King of the Hill Season 14 Review: A Return Fit for a King

“Promise me you won’t leave again, Hank.”

“Not unless we can bring Texas with us.”

Pop culture has entered a toxic feedback loop of nostalgia that prioritizes the comforts of the past over the unknown present. What once was novel has now become inevitable. It’s rare for these revivals and sequel series to feel necessary and not just a response to a corporate-driven mandate to prioritize existing IP that can elicit powerful feelings of nostalgic warmth.

The revival of cancelled cult classics like Clone High and Heroes should have yielded groundbreaking returns but instead it’s easy to forget that they even existed. Revivals have become disposable endorphin boosters that feel increasingly soulless. That being said, for every Murphy Brown and The X-Files there’s a Twin Peaks: The Return and a Samurai Jack. King of the Hill’s revival isn’t the result of some streaming groundswell like Suits or a passionate social media campaign. It’s just the sweet return of some beloved characters who haven’t been seen in a very long time.

King of the Hill was always a series that kept its head down and quietly knocked it out of the park for over 250 episodes. This revival is no exception and “season 14” feels incredibly natural and tops the likes of Hulu’s other resurrected Fox animated series Futurama. This is a glorious return to form that doesn’t miss a beat right from the first episode’s opening moments. It’s exactly what long-time fans are looking for, while still completely accessible to new audiences that have been curious to finally check out this pillar of animated comedy. King of the Hill is truly just a warm hug that’s the perfect comfort watch, yet also a brilliant piece of satirical comedy that lampoons modern topics with laser precision.

This King of the Hill strives to recapture the original series’ energy and brings back some of the most instrumental figures who were responsible for its creative development. Joining legacy producers like Mike Judge, Greg Daniels, and Norm Hiscock is Saladin K. Patterson (Frasier, Psych, The Wonder Years revival) as the season’s showrunner. Patterson is the perfect creative lead for King of the Hill and someone who also carries the series’ reverence towards sitcom staples, honest slice-of-life storytelling, and character-driven comedy.

These new episodes, rather than just comfortably rest on the laurels of King of the Hill’s first 13 seasons, turn the clock forward eight years. This in itself is the sort of daring-yet-authentic decision that only King of the Hill would make. It reinforces the idea that these are real people — even if they’re not — and that they might be animated, but they’re not cartoons. King of the Hill’s 14th season gets so much mileage out of reconnecting with these characters, but also through all the ways in which they’ve changed. It’s a major reason why this “re-quel” works so well and isn’t just more of the same.

There’s genuinely fresh material to explore with the entire cast by moving their lives forward nearly a decade, in addition to the many ways in which the world has also changed over the past 15 years. The latter is already more than enough to inspire King of the Hill’s creative engine in exciting ways. The developments in every characters’ lives are absolutely perfect and will satisfy King of the Hill fans, while still coming across as playfully surprising. There’s such authentic love, passion, and understanding of the original King of the Hill that makes these new episodes excel. King of the Hill is still impossibly itself and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

To this point, King of the Hill proudly tells realistic sitcom stories that take advantage of a 21-year-old Bobby. The new season touches upon material that would have been impossible to explore back when he was 13. It’s like he’s the audience’s child who is now grown up and living his best life. It’s also just creatively satisfying to see Bobby and Hank clash over hobbies, albeit in a completely new context and with an original dynamic.

There’s equally earnest material with Hank and Peggy, who find themselves struggling with retired life and who they are outside of work. It’s real, raw storytelling that’s willing to dig deeper into Hank than what the original series often allowed, yet in a way that still feels authentic. Hank’s inability to understand the human element of contemporary services like rideshare programs and Taskrabbit is entertaining. However, King of the Hill doesn’t forget that Peggy is really the show’s secret weapon. Her shoddy Arabic being analogous to her obliviously lackluster Spanish is such a simple, yet beautiful joke that perfectly understands the nature of her glorious ignorance. 

King of the Hill evenly balances its stories between the younger generation of characters – Bobby, Connie, Joseph, and Chane – and the older crew, with many of their exploits meeting in the middle. There are many little moments where Hank laments society’s modern creature comforts, which were always King of the Hill’s comedic bread and butter. King of the Hill skirts the edge of being a little too gratuitous on this front, but reins it in when it counts and wisely picks its battles with the material that it more deeply focuses on and deconstructs.

Hank and Peggy’s concerns over America’s wellbeing and if it’s changed beyond repair gains an extra powerful metatextual component as the audience experiences the same plight and yearns for Hank’s optimism. If nothing else, it’s so comforting to know that King of the Hill is still here – funnier than ever – to help heal the world and keep morale high. It’s particularly beautiful how a temporary moment of weakness for Hank and Peggy is soon overcome by their overwhelming love and support for their country. It’s truly heartwarming without ever coming across as saccharine. There’s a sense of joy, community, and understanding at the end of each episode – just like in the original – that’s now needed more than ever.

King of the Hill’s supporting players were always some of the comedy’s most popular characters. They’re in fine form here, although some are much more interesting than others. Bill’s current life is played for laughs, which is nothing new, but it’s actually kind of heartbreaking and even mean-spirited for the show. Khan’s energy also lacks a certain spark. Curiously, Boomhauer gains some rewarding depth and it’s so much fun to see Dale’s conspiracy theories and extreme points of views no longer considered to be the minority. They’re not even the wildest ideas in the room anymore. Johnny Hardwick’s passing was tragic, but Dale is such an important part of King of the Hill that it’s appreciated that the character isn’t just retired (which seems to be the case for Brittany Murphy’s Luanne and Tom Petty’s Lucky. Notably John Redcorn returns as well following actor Jonathan Joss’ death in June). That being said, Toby Huss’ Dale is rough at first and sounds really unnatural. Huss gradually finds his rhythm with the voice when it stops trying so hard to be something else. Huss seems so focused on emulating Hardwick in early episodes that it leads to a stilted performance that has no room for emotions.

A 10-episode season of King of the Hill may feel like a tease, but it doesn’t waste a single entry, all of which cover diverse territory and characters. There’s really just one “off” episode that doesn’t stick its landing, which largely stems from pushing a particular character to places that go a little too far. However, these missteps are in line with the series and indicative of some of the weaker episodes that came out during King of the Hill’s 12th and 13th seasons. It’s understandable that a series can’t be perfect — although it stands out more in a season of 10 episodes, versus 22 — but this doesn’t feel like a noticeable decline from King of the Hill’s original run. This is far from a situation where the new writers can’t capture the characters’ voices or fail to understand King of the Hill’s tone. Any concessions are natural misfires that could have happened during King of the Hill’s FOX run.

Season 14 of King of the Hill is proof that not all sequels, reboots, and revivals are inherently hollow. These 10 episodes deliver in every way possible, while also seamlessly threading the needle to craft a series that’s nostalgic, yet modern. Just as the Hills were an iconic TV family during the ‘90s and 2000s, they’re poised to be just as relevant and treasured during the 2020s.

Hulu continues to curate an impressive animated comedy line-up and King of the Hill’s biting satire and social commentary highlight how meticulous characters and sharp writing are more important than any wild premise or heightened reality. In a sea of TV revivals and remakes, King of the Hill sets a new gold standard on how to do things correctly. King of the Hill isn’t just sizzle; it’s all steak, I’ll tell you what.

All 10 episodes of King of the Hill season 14 stream on Hulu on August 4.