King of the Hill is back, and animation enthusiasts have taken notice. Returning for a fourteenth season on Hulu earlier this month, the Hill family is attempting to re-acclimate themselves to Arlen, Texas after spending years in Saudi Arabia. Even though Hank, Peggy, and Bobby are a few years older than when we last saw them in the thirteenth season, this didn’t stop fans from returning to the beloved franchise. The King of the Hill revival has become one of Disney’s biggest animated debuts in years, and the studio was more than happy to share the good news.
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King of the Hill’s fourteenth season debuted with 4.4 million viewers for the premiere episode in its first week. This fact means that the Hill family has become the biggest animated series for both Hulu and Disney+ in the past five years, even overtaking X-Men ’97 as an example. On top of this big ratings win, King of the Hill arrived as the number one spot for Hulu’s “Top 15” of that week and has stayed as an entry in the top five. Since its debut, the Mike Judge and Greg Daniels production has netted over one billion hours streamed thanks to Hulu and Disney+, proving there was a serious desire to return to Arlen.
The Original Reaps The Benefits
Not only did the revival of King of the Hill hit the ground running, but the original series saw some serious numbers thanks to the Hill’s return. Disney reported that seasons one through thirteen received an additional twenty-six million hours thanks to the new episodes, which marks an over forty percent increase from previous stats. While a fifteenth season has yet to be confirmed, signs are looking good that this might not be the final time we witness Hank, Peggy, and Bobby in their prime.
The original King of the Hill series ended in 2010, giving animation enthusiasts a satisfying conclusion to the series, thanks to Bobby finding his passion in cooking. This trend continued into the remake as Hank’s son is now a chef in a fusion restaurant in Dallas, Texas. Of course, the bigger changes might revolve around Hank and Peggy, who are trying to acclimate themselves to the United States after years working in Saudi Arabia. Thanks to their Middle Eastern community recreating a white picket fence environment for the Hills, the married couple hasn’t quite come to terms with the changes that have taken place in the West.
Critically, King of the Hill’s fourteenth season is tearing up the charts. On Rotten Tomatoes, the animated series received a “Fresh” rating with 98% and audiences are quite receptive to Hulu revival as well. Across the board, the revival is a success, and fingers crossed that we’ll see Arlen’s return sooner rather than later.
Want to stay in the loop when it comes the Hills? Follow along with ComicBook.com for the latest updates on King of the Hill and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
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Image courtesy of HBO
