King of the Hill (Season 14, Hulu) 

By: Rachel Brodeur

After a sixteen year hiatus, King of the Hill returns to Hulu as a reminder that Mike Judge’s brand of small-town satire hasn’t lost its bite. The faces are older, the technology is newer, but the show’s dry humor and grounded social commentary still feel as sharp as ever. 

Hank Hill’s roots go back to Tom Anderson, the gruff neighbor from Judge’s Beavis and Butt-head (1993), whose perpetual exasperation with MTV’s slacker generation became the blueprint for Hank’s own generational standoffs. Across the show’s original run, that thread of cultural friction never wavered, with Hank trying to make sense of a society short on common sense, all while bridging the gap with his media-obsessed son and wrangling an eccentric circle of friends.

In this fourteenth season, Hank, still voiced by Judge, is 16 years older, and Bobby is now 21. The reboot preserves the show’s charm as Hank grapples with smartphones and influencer culture, while his marriage to Peggy and the community of Arlen, Texas remains a steady anchor. The delightful discovery of the series reboot is that instead of watching Bobby and his friends muddle through adolescent awkwardness, audiences get to watch them navigate young adulthood, a time that can be just as tenacious and unstable. 

Season 14 of King of the Hill makes smart, deliberate choices in aging its cast. They’re clearly the same people at their cores, but Hank is a little more accepting, Bobby, a little more self-assured, and Dale, well he’s just as unhinged as his character would be after being exposed to social media. It’s the same King of the Hill audiences loved, just with a few more laugh lines, both on the characters’ faces and in the script.

Rachel’s Rating: 7/10  - After more than a decade away, King of the Hill returns to Hulu with its humor and cultural satire fully intact. Aging the characters has opened fresh comedic ground, especially in following Bobby’s leap into early adulthood. It’s a revival that feels both true to its roots and attuned to today’s absurdities.