King of the Hill, the beloved animated sitcom inspired by co-creator Mike Judge’s time living in Richardson, returns on Aug. 4, more than 15 years since it last aired.
Hulu announced season 14’s premiere with a clip of the opening credits posted on YouTube Friday.
“After years working a propane job in Saudi Arabia to earn their retirement nest egg, Hank and Peggy Hill return to a changed Arlen, Texas to reconnect with old friends Dale, Boomhauer and Bill. Meanwhile, Bobby is living his dream as a chef in Dallas and enjoying his 20s with his former classmates Connie, Joseph and Chane,” a logline in the video’s description reads.
King of the Hill ran on Fox for 13 seasons between 1997 and 2009 before it was canceled.
Judge drew inspiration for Hank’s character from former neighbors in Richardson, he said in a 2022 interview on Howie Mandel’s podcast.
“We had these neighbors and they were just these four dudes who were always out there drinking beers in the alley,” he said.
He went on to describe a time when his neighbors helped him fix a section of his fence after it was knocked down in a storm. “After a while, they’re all pouring concrete and ... I realize that I’m kind of useless here and I went back inside.”
The credit sequence reveal features a time lapse, a nod at the years since viewers last saw the Hill clan.
In the clip, Bobby transforms from a kid to an adult. There also appears to be a brief reference to the pandemic, with some of the characters donning masks and standing spaced apart in one frame.
“A lot has happened in the world since the original run of the show ended,” Judge told Vulture in an article published Friday. “There’s just a lot more for Hank to complain about.”
The reboot’s showrunner, Saladin K. Patterson, hinted that the season would explore the shifting socio-political climate of Arlen and, by extension, America.
“Hank always represented the sensible middle, the old show did a great job handling the extremes and kind of pushing people towards what the common-sense middle was,” Patterson told Vulture. “Well, Hank’s been gone, and while he’s gone, the country’s changed so much that where Hank stood in the middle isn’t really the middle anymore.”
Arlen may be different, but the love fans have for the show seems the same.
“Seeing adult Bobby hug his parents like that got me a little emotional,” one person wrote in the comments for the YouTube video of the credits.
“Why am I crying? I’m 38 years old. This has so much nostalgia i can’t take it, but I love it. I’m beyond happy about this. BEYOND,” another said.
The 10-episode season will also stream on Hulu on Disney+.
