Mike Judge has a weird superpower for being right about where the world is heading. Usually, that's not a good thing—just look at Idiocracy. But for fans of propane and propane accessories, the news that a King of the Hill revival is finally here in 2026 feels like a warm hug from a guy who’s definitely not comfortable with hugging.
Honestly, it’s been a long road to get back to Arlen. We’ve been hearing whispers about this for years, ever since Judge and Greg Daniels formed Bandera Entertainment back in 2022. Now that the dust has settled and the episodes are actually hitting our screens, the "new Mike Judge show" isn't just one thing—it’s a full-blown takeover of the animation landscape.
The Arlen Time Jump: What the King of the Hill Revival Actually Looks Like
Most reboots play it safe. They keep the characters frozen in amber, wearing the same clothes and making the same jokes they did in 1997. Mike Judge doesn't really do "safe." For the King of the Hill revival, he decided to let the characters actually age.
Basically, we aren't looking at 12-year-old Bobby Hill anymore.
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- Bobby Hill is a grown man: He’s in his 20s now, living in Dallas and working as a chef. It makes total sense, right? The kid who loved prop comedy and medium-rare steak finally found a way to get paid for it.
- Hank and Peggy are back from Saudi Arabia: The show’s premiere explains away their absence by revealing they spent years working abroad to build up a retirement nest egg.
- Arlen has changed: The Texas we see now isn't the one from the 90s. There’s a certain "new Texas" vibe—gentrification, tech bros, and probably way too many $7 lattes—that provides the perfect foil for Hank’s old-school sensibilities.
It’s a gutsy move. Seeing Bobby as an adult with a job is jarring at first, but it opens up a whole new world of conflict. How does a man like Hank Hill relate to a son who is a professional chef in a big city? Not easily, that's for sure.
Beyond Arlen: Mike Judge's Other Projects in 2026
While everyone is losing their minds over Hank Hill, it's easy to forget that Judge has been quietly building an empire elsewhere. If you haven't been keeping up, you’ve missed some of the weirdest and best work of his career.
Beavis and Butt-Head Season 4
The duo just finished a massive third season on Comedy Central that ended with a total shocker: a cameo from Daria Morgendorffer. This wasn't just a "blink and you'll miss it" gag; it felt like a real bridge back to the old 90s MTV universe. Paramount has already greenlit Season 4, and after watching middle-aged Butt-Head survive a heart attack in Season 3, I'm genuinely terrified—and excited—to see what’s next.
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Common Side Effects
This is the one that people keep forgetting is a "Mike Judge show" because it’s on Adult Swim and has a much darker, trippier vibe. Produced under Bandera Entertainment, Common Side Effects tackles Big Pharma and corporate conspiracies. Judge voices Rick Kruger, a hilariously incompetent CEO. If you like the cynical edge of Silicon Valley, this is basically that show on acid.
In the Know
Last year, Judge teamed up with Zach Woods for this stop-motion/live-action hybrid on Peacock. It’s a biting satire of NPR culture. While it’s technically "last year's news," it’s still finding a massive audience in 2026 as people discover the bizarre interviews with real-life celebrities.
Why the King of the Hill Revival Matters Right Now
There’s a reason this specific revival is the one everyone is talking about. We live in a pretty polarized world. Usually, shows about Texas or "middle America" feel like they’re either making fun of the people living there or pandering to them.
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Judge has always occupied this middle ground. Hank Hill is a conservative, but he's also a deeply moral man who tries his best to understand a world that confuses him. In 2026, we kind of need that. We need to see a guy who hates "bastard gases" but loves his community, even when they drive him crazy.
The voice cast return is a huge part of why this works. Losing Johnny Hardwick (the voice of Dale Gribble) was a massive blow to the production, but the team has reportedly found a way to honor his legacy while keeping the character's spirit alive. Seeing Pamela Adlon return to voice an adult Bobby is also a stroke of genius—it keeps that DNA of the original character intact even though he's grown up.
What You Should Do Next
If you're looking to dive into the latest Mike Judge era, don't just wait for the next episode to pop up on your feed. Here is how to actually navigate this 2026 Judge-renaissance:
- Watch the King of the Hill premiere on Hulu: It dropped on August 4, and the new opening credits alone are worth the price of admission. It’s a beautiful update of the classic lawn-mowing sequence.
- Catch up on Beavis and Butt-Head Season 3: If you missed the "Oldholio" episode or the Daria return, go back and watch it. It’s some of the best writing Judge has done in a decade.
- Check out Common Side Effects on Adult Swim: If you want something that feels totally different from the Hill family, this conspiracy thriller is the way to go.
- Keep an eye on Bandera Entertainment: Judge and Greg Daniels have about a dozen other projects in development. Based on their track record, at least half of them will probably become your new favorite show.
The landscape of adult animation is crowded, but Mike Judge is still the king of making us laugh at things that are almost too real to be funny. Whether it’s a middle-aged idiot in Highland or a propane salesman in a changing Arlen, his voice is more relevant than ever.