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King of the Hill Season 14 Review
Image Credit: 20th Television Animation
Loading...Just about every beloved television show of the 1990s and 2000s has gotten a revival, except maybe Seinfeld and Friends, so it’s finally King of the Hill‘s turn. Fortunately, even the most extreme of cynics cannot deny that the return of the astonishing animated series nails the landing for its new season. The King of Arlen, Texas, Hank Hill (Mike Judge), is back, and the show’s fourteenth season surpasses all expectations.
The key to King of the Hill‘s success lies in its authenticity, depicting small-town suburban Texas life, the sneakily hilarious material, and the most of all, in how each episode presents a genuine, heartfelt, and emotional core. The main characters are all flawed in their own way, but they understand that. When they make a mistake, they try to make amends. Hank is a very conservative and stubborn individual. He struggles to show emotions and connect with his son Bobby about his hobbies or interests. But beneath Hank’s stern exterior is a man who loves his family and always tries to do right by them. Hank defines the cliche saying of someone who is the “salt of the earth.” Thankfully, King of the Hill has not lost sight of those ideals in Season 14.
The show ended after its thirteenth season in 2009, and the fifteen-year break after the original series finale serves the revival well. Season 14 uses a time-skip narrative, so things have changed rather than picking up where the original series ended. Hank and Peggy (Kathy Najimy) return to Arlen, newly retired, after spending several years living in Saudi Arabia. Bobby Hill (Pamela Adlon) is now an adult, in his early 20s, living in Dallas and running his own restaurant as the head chef. Although comedy was always one of Bobby’s early passions, he was also passionate about food and cooking. Hank and Peggy struggle to figure out what to do with their lives as empty nesters and are not cut out for retirement. In the Season 14 premiere, Bobby and Peggy bristle about all the new trends and amenities that have taken over Texas since their return from the old-fashioned, isolated company town in Saudi Arabia. Bobby now tries to navigate the modern dating scene and reconnects with his old childhood girlfriend, Connie Souphanousinphone (Lauren Tom). Of course, Dale (Johnny Hardwick/Toby Huss), Boomhauer (Judge), and Bill Dauterive (Stephen Root) are back for more adventures and high jinks for the Rainey Street gang.
The Bobby side of King of the Hill highlights the true genius of the revival. Bobby is now a young adult, and he’s running a business. He still strives for his dad’s love and respect, and even though father and son still do not see eye-to-eye on many things, Hank is not too thick-headed to ignore his son’s talents as a chef. Bobby honors Hank through the hard work ethic his father instilled in him throughout childhood, and the season humorously shows how sometimes, they are more alike than their appearances suggest. Bobby’s dating life demonstrates an honest reflection of the process, examining casual hook-ups, social media anxiety, and ethical non-monogamous relationships. In fact, after reconnecting with Connie, Bobby learns she shares an ENM relationship with Bobby’s business partner, Chane Wassanasong (Ki Hong Lee).
King of the Hill deals with these topics in an organic fashion that works naturally with the characters, in the same manner as it depicts Hank trying to grasp parent social media influencers, chore apps, and ride-sharing apps. The themes and topics are modern and current, but they gel with the main characters’ genuine charm. Season 14 plays like a natural extension of the original series. Executive producers and co-creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels do not lose the heart and emotional core of the original series. From a writing standpoint, the changes in Season 14 make logical sense. Characters, such as Bobby, were allowed to naturally age and evolve, which is refreshing. Now, Bobby is an adult, and he must figure out solutions to problems on his own, and the character has become his own man. It’s heartwarming to see Bobby come to grips with his feelings for Connie, and it’s totally relatable when he attempts to buy a car without help. Few things are more relatable than the soul-sucking process of buying a new car, but King of the Hill Season 14 exceptionally explores the adulting phase of Bobby’s life.
The most jarring changes in Season 14 come from factors outside the production’s control. Sadly, the longtime voice of Dale Gribble and a recurring writer on the original series, Johnny Hardwick, passed away two years ago, soon after he recorded some episodes of the new season. Series veteran Toby Huss took over the role of Dale about midway through the season. Some of the Hardwick material the show retains sounds rough, and it does take some time getting used to Huss as the new Dale. These instances necessitate adjustments due to real-life tragedies and the passage of time. Huss likely needs a bit more time with the role to find his footing as the new voice of Dale.
None of the vocal performances are bad. The veteran cast members provide tremendous work, but some of the cast and vocal changes sound noticeable. Comparatively, Pamela Adlon returning to voice adult Bobby proves to be the correct decision. Adlon provides some subtle changes to Bobby’s tone and inflection. Recasting Bobby with a different actor for his adulthood would have been a grievous mistake. Judge and Najimy easily slip back into their roles. Stephen Root remains impeccable as always. One of the new series regulars and standouts in the cast is Anthony Campos as Bobby’s sous chef, Emilio. Emilio provides some of the best laughs and exchanges throughout Season 14.
The ten-episode format works to the new season’s benefit. It’s digestible, and the season builds a major story arc to a strong finale. Season 14 does not have a weak episode in the bunch, but some moments do not work very well. The weakest ending comes in “New in Town.” It’s not a bad episode by any means, and it features some hilarious jokes. However, it does possess one of the more awkward and frustrating endings in Season 14.
The standout episode of the entire season easily goes to the penultimate one, “No Hank Left Behind,” which explores the relationship between Hank and his younger half-brother, Good Hank (Finn Wolfhard). The episode depicts Hank and G.H. attending a seminar for a scam-artist, misogynist YouTuber, Elias Selwick (Diedrich Bader). The installment encapsulates the heartwarming, sentimental style that makes watching King of the Hill so rewarding and surprisingly uplifting. The ending should easily bring any longtime King of the Hill fan to tears.
King of the Hill Season 14 gets the concept of the whole television revival thing right. The characters have changed in their circumstances, careers, and livelihoods. However, they still possess charm, personality, and hearts of gold that made King of the Hill such an endearing, indelible viewing experience for 13 years.
The good news is that a second season of the revival is already in the works. With the interesting storylines framed by the time skip, the revival era sets up an overarching storyline that could potentially last for at least several years. It’s a bold new era for King of the Hill, but its heart of gold shines through.
King of the Hill Season 14 is available to stream now in full on Hulu.
