King of the Hill

It's like the show never left. Smart, warm, and ambling along at the same easy pace that made it a favorite in the first place, one of the greatest sitcoms of the last 25 years has returned in triumph.

The writing is evocative and intelligent, and season 14 delivers more laughs-per-episode than most current comedies.

The best aspect of these 10 episodes is that they do lean hard into the way society has evolved, even while Hank’s core values haven’t — seeing the way his dedication to those core values run up against concepts like “men’s rights” is where some of the show’s best jokes and most interesting tension comes from.

There is little in it that couldn’t be handled as live-action situation comedy; indeed, for long stretches you can close your eyes and let it play in your head like an old-time radio show — “Ozzie and Harriet,” or “Vic and Sade” for the deep cut — which testifies to the quality of the writing and the performances.

By the end, Hank finds himself confronted by the manosphere, confused and appalled that such farcical aggro-masculinity could ever exist at all. It’s King of the Hill as we’ve always known it, a balance of absurdity and emotional realism that feels timeless and perfectly timed. A big part of what makes it all work is the mostly seamless return of the original voice cast.

King of the Hill is the rare TV revival where it never feels like it's playing it too safely or, on the opposite end, trying to be edgier than its predecessor. If you liked the show during its original run, you'll undoubtedly enjoy these 10 new episodes.

Judge, Daniels, and Patterson craft strong episodic arcs that build to a subtly stronger whole, which you may not even notice amid all the chuckling.

Shows like this live or die not on whether we loved their characters back in the day but if we love the people they’ve become now. By that metric, King Of The Hill is a rousing success. The show isn’t perfect. But that boy? He’s just right.

Hulu’s King of the Hill revival brings back the comfortingly low-key vibe of the original, along with a few smart updates.

That Hank is confused, not horrified, immediately allows our shoulders to drop a bit. Even if America’s moral and psychological center has shifted closer to their neighbor Dale Gribble’s paranoia flood zone, Hank and Peggy’s hasn’t. .... These new episodes navigate politically charged topics without delving into the “King of the Hill” confronts progressive and right-wing stereotypes with care and equanimity. Achieving this in a cultural environment as riven as ours would seem to be more difficult, yet none of the humor feels strained.

Most sitcom revivals feel stale and unnecessary, but King of the Hill season 14 is the rare reboot that lives up to the original series, justifies its existence, and feels exciting and new.

The old rhythms return almost immediately, for the Hills and for viewers. Often, King of the Hill drifts toward the neat and the saccharin. It’s not a show that will ever hold back on the hugging and learning. But that feels entirely deliberate; at the moment, a show prioritising modesty, tolerance and gentle revelation feels more welcome than ever.

The result is a satisfying 10-episode 14th season that marks a solid and seamless introduction for Saladin Patterson as showrunner.

Crucially the show is still funny, with new showrunner Saladin K Patterson embracing Judge’s willingness to press all sorts of buttons.

Fifteen years after we last saw the Hills, King Of The Hill basically picks up where it left off by doing what it does best: Telling funny and warm stories about the Hills and the people in Arlen.

The revived “King of the Hill,” I’m relieved to report, does [work]. .... If I have a complaint about the revival, it’s the animation. The show used to look hand-drawn, though I know it wasn’t for the duration of the show’s original run. But the enhanced digital animation of the new series has a slickness that renders it undistinguishable from other animated shows. That’s too bad, but not a reason not to tune in.

[The first episode is] low-hanging fruit, and like all low-hanging fruit, it’s serviceable but not really satisfying. It’s more of a way to catch Hank and the audience up and bring everything into the present. Then the real fun can begin.

From Hank & Bobby getting into a home-brewing contest to Hank trying to hide from his guys that he’s now a soccer fan, the plotting in this season of “King of the Hill” is richly, consistently funny.

That remains true in the revival, which is funny and clever in the way the first episode’s script, by Daniels, Judge and new showrunner Saladin K. Patterson, updates viewers on the characters and what they’ve been up to.

Fourteen seasons in, King of the Hill hasn’t reinvented itself so much as it’s settled deeper into its own skin. .... That these characters can change without losing their essence might be the show’s subtlest magic trick.

Even once the overburdened first episode gets the characters sorted out, it may take the audience a little while to downshift back into the show’s observational rhythms. There are countless contemporary reference points good for some laughs.

Line by line, the laughs are still there. .... The show still deeply understands Hank’s voice and character, particularly how retirement fits uncomfortably on a man who always defined himself by productivity. .... [Bobby's] and his parents’ stories often run in parallel, sapping the intergenerational dynamic of the original series.