In the long, rich history of American prime-time animation, no series was so artfully produced yet cruelly underrated than Mike Judge’s King of the Hill. Spun off very loosely from Judge’s earlier hit Beavis & Butthead, the half-hour comedy was very much its own creation. The series focused on proud Texan Hank Hill, his friends and family, and provided a gently satirical snapshot of the exact kind of blue collar American life most television and cinema tended to mock.

While it found commercial success – the series ran on Fox for 13 seasons from 1997 to 2009 – it always seemed overshadowed by louder animation fare including The Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy. All the while it presented an affectionate social satire to audiences that, while lacking the instant suitability for memes and shareable clips, was arguably superior to almost all of its competitors. There was a comparative realism to King of the Hill‘s characters and situations that made for a deeper engagement: less overt jokes and more carefully observed and informed humour. One could argue that the series did not need to be animated at all, but of course the abstracted nature of the art form made it immediately more identifiable and relatable than live-action comedy ever is.

The animated format has contributed enormously to the longevity of these prime-time comedies, since the actors do not visibly age. The most successful of them seem unlikely to ever end: The Simpsons is all signed up for 40 seasons by 2029, South Park just debuted its 27th season, American Dad 21, and Bob’s Burgers just passed 15 years on air. Even when a series is cancelled, it is comparatively easy to bring it back years later. Family Guy, Futurama, and Judge’s own Beavis & Butthead all ended before being revived years after the fact. That in mind, the revival of King of the Hill for its much-delayed 14th season seems not a matter of if is was every coming back but when. The “when” is now, with 10 new episodes streaming worldwide on Hulu and Disney+.

While this is being advertised as the 14th season of the old series, there is much here that better befits it being a sequel instead. Notably, the series narrative has jumped more than a decade ahead in time: Hank and Peggy are now retirees, freshly returning to Texas after a long spell working from a gated community in Saudi Arabia. Their son Bobby is now a 21-year-old chef at a Japanese-German fusion restaurant, Hank’s friends have all grown older, and America as a whole has transformed in his absence.

Much of the humour of this revival season is drawn from Hank’s discomfort with 2025 America. The shadow of Donald Trump’s MAGA movement is never directly addressed – King of the Hill is too subtle a series for that – but it is smartly and obliquely represented through the show’s own characters. Rideshare apps and Amazon culture both get a pointed look-in, as well as an increasingly blended culture in the neighbourhood. The absence of Peggy’s credulous niece Luanne – played by the late, much missed Brittany Murphy – is not addressed, which is likely for the best.

The returning voice cast all return in typical form, including Judge, Kathy Najimy, Toby Huss, and Stephen Root. Pamela Adlon deserves special acclaim in her role as Bobby, excellently adjusting her performance to reflect his new adulthood. The presence of co-star Johnny Hardwick feels bittersweet: he recorded six new episodes as fan favourite Dale Gribble for this run, before dying suddenly back in August 2023.

For fans of the original 13-year run, this is a much welcome return. For new viewers, who perhaps heard of the series in its first form but never found the time to check it out, this is a perfect jumping-on point.

All 10 episodes of King of the Hill Season 14 will stream on Hulu and Disney+ from 4 August 2025.