Hulu's King of the Hill Revival: Plot, Cast, Release Date, and Everything Else We Know (2024)

The Hill family is returning to our screens, I tell you h'what. Hulu has ordered a revival of the iconic animated series with original co-creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels onboard.

King of the Hill follows everyman propane and propane accessory salesman Hank Hill, his wife Peggy, and their son Bobby in Arlen, Texas. A massive hit for Fox, the show ran for 13 seasons from 1997 to 2010 and picked up two Emmy Awards. While only confirmed this year, a KotH revival has been in the works since almost right after the original finale. News about "reboot talks" arose every few years before dying down, a process that continued for over a decade. Finally, in September 2022, it looked like the project was officially dead when Fox confirmed they would not air any revival. However, in January 2023, Hulu swooped in and finally ordered the long-awaited reboot of the series.

So what can we expect from Hank Hill's next chapter? How have the Hills, Dale, Bill, and Boomhauer changed in the almost 15 years since the show went off? Let's take a look at the expected plot, returning cast, possible release date, and everything else we know about the revival of King of the Hill.

King of the Hill Revival: The Plot

Before King of the Hill, Judge was well-established in animation with his massive hit Beavis and Butt-head. So fans who tuned into KotH in 1997 may have been expecting something similar. However, Judge went for the exact opposite plan, making KotH as different from Beavis and Butt-head as possible. Basically, Hank Hill had morals.

Despite being animated, KotHdistanced itself from its other animated counterparts by how grounded it was. The stories were never fantastical or over-the-top, and it was a family comedy at its heart. Judge and the crew could have gone with The Simpsons and Family Guy route and used the animation to embrace the absurd. However, that may have come at the cost of the story, and they chose to keep the friends-and-family vibe above all else. Hank Hill was just trying to provide for his wife and son and enjoy the company of his friends in the quiet Texas town. The show could have easily been live-action, and many of the storylines likely would not have changed.

Related: King of the Hill Revival: What We Hope to See

From what we know about the revival's plot, those themes will remain at the forefront. Currently, we don't have much concrete information. However, Judge has hinted several times that the revival may age up the characters, primarily Bobby Hill. Keeping the characters the same age for the entirety of the show's run was one of the few areas where KotH was like other animated shows. Who knows, maybe we'll see an older Bobby trying to parent his own kids with "helpful" input from grandparents Hank and Peggy. Co-creator Greg Daniels has promised that the idea for the revival is funny, so that's good.

Because the show's central premise didn't change much over its 13-year run, we can anticipate that the revival won't change much either. So all we can do now is wait for additional plot information as production continues.

King of the Hill Revival: The Cast

When the revival was announced, much of the original cast was also confirmed to be returning. Mike Judge will return to his lead voice role as Hank Hill, we tell ya h'what. Judge also voiced Boomhauer, the barely intelligible bachelor friend of Hank.

Besides Judge, Kathy Najimy is back as Peggy Hill, Hank's wife and substitute Spanish teacher who can barely speak the language. Pamela Adlon returns as Bobby Hill (which could dent the theory that he's aged up, so we'll have to wait and see). Hank's friends will drink more beer in the alley, with Stephen Root returning as the depressed, divorced Bill Dauterive and Johnny Hardwick back as the anti-government pest exterminator Dale Gribble. Side note, who wouldn't want to see how Dale responds to today's world of endless Facebook government conspiracy theories? Lauren Tom rounds out the returning cast, both as neighbor Minh Souphanousinphone and daughter Connie.

Related: King of the Hill: The Funniest Episodes, Ranked

There are some missing names on that list for various reasons. Brittany Murphy was a core part of the original cast as Hank and Peggy's niece Luanne Platter. Unfortunately, Murphy died in 2009, just before the show originally ended. Also, the late Tom Petty voiced Luanne's eventual husband, Lucky. It's unclear if their roles will be recast or if the characters will be removed from the show.

Other absent names include Toby Huss, who voiced neighbor/frenemy Kahn, and Hank's disabled, misogynistic father, Cotton Hill. Ashley Gardner voiced Dale's wife, Nancy, Jonathan Joss was Nancy's "very close friend," John Redcorn, and Breckin Meyer played Nancy and Dale/John's son Joseph. While not announced with the primary returning cast, it's possible some of them could end up returning.

King of the Hill Revival: The Release Date

Hulu ordered the revival of the series in January 2023, so there is no timeline yet for a potential release date. However, given the timeframe of animation, we could see it on our screens sometime around 2024.