King Of The Hill’s Return Brings Big Life Changes To Arlen(Photo Credit –YouTube)
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King of the Hill is back, and the propane fumes hit differently in 2025.
After 13 seasons and a 14-year break, the beloved Texas-set animated series returns on August 4, 2025, with ten new episodes on Hulu. And no, this isn’t just a lazy nostalgia grab. Mike Judge and Greg Daniels are bringing back the same weird, warm, stubborn world, aged up and ready to face everything from charcoal grilling to bike lanes.
As per Variety, from Bobby’s chef dreams to Hank’s early retirement crisis, the new season leans into real-time aging and reinvention. This isn’t Arlen stuck in amber. It’s a neighborhood waking up to a new era, one propane tank at a time.
How Bobby Thrived & Hank Floundered in the King of the Hill Revival?
Let’s start with Bobby. Once the quirky tween who danced his way through husky fashion shows, he’s now 21 and running Robata Chane, a German-Japanese fusion restaurant in Dallas. Dallas cued the boos from the Austin crowd, he cooks with charcoal. He has swagger, and apparently, he gets the ladies.
“He always did,” Pamela Adlon said at the ATX Festival. “He was born a fully formed person. He was the Dalai Lama!”
Hank, on the other hand, is struggling. He and Peggy return to Arlen after years at a Saudi Aramco base. And if you thought Hank didn’t handle change well in 2009, try throwing scooters, bike lanes, and uncovered shoulders at him in 2025.
How King of the Hill Balances Goofs, Grief & Growing Up in Its Revival
Dale Gribble conspiracy theorist, bug exterminator, and now former mayor of Arlen. The revival reveals Dale had a brief stint in office, which went about as well as you’d expect. He’s still a nut, but the country has shifted so far right, Dale is now viewed as oddly moderate.
The late Johnny Hardwick recorded half of Season 14 before his passing. Actor Toby Huss takes over with love and reverence. “He laid down a really wonderful goofball character,” Huss said. “I’m not trying to copy Johnny as much as I’m trying to be Johnny.”
Meanwhile, Connie is off studying engineering and exploring her identity. “She is very much more open,” Lauren Tom shared. “It’s racier than I thought Connie would be.”
Bill, left alone during the pandemic, never really left the house. “I think I finished Netflix,” he tells Hank.
The show’s new showrunner, Saladin Patterson, promises respectful nods to the late Brittany Murphy and Tom Petty, whose characters, Luann and Lucky, will be honored in meaningful ways.
“We found opportunities to let them be referenced,” Patterson said. “It felt very respectful.”
What makes this King of the Hill revival special isn’t just the glow-up. It’s how it stays grounded. Funny. Familiar. And willing to evolve one awkward dad sigh at a time.
