When King of the Hill premiered in the late 1990s, it seemed to be a subtle satire of small-town Americana during the era. But while South Park and The Simpsons made episodes to echo the changing world in the aftermath of 9/11, King of the Hill seemed to be stuck.
It didn’t help matters that Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, who had created the show, stepped away to work on Idiocracy and The Office, respectively. The show suffered a lot also from being bounced from block between The Simpsons and The X-Files on Sunday nights to Tuesdays where it failed to get the same viewers. Then Fox moved it back to Sundays, but a whole hour ahead, which meant most shows were being pre-empted by the NFL games.
For reasons that still make no sense, the show was still having its seasons premiere in the Fall and conclude in the Spring while 24 got around this obstacle by starting every season in the winter so there was no off-week. Fox had pretty much given up on the show by shortening the number of episodes. And this led to one of the worst episodes where Peggy’s mother, Maddy, became an awful person for no reason. Maddy was basically a version of Hank’s father, Cotton, who used his disability as an excuse for his sexist, ugly behavior. The continuity changed and the episode seemed like something Disney would’ve done back in the 1970s as Bobby Hill (voiced by Pamela Adlon) puts down the video games and gets into horse-riding. The whole episode is silly and I’d like to think it was a fever dream Hank (voiced by Judge) had.
When the show aired what was supposed to be the series finale in September of 2009, some fans were surprised the show was ending. But if they were like me, they quit watching years earlier. The show had become mean-spirited like Maddy. Hank, himself, had turned into a jerk. I feel Judge probably looked at the scripts wondering what the writers had his creation into as all the personality had gone out and we were left were basically cartoon characters.
With the rise of Trumpism, people began to post blogs, op-eds and videos arguing why Hank wouldn’t support Trump. The show became popular again as the entire series began streaming on Hulu. So, a revival legacy season was inevitable. To be frank, this isn’t their best season, but it’s far from their worst. Neither Daniels nor Judge are the showrunners, yet it’s obvious they had more involvement which is helpful. It keeps the season from having the problems those latter seasons had.
And if you’re wondering how they got past what to do with Luanne Platter (voiced by the late Brittany Murphy) and her boyfriend, Lucky (voiced by the late Tom Petty), the answer is simple – they’re not mentioned. My guess is Lucky and Luanne moved to Montana to be with Luanne’s family there. There is a nod to Petty as his song, “Running Down a Dream” plays on the soundtrack. I can also presume Hank’s furbaby Ladybird crossed Rainbow Bridge.
That’s what brings me to one of my main complaints with this season is its continuity. Bobby is 21, which even if the season is set in 2024 and he’s closer to 22, he was still born in 2002. Hank and Peggy (voiced by Kathy Najimy) are Baby Boomers as Bill Dauterive (voiced by Stephen Root) joined the Army during the Vietnam War era. All the adults from the original series run have aged considerably. Hank was born on April 15, 1953 in New York. He would be in his early 70s, but looks like he’s still in his 60s.
The season takes place in the post Covid-19 era as Dale Gribble (voiced by both Toby Huss and Johnny Hardwick, who passed in 2023) refers to it as the “Pandumbic.” I don’t think Hank and Peggy would’ve stayed married for so long without having a baby, even with his narrow uretha. Bobby should be in his 30s. At 21, he sure acts more mature than his long-time friend, Joseph Gribble (voiced by Tai LeClaire replacing Breckin Meyer) and his business partner, Chane Wassanasong (voiced by Ki Hong Lee this season as Adlon had voiced him in the past).
Also, G.H., for Good Hank (voiced by Finn Wolfhard), who is Hank’s half-brother, is now a teenager around high school age even though he should’ve only be 8-9. Adlon does a great job at making Bobby sound like a mature adult. I don’t know why they didn’t make him, Joseph, Chane and Connie Souphanousinphone (voiced by Lauren Tom) older. The season handles how they deal with being adults in the current world in a great transition that makes of us worry about in our 20s or even early 30s.
