He’s back. Finally.
Honestly, when Hulu first dropped the official King of the Hill trailer for the revival, I didn’t know whether to cheer or be terrified. Reboots are usually where good memories go to die, right? We’ve all seen our favorite childhood shows get dragged back from the grave only to feel like a hollow, corporate shell of what they once were. But about thirty seconds into the footage, seeing a graying Hank Hill squinting at a Zoom call on a laptop, I realized Mike Judge actually pulled it off.
It feels real.
The trailer doesn't just give us the "yep" and the beer cans in the alley. It sets up a massive shift in the status quo. We find out Hank and Peggy have actually been living in Saudi Arabia for the last few years. Hank was working a propane management job to build up a retirement nest egg. It’s the most "Hank Hill" thing ever to move to the Middle East for the benefit of a clean-burning fuel. Now, they're back in Arlen, and the world has moved on without them.
The Arlen We Remember Is Gone
The trailer opens with a shot of the iconic Hill house, but something is off. There’s a rideshare car in the driveway. Hank is arguing with the driver about a four-star rating. He tells the guy that "fives should be rare in this world," which is a peak Hank sentiment. It’s funny because it’s exactly how a man born in the 1950s would react to the modern "everyone gets a trophy" digital economy.
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The biggest shocker in the King of the Hill trailer has to be Bobby. He’s 21 now. He’s not the chubby kid in the husky-sized shorts anymore. Well, he’s still got the build, but he’s a professional chef in Dallas now. He’s working at a fusion restaurant called Robata Chane, which he apparently co-owns with his childhood rival, Chane Wassanasong. Seeing Bobby in a chef’s coat, confidently explaining that modern beer is "fruier and bolder," while Hank looks like he’s just swallowed a lemon, perfectly captures the generational gap the revival is leaning into.
It’s not just a gimmick. It’s character growth.
We also catch glimpses of the rest of the crew. Bill Dauterive looks… well, he looks like Bill, but the trailer hints that the last fifteen years haven't been kind to him. There's a joke about how he handled the 2020 lockdowns that feels a bit dark, but it fits the show’s DNA. Dale Gribble is still Dale, though there’s a bittersweet layer to his appearance. Johnny Hardwick, the original voice of Dale, passed away in 2023. He managed to record several episodes before he died, but the trailer confirms that Toby Huss—the voice of Kahn and Cotton—is taking over the role for the rest of the season.
Navigating the New Social Landscape
One of the funniest, and potentially most controversial, moments in the trailer involves Hank trying to use a public restroom. He’s standing in front of two doors that are both labeled "All-Gender." He’s frozen. He doesn't know what to do. It’s not written as a "mean-spirited" joke against modern progress; it’s a joke about a man who thrives on rigid rules being thrown into a world where those rules have vanished.
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When he asks Peggy from the safety of the car, "Are we all-gender?" and she responds with her signature unearned confidence, you realize the dynamic hasn't changed. Peggy is still Peggy. She’s retired now, but she’s treating retirement like a competitive sport. She’s looking for new hobbies to master, which usually means she’s about to accidentally join a cult or start a pyramid scheme.
The trailer also introduces Ronny Chieng as the new voice of Kahn Souphanousinphone. It’s a smart casting choice. Chieng brings that high-energy, condescending "redneck" energy that Kahn needs to properly mock Hank. The animation style has been updated, too. It looks cleaner, more fluid, but it hasn't lost that flat, grounded Texas aesthetic that made the original show feel so lived-in.
Why This Revival Actually Works
Most reboots fail because they try to freeze the characters in time. They want the characters to be exactly who they were in 1997. But King of the Hill was always a show about the slow, painful march of time. Hank Hill was an old man even when he was thirty. By making the characters age, Mike Judge and Greg Daniels have given the show a reason to exist.
Hank isn't just a caricature of a conservative dad anymore. He’s a man who did everything "right"—he worked hard, he saved his money, he stayed loyal—and he’s come home to find out that the world doesn't really value those things the same way anymore. He’s struggling with the fact that his son is a successful adult who has fundamentally different tastes than him.
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The trailer shows a scene of them at a beer competition in Dallas. Bobby is talking about "sturdy" craft brews, and Hank says he’s been drinking beer for forty years and never once wished it tasted like fruit. It’s a simple argument, but it’s the core of the show. It’s about two people who love each other but can't find a common language.
What’s Missing and What’s New
Sadly, we see the absence of Luanne Platter and Lucky. Since Brittany Murphy and Tom Petty both passed away, the showrunners decided to respect their legacy by not recasting them. The trailer doesn't explicitly say what happened to them, but the "Father’s Day" teaser hints that they might be living elsewhere or have passed on in the show’s universe as well. It’s a heavy loss for the series, but it opens up space for Joseph Gribble and Connie to step into the spotlight as adults.
Tai Leclaire is taking over as the voice of Joseph. In the trailer, Joseph is living with Bobby in Dallas. It’s a "The Odd Couple" situation that feels like a natural evolution of their childhood friendship.
Actionable Insights for Fans:
If you’re planning on diving into the new season after watching the King of the Hill trailer, here are a few things to keep in mind to get the most out of the revival:
- Watch on Hulu/Disney+: The new season, officially titled Season 14, consists of 10 episodes. It premiered in August 2025 and is currently streaming.
- Track the Renewals: Since the revival was a massive hit, Hulu has already greenlit the show for Seasons 15, 16, and 17. Season 15 is expected to drop in late 2026.
- Revisit the Classics: If you’re confused about the deep lore (like Kahn’s obsession with the Wassanasongs or Bill’s depression), the original 13 seasons are all on the same platforms.
- Listen for the Voice Changes: Pay attention to the transitions between Johnny Hardwick and Toby Huss as Dale. It’s a monumental task to replace such an iconic voice, and seeing how they handle it is a masterclass in voice acting.
The revival isn't just a nostalgia trip. It’s a survival guide for a world that’s moving too fast for most of us. Hank Hill is our proxy. He’s frustrated, he’s confused, but he’s still standing in his driveway, ready to do the right thing. That’s why we’re all still watching.