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King of the Hill is coming back for new episodes sixteen years after the original series came to an end, but its new revival series is heading into a major streaming issue when it makes its premiere. King of the Hill is one of the most beloved adult animated series of all time. The original series made its debut in the late 1990s, and was often seen in the same circles as The Simpsons and Family Guy as a major pillar of adult animation entertainment. It’s why it has been one of the franchises that fans have been hoping to see make its comeback someday.
That return is finally upon us as following the success of the Futurama revival, Hulu will be bringing back King of the Hill for a brand new season of episodes. This new season teases that there have been some big changes for Hank Hill and the rest of Arlen, Texas since fans got to see them in action last, and is gearing up to be a bit hit with those fans who have been waiting for these 16 years for its comeback. But unfortunately, it seems like it’s really only going to be around for a single binge watching drop instead of a weekly format where it would flourish a lot more.
King of the Hill Revival Is Dropping All At Once
According to Vulture, King of the Hill Season 14 will be dropping all ten episodes at once with Hulu on August 4th. This is a big deal for a number of reasons. First, it’s a return to the binge watching format that many Hulu originals have demonstrated in the past and it really does inspire confidence that Hulu sees the animated series on the same level of hits like The Bear. But more importantly, it’s a format that’s just not as successful as it was in the past as viewing habits with streaming services have changed with fans dramatically in the last couple of years.
While binging was a fun concept early on in the streaming boom, it’s now become much less popular with fans overall. Due to the overwhelming number of new shows and movies that are constantly being made available to watch each day, the shows that have managed to stick out the most are the ones that are more reminiscent of past television broadcasts. As fans learned they had to wait multiple years to then watch an entire season in a single evening or weekend, many of these watchers instead are now drawn to shows that have longer or extended runs.
It’s why older sitcoms like King of the Hill were primed for a comeback as more fans that ever are watching these older shows for their episodic content. These older shows all have multiple season runs (with many of them even hitting the double digits), and that’s something that just isn’t the norm anymore for modern television production. A television show with up to 20 episodes released with weekly stories that cap off at the end of the episode? That just doesn’t happen in our streaming era with higher budgets than ever. But with King of the Hill‘s revival, it’s really meant for that slower, older style. Dropping it all at once isn’t the right move for a release like this.
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King of the Hill Is Best When Its Weekly
King of the Hill is just best when it’s enjoyed on a weekly basis. Take Futurama’s recent revival seasons, for example. The animated classic returned for two new seasons with Hulu, and had released them on a weekly basis. This gave long time fans something new to chew on every week, and helped them to build a discussion keeping the interest alive for the new episodes. It’s something King of the Hill is even better made for due to the pace of each of the stories.
One thing that is immediately apparent about the original show was that it had a much slower pace than its compatriots at the time. Rather than be constantly packed with jokes and moments, King of the Hill found its success in allowing its characters to breathe and mine the humor from this more grounded style. It’s best when you get one episode, and then have to wait until the next week to see what’s next. That’s especially even more true now with so many changes coming for each of the characters.
This new King of the Hill isn’t just a return to form, but is also brand new introduction to a whole new era. It’s something fans need time to settle down with and let all of the changes sink in. But like Hank coming back from Saudi Arabia after many years to find Arlen has changed, King of the Hill fans are going to be hit with a massively changed world all at once. And then it’ll be over until another season comes. King of the Hill deserves better after we’ve been waiting for such a long time.
