Despite initially being announced in 2022, the King of the Hill revival went without any update at D23.
When it debuted in 1997, King of the Hill, created by Beavis and Butthead’s Mike Judge and producer Greg Daniels, seemed like a balm for those who thought Fox’s other animated comedy, The Simpsons, was too zany and over-the-top.
Hank Hill, the series' star and the Hill Family patriarch, was presented as a simple, grounded Texan man. He loved grilling, his family, and taking care of his lawn, in addition to spending time with his decidedly less simple pals. Hulu will revive King of the Hill, but when might it be released?
What’s Going on With The King of the Hill Revival?
In 2023, Hulu announced it had picked up the in-development King of the Hill reboot. Since then, apart from the odd cast member interview, it has been mostly radio silence on the new season.
To make matters more complex, during the Hulu Animayhem panel at the recent D23 Expo held by Disney, updates on when the King of the Hill revival may release were nowhere to be found, even though executive producer Mike Judge was one of four animation heads on stage and a release announcement was made about The Simpsons (its 35th season will launch on Disney+ on October 2).
The only bit of info about the show came from Daniels all-but confirming that the reboot will feature aged-up versions of all the main characters, stating: "They've been gone for a long time and they're back... maybe a little bit older."
This omission of the release window could indicate that the new episodes King of the Hill may be quite a ways off from premiering, although this is unconfirmed. Hulu’s King of the Hill does not have an exact release date or specific release window.
However, Daniels spoke to TVLine in November 2023 on the fact that the cast and crew were well underway on production of the new installments.
"We had table-read two episodes, and it was a lot of fun and everybody was very excited, and then we all went on strike."
What’s more, the executive producer dropped an approximate release window of “the beginning of 2025.” Whether or not the series sticks to that estimate remains to be seen.
What Will the New King of the Hill Be Like?
It’s been confirmed that the new season of King of the Hill will jump forward nine years after the original run’s finale (the time jump was confirmed by Bill Dauterive actor Stephen Root to Screen Rant in 2023). Bobby Hill will be portrayed as a 21-year-old adult, and the rest of the cast will have aged up with him.
This time jump will undoubtedly open up countless story possibilities. Culture has also changed significantly since King of the Hill concluded, creating fertile ground for Hank to find himself at odds with new annoyances.
Sadly, multiple King of the Hill cast members have passed away in the interim between the show’s 2009 cancelation by Fox and the upcoming Hulu reboot.
This includes Brittany Murphy, who tragically lost her life months after King of the Hill ended. Murphy voiced the sweet-natured but dimwitted Luanne Platter on all 13 seasons of the show.
Also dearly departed is musician Tom Petty, who lent his vocal cords to well-meaning yokel Lucky Kleinschmidt, who recurred throughout the show. Lucky and Luanne were an item, and they eventually married and had a baby girl in the final season.
If push came to shove, King of the Hill could be made without Luanne and Lucky (although longtime fans would miss them). However, another cast member’s death will be far more complicated.
Johnny Hardwick, who played Hank’s buddy Dale Gribble, conspiracy theorist and exterminator extraordinaire, passed in August 2023. Dale was a staple of King of the Hill, making it difficult to imagine the show without him.
Hardwick reportedly recorded several episodes of the reboot before his death (via TVLine).
In an age of television revivals that often experience hit-or-miss receptions, the new King of the Hill is a gamble. Many would agree that the reboot needs to respect the original series while also forging a new, updated path—a tall order.
The original 13 seasons of King of the Hill are streaming on Hulu.
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