One of my favorite TV shows of all time is without a doubt King of the Hill. I did not appreciate it as much as I should have until Fox canceled the series after 13 years, and I cannot exactly blame Fox for doing so. King of the Hill was showing signs of a quality decline, and other cartoons were on the rise. But with the age of TV revivals, Disney decided to give King of the Hill another chance to breathe again with a Hulu revival. And I will tell you what, this is how you do a cartoon sequel, even if it is officially just season 14 of the original series.

Since cartoons allow the world to change while their characters remain stagnant, trying to make sense of the King of the Hill timeline would be silly. More or less, Hank and Peggy moved to Saudi Arabia for most of the decade so Hank could make a large retirement nest egg by selling propane and propane accessories through Aramco. And despite being conservative Christians, they actually enjoyed their time in the Islamic Middle East far more than you might expect.

What you might not expect is how much Hank is culture shocked by the changes he sees not just in the state of Texas but in his hometown of Arlen as well. It is 2025 for Arlen, Texas, so there are all-gender bathrooms, ethical non-monogamy among young adults, veganism, and a whole range of other things Hank was not ready to deal with.

It was wonderful to see Hank return and reunite with his old friends. It is a bit sad to see that Bill Dauterive took their absence so hard that he almost barely existed in the world at all. The lies he crafted, which Hank later uncovers, became one of my favorite parts of the new season.

Bobby is all grown up despite still being voiced by the same (female) actor as before. He is now a chef for a restaurant that blends Japanese and German cuisine. He is very good at his job and helps make the restaurant a moderate success. However, he is only part-owner and took a salary cut in exchange for shares in the business, which means he still has to follow the lead of the majority owner.

The heart of the series still remains intact. The characters do not change, they evolve. The voices can be different, such as Dale’s, which now sounds like all that tobacco finally took its toll. Sadly, this may have been the health of Johnny Hardwick, who passed away before finishing his lines. His role was completed by Toby Huss, who originally voiced Cotton and Khan in the first run. Khan is now voiced by a new actor, who drops the accent and sounds like a completely different character. Khan 2.0 is one of the few areas where this new King of the Hill misses the mark entirely.

I will say that the addition of the character Willow was one of my favorite changes to the season. I initially thought she would just be a shock character meant to irritate every part of Hank Hill’s George W. Bush-style conservatism, but she is actually a well-written and likable character. I will not spoil anything else, but I sincerely hope she gets more screen time in season 15.

The new season of King of the Hill is an absolute success. It feels like the old series, yet fresh, with ten strong episodes that prioritize quality over quantity. King of the Hill is the best thing ever associated with propane and propane accessories. Fox was right to cancel the old series when it did, but Disney made the best possible move by letting Mike Judge and the rest of the team create more television magic with this new and hopefully long-lasting beginning.

Rest in peace Johnny Hardwick, Dale’s original voice actor, and Jonathan Joss, the voice actor for John Redcorn, who was tragically murdered shortly before the series premiered.