King of the Hill returns to a TV world revived by tech

After a 15-year hiatus, Mike Judge and Greg Daniels’ animated sitcom ‘King of the Hill’ is returning to Hulu on August 4 with a full 10-episode season, finding its characters navigating a modern Arlen, Texas, that has been fundamentally changed by technology and time.

A different kind of oil boom: The new season kicks off with Hank and Peggy Hill returning from Saudi Arabia after a long-term post with the state oil company, Aramco. They land in a world of delivery drones, the gig economy, and a 21-year-old son, Bobby, who has skipped college to become a chef at a fusion restaurant in Dallas, a path co-creator Mike Judge says was born from Hank’s own work ethic.

Pocket sand in a post-truth world: The show adapts its characters for a more polarized era, with neighborhood conspiracist Dale Gribble now operating in a world awash with QAnon theories and viral disinformation. A review in Variety notes the writers have bent his paranoia into new shapes, making him an “election denier denier”. The return is also marked by real-world loss, as the season was produced following the deaths of voice actors Johnny Hardwick (Dale) and Jonathan Joss (John Redcorn).

An analog hero for a digital age: The show’s core sensibility remains, framing Hank as a man of common sense confronting a world he doesn’t fully understand. Judge mused that automation could create a new appreciation for the Hank Hill type, telling Texas Monthly, “If you’re a paralegal, you’re in trouble. But you need a handyman.”

Also on our radar: The show’s return comes amid a broader trend of sitcom revivals, with even a ‘Scrubs’ reboot being discussed. For creator Mike Judge, it’s not his only classic getting a second life, following the successful return of ‘Beavis and Butt-head.’ Meanwhile, Pamela Adlon, the voice of Bobby Hill, has become a celebrated TV auteur in her own right with her acclaimed series ‘Better Things.’