Fox mentioned last year they were in early discussions for a revival of King of the Hill, and fans of the series got pumped to see more episodes based around Hank Hill, Texas, propane, and propane accessories. Mike Judge recently said he's all for that, provided he could make one thing different. Judge said he'd love to bring back the Hill family and the whole gang, but only if they're older. Here's how he put it:
It would have to have a passage of time. People have grown up. I think The Simpsons are so iconic just the way they're drawn, you can keep Bart that same age for 60 years. Our characters, it was starting to strain a little bit to have Bobby still be that age for that long. . . . We've talked about a way to bring it back. I think it would have to be different.
Mike Judge is all for bringing back King of the Hill, but according to his comments to Rotten Tomatoes, he wants his characters to have aged. Provided Judge is wanting to progress his characters' ages the same amount of years the show has been away that means Hank Hill, Peggy and the bulk of the adult gang would be in their early 50s. Younger characters like Bobby, Joseph, and Connie would be in their early 20s and probably in college. Provided that's the kind of time jump that Judge is considering, it almost sounds as though it would be a new show entirely even though the show's title and characters are the same.
That said, age is just a number, and while The Simpsons can still write perpetual storylines for their ageless characters, perhaps Mike Judge can find more inspiration with an older King of the Hill character lineup. For example, the middle-school-aged Bobby Hill was great for tons of laughs back in the show's original run, but the thought of Bobby as a legal adult and what the show could do with that is incredibly fun to consider. If it's incredible to think of from a fan perspective, then one can only imagine what ideas Judge already has in mind provided Fox would be cool with his bold new direction for the series.
After all, some things about King of the Hill will never change regardless of age. Hank Hill was already an uptight and sometimes oblivious middle-aged man, and that's probably not going to be any different however far into the future this show chooses to go. The things that do, like adult Bobby, would easily make up for the loss of characters like Luanne, and allow the show extend further into young-adult territory that never made sense with her character, but be perfect for Bobby.
A King of the Hill revival is still a ways away from happening, but repeats of the series can be watching weekdays on Adult Swim at 8:00 p.m. ET. For information on upcoming programming new or returning that is headed to television in 2018, visit our midseason premiere guide.
