The 14th season of King of the Hill returns on Hulu with the original creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels at the helm. We follow Hank and Peggy returning to Texas and finding that everything has changed and it is not the Arlen that they remembered. The show brings back the returning voice actors, Mike Judge as Hank Hill, Kathy Najimy as Peggy Hill, and Pamela Adlon while introducing new voice actors such as Ronnie Chieng as Kahn Souphanousinphone.
Now, I have a very interesting experience with King of the Hill as I was introduced to this show at such a young age and I only watched it because it was right after The Simpsons. I never really understood most of the humor and the adult jokes it introduces. When I was in the hospital during high school, this was the one show that was on the TV and it gave me so much comfort in a time of stress. The show’s writing delivered such great humor in a subtle fashion while incorporating grounded realism and ridiculous antics. It has been 15 years since Season 13 wrapped up and like Arlen, the real world has changed quite a bit from the targeted audience, humor, and the overall state of the world. This would make anyone hesitant of how this show would play out. But I am here to bring good news and Season 14 is refreshing while maintaining the charm of the original series.
One of the positive things that happens in Season 14 starts off with reintroducing Hank and Peggy into Arlen where the changes that are mirrored from the real world and if we know one thing about Hank from the previous series, it is that he is not very fond of “change”. Although that is the case, it seems that the main character himself has undergone some changes during his time in Saudi Arabia that propels the story in a great direction. Throughout the series, Hank is someone with a rigid moral compass and strict code of conduct regarding social matters but as the series progresses, we see Hank change through each episode and learning to be more open. In this season, there is an episode where Hank goes to Bobby’s new restaurant and sees that Bobby is not using propane which is a big no no in the Hill household. Although it took some time to come around, Hank opens up and accepts Bobby’s cooking style as it is a reflection of his hard work. Much of the humor falls onto Hank being such a stick in the mud and a party pooper but in Season 14 alone, there have been so many great moments where Hank becomes more open and softened up, making it the heart of this season. In addition, we get to see Bobby being his own man. Although I love how Bobby turns out, following his father’s work ethic and mother’s creativeness, I will miss his dramatic quirky teenage self which has made me laugh out loud so many times. It seems that we have moved on from that and now we are following a Bobby that is self-accomplished, creative, driven, but still a casanova with the ladies.
All of the characters as well have shown some development in their characters while still remaining true to themselves 15 years ago. Peggy, Dale, Bill, Boomhauer, Joseph, Nancy and more. Some of the highlights of tropes that they brought back include Bill still fantasizing of being with Peggy and there’s even an episode where Bill fakes a life with Peggy to a group of friends that he made down at a barbershop. Another trope is how much Peggy still coddles her special little man to death, which is shown in an episode where Peggy needs to get an MRI done but is unable to since Bobby is very busy with his work.
The biggest gripe I have about the series is the change in Kahn’s voice. To me, Ronny Chieng has such an iconic voice that when he is playing Kahn, I can only hear him, I don’t hear the character. This takes me out of the episode where it is centered around Kahn, Minh and Connie and it is very apparent. Maybe it is something to adjust but I would love to have Toby Huss return. Which I don’t think is likely due to the changes to reflect a more culturally appropriate approach towards the character.
Now although this show is great in its own way, we must not forget that Jonathan Joss, the voice of John Redcorn, was a victim to a hate crime that took his life in 2025. I want to take this time to emphasize the importance of hate crimes in the United States is a very real and concerning issue that is still prevalent and it is important to take the necessary actions of reporting hate crimes to the proper authorities in your area.
If you miss King of the Hill like I have, Season 14 continues to pick up where we left off and it is not just nostalgia bait, it continues to deliver the iconic charm and humor of the original in a very brand new setting.
