Mike Judge Says ‘King of the Hill’ Offers Hope for America Beyond Politics

Mike Judge says his animated series King of the Hill depicts a hopeful America that exists outside the trenches of the culture wars. The show, which he created with Greg Daniels, has returned for a new season on Hulu.

The revival, which began last year, sees Hank and Peggy Hill retired and back in Arlen, Texas, after working overseas. Their son Bobby is now in his early 20s, working as a sushi chef and in a slow-burning relationship with his childhood sweetheart, Connie. "Bobby is the kid who didn’t go to college and now is hard working, trying to get ahead," Daniels told The Hollywood Reporter. "He finds he’s now in the second stanza of a country song — he’s turning into his dad."

What is the new season about?

Season 15 plotlines include Peggy going through menopause, Hank reluctantly attending a comic convention with Bobby, and the couple falling victim to an AI cyber scam. Showrunner Saladin K. Patterson said the creative team starts with the characters' experiences rather than political satire. "It would be hard to outdo, to out-extreme, to out-satirize political life these days," Patterson said. "So instead we start with what our characters are experiencing in their world. It’s more social commentary than political."

Why does the show feel relevant now?

Judge explained that the show’s tone is intentionally pitched to feel authentic to its Texas setting, aiming for a broad relatability. "When I did Silicon Valley, we wanted it to feel right, legitimate, for the people actually there living through that stuff," he said. "It’s the same here." Daniels added that the show's spirit is a corrective to online polarization. "It’s like when they say, if you’ve been online too long, you have to go outside and touch grass," he said. "The spirit of the show is that real life is a lot more in the middle."

What is the future of the series?

The approach appears to be working. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hulu has renewed King of the Hill for at least two more seasons.