King Of The Hill Season 14 Made One Big Change From The Original Show That “Hulu May Have Made Us Go Back” To Fix

King of the Hill season 14 will include one big change from the animated comedy’s original run. The revived King of the Hill will finally debut on August 4, on Disney and Disney+ with Hulu, and all episodes will be available to stream on that date. Several voice actors reprise their roles, including Mike Judge, Kathy Najimy, and Pamela Adlon.

But despite the returning voice cast, not everything about the new King of the Hill will be the same. As executive producer and showrunner Saladin Patterson revealed to IGN that there will be more cursing. Patterson, who executive produces alongside series co-creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, talks in the quote below about being advised by Hulu to include fewer swear words:

I mean, we certainly talked about that creatively. How much do we want to push it? And it was all about staying within the tone and character of the original show and the characters themselves. But yes, we certainly did take advantage of being able to say a few more curse words, but not gratuitous. In fact, we have fun with the fact that other characters can curse, but Hank doesn’t. So it creates some opportunities for some jokes there. Hulu may have made us go back and take out some curse words because they want to make sure that we don’t get that TV-MA rating.

What This Means For The King Of The Hill Revival

It Adds A Fun Dynamic With The Returning Family

Considered a direct continuation of the original series, King of the Hill season 14 sees Hank and Peggy return to a changed Arlen, Texas, after years of working on a propane job in Saudi Arabia. Bobby is living his dream as a chef in Dallas and enjoying his 20s with former classmates Connie, Joseph, and Chane. Hank and Peggy also attempt to reconnect with old friends.

The returning King of the Hill cast includes Johnny Hardwick, Stephen Root, Lauren Tom, Ronny Chieng, and Toby Huss, with Hardwick doing some voice work as the neighbor Dale prior to his death in August 2023. Huss has since taken over the role. The revival, both on-screen and off, is a follow-up that is different in some notable ways.

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Swearing is one element of that. It may not make much difference in the long run. But precisely because Hank is generally not the type to swear, the revival could get at least some funny moments out of the shift as viewers adjust to the changes. Hank himself might have changed a little bit since viewers last saw him in the original King of the Hill ending.

Our Take On King Of The Hill’s Change

It Means Something Larger

Initial reviews for the King of the Hill revival have been positive, with a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 18 reviews. But there’s aren’t any certainties in terms of how audiences will react to the series after so long away, with a binge drop and streaming presence. The ability to swear is just one of the changes since the Hills were last around.

Source: IGN

King of the Hill

7/10

Release Date

January 12, 1997

Network

FOX, Hulu

Directors

Tricia Garcia, Adam Kuhlman, Dominic Polcino, Gary McCarver, Anthony Lioi, Jeff Myers, Allan Jacobsen, Shaun Cashman, Klay Hall, Ken Wong, Ron Rubio, Tony Kluck, Wes Archer, Matt Engstrom, Anthony Chun, John Rice, Michael Dante DiMartino, Monte Young, Brian Sheesley, Julius Wu, Lauren MacMullan, Yvette Kaplan, Steve Robertson, Pat Shinagawa

Writers

Jim Dauterive, Kit Boss, Dan McGrath, Paul Lieberstein, Jonathan Collier, Christy Stratton, Etan Cohen, Garland Testa, Norm Hiscock, Johnny Hardwick, Rebecca May, Tony Gama-Lobo, Peter Huyck, Dan Sterling, J.B. Cook, Alan Freedland, Alan R. Cohen, Brad Walsh, Joe Stillman, Jon Vitti, Paul Corrigan, Judah Miller, Murray Miller, Sivert Glarum

• 

  Mike Judge

  Hank Hill / Boomhauer (voice)

• 

  Kathy Najimy

  Peggy Hill (voice)

King of the Hill

7/10

Release Date

January 12, 1997

Network

FOX, Hulu

Directors

Tricia Garcia, Adam Kuhlman, Dominic Polcino, Gary McCarver, Anthony Lioi, Jeff Myers, Allan Jacobsen, Shaun Cashman, Klay Hall, Ken Wong, Ron Rubio, Tony Kluck, Wes Archer, Matt Engstrom, Anthony Chun, John Rice, Michael Dante DiMartino, Monte Young, Brian Sheesley, Julius Wu, Lauren MacMullan, Yvette Kaplan, Steve Robertson, Pat Shinagawa

Writers

Jim Dauterive, Kit Boss, Dan McGrath, Paul Lieberstein, Jonathan Collier, Christy Stratton, Etan Cohen, Garland Testa, Norm Hiscock, Johnny Hardwick, Rebecca May, Tony Gama-Lobo, Peter Huyck, Dan Sterling, J.B. Cook, Alan Freedland, Alan R. Cohen, Brad Walsh, Joe Stillman, Jon Vitti, Paul Corrigan, Judah Miller, Murray Miller, Sivert Glarum

• 

  Mike Judge

  Hank Hill / Boomhauer (voice)

• 

  Kathy Najimy

  Peggy Hill (voice)