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‘King of the Hill’ Revival in ‘Hot Negotiations,’ Set 15 Years After Original Series

After the original series finale aired in 2009, the animated television sitcom King of the Hill might return to the air. The creators, Mike Judge and Greg Daniels discussed a reboot in 2017, however, interest stalled at the time. Now, over a decade after the original series ended, one former writer revealed that the show will make a comeback. Brent Forrester, the former writer, shared a few details on a Reddit AMA yesterday.

“I am sure Greg Daniels and Mike Judge will murder me for sharing this but,” Forrester said in the Reddit thread. “HELL YES. They are in hot negotiations to bring back King of the Hill. The Trump administration made it suddenly very relevant again. The characters have all aged 15 years. The project is sooooo good. Okay, I’ve said too much :)”

Can King of the Hill Succeed in this Era?

As Forrester suggests in his Reddit comment, King of the Hill will likely take a different approach in a modern reboot. The first episode of the original series aired in 1997, so some of its characteristics may have become dated. Some of the characters show some rather insensitive views that may not fly today. For instance, Hank’s father in the show often displays racism.

However, the main characters’ moral compasses typically steer them in the right direction despite social pressure. In that sense, Judge and Daniels could use that to the show’s advantage to push back against some of the stereotypes. No matter what, the show will need to be very intentional in how they frame the show in this current social landscape almost fifteen years after the original series ended.

Given the strong resumes of Greg Daniels and Mike Judge, there is no reason to doubt them on this one. For instance, Daniels has since made the beloved sitcom The Office, which similarly addressed issues of casual racism and sexism. As American society continues to correct itself and check itself on what is acceptable behavior, both Daniels and Judge have tastefully adjusted their work to reflect the times. The King of the Hill reboot shouldn’t be any different.