How does the King of the Hill reboot fit into a very different America?

The welcome return of Mike Judge’s Texas-set animated sitcom about a conservative father tries to find reason during an unreasonable timeThe Fox Network’s rotating lineup of animated sitcoms increasingly dominate the list of the longest-running scripted prime time shows ever made. Whether they’re the actual record-holder (The Simpsons), a once-canceled cult show turned institution (Family Guy, or the cable-channel-hopping Futurama), or a “newer” show that’s actually entering its 16th season (Bob’s Burgers), these shows leverage their age-defying format to serve as both a constant in their viewers’ lives and a living document of contemporary American life over their many years on the air. So it’s not unusual that King of the Hill, a Fox cartoon that aired in the late 90s and throughout the 2000s, would rejoin its corporate cousins for a 14th season on Hulu. But just as during the show’s original run, it’s an odd fit with those other, brasher animated sitcoms – sometimes blessedly so.It would be easy enough to characterize King of the Hill as a red-state Simpsons. Instead of bumbling everyman/id Homer Simpson, created by anti-establishment cartoonist Matt Groening, it focuses on the genially repressed Hank Hill (Mike Judge), created by satirical cartoonist Mike Judge. Hank is a buttoned-up propane salesman who values courtesy, patriotism, tradition and decency; in a switch-up from typical sitcom dynamics of its era, the show portrays Hank’s wife Peggy (Kathy Najimy) as the more hubris-prone buffoon of the two (especially as the seasons progress). Throughout the series, Hank struggles to connect with his preteen son Bobby, who doesn’t share his predisposition toward stoicism. And as with the Springfield of The Simpsons, the rest of the show is populated by residents of Arlen, Texas, a fictional but realistically rendered suburb of Dallas. Continue reading...

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