Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!
Dang it, Bobby! Mike Judge's 'King of the Hill' revival not happening at Fox network
Hank Hill and his pals may be coming back, but Fox won't be their home anymore.
For years now, there have been whispers that beloved animated series King of the Hill could be making a comeback, and at San Diego Comic-Con back in July creator Mike Judge said a revival has a "very good chance of coming back." But now, it seems that if King of the Hill does manage a comeback in the coming years, the series won't return to its original animation home.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Fox Entertainment President Michael Thorn stressed that his network's priorities when it comes to animation have shifted in the wake of Disney's purchase of many of Fox's assets, and that means that Hank Hill and the gang aren't necessarily a good fit anymore.
“That’s not going to be with Fox,” Thorn said. “We love that team, and we love that show. It’s obviously part of our animation legacy. But we’re we’re really focusing on animation is launching the kind of the next wave of our signature animated series, while still having our great legacy shows.”
Back in January, Judge and King of the Hill co-creator Greg Daniels formed Bandera Entertainment, a new production company with a focus on expanding animation, and teased a revival of King of the Hill as one of the company's new priorities. Set in the fictional town of Arlen, Texas, the show focused on the life and adventures of Hank Hill, a working class Texan, and his family and best friends. It ran for 13 seasons on Fox from 1997 to 2009, and a follow-up has been in discussion for at least the last five years.
Sadly, because of the shifting entertainment landscape, the Fox network is now focused on developing shows that it owns, rather than shows it airs from other production companies. Now that 20th Century Television, which produced the series, is owned by Disney, that leaves King of the Hill out of the list of animation priorities for the network.
Still, there are plenty of other places the series could end up, most prominently Hulu, where a revival of fellow Fox animated hit Futurama was recently set up. It's not clear yet when a King of the Hill return will happen, but if it does, you'll just have to make sure you remember to look for it at a new home. In the meantime, you can watch the revival of Judge's other beloved animated series, Beavis and Butt-Head, on Paramount+.
Looking for more comedy? Check out SYFY's Resident Alien, which airs new episodes Wednesday nights and streams on Peacock.
