The King of the Hill Revival Copes Admirably With Fashionable Occasions: Evaluate

Early into the season premiere of King of the Hill Season 14, the taciturn and set-in-his-ways Hank Hill (Mike Choose) is confronted with a current phenomenon of the 2020s: The all-gender public toilet. It’s a clumsy second for him, however when he talks to his spouse Peggy (Kathy Najimy) about it later, he’s not indignant — he’s simply frightened a couple of lady strolling in on him whereas he’s doing his enterprise. “That’s the way you get canceled,” he says. It’s an change that does a tidy job of capturing the spirit with which King of the Hill returns: Able to acknowledge the methods during which the world has modified because the unique collection resulted in 2010, however with extra kindness than you may count on.

When a revival of Greg Daniels and Choose’s long-running animated comedy was formally confirmed in January 2023, it was straightforward to think about the lazy jokes that would end result, the satirizing of “woke-ness” that could be anticipated in a time when the pink state vs. blue state battle has solely gotten extra intense. As a substitute, it’s a pleasure to say that King of the Hill has a form coronary heart beating in its chest, and thus it continues to be a candy, character-focused comedy. The present does sort out loads of politically appropriate touchstones, however the focus stays on the Hills and their mates, simply doing their greatest to get by in difficult occasions.

Whereas there have been no laborious date stamps on the unique King of the Hill episodes, the primary 13 seasons did exist largely in a Simpsons-esque bubble the place time didn’t move a lot — Bobby could have been 11 when the collection started and 13 when it ended. Quite than preserve the Hills in that bubble, the brand new present jumps ahead by eight years within the characters’ private chronology.

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For those who have been to do some math primarily based on when Season 13 completed airing (2010), that might theoretically set the present in 2018. However we’re undoubtedly in a post-pandemic 2020s period when Hank and Peggy return to Arlen after dwelling overseas for years. It’s a intelligent method so as to add some fish-out-of-water pressure to the collection, as they address the adjustments that even their small Texas city has skilled.

Whereas their home stays the identical (due to their neighbor Brian, voiced by the all the time welcome Keith David) and the again alley stays a sizzling spot for ingesting beer together with your buds, the established order has been altered in a single dramatic method: Bobby (Pamela Adlon) is now 21 years outdated and working his personal Japanese-German fusion restaurant in Dallas. Whereas turning into a enterprise proprietor has helped Bobby develop up rather a lot, he’s nonetheless fairly younger in different methods, and a giant a part of the brand new season is concentrated on him navigating his relationship along with his dad and mom as a quasi-adult. (He’s additionally courting now, and his mild spirit makes his quest for love straightforward to root for.)

Hank’s small cluster of mates have additionally gone via their very own experiences whereas remaining comparatively true to themselves — like, of course conspiracy-loving Dale (voiced by each the lately deceased Johnny Hardwick and Toby Huss) was an anti-masker, and candy shy Invoice (Stephen Root) didn’t deal with the stress of the pandemic effectively. By way of them and others, the present does an admirable job of each reflecting as we speak’s vibe whereas additionally protecting the give attention to the humanity of those characters. Even a vegan character launched halfway via the season isn’t outlined solely by her weight loss plan and different viewpoints — she will get a full backstory and actual dimension by the tip.

King of the Hill (Hulu)

The animation model stays clear and easy, precisely the way you keep in mind it, whereas the jokes nonetheless pop and the tales nonetheless ship some surprising twists. (The decision to an episode the place Peggy opens up a free lending library is wry, ironic, and hilarious.) And each Hardwick and the late Jonathan Joss are memorialized correctly by the present, after delivering performances that solely spotlight how a lot they’ll be missed.

One of the best facet of those 10 episodes is that they do lean laborious into the way in which society has advanced, even whereas Hank’s core values haven’t — seeing the way in which his dedication to these core values run up in opposition to ideas like “males’s rights” is the place a number of the present’s greatest jokes and most attention-grabbing pressure comes from.

Later within the season premiere, Hank and Peggy run throughout some Woman Scouts promoting cookies, and Hank asks in the event that they’ve received any Samoas. One of many women informs him that these cookies at the moment are known as Caramel Delites, to be extra delicate to folks from Samoa. “That’s a great change,” Hank says earlier than shopping for a field. “It’s good to be good,” the Woman Scout agrees. Phrases that really feel particularly good to listen to proper now from anybody, however particularly from a present like this.

King of the Hill Season 14 premieres August 4th on Hulu. Take a look at the trailer beneath.