King of the Hillrevival show’s decision to age up its characters has been addressed by showrunner Saladin Patterson. The originalKing of the Hillshow, created by Greg Daniels and Mike Judge, ran from 1997 to 2009 on Fox, spanning a total of 13 seasons, with four additional episodes aired during first-run syndication in 2010.
Acclaimed for its humor, strong animation, and dysfunctional characters,King of the Hillwas a huge hit during its original run, averaging over seven million viewers in its early seasons, and winning two Primetime Emmy Awards. After a 15-year absence, the show was revived in 2025 on streaming platform Hulu, with a time jump.
PerTV Line, Patterson described the idea behind aging the characters and how it felt necessary to allow the show to do something unique and different. Patterson discussed how Judge and Daniels were instrumental in this decision and that it was important to give the characters new life and energy. Check out the comments below:
What you always have to answer when you bring something back is the ‘why now?’ question. Why bring it back? [So co-creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels] came up with the great idea of: ‘Well, if we’re going to bring it back, let’s do something unique.'
The characters are] experiencing a new phase of life, and that gave us all a little injection of energy in terms of being excited to revisit these characters.
What This Means For King Of The Hill’s Revival
Patterson’s comments make sense for taking theKing of the Hillrevival cast and storyin a new direction on its return to screens. It isunlikely that a show as iconic asKing of the Hillwould be able to replicate the success of its initial run, but if the show’s changes can keep the series fresh and dynamic, there’s a chance it could be successful.
Showrunner Mike Judge also createdBeavis and Butt-Head, while Greg Daniels developed the US remake ofThe Office.
King of the Hillreturning after 15 yearsshows that there are still stories to tell with these characters, and being able tokeep the magic of the original show, while also updating it for the modern era, is a great way of being able to attract a new audience, while also keeping legacy fans of the original show engaged and interested.
Our Take On King Of The Hill’s Return
Whilea lot has changed sinceKing of the Hillwas last on the air, factoring this in by aging the characters is a great way of modernizing the show, and allowing legacy fans to connect with the characters.King of the Hill’s Hulu release window also sets it up for summer viewing, which could help its success.
Unlike other streaming heavyweights, Hulu has fewer originals, so reviving an iconic show likeKing of the Hillis a big coup for the platform. Aging of the characters and the narrative time-jump can resonate with modern viewers; there’s no reason the revival can’t be a success.
King of the Hill
Cast
King of the Hill is an animated series centered around Hank Hill, a propane salesman in Texas. The show explores Hank’s life with his confident wife Peggy, son Bobby, and niece Luanne, as they navigate challenges to Hank’s conservative values involving family and his beer-drinking neighbors.
