REVIEW: Hank Hill's Urethra Is Narrower Than Ever In Season 14 Of 'King Of The Hill'
- Jessica Haight-Angelo
- Aug 4
- 11 min read
Updated: Aug 5
This review contains minor spoilers for 'King of the Hill' Season 14.
It gives me immense joy as a fan of King of the Hill to report that, indeed, patriarch Hank Hill still has a narrow urethra. This is confirmed in the Season 14 premiere’s opening monologue by his dutiful wife, Peggy, whilst on a plane en route from “Saud-eye Arabia” to the fictional suburb of Arlen, Texas. Not only does Hank now have the urethra of a seven-month-old (“like in that movie, Benjamin Buttons!”), Peggy proudly (and loudly) explains to fellow passengers (as Hank protests feebly while mired in the in-flight restroom by his internal plumbing) that, after a decade of living on hummus and falafel, “that skinny little tube just shrinks and shrinks.”
Back on American soil following a stint working for Aramco - it’s unclear whether Aramco bought out Strickland Propane - leaves both Hank and Peggy worrying that things have changed too much since they traded in western Texan suburbia (Arlen is based on a Dallas suburb called Richardson, near creator Mike Judge’s childhood stomping grounds) for an Aramco base aesthetically geared towards Boomers with disposable income who want to live in the ‘50s again. Fortunately, during a weary trudge towards dependable ol’ Mega Lo Mart, Hank and Peggy are charmed by the authentic wholesomeness of a group of Girl Scouts selling cookies, and decide to stay in town. Season 14 of King of the Hill is thus rooted in the Hills’ reintegration into their familiar homeland of “slow conversations, constant blaring sun, mild annoyance but rare anger at the changing world” (Moser). Spoiler alert: Delightfully, Hank’s newfound disgust for modern Arlen’s army of floppy road reflector markers is more rare anger than mild annoyance.
Yahoos and Triangles
In a nutshell, King of the Hill’s return to television via the streaming service Hulu feels familiar, but not nostalgic. This, per Toby Huss (the voice of Kahn Souphinousinphone, Season 1-13; Huss also takes over voicing Hank and Peggy’s wacky conspiracy theorist next door neighbor, Dale Gribble for the late Johnny Hardwick [1958-2023]), was “by design,” a statement underscored by Mike Judge reportedly being “pissed off” at a suggestion that the reboot amounted to “Andy Griffith is back.” Rather, the Hills’ return to Arlen, Huss counters, “doesn’t feel like it’s a nostalgic thing, like, ‘Let’s look at the old fun people we had fun with.’ It’s nothing like that. It’s a whole other iteration of their lives, just a few years later. It’s charming in its own way, and it’s safe and it’s inviting because it’s, you know, meeting these old people, old friends again, but it never felt nostalgic.” Considering viewers - who, of course, have aged considerably themselves (boy, have we ever, I tell you what!) - have not laid eyes upon new King of the Hill episodes since 2009, the show ages organically, albeit hardly as faux-idyllic as Aramco’s foreign “American city for Americans.” Ergo, tempting though it may be to yearn for more flashbacks (in Season 15+, please and thank you!) to Hank and Peggy’s time in “Saud-eye Arabia,” the overall tone of the show, circa Season 14, like Peggy’s five-star portrayal by Kathy Najimy since Season 1 (spoiler alert: Peggy’s Arabic is as unerring as her Spanish!), is pretty much pitch perfect, circa 2025.
Indeed, Season 14 leans into a world wherein the fictional Arlen experienced its own version of the 2019 COVID-19 “pan-dumb-ic,” during which Dale Gribble ran for local public office on a platform promising no masks whatsoever (“tear gas, catchers”), which Hank is pained to hear his neighbors voted for. “Mayor Gribble was the devil you know,” rationalizes neighborhood newcomer Brian Robertson (Keith David), who rented the Hill house during their absence and now lives elsewhere nearby; meanwhile, Boomhauer (voiced by Mike Judge) acknowledges that he voted for Dale “as a dang ol’ joke.” In any case, having won by only nine votes, Dale swiftly grew disillusioned with the political process and contested the results of his own election, ultimately branding himself an “election denier-denier.” Probably unsurprisingly, Bill Dauterive (Stephen Root) fared the worst in-universe during the show’s hiatus, having not left his bedroom since 2020 (“Do you know what happens when you finish Netflix, Hank? You get something called a ‘wellness check’”). The show skips Bill’s shape-up montage between the premiere episode of the new season and the rest, though his chronic sad man shtick is on moderately unhinged display in Episode 6 (“Peggy’s Fadeout”), wherein Hank meets the Black barber shop patrons who believe Bill is married to Peggy.
