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Hulu‘s King of the Hill revival Offers a Glimpse into Bobby’s Future – The long-awaited fourteenth season of King of the Hill, premiering January 25, 2024, on Hulu and FX, features a flash-forward revealing a 21-year-old Bobby Hill. This marks the first new episodes of the animated series in nearly 15 years, following its original run on fox from 1997 to 2010.
Throughout its initial run, King of the Hill, created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, distinguished itself with its grounded portrayal of everyday life in the fictional town of Arlen, Texas. The show’s strength lay in its relatable characters and its ability to find humor in the mundane. bobby Hill, voiced originally by Pamela Adlon, was a central figure, known for his quirky personality and earnest search for acceptance. Like many adolescents, Bobby craved connection, exemplified in a Season 4 episode where he sought companionship from a raccoon after feeling excluded from a bonding moment between his father, Hank, and the family dog, Lady Bird. This episode, and Bobby’s character arc generally, resonated with audiences due to its depiction of the global desire for belonging and self-discovery.
The revival season introduces an adult Bobby, still voiced by Pamela Adlon, now working as a massage therapist in Austin, Texas, approximately 190 miles from Arlen. This glimpse into his future is reminiscent of the flash-forward episode of The Simpsons featuring Lisa as President (Season 23, Episode 1, “Lisa the President”). The creators maintained Adlon’s vocal performance,a notable decision considering the show has faced the loss of several original voice actors,including Brittany Murphy (Luanne Platter) who passed away in 2009,and Johnny Hardwick (Dale Gribble) who died in August 2023 at age 69. The show also mourned the loss of Tom petty, who provided the voice for Lucky Kleinschmidt and died in October 2017.
