Summary
The newKing of the Hillepisodes will bring some changes for the modern era, but many similarities remain. The show, which premiered in 1997, came to an end in 2010 after over a decade of success. AKing of the Hillrevivalis currently in production and is expected to take place nine years after the show ended. At theD23Hulu Animayhem panel, whereScreen Rantwas in attendance, creator Mike Judge spoke about the changes.
While Judge did not share too many details about the upcoming episodes, he did share some insights. He views the revival as an opportunity to reunite with old friends among the cast and crew. He also emphasized the idea of maintaining the image of the show and ensuring that it retains its grounded characters. After so long away, thecharacters will be olderbut fundamentally unchanged. Check out the video and quote below:
We’re working on it right now, and it feels great…We have the original cast back, and a couple of them are here for Futurama, actually. No, it’s great. King of the Hill, when we were first doing it, we were coming up with taglines. It was like “Andy Griffith is back, and he’s pissed off”. We didn’t use that. There’s a little bit of, like, “Hank’s back, and he’s pissed off again”.
Because we talked about it being grounded and everyday middle Americans, I think there’s something to be said about that. I won’t get too into how we’re doing it, but it’s going to be… We’ve been gone for a long time, and we’re back. Maybe a little older. It’s all about revenge, that’s what I’m saying.
King Of The Hill Will Not Fundamentally Change
The Characters Will Remain The Same At Their Core
Any revival represents a rare opportunity for an animated show to completely reinvent itself. Yet, while the opportunity exists, Judge is not interested in a complete change. Instead, the show will have the same grounded tone and will instead focus squarely on character development. With Bobby having aged from 12 years old to 21, it will have a focus on his new life. Having left the fictional town of Arlen,Bobby is now living in Dallas as a chefand is beginning to have adventures of his own.
There will be more changes, as well. Much ofKing of the Hill’s castis returning, though there are a few members who tragically passed before having the chance to reappear. Johnny Hardwick (Dale Gribble), Brittany Murphy (Luanne Platter), and Tom Petty (Lucky) all died before the revival could be produced, and the show will likely need to address those losses in its early episodes. Many details about the story and its characters remain mysterious, including how the show will acknowledge those losses. It may rely on recasting or cutting those characters entirely.
Despite these differences,the core of the show should remain fundamentally unchanged. With Judge’s interest in retaining the middle American atmosphere, the characters will likely continue to be grounded in the lives of regular, everyday people living through absurd situations. The sitcom humor will remain, and many characters will be returning. Judge’s Hank Hill, Kathy Najimy’s Peggy, Pamela Adlon’s Bobby, Stephen Root’s Bill, and Lauren Tom’s Connie have all been confirmed as returning cast members. With so many reprised roles,King of the Hillshould remain a recognizable show.
King of the Hill
Cast
King of the Hill is an animated series centered around Hank Hill, a propane salesman in Texas. The show explores Hank’s life with his confident wife Peggy, son Bobby, and niece Luanne, as they navigate challenges to Hank’s conservative values involving family and his beer-drinking neighbors.
