Last year, I raved about the quality of King of the Hill and its revival. Season 14 was absolutely stellar and a sign that revivals can actually work. The batch of ten episodes that premiered on Hulu was fresh and familiar in the best ways possible. They did what was seemingly impossible in today’s television environment. They brought a show back to life and made it feel exciting and new without sacrificing anything that made it so great before. I’m happy to say that season 15 is even stronger.
King of the Hill is Back on Top
The previous batch of episodes had a larger story arc about Hank and Peggy Hill returning to Arlen, Texas after spending years in Saudi Arabia for Hank’s new job. The culture shock was a big part of the show’s humor for a majority of the season. You could see it settling back into a familiar groove again by the time the last few episodes came around. That’s not a bad thing in any way. That was just a natural progression as the characters adapted to life back in the States. The writers and showrunner, Saladin K. Patterson, know there’s only so much humor you can mine from culture shock. They also know that these characters have many real-life qualities, and the culture shock is going to wear off for them too.
That’s where we find Hank, Peggy, and their friends and family in season 15 of King of the Hill. Hank still isn’t thrilled about modern things like electric trucks, but that’s something he would have scoffed at in the original series run too. This is just a 10-episode stretch of Hank and everybody getting into various misadventures. Dale is still crazy, Bill is still lonely, Peggy still doesn’t know when to butt out, and Bobby is still Bobby. Boomhauer remains stoic and rattles off his own brand of advice while Kahn is still an antagonistic ass. And just like in previous seasons, we get to see the hidden depths of these characters through their failures and faults.
No Spoilers but All Heart
I really want to keep this review very general since I don’t want to spoil any episodes. What I will say is that the main arc of sorts in this season comes from the relationship between Bobby and Connie. A good chunk of the fourteenth season saw us getting reacquainted with those two as they both got reacquainted with each other. Now that they’re actually together again, we get to experience them in a new dynamic. The last time they dated was when they were still just kids back in season 6. Getting to see them in a relationship as young adults is a much different exploration of themselves as individual characters and a couple.
More than anything, the reason this show continues to thrive is that there is so much love and heart poured into these characters. Sure, they’re cartoons, but they’re given qualities and traits that make them more real than most characters in live-action sitcoms. Is Dale an exaggerated, paranoid, nutcase who wouldn’t exist in real life? Yup, to an extent. But are his rampant delusions evident in real-life people? They oddly are today more than during the show’s original run. More importantly, does Dale’s unfaltering love for his wife and son feel real? It sure as hell does. It feels more genuinely real than Pam and Jim on The Office. The same can be said about the complicated relationship Hank has with Bobby. He might not express his love for his boy with open “I love yous,” but damn it, he loves Bobby more than anything.
Standing Out From Others
King of the Hill was never the kind of show that would deliver the same kind of laughs as The Simpsons in its prime. It doesn’t have the imagination of Futurama, it doesn’t have the caustic bite and timeliness of South Park. What it has more than any of those shows, however, is consistency and a grounding in reality. For the most part, the show is never too far-fetched (sure, there are some exceptions) and everyone remains true to who they are at heart. That’s why the current season works so well; it hasn’t forgotten those elements. It’s great to see it forming a path forward where each episode feels like spending time with old friends. The newness has worn off, and the comfortable warmth, heart, and gratitude are shining as bright as ever.
It’s an odd feeling to have when you can’t help but feel like a program is a gift being given to you. Ultimately, the reason King of the Hill was brought back was a business decision. The execs at Hulu programming felt there was enough interest in the show that people would watch it. And oftentimes, long-running shows are criticized for being made only for the money. But here we are with Hank Hill and company completing their 15th season. And it feels like one of the best gifts I could’ve ever asked for.
