Earlier than the legacy revival of “King of the Hill” hit the Hulu streaming waves, the hit animated sitcom from Mike Decide and Greg Daniels had been off the air for 15 years. Regardless of ending in the course of the early years of the Obama administration, the collection’ themes really feel strikingly related even as we speak. “King of the Hill” took a satirical but heartfelt take a look at American life by way of the lens of the Hill household; patriarch Hank Hill (voiced by Decide), a propane salesman with robust ideas, lives along with his multi-talented spouse Peggy (Kathy Najimy), who works in its place instructor (amongst many different issues), their eccentric and delicate son Bobby (Pamela Adlon), their naïve niece Luanne (the late Brittany Murphy), and the remainder of the denizens of the fictional Texas city of Arlen.
Typically written off as simply one other present poking enjoyable at Southern stereotypes, “King of the Hill” is far deeper than it seems. It delivers sharp social commentary on points starting from generational divides and shifting class buildings following post-Reagan conservatism, progressive idealism, unquestioned nationalism, and systemic inequality — lengthy earlier than these conversations turned mainstream. Not like “The Simpsons” or “Household Man,” which took a extra cartoonish method to their storytelling, “King of the Hill” is grounded in on a regular basis realism. At its core, the present is about Hank’s inside battle: the strain between his conventional beliefs and the altering actuality round him. He should grapple with the concept actual contentment may solely come if he is keen to let go of what he thought America needs to be. His neighbors and buddies are caught in comparable struggles, clinging to their very own variations of the American Dream, with a lot of them unwilling or unable to adapt to a shifting cultural panorama.
With the present returning throughout a time when actuality feels past satire and animated political commentary earns you a scolding from the White Home (as we solely simply noticed with the “South Park” season 27 premiere), can a collection centered on a lovable conservative exist within the present cultural local weather? Luckily, the reply is a powerful, “Ho, yeah!”
Hank Hill has at all times been a Trojan Horse for bettering oneself
Hank Hill is usually incorrectly cited as a “fictional character who would have voted for Trump” (he would by no means vote for a New Yorker, you clowns), as a result of “King of the Hill” is arguably one of the vital misunderstood exhibits in historical past. Hank may come off as headstrong and overly certain of himself, however beneath that robust exterior, retaining his feelings trapped inside like a vault, he is at all times re-evaluating what he thinks he is aware of. He is an outdated hound like Ladybird (RIP queen) who can decide up new tips, even when he swears he is seen all of it.
Blue denims, back-alley beers, and a wholesome respect for propane meant Hank Hill spoke to the great ol’ boys in a language they understood, permitting the collection to be a Trojan Horse for progressive messaging. They noticed themselves in his stiff-upper-lip patriotism and his readiness to “kick ass” when the state of affairs referred to as for it (and generally when it did not), and so they caught round for the peerlessly grilled medium-rare steaks however ended up getting one thing deeper: a present that skewered each nook of American life and quietly urged that being a “actual man” may imply outgrowing the clichés.
With this nonetheless on the coronary heart of the “King of the Hill” revival, the fears {that a} character like Hank Hill cannot be loved all these years later are utterly unfounded. Certain, there are some clunky moments within the early episodes to assist get the present in control with the cultural shifts which have occurred since we final noticed its characters (Hank saying “nepo child” is cursed, truly), however Hank’s politics resemble nearly all of the Bush-era conservatives who escaped the Fox Information or QAnon brainwashing that occurred in the course of the quarantine period of the pandemic. He may not perceive all-gender bogs, however he has zero persistence for manosphere losers who idolize figures like Andrew Tate (a problem “Adolescence” touched upon to chilling impact earlier this yr). He nonetheless will get somewhat choked up on the thought of attending to roleplay as George W. Bush, however Hank would not have been caught anyplace close to the Capitol on January sixth. Dale Gribble (who Toby Huss is now voicing within the wake of Johnny Hardwick’s passing), nonetheless, that is one other story…
It is Bobby’s time to turn into the person who learns
The unique run of “King of the Hill” used Bobby Hill because the supply of most of Hank and Peggy’s realizations that they wanted to increase their worldviews of a altering society, as he was proof that an individual present in a different way and loving them with your entire coronary heart are usually not mutually unique. The revival nonetheless exhibits Hank and Peggy adapting to our altering world (Peggy’s hatred of neighborhood watch apps like NextDoor is especially refreshing), however somewhat than locking the concentrate on the Hill mother and father, Bobby additionally has some issues to study concerning the world. As a substitute of going to varsity, Bobby pursued his ardour for cooking by changing into the top chef at Robata Chane, a Japanese-German fusion restaurant owned by the Wassanasong household. Though he lives in an condo along with his longtime greatest good friend Joseph Gribble (now voiced by Tai Leclaire), Bobby is somewhat socially stunted in comparison with individuals his personal age.
He has to study concerning the normalization of moral non-monogamy, the existential fears that sink in when you attain the age the place a lot of your folks’ mother and father (who’re the identical age as your mother and father) begin dying, buddies (and enemies) weaponizing remedy language, and whether or not or not a lifelong meat-eater could make it work with a vegan. After all, Bobby is faster to embrace our altering world than his ol’ man is, however watching him understand how a lot he has to find out about life is a refreshing reminder that even progressive-thinking pillars of non-toxic masculinity like Bobby Hill are nonetheless simply human beings making an attempt their greatest. And that is precisely what “King of the Hill” has at all times been making an attempt to evangelise. It is not a pro-conservative present or perhaps a collection that tries to let conservatives off the hook; it is one that wishes to remind us we’re all on a not-always-easy journey making our approach by way of life, and we have all bought one thing to study.
The revival does not reinvent “King of the Hill” — it proves it by no means actually wanted to be reinvented. It simply wanted to rejoin us in 2025.
“King of the Hill” is now streaming on Hulu.
