By Drew Dietsch
| Printed 3 seconds in the past
King of the Hill is a kind of animated sitcoms that has managed to take care of its endurance regardless of longevity and cancellation. It’s all the time been a humorous, good-natured, and generally lunkheaded exploration of recent American life.
With the present reviving after fifteen years on the shelf, many followers have been questioning how the Hills and their assortment of pals and neighbors would adapt to this period after such big societal adjustments within the interim.
Properly, for good or unwell, King of the Hill nonetheless appears like its outdated self, however not essentially its oldest self.
The Later Seasons of King of the Hill
I like King of the Hill however even I admit that the present began to settle into a gentle rhythm of serviceable high quality because it rolled on into its later seasons. The present was nonetheless fulfilling and will produce an occasional spotlight episode, but it surely was by no means near the present’s earlier run.
For as a lot updating as Season 14 wanted to do, King of the Hill doesn’t really feel prefer it’s out of lockstep with the place the present left. A minimum of, when it comes to its high quality. Storywise, there are some nice updates like Bobby Hill now proudly owning a German-Japanese fusion restaurant or Boomhauer being a stepfather. However so far as temper, tone, and degree of excellence, it’s not too far off from how the present was vibing in Season 13.
The Double-Edged Sword of Familiarity
To some extent, that’s value celebrating. King of the Hill doesn’t really feel like some radical replace to the present as a complete. It’s nonetheless the collection you’ll keep in mind. That’s comforting but additionally treads the road of feeling too cozy or nostalgic at instances. Due to that, it really makes a number of the structural selections of the season really feel a spark off.
For instance, Bobby is given a season arc in relation to his emotions for Connie Souphanousinphone. Whereas the present has actually performed multi-part episodes and eventful tales that make an enormous change to the world, a concentrated season arc for a personality is one thing that feels far more fashionable and stuffed with potential. It implies that episodes are deliberate out in a means that has to greatest bolster one particular ongoing story.
As such, Bobby’s story is a fascinating one when it’s given the right time, but it surely doesn’t fairly lock in due to the episodic sitcom nature of King of the Hill. These structural objectives take priority over something making an attempt to really feel efficiently serialized. It’s in no way a deal-breaker for the season, but when King of the Hill goes to get extra bold with character tales and arcs, they could must strategy this ingredient with much more ambition. I’d wish to see what a serialized season of King of the Hill might be.
Identical As It Ever Was
Apart from that, King of the Hill continues to be working at that fundamental sitcom degree. There are many worthwhile subjects and targets on this season –– the episode with Hank and his half-brother Good Hank going to a Manosphere boot camp is a spotlight for certainly one of Hank’s regular takedowns –– and the present continues to be a sound discussion board for satire when it’s at its greatest.
For those who preferred King of the Hill when it went off the air in 2010, you’ll like its revival in 2025. It’s nothing revolutionary or good, but it surely’s the identical present with all the identical faults and options. Yup.
