8 Things We Want To See In Hulu’s The King Of The Hill Revival

King of the Hill has been confirmed for a revival on Hulu, and it would be remiss not to include several key details fans will expect. The Fox animated sitcom was a beloved classic, created by Mike Judge of Beavis and Butthead fame. The series is known for its down-to-earth comedy and more grounded family dynamics compared to the high-strung antics of similar Fox shows like The Simpsons or Family Guy. After a 13-season run, the series was abruptly canceled in 2010 to make way for Seth McFarlane’s ill-fated The Cleveland Show, which took King of the Hill‘s time slot.

Now, over ten years later, Mike Judge has confirmed a revival on Hulu, with most of the original cast returning. Sadly, the tragic passing of Johnny Hardwick, Brittany Murphy, and Tom Petty over the course of the show’s hiatus means that fan-favorite characters like Dale, Luanne, and Lucky are unlikely to return, as recasting them would be disrespectful to the legacy of their actors. Still, the return King of the Hill has some great potential, the misadventures of the Hill family over one decade later being rife with possibility.

8 Older Bobby Keeps His Personality

Just Because He Ages Doesn’t Mean He Needs To Mature

King of the Hill‘s revival will take place 15 years later, as confirmed by Mike Judge. The opportunity to age up the characters along with their voice actors is too good to pass up. Bobby, Connie and Joseph will be the most obviously affected, and should replace Luanne as the young adults the show can focus on. Imagining where the kids of Arlen’s idyllic suburban neighborhood wound up is an exciting exercise with a lot of promising potential for laughs, especially where Bobby is concerned.

It would be a shame if Bobby lost his flamboyant personality over the years, explained away as a relic of his childhood. Part of the character’s appeal was how unapologetically true to himself he remained, resisting pressure to conform from his peers and parents. Bobby’s life as a young adult could see him pursuing his career in stand-up comedy, oozing with potential storylines regarding his act, successes, failures, and continued pressure from his parents to grow up even 15 years later.

7 Hank And Peggy Raising Gracie and G.H.

The Perfect Replacements For The Show’s Kids Are Already There

With Bobby, Connie, and Joseph having aged into adulthood, King of the Hill‘s core cast of characters will be missing a teenaged element. Luckily, Gracie and G.H. could step in to fulfill Bobby’s role as the Hill’s child, paying off the struggle of Peggy and Hank’s inability to have another kid due to Hank’s narrow urethra. With Luanne and Lucky’s voice actors having passed away, their absence will need to be explained, leaving a teenage Gracie out of a home. With the death of Cotton and the reluctance of his widow, Didi, to be a mother, it’s not out of the question for G.H. to wind up in the Hill household, either.

Gracie and G.H. could be a great way to keep the spirit of their parent’s influence alive in the revival, while hitting Hank and Peggy with parenting curveballs Bobby didn’t prepare them for. Peggy could struggle to raise a girl in the wake of her own difficult relationship with her mother, and G.H. could throw Hank off by being the athletic son he always wanted with the baggage of Cotton’s aggressive tendencies. The drama could be all the riper if the pair only began living with the Hills as teenagers, presenting another wall for Peggy and Hank to climb over in order to bond with them.

6 Joseph’s Parentage Is Kept A Secret

This Running Gag Is Too Good To Give Up

One of the best recurring jokes of King of the Hill was Joseph’s illegitimate birth, his biologoical father, John Redcorn, conceiving him with Nancy Gribble out of wedlock. The joke worked so well because of how obvious Joseph’s true parentage was to everyone but his father, normally obsessively paranoid about everything else, and Joseph himself. In the end, if Joseph does appear in the revival, he should remain in the dark about his true lineage, as the dissolution of the running gag would be too disappointing to bear.

5 Hank Becomes The Manager Of Strickland Propane

His Hard Work Needs To Pay Off

Part of Hank Hill’s job is his undying love for propane and propane accessories, and the pride he takes in a rather mundane job as an Assistant Manager at Strickland Propane. The revival would do well to have Hank finally take his rightful place as manager, Buck Strickland’s incarceration or otherwise absence as explained by his shady after-hours activities being a great explanation. It would be interesting to see Hank actually struggle with the role, questioning what he wanted for so long as the duty of management gets in the way of him and his “Sweet Lady Propane”.

4 Hank Hill’s Political Preference Will Need To Be Addressed

Mike Judge Has Never Been Afraid To Jump Into Hank’s Politics

The King of the Hill revival has been described by Mike Judge as “having a slightly more modern sensibility“, bringing the Hill family rocketing into the future. Speculation on Hank Hill’s potential political preference has been a point of discussion among fans. While the Hills have always been conservative Texans, it’s hard to paint Hank Hill as a MAGA Republican, having second thoughts about voting for George W. Bush in one episode simply due to his weak handshake. His distaste for all things New York would also likely influence his thoughts about modern Republican frontrunner and former U.S. President, Donald Trump, a New York native.

Either way, Hank Hill’s voting history will be an elephant in the room Mike Judge will have no choice but to discuss in the series revival. Modern sensibilities or not, there’s a fine balance to strike between adapting Hank Hill’s political leanings to be Hulu-friendly while still staying true to his character. It could be interesting to see episodes centering around Hank himself not being sure where his values lie in the modern day.

3 The Return Of Junichiro

Hank Hill’s First Half-Brother Deserved More Screen Time

Lauded as one of the best episodes of King of the Hill, the two-part special Returning Japanese has Hank meet his long-lost half-brother, Junichiro, for the first time. The culture shock and tension between the two half-brothers over their less-than-ideal father blossomed into a friendly relationship, one that the original series didn’t treat audiences to enough time with. Junichiro only returned as a background cameo in another single episode, appearing at Luanne and Lucky’s wedding. His willingness to travel overseas for the event implies some degree of familial bond that could be explored more.

2 Boomhauer’s Double Life As A Texas Ranger Is Explored

Boomhauer’s True Profession Is Rife With Comedic Potential

One of Hank’s closest friends, Boomhauer was character who’s distinctive, barely-intelligible drawl and native charisma made him a fan-favorite. The secrecy surrounding his occupation was a long-running gag maintained throughout the series, until the final episode revealed a Texas Ranger badge alluding to his true career. Now that the cat is out of the bag, the premise of one of Hank’s closest friends secretly being a high-ranking special agent is too good not to expand upon, as Boomhauer’s dramatic law-enforcement job could feature some incredible B-stories.

1 Cotton Comes Back From The Grave

The Hill Patriarch Could Be Revived Alongside The Show Itself

In one of the most stunning turns of events across the entire series, Hank’s antagonistic father dies due to injuries sustained in a freak accident at a Japanese Steakhouse. Cruel to the bitter end, Cotton’s last words to Peggy disparaged his son. It’s possible that these weren’t his last words after all, however, as Cotton could still be alive, according to one theory. As strange as it may sound, Cotton has canonically faked his death before, even learning how to slow his heart rate down during his time in World War 2.

After15 years, Cotton Hill would be in his late 80s as of the series’ revival. The chance for Hank to see his father one last time and get some actual closure on their terrible relationship would be a great opportunity for the new show to take. Though the faking of Cotton’s death would be the single most outlandish storyline King of the Hill had ever entertained, there’s no denying that bringing Hank’s Father back would be a fantastic payoff to a years-old setup.