King of the Hill Revival Streams New Season on Hulu with Updated Animation

The revival of King of the Hill on Hulu, coming 15 years after the original series ended, features significant changes in animation, format, and content due to shifts in industry practices and platform requirements. Showrunner Saladin K. Patterson explained that recreating the original hand-drawn animation style is "impossible" today because traditional tools like watercolors and hand-drawn cells no longer exist or are prohibitively expensive, leading to an updated, fully digital animation style that some fans find jarring. The new season consists of 10 episodes released simultaneously, a notable departure from the original's longer seasons, which has influenced story pacing and event timing. Additionally, working under Disney's ownership, the revival faces stricter standards and practices than the original Fox run, affecting language and content, despite Hulu executives being fans of the original and aiming to preserve its spirit. These changes reflect broader industry trends toward cost-cutting, digital production, and streaming consumption models, resulting in a King of the Hill revival that balances respecting the original show's legacy with adapting to modern production and distribution realities. Other Fox animated series like Axe Cop and Bordertown have been suggested as candidates for similar revivals.