Essentially, Season 14 leans into the characters learning to radically accept life's inevitable changes, underscored by the handful of adaptations necessary to end the show’s 15-year hiatus. That is, along with Dale and Kahn’s aforementioned vocal switcheroos - Ronnie Chieng, who is of Malaysian descent, plays Kahn in Season 14 with a “colder delivery” than Toby Huss, per Helena Lobato - the new season serves as the bittersweet final performance of Jonathan Joss (1965-2025) as fan favorite John Redcorn. Spoiler alert: He is, naturally, “still giving it to Nancy quite often.” Joss’ tragic murder in June by an “openly homophobic” (per his husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales) neighbor who had been stalking Joss and his husband for years horrifically shadows an already complicated personal and professional legacy. Perhaps because of this, King of the Hill kindly opts to give John Redcorn the happy life he deserves, circa Season 14, complete with commercial success as the co-host of Selling Arlen, a local real estate television show alongside long-time sidepiece (ssshh!) Nancy Gribble, as well as a hopeful interaction between John Redcorn and ‘Dale’s’ son, a now-21-year-old Joseph in Episode 9 (“No Hank Left Behind”). Likewise, the show’s remaining returning voice actors - Lauren Tom retains the roles of both Minh and Connie Souphinousinphone, while Pamela Adlon ultimately decides not to “tweak the magic” that is (still) her Bobby Hill voice - simply sound like home.
That Boy Is All Right
One can anticipate only a few minor sticking points throughout the reboot that diehard fans of the show may stubbornly excoriate. Perhaps the most obvious one is that Season 14 contains neither in-universe acknowledgement of popular characters, Peggy’s niece, Luanne Platter (voiced by the late Brittany Murphy, who also voiced Joseph Gribble, pre-puberty, before handing the reins over to Breckin Meyer, and now to Tai LeClaire in Season 14), nor her husband, Lucky (voiced by the late Tom Petty), nor does the new season memorialize them (though it does memorialize both Johnny Hardwick and Jonathan Joss, as well as celebrity jazz musician and Mega Lo Mart sponsor Chuck Mangione, who passed days before the Season 14 premiere); spotting the presumably late (given that she would be in her mid-20s in dog years now) Ladybird, Hank’s prized purebred Georgia bloodhound’s urn tucked onto a shelf would have been a nice touch, too. Likewise, aforementioned newcomer, Brian Robertson is underutilized, though voice actor Keith David seems to be having a real brat girl summer between acquiring his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and signing on to head the upcoming Rick and Morty spinoff, President Curtis; ergo, Brian Robertson will almost assuredly return for Season 15 and beyond - perhaps his band can perform at Hank and Peggy’s 30th anniversary next year!
Along with the show’s careful consideration for Arlen’s shifting demographics, per Pamela Adlon, the reboot’s “new generation of young writers” have a knack for “finding the sweet spots of the classic, vintage King of the Hill in the new era. We’re very blessed.” Indeed, rewatching the original series in anticipation of the new season makes many of the themes from the original episodes all the more apparent as they show up in updated forms in Season 14. Hank’s relationship with Bobby, fortunately, has improved immensely since the era of the series premiere, circa 1997, wherein Child Protective Services paid the Hill residence a visit on suspicion of Hank verbally abusing then-11-year-old Bobby. Indeed, Season 14 Bobby earns Hank’s begrudging respect amidst ending up on opposite sides of a regional home-brewing competition in Episode 2 (“The Beer Story”). Likewise, Hank eventually admits that he admires Bobby’s authenticity and can appreciate his particular brand of wabi sabi, especially now that Bobby is a self-made young man with his own restaurant (albeit funded by Ted Wassanasong).
