The King of the Hill has reclaimed his throne, with the revival Season 14 bringing in 4.4 million viewers in its first week and garnering positive critical reception, including from us. So fans will probably be happy to learn that this wasn’t a one-and-done revival. According to a Vulture report, a second season has already been recorded and is in the chamber for next year – even before Hulu knew the show’s return would be a hit.
The report says that when Hulu first announced the King of the Hill revival in 2023, it ordered 20 half-hour episodes. But with season 14, we only saw ten of them. That’s allegedly because the other ten have been banked for a second season planned to air sometime next year on Hulu, making for a Season 15. The show’s producers and writers were thus able to come up with storylines and character choices that accommodated two seasons rather than just one, allowing them more time and freedom for certain plotlines.
If season 15 is as strong as 14, though, that could lend viewers some hope that even more seasons might be greenlit. Per Vulture, it seems likely that conversations around renewal will likely be happening soon, and enthusiasm is high with King of the Hill expected to debut at No.2 on Nielsen’s streaming originals and overall streaming ratings charts, second only to Netflix’s Wednesday.
A King of the Hill revival 15 years after the original concluded was always a risky move. Some of the original voice actors have passed away, both before and after taping Season 14. The U.S. has changed dramatically (as Hank Hill himself discovers upon returning from Saudi Arabi at the start of Season 14). A necessary time skip meant that characters have aged, with Bobby perhaps seeing the most dramatic changes (even if in many ways he’s still the same). Given all that, it’s incredible that Mike Judge and Greg Daniels managed to stick the landing – and hopefully will continue to do so in Season 15 next year.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected].
