy that maintains its realism without leaning into tired stereotypes of Texas bumpkins while refusing to fear being goofy or (for lack of another better adjective) cartoony. It’s also very special for a personal reason.
Just a few years before the dawn of the millennium, my family moved from my lifelong home of New Orleans to Tyler, Texas. My dad could not have picked a more opposite place to move to if we moved to a place called Louisiana, N.O. I was terrified of having to adjust to a new life in a new culture right before college, especially switching from a city with drive-thru daquiri shops to a dry county. I didn’t even know lower levels of prohibition still existed in any form.
King of the Hill made its primetime debut on FOX around the same time, and from the very first episode that aired after my beloved Simpsons, my family gathered around the TV for every episode. The guy who blessed the world with Beavis & Butt-Head and Silicon Valley found a brilliant way to make my parents and siblings laugh at the same things.
King of the Hill also introduced Texas’ social culture to me in a way that felt honest and accurate but not in a hokey, Hallmark-y way. It leaned into the personalities, fears, and foibles of people who still feel real and universal and found ways to make their feelings and beliefs funny and inventive.
The very first season of King of the Hill won acclaim with viewers and critics, two audiences who usually hold opposing views about what qualifies as good television. Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide, and Time magazine all put the show on its list of the 10 best of 1997. Hulu’s 14th season reboot would face an uphill path to reach the same level of quality, charm, and acclaim.
Long story short (too late), does it? Hoo yeah!
The new Hulu episodes pick up right where the last FOX series left off, starting with its leading characters. The main conflict and comedy created by Hank Hill, the world’s most famous propane salesman and a proud Texan (voiced by Judge), comes from his struggle to retain his moral fiber, patriotic ideals, and love for football and power tools in an ever-evolving world. His wife Peggy (voiced by Kathy Najimy) is a little more worldly, confident, and curious in a well-meaning but misguided way without coming off ditzy or brainless. One of her most famous running gags came from being a dedicated substitute Spanish teacher who couldn’t fully deliver accurate translations.
The showrunners cleverly explain the Hills’ absence from TV by indicating that Hank and Peggy had been living at Saudi Arabia’s Aramco Residential Camp for relocated oil and gas employees. The very first episode opens with the Hills returning to the Richardson-esque town of Arlen with a joke utilizing one of Hank’s funniest foibles — trying to use an airplane bathroom with a narrow urethra.
Unlike other animated shows featuring families which last more than 10 seasons, some of Arlen’s residents grew and evolved during the original run. Hank and Peggy’s only son, Bobby (voiced with scratchy perfection by Better Things creator and star Pamela Adlon), became one of the show’s most beloved stars. Bobby goes through the same, awkward tween years we all went through right before puberty, but the continuing stories found great ways to grow his personality and confidence in very touching and endearing ways.
Bobby skipped college and now works as a Dallas chef running a Japanese restaurant fused with “the German heritage of the Texas Hill Country,” he says in the first episode. Seeing Bobby as a responsible adult was such a joy. It felt like running into a funny high school friend I hadn’t talked to in 15 years.
Bobby has more charm than ever as a workaholic single guy with only enough time for hooking up with college students at SMU. He reconnects with his first girlfriend, Connie Souphanousinphone (voiced by Lauren Tom, who also voiced Amy Wong from Futurama, another Hulu animated reboot). The meeting gives viewers another way to root for Bobby but also enjoy his struggle to rekindle their relationship.
The show also marks the return of King of the Hill’s long list of still living and highly memorable Arlen residents like the mumble-mouthed Boomhauer, the perpetually pathetic Bill (voiced by Stephen Root), and the conspiracy-embracing Dale, played by Richardson native and show writer Johnny Hardwick before he died during production. The showrunners made the difficult decision to replace Hardwick with fellow cast member Toby Huss, who absolutely killed in King of the Hill’s first run as Hank’s loud, brash, shin-less father, Cotton, and competitive Laotian neighbor and Connie’s father, Khan.
Huss has had a hand in performing on some of my favorite TV comedies and dramas since I was a kid, starting with Nickelodeon’s The Adventures of Pete & Pete as the devoted, cartoonish superhero Artie, the Strongest Man in the World. Huss is one of show business’ smartest and most entertaining performers. His infectious energy and commitment to his craft created brilliant supporting roles on shows like Halt and Catch Fire and Reno 911 that would not have been as successful without his presence.
King of the Hill’s return feels like something we need right now. Our beloved state has earned a bad rap in a world of die-hard politics replacing genuine personalities and widening cultural differences that don’t look like they’ll ever meet in the middle in my lifetime. King of the Hill is a funny and touching reminder of just how similar we are regardless of where we live, who we root for on Sundays, or what brands of beer we consider drinkable in a neighborhood alley.