As Daniel Kurland writes for Den of Geek, Bobby is akin to “the audience’s child who is now grown up and living his best life,” including being able to hold his own creatively and professionally against Hank when they “clash over hobbies.” Adds William Hughes, it is gratifying to watch the modern incarnation of “the pair working through conflicts that once would have seen Bobby get steamrolled by Hank.” Ultimately, Hughes muses, the new season “revels in” the “real pleasure” of “seeing this soft, sweet kid grow into a genuinely good man. (Also, in case you’re wondering: Bobby Hill absolutely pulls.)” YUP. Bobby hooks up with a restaurant patron-cum-admirer for a one-night stand in the season premiere, and the Vegan (‘vay-gan,’ per Peggy) Willow even accompanies Bobby and Hank to Dallas Cowboys Fantasy Camp in Episode 7 (“Any Given Hill-Day”) - a surprising bonding experience, until Willow does a truly unspeakable deed on unpopular Cowboys’ owner, Jerry Jones’ office desk, though the TV screen only has eyes for Hank’s aghast expression. (Jones seems unsurprised that “it happened again.”)
In addition, Bobby appears to get low-key invited to join Connie and a friend for some “Ethical Non-Monogamy” (ENM), but he mistakes the offer as Connie trying to hook him up exclusively with her friend. In fact, Connie’s open relationship with Chane Wassanasong (yes, son of Ted Wassanasong aka Bobby’s boss) embodies ENM ideals, or at least, the 21-year-old version of it - Willow aptly calls it “side-dick.” Much of Connie’s arc throughout Season 14 is watching her work through the various relationship dynamics she’s compartmentalized over the years, from her parents’ secret (ssshh!) divorce two years prior, to Chane’s general apathy towards her aside from opportunities to show off their relationship to their families. Likewise, Connie simultaneously seems to be weighing the pros and cons of starting a romantic relationship with Bobby, including inviting him to sing a sentimental karaoke song together. When Kahn and Minh’s divorce comes to light in Episode 8 (“Kahn-scious Uncoupling”), and Connie Kahn-sciously uncouples from Chane, Connie and Bobby share a sweet hug beneath the stars - may the obvious Bobby-Connie-Joseph throuple at last be realized in Season 15!
Assigned Meat At Birth
What remains to review includes brand spankin’ new additions to the King of the Hill universe, e.g.: Boomhauer’s stint as a “father-figure to his girlfriend’s anxious son”; a popular theory is that Luke Jr. is, in fact, Boomhauer's biological son (ssshh!). Alas, Boomhauer proves to be a somewhat careless caretaker, looking askance when Luke Jr. develops a taste for Near Beer, and focusing on his phone instead of coaching Luke Jr.’s soccer games. Fortunately, Hank steps in (“New Ref in Town”), having developed his own taste for the sport (and CNN, on account of it being on during commercial breaks over at Fox News aka the only English-language channels in “Saud-eye Arabia”) while overseas, much to the chagrin of Dale, Bill, and Boomhauer. Also fortunately, modern Hank is “fundamentally smart, well-intentioned, and good with his hands, though he can occasionally be obstinate (‘what kind of food is poke?’) and flummoxed by all-gender restrooms and the metaverse. He’s not ‘woke,’ but he is awake.” Likewise, Cary Darling gushes, “Hank, God bless him, stubbornly remains unlike other TV-cartoon dads who often are just lazy laughing stocks.” This is to say that Hank Hill, circa 2025, is an empathetic man capable of acknowledging his feelings (mostly) and resolving conflicts without threatening to kick anybody’s ass (mostly). Per Darling, “He’s the animated embodiment of dad jeans and those Progressive insurance commercials about young homeowners turning into their parents.”
