King of the Hill Season 14 Review - Return of the King, Indeed
Format Reviewed: Streaming
Available On: Disney+, Hulu
Release: August 4th, 2025
Genre: Animated Sitcom
Created By: Mike Judge, Greg Daniels
Rating: TV-14
Episodes: 10
King of the Hill depicts the life and times of Hank Hill, his family and their neighbors in the fictional suburb of Arlen, Texas, the heartland of America. A hard-working, loyal family man and proud Texan, Hank always strives to be a voice of common sense and reason. After years away, Hank and Peggy Hill return to a changed America, while Bobby balances owning a restaurant and enjoying life as a young adult.
In an era of abundant reboots and remakes, it's easy to become jaded when it comes to hearing that a classic franchise, series, or work of art is being brought back to life after being dormant for many years.
Oftentimes, these reboots build excitement and fervor through branding alone, and the finished product ends up being a shell of the original that fizzles out and leaves fans disappointed and worried about the future of the thing they love.
We've seen this executive-driven cash grab happen time and time again, to the point that whenever we hear or see a headline claiming "X set to return!", we rightfully roll our eyes and choose to ignore the project in hopes of preserving the original in our minds.
King of the Hill Season 14 rebukes this trend and stands out as a shining example of how to continue a beloved series and perfect everything that made it special in the first place.
This is accomplished not by reinventing the series or shaking things up—but by picking up right where we left off.
Set eight years after the original series finale, "To Sirloin with Love," the first episode of Season 14, "Return of the King," sees Hank and Peggy Hill returning to Arlen after living in Saudi Arabia thanks to Hank's work with propane.
The culture shock that Hank and Peggy experience over the course of the first episode as they realize how much things have changed in America during their absence is not only hilarious but also extremely relatable.
I found myself almost embarrassed by how much I related to Hank with his complaints about technology and infrastructure in his city... a clear sign of how much I've aged since the show originally concluded.
It's endearing to see these two beloved characters confront their own habits and beliefs as they contend with the digital age and progressive trends that have emerged over the last decade-all while they work on adapting to their new "retired" status.
Despite their confusion and frustration as they grapple with the new world, their basic desire to be good people takes precedent over everything else, and compassion and compromise often win out.
It's refreshing to see humanity highlighted in this way.
In the current world, it's difficult to escape the cycle of outrage and vitriol that we're all exposed to 24/7, and over the last 10 years, it seems like everything has become a team sport where the aforementioned compassion and compromise are seen as weaknesses rather than the strengths they truly are.
I believe that the show's creators and writing team witnessed this and realized that the world needed a voice of reason-we needed Hank.
Return of the King, indeed.
All 10 episodes of this season are expertly crafted with phenomenal writing. The plots are modern but still rooted in the slice-of-life style that we all grew to love during the show's original run.
Returning characters are believable future versions of themselves, and new characters are all interesting and unique in their own ways.
The themes presented in each episode are relatable and will often tug at your heartstrings, helping you reflect on your own life and the choices you've made along the way.
Beyond that, the comedy is the best it's ever been, with multiple parts in each episode forcing me to reach for the remote and pause so I can finish laughing long enough to focus on what's happening next.
The show also pays homage to the original run of the series with cuts back to classic footage in the form of memory segments that serve as excellent reminders of how much the show meant to us back then, as well as creating an appreciation for the quality of the new animation.
It respects the source material and the original cast with remembrance messages for those we lost along the way, including a few who passed during the creation of Season 14.
At the time of writing this article, Season 14 is rated 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, and even with my most critical mind trying to find a flaw to point out, I can't come up with a single nitpick to highlight.
So do yourself a favor and give this season a watch. Bobby and friends are waiting to serve you!
King of the Hill Season 14 is a masterpiece.
Consisting of 10 episodes of some of the best-written TV to ever be produced, the show returns in such a way that makes you wonder if it ever truly left.
With plots that highlight the challenges we all face day to day and a focus squarely on humanity, I truly believe the world would be a better place if we all stopped to give this show a watch.