TV Review: "King of the Hill" Season 15 — Still the Best Slice of Texas Life on TV

King of the Hill returned to Hulu last summer to both critical and commercial acclaim. Its reception was so strong that Disney, which had initially picked up the show for two ten-episode seasons, extended its total order to four seasons. Nearly a year after the Season 14 launch, fans get more of what they love with the July 20th ten-episode Season 15 drop.

The new season picks up right where things left off, with Bobby and Connie secretly dating behind Chane’s back, which comes to a head in the season premiere, “Failure to Hard Launch.” Bobby’s early adulthood life in Dallas is juxtaposed with Hank and Peggy’s slice-of-life moments in Arlen, where mountains are made out of molehills, like trying to figure out whose EV truck is parked on the curb. King of the Hill has always thrived in the mundane, and despite the revival aging up the characters, not much has changed. 

The original series mostly centered on Hank Hill’s well-intentioned efforts to be a good father, husband, and friend. That’s still the case in the revival, and Bobby is in Arlen enough for his plots to never feel incongruous with Hank and Peggy’s throughline. With so many fan-favorite characters, the show continues to find new ways to mine comedy out of mismatched pairs, like when Hank tries to help Bobby promote his food truck at a local comic con while Peggy finds herself paired with Minh in a poetry workshop.

The Hill family’s mundane misadventures bear traces of nostalgia throughout the season, but there are also contemporary moments. The third episode of the season, for example, finds Hank and Peggy falling victim to a phishing scam and Dale dabbling with deepfakes. Season 15 also finds Bobby taking his cooking skills onto a competition series, a nod to how much reality TV has dominated the media landscape since King of the Hill first went off the air.

Still funny, still heartfelt, still poignant, King of the Hill defines small-town living in a way that few shows ever achieve. Distinctly Texas, but relatable for any rural community, there’s a disarming charm to King of the Hill that is undeniable. There’s a reason why it held its own in a Fox Sunday lineup against The Simpsons and Family Guy, and now on a streaming service where it still competes against those same shows, it’s more than capable of still holding its own.

I give Season 15 of King of the Hill 5 out of 5 stars.

King of the Hill returns Monday, July 20th, on Hulu.