Likewise, Hank and Peggy have obviously successfully managed to nurture Bobby’s creativity against all odds, as well as his innate “kindness and charisma,” enough for him to have created his own business. Thus, the aforementioned William Hughes offers, modern Bobby “naturally gravitates into the ‘sane man surrounded by weirdoes’ position that was once the sole province of his old man.” Even so, an outstanding sticking point of adult Bobby’s portrayal thus far is that the show downplays all of the self-educating he clearly did in order to create Robata Chane. Though his expertise about authentic Japanese charcoal and such is apparent in “Bobby Gets Grilled,” the show misses the opportunity for Bobby to confidently back up his decision not to attend college like many of his peers-cum-customers with his noted prowess as a self-made chef. There’s also presumably nothing stopping him from deciding to study cooking abroad in the future, of course.
Overall, Season 14 of King of the Hill is a crowd-pleaser with a debut “rare perfect score” of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and several publications declaring it to be “the best revival” / “reboot” ever. Per Kate Sanchez, Season 14 is “honestly the best revival that has ever been made” because “The reverence for its past is still intact, but it’s also grown.” That is, “Mike Judge understands Texas the same way Texans do.” Not only that, the original show often slid under the radar regarding its ability to “capture cultural moments and sensitivities in a thoughtful manner that doesn’t come across as preachy,” something the reboot arguably pulls off, as well. Even better, modern renderings of these much-loved characters have been thoughtfully updated with arguably more nuance than the original series had, whether it’s Hank being dismayed that nobody cares about historical accuracy while roleplaying at the Bush Presidential Library, or his somewhat reluctant ‘mantoring’ of his teenaged half-brother, GH (Good Hank) at his mom, Didi’s pleading insistence leads him to confront the idiocies inherent in the alt-right ‘manosphere’ movement, which he and GH unwittingly find themselves enveloped in (“No Hank Left Behind”). Here, Season 14 effectively showcases both Hank’s softly partisan determination to remain true to not only his most steadfast values, but also what he perceives to be baseline reality, something his goofy neighbors, et al often attempt to skirt the boundaries of; and though their escapades often exasperate him, he cares about them enough to (mostly) patiently walk them through whatever they’re missing. It’s what makes Hank a good block captain, neighbor, father, husband, friend, and even son, for though the late, great Cotton Hill may never say so, Hank carries on his legacy by instilling deeply bred Texan values in his offspring while simultaneously breaking the chains of intergenerational trauma one by one by encouraging GH to respect his mother, and leaning on his family, friends, and community to do what they can to make Arlen great.
Likewise, the years look good on Peggy, whose feet, while still canonically huge, are rendered somewhat more proportioned by the new season’s clean-looking animation, perhaps too much to avoid fan criticism that they are not noticeably gargantuan enough now. TL;DR: Season 14 Peggy is a certifiable MILF. Like her husband’s, Peggy’s conflict resolution skills have matured like a fine wine she would name Peggy Ale. Likewise, Peggy and Hank regularly meet to discuss potential investments of their respective nest eggs; and while they may not couple as frequently as their 21-year-old son, it is clear that it happens often enough, including when Peggy successfully redirects Hank in this or that minor funk with sex (ssshh!). Peggy still has a tendency to smother Bobby a bit, but like Connie and Chane, Bobby proves adept at compartmentalizing his parents’ expectations and setting (mostly) polite boundaries with them. The result is a comfortable return to Arlen’s small-town Texan charm, one which the gods of streaming TV will hopefully deign to allow to continue. Welcome back, pardners.
Rating: ★★★★☆
About King of the Hill Season 14
Premiere Date: August 4th, 2025
Episode Count: 10
Executive Producer/Showrunner: Mike Judge, Greg Daniels
Writer: Saladin K. Patterson
Director: Wes Archer, Kelly Turnbull
Distribution: Hulu
Cast: Mike Judge, Kathy Najimy, Pamela Adlon, Lauren Tom, Toby Huss, Keith David, Tai Leclaire, Ronny Chieng, Jonathan Joss, Stephen Root
Synopsis: After years working a propane job in Saudi Arabia to earn their retirement nest egg, Hank and Peggy Hill return to a changed Arlen, Texas, to reconnect with old friends Dale, Boomhauer and Bill. Meanwhile, Bobby is living his dream as a chef in Dallas and enjoying his 20s with his former classmates Connie, Joseph and Chane.
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