King of the Hill is finally coming back after 15 years, and in the revival’s new trailer, the world has become a very different place, I tell you what.
Set years after Hank (Mike Judge) has been working in Saudi Arabia on a propane project to secure his and Peggy’s (Kathy Najimy) retirement, King of the Hill’s fourteenth season follows the patriarch back home to Arlen, where he’s taken aback and how much things have changed. Boomhauer (Judge), Bill (Stephen Root), and Dale (Toby Huss, taking over for the late Johnny Hardwick) are all still around and down to knock back a few drinks, but they all feel out of place in an Arlen where gender-neutral bathrooms and gig-working drivers have become commonplace.
Bobby (Pamela Adlon) seems to be faring better in Dallas where he’s become a chef and still hangs out with Connie (Lauren Tom) and a few of their other childhood friends. But the trailer makes it clear that Hank’s going to have a hard time adjusting to his new life as a senior citizen in a town full of people who see him as a bit of a relic.
After such a long pause, it’s going to be great to see the Hills dealing with all of the aspects of modern day life that have just become normal in the time since King of the Hill went off the air. But what’s probably going to make or break the show when it drops on August 4th is how well its balances its jokes with its heartfelt messaging.