I also like that Bobby is quite the ladies’ man as he has a one-night stand while attending a Southern Methodist University Greek party, only to bump into Connie the next morning. Bobby also has a short relationship with a hippie named Willow (voiced by Allegra Edwards) who Hank and Peggy are both skeptical about because she’s a vegan. But Hank likes her when he realizes her father used to work for the Dallas Cowboys and she’s quite athletic. Hank has a great joke about only wanting to eat food that was assigned meat at birth.
The show works best when it focuses on Hank and Peggy having to realize that Bobby is no longer a kid and is growing up. As a kid, he wanted to be a prop comic. But now he works as a chef at his own restaurant. Yet despite this, Hank and Peggy are still skeptical. One of the best episodes is when Hank and Bobby compete against each other in their own beer-brewing competition. For the most part the couple have often lived in their own bubble throughout the years. Hank no longer works for Strickland Propane but found a job in Saudi Arabia working for Aramco.
From what we gather, it was a nice set-up. Hank made good money and they lived in the residential compound which was set up to look like an American community. They seemed to enjoy but what they don’t understand is Saudi Arabia doesn’t have the best record for civil liberties. But since Hank and Peggy seem to have conservative values, they seemed to have enjoyed it. Hank also became fascinated with soccer while working and living overseas. They also made extra “disposable income” as Peggy calls it renting their Arlen, Texas household to Brian Robertson (voiced by Keith David).
The joke is when they return to Texas, things have changed too much, which doesn’t really make sense either. This was the entire first season of Tulsa King, but surely since Hank watched Fox News and CNN during the commercials, he saw how the changes have been made. But I think it works with the bubble they’ve lived in. I find it odd that they didn’t communicate much with Bill, Dale or Boomahuer (also voiced by Judge) that Hank doesn’t know Dale was temporarily mayor.
Yet, at the same time, I find it also understandable. Hank and Peggy have always injected themselves into other people’s business but don’t seem to care when their friends and neighbors need help. They always find some fault. And that’s the narcissism that showed early on. Since the “Pandumbic,” Bill has become a shut-in but he was able to finish Netflix, which is an amusing joke as someone like Bill would consider all the shows and movies on Netflix as an assignment to finish. Yet, Hank doesn’t really seem to want to help Bill either.
I’m wondering if they left Bobby in Arlen so he could graduate or did he finish high school in Saudi Arabia? I can understand Hank and Peggy enjoying living at the compound where it seems they have people catering to them but I doubt they would remain oblivious to changing technology. Hank doesn’t know how rideshares works and he’s unfamiliar with social media. I don’t think he’d be that out of touch.
Granted some of the episodes don’t work as well. One in which Bobby is accused of cultural appropriations because his restaurant blends German and Japanese cuisine seems like it would’ve been on South Park 10-15 years ago. Also, the 10th episode which brings John Redcorn (voiced by the late Jonathan Joss) seeks investors is another episode that seems dated from the 2010s. And how is Hank going to live in Saudi Arabia for any amount of time and not hear about hybrid cars?
One of the better episodes focuses on Hank and G.H. attending one of those man-only retreats that really separates Hank from the current “manosphere” of thinking. I’ve often thought Hank started out in his teens as a conservative Southern Democrat. He would’ve voted for Lyndon B. Johnson if he was old enough. But he also found George W. Bush to have a limp handshake, which upset him because it showed the younger Bush was all for show. Funny, they’re both Yankees as Bush was born in Connecticut.
Hank might still be traditional in his thinking, but he knows that respect and integrity are earned not immediately granted. He might vote Republican but he wouldn’t care for the MAGA crowd nor Trumpism. And rightfully so, the episode titled “No Hank Left Behind” exposes the men at the retreat as hypocrites, creeps and even sexual predators. The men obsessed with Joe Rogan and Andrew Tate as well as their behavior are really nothing more than insecure egotistical cretins.
This might anger some viewers as it’s written by Stephanie M. Johnson and directed by Samantha Arnett. But the entire premise of the show was breaking through the stereotypes of Texas culture.
Hulu has reported the season got a great response from viewers, but a season 15 is in development yet. Even if it was approved this week, it could still take a couple of more years. With the deaths of Hardwick and Joss, who was killed by a neighbor, it might be best to leave things where they’re at. Not to give much away but this season can be viewed as a nice coda to the series.
What do you think? Please comment.
Zane Says 