A ‘King of the Hill’ Revival Would Make One Huge Change to the Cast
Revivals are everywhere these days, but FOX certainly caught our eye with news that Mike Judge’s King of the Hill might make a propane-fueled comeback. Should FOX move forward, however, Judge previews a change to the core cast that would be unusual, as animation goes.
It was late last year that FOX revealed discussions with Judge for a potential King of the Hill revival, though the Silicon Valley creator has not provided any updates since. FOX boss Dana Walden suggested that Judge’s satirically blue-collar sensibility would offer a unique perspective in 2018, similar to how ABC brought Roseanne back for a new political era. That said, Judge offered a slight update to Rotten Tomatoes on the prospect of revisiting the Hills; teasing a shakeup that neither The Simpsons nor other famous animated families have tried:
It would have to have a passage of time. People have grown up. I think The Simpsons are so iconic just the way they’re drawn, you can keep Bart that same age for 60 years. Our characters, it was starting to strain a little bit to have Bobby still be that age for that long … We’ve talked about a way to bring it back. I think it would have to be different.
Judge has a point about animation rarely reflecting its characters’ ages, but that’s true of live-action series as well. Today’s revivals acknowledge the age of their stars, but either shift focus to a younger set of characters, or invent means to keep the old status quo. Aging up the King of the Hill characters could be an interesting way to revisit the series beyond whether Hank would have voted for Trump, or whatever conspiracies Dale might pursue in 2018. And hey, older Bobby is probably easier on Pamela Adlon’s voice.
The original King of the Hill aired from 1997 to 2009, though the animation process would still place any revival at least a year away. What other changes might the series make?
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