Hank Hill is formally again. After 15 years, the long-awaited King of the Hill revival has lastly hit the 2025 TV schedule. The sequence final aired in 2010, and Season 14 jumps ahead in time round 8 years or so, with Hank and Peggy returning to Arlen, Texas, to reconnect with their previous pals after spending years working in Saudi Arabia. A now-grown Bobby, in the meantime, resides his dream as a Dallas chef.
A lot of the unique solid has returned for the revival, together with Mike Decide as Hank, Kathy Najimy as Peggy and Pamela Adlon as Bobby, although some changes needed to be made for these voice actors who’ve since handed away. I’ve to confess I used to be solely an off-the-cuff viewer of Fox’s animated sitcom throughout its unique 13-season run, usually preferring Futurama or The Simpsons, however these evaluations have me pondering I have to revisit this sequence now that I am older and a mum or dad now.
Let’s check out what critics are saying about King of the Hill Season 14 now that it may be streamed with a Hulu subscription.
Critics Love Bobby’s ‘Transferring Improve’ In The Revival
With Bobby going from a comedy-providing middle-schooler to a younger grownup navigating the world, that is the character that arguably sees the most important change, and critics have ideas on each his story and Pam Adlon persevering with to voice the character. Feedback from their evaluations embrace:
- Adlon’s voice stays an identical to the way it was when Bobby was 11, which regularly proves unsettling. – Chris Bennion, The Telegraph
- Bobby, of all folks, will get essentially the most unassumingly shifting improve: As soon as the present’s nasally punching bag, he’s now an earnest, hard-working younger grownup with a raspy, sugar-dipped twang. He’s nonetheless bizarre, however he’s now not simply comedian reduction. – Paul Attard, Slant
- The Hills’ son, Bobby, was as soon as a chubby, geeky misfit. Fortunately, he has been given an improve that feels without delay beneficiant, eccentric and earned. – Phil Harrison, The Guardian
- Pamela Adlon nails Bobby’s candy naïveté as he offers with cultural backlash, work-life stability, and unrequited love. – Ben Sherlock, ScreenRant
- Adlon is now a TV auteur in her personal proper post-“Higher Issues,” however Bobby’s high-pitched rasp — miraculously intact post-puberty — stays a touchstone of many childhoods spent watching reruns. – Alison Herman of Selection
King Of The Hill Revival Stays True To Its Legacy Amid Modified Political Local weather
There’s no arguing how a lot the world has modified within the 15 years since King of the Hill final put out new episodes, so how is the reboot dealing with the sunshine political commentary it’s recognized for? Critics say:
- King of the Hill’s strategy to topicality isn’t loud or moralizing. Hank isn’t all the time proper, and the sequence finds humor and coronary heart in how he learns, nevertheless begrudgingly. That willingness to let him sit together with his discomfort is a part of what makes this revival really feel so true to the present’s legacy. – Paul Attard, Slant
- Mike Decide’s and Greg Daniels’s writing perspective is clear right here: Hank longs for an previous, average America that couldn’t all the time agree, however may a minimum of settle for shared phrases of reference inside which they may argue. – Phil Harrison, The Guardian
- As naive as which will sound in a world the place so many self-evident rights and wrongs are being routinely, dishonestly evaluated and reevaluated, the sequence elevates easy truths in methods which are downright inspirational. – Ben Travers, IndieWire
- I wasn’t certain how this character would play in 2025, since authorities conspiracies have grow to be a way more critical situation in right this moment’s local weather, however Dale and his ridiculous theories are nonetheless simply as hilarious as ever. – Ben Sherlock, ScreenRant
Total, Critics Have Excessive Opinions Of King Of The Hill Season 14’s ‘Recent Perspective’
King of the Hill’s revival season appears to be a success with critics, because it holds an ideal 100% Licensed Recent score on Rotten Tomatoes from 33 evaluations. See how they ranked the brand new episodes and why:
- Chris Bennion of The Telegraph, 4/5 stars: After a lumpy begin, the present – and the Hills – quickly slots properly into the groove, with the timeline bringing contemporary perspective on acquainted characters. Hank’s sense of uselessness in retirement is dealt with superbly, whereas watching Bobby carve out his personal sense of what it’s to be a person is an emotional expertise for seasoned viewers.
- Paul Attard of Slant, 3/4 stars: Fourteen seasons in, King of the Hill hasn’t reinvented itself a lot because it’s settled deeper into its personal pores and skin. It’s nonetheless a present about propane, propane equipment, and the minor humiliations of suburban life. Nevertheless it’s additionally about how folks study with out the necessity of grand gestures, and possibly even develop just a little, one awkward interplay at a time. That these characters can change with out shedding their essence is likely to be the present’s subtlest magic trick.
- Phil Harrison of The Guardian, 4/5 stars: Hank, Peggy and the gang are again in a modified America. It’s nuanced, subtly political, poignant TV – and there’s by no means been a greater time for its concentrate on tolerance.
- Ben Travers of IndieWire, B+: Season 14 isn’t only a revival for the sake of a revival; it’s a reminder that instances change, however values don’t; that compassion, decency, and customary sense nonetheless have a spot in America, as long as we make room for them, and that adhering to these rules yields a significantly better life than clinging to outdated concepts of what America and Individuals are speculated to be.
- Ben Sherlock of ScreenRant, 8/10: Most sitcom revivals really feel stale and pointless, however King of the Hill season 14 is the uncommon reboot that lives as much as the unique sequence, justifies its existence, and feels thrilling and new.
These evaluations may simply be sufficient to show me from an off-the-cuff viewer to a full-blown fanatic. I simply have to cease writing about it first in order that I can concentrate.
All 10 episodes of King of the Hill’s 14th season can be found to stream now on Hulu (she writes as she casually picks up the distant and closes her laptop computer).