King of the Hill’s Renewal Raises a Big Question About John Redcorn’s Future

King of the Hill has officially announced it’s coming back for three more seasons with Hulu, and with it the long running animated series is facing a major question with how it moves forward with John Redcorn from here on out. King of the Hill made its return with Hulu earlier this Summer, 15 years after the end of its original broadcast run with FOX. The new episodes were able to bring back much of the original voice cast behind it all, but due to some tragic events, some of the stars were not able to return to reprise their roles.

Jonathan Joss was tragically killed before the release of King of the Hill Season 14 this Summer, but the star was able to return to the series to reprise his role as John Redcorn in the revival. Given the timing of his death, there are some questions as to how the series will move forward with John Redcorn from this point on. As Joss was likely able to record his performances for at least some of Season 15, there is a question of whether or not Redcorn will be recast or retired from the series altogether for future seasons.

What Is King of the Hill Going to Do With John Redcorn?

King of the Hill Season 14 brings back John Redcorn nearly ten years after the events of the original series much like the other fan favorites, and he’s voiced by Joss in each of his new appearances. It’s revealed that he has a small internet show together with Nancy that fans love, he’s going to help Joseph out and keep a horse on his land, and he’s launching a red corn selling business. For all intents and purposes, it seems like the character was being planned to stick around. The revival even ends on Redcorn in its final scene then followed by a tribute to the late star.

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King of the Hill’s Revival Is Missing Two of Its Biggest Characters

King of the Hill’s revival has gone two different routes in honor of its late voice stars. Following Johnny Hardwick’s death in the midst of the revival’s production, the series was able to feature Dale Gribble’s original voice star for a few episodes before he was succeeded by Toby Huss in the final episodes (and in future seasons). But for a few other major characters, they might have been retired from the new episodes entirely. So the series can take either route with Redcorn.

Will John Redcorn Be Recast?

Depending on how much of the new series Joss was able to record for, we might see a similar situation. King of the Hill‘s revival was originally ordered for a batch of 20 episodes with Hulu but it wasn’t until this Fall that the second of that batch was actually confirmed to be on the way. This means that Joss might have been able to provide his performance for at least some of Season 15’s episodes, but Season 16 and 17 will be something else entirely.

John Redcorn was recast before as original voice star, Victor Aaron, provided the voice of the character for King of the Hill‘s first season before his own passing. The role was then taken over by Joss from that point on, and that might be the case moving forward. It’s more likely that a new voice star will be integrated into the role rather than being retired entirely, but King of the Hill could surprise us and say goodbye to him as a final way to honor Joss’s memory.

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