Dangit, Bobby! The current TV revival-lution doesn't really have any boundaries for what can and can't be brought back for modern audiences, but most will likely agree an animated series is easier to return to than most live-action stuff. Even when one of the characters involved is King of the Hill's put-upon propane salesman Hank Hill. Don't tell him just yet, but it looks like Fox is opening the door for a potential return to east Texas with new episodes of King of the Hill.
Now, before anybody goes pulling couches and 12-packs out to the road, let it be known that this is the earliest stage possible for any potential King of the Hill revival. During the TCA summer press event (via TVLine), Fox Chairman and CEO Dana Walden stated that Fox execs had an "exploratory" initial conversation with co-creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels about where a King of the Hill comeback could go, and apparently there were enough good ideas to inspire a need for more talks. According to Walden:
I would like to explore that [further] with Mike and Greg. Given what's going on in the country [under President Trump], I think they have a point of view about how those characters would respond. But it was one meeting. I hope to revisit it.
Throughout King of the Hill's 13-season run, the animated comedy went from Bill Clinton's era through all eight years of George W. Bush's terms to Barack Obama's first year in D.C. It's interesting to think that if King of the Hill returned to TV a full decade after it originally bowed out, it would still keep its Presidential streak going with Donald Trump. Now, we're not even willing to throw conjecture at how Dale might feel about the current state of the U.S. government, because the black helicopters are gonna show up.
While we're going to keep our hopes alive for King of the Hill's potential return to come together, many complications would need to get worked out. Particularly when it comes to Mike Judge and Greg Daniels actually having the time to sit down and plan out how to bring the Hills and their friends into the here and now. Judge is presumably busy mentally preparing for Season 5 of Silicon Valley, and his brand new animated series, Cinemax's Tales from the Tour Bus will be debuting on Friday, September 22. And while Greg Daniels isn't currently 4 seasons deep in an HBO satire, he's probably thinking about how to bring The Office back, too, along with his other projects.
_King of the Hill, _immortalized by Arby's earlier this year, would have one major setback in returning to the small screen: the death of Brittany Murphy, who voiced Peggy's niece Luanne. It's hard to guess whether another actress would be brought in, or if the show would honor the character by retiring her (or whatever one does in that situation).
Considering the three animated series that King of the Hill aired alongside back in 2009 are all still on the air -- including The Simpsons, Family Guy, and American Dad -- it would be kind of amazing for the drawl-filled comedy to return to Fox to share the schedule grid with those shows again. (Even if American Dad is on TBS now.)
Remember, these are still the early days, but it's never too early to flood the Internet with hopeful suggestions for Fox to get behind more King of the Hill. While waiting for more updates, head to our summer TV guide and our fall TV schedule.
