TV Review: 'King of The Hill' Season 14 Is An Outstanding Revival
We have reached it: the pinnacle of television revivals. After watching the entirety of King of the Hill several years ago, in a pre-pandemic world, the one thing I constantly thought about was how this was the show that deserved a continuation. It is filled with characters that evolve, listen, and interact with one another in ways that feel eerily reminiscent of an America that no longer exists. The fourteenth season of King of the Hill has exceeded any expectations I’ve had for scripted animated television, and it is exactly what I would have hoped it would be - a funny and endearing look at characters that have returned to a world that they no longer recognize and are learning how to tolerate.
The world has undergone significant changes in the last fifteen years. Hank and Peggy Hill haven’t. After eight years away from their beloved Arlen, Texas, the Hills have returned to retire after a lengthy stay working for a propane company in Saudi Arabia (a name that Peggy still cannot seem to pronounce correctly, although she tries). Smartphones and technology now run rampant, a pandemic happened, attention spans are at an all-time low, and beer now has notes of fruit in it. The Hills’ son - Bobby - is now the head chef at a Japanese-German-American fusion restaurant. The small town charm that made up Arlen has now turned into a handful of big-name chain stores (excluding, of course, MegaLoMart). What is the King to do? Sleep his life away like some “nepo baby”?
The charm of King of the Hill is watching Hank Hill - a moderate Republican, a phrase that feels extremely uncommon in this day and age - learn tolerance and respect while never belittling someone for feeling that way. The show never makes any explicit mention of the current President, and it works to its advantage. If it did, I feel like the show would no longer remain timeless - it’s different than a satirical week-to-week show like South Park. Even with Dale still his old conspiracy-theory-laden self, he’s not a Trumper, and I commend the show for not making that choice. While the show is a commentary on today’s day and age, it’s nice to see that it doesn’t use too many modern-day references to literally reflect life. The show is still about Hank loving the taste of beer and the Dallas Cowboys, but in a world that has changed around him, while metaphorically addressing today’s pressing issues. The closest we get to the literal world is when Hank’s teenage half-brother wants to attend a male-only retreat hosted by a man that looks eerily similar to Andrew Tate, wheere men are conditioned to believe that women are the cause of all their problems. Hank immediately know this is bullshit, and it is one of the best episodes of the series.
Hank’s character has always had different views than the more liberal side of the aisle, but he never belittled anybody for the way they thought. It’s a trait missing in the world, a world that we no longer exist in. For ten episodes, it was lovely to forget the problems of the outside world and see that the biggest issues to hit the Hill family were Bobby’s use of charcoal over propane in the episode, or Hank needing to hide his newfound love of soccer from his friends and family. Creator Mike Judge has made timeless characters, and ones that I hope we get to keep revisiting for many years to come.
Even if the show is set to continue, things will never be the same: two episodes were dedicated to Johnny Hardwick (the voice of Dale Gribble) and Jonathan Joss (the voice of John Redcorn) both of whom tragically passed before the show was finished and published. There is a comforting element to these shows though - even when these actors pass on, their characters remain immortal, able to be played by us for decades to come. The world will change, but King of the Hill will stay the same.
Yep.
All seasons of King of the Hill are now streaming on Hulu.
