King of the Hill: Exclusive Look at the “Most Difficult” Character to Age Up

A marque caller play of King of the Hill is retired successful the wild, and present we person an exclusive, never-before-seen look astatine immoderate of the conception creation from the beloved series. As you tin spot from the images below, fan-favorite quality Bobby Hill has gone done rather an improvement successful the 15 years since we past visited Arlen.

Exclusive conception creation of the big Bobby Hill from Season 14 of Hulu's King of the Hill.

The archetypal representation shows Bobby (voiced by Pamela Adlon), present 21, each grown up successful the azygous helium wears astatine Robata Chane, the German-Japanese fusion edifice successful Dallas wherever helium works arsenic the enforcement chef. The 2nd representation is really a spot of a precursor to the first, showing 13-year-old Bobby successful a hard chapeau and goggles from erstwhile helium participated successful a nutrient inspection contention during the series' archetypal finale, “To Sirloin, With Love.”

Exclusive conception creation of 13-year-old Bobby Hill from Season 13 of King of the Hill.

King of the Hill’s Executive Producer and Co-Creator Greg Daniels spoke with IGN astir however aging up Bobby was indispensable to making the caller play resonate with fans.

Bobby Hill was the astir hard quality to make successful the caller play of King of the Hill

“Bobby was the astir important and truthful the astir hard (character to property up),” Daniels says. “We tried antithetic hairstyles, beard/goatee looks, earrings, however muscular helium became, etc. We did the aforesaid with Joseph and Connie and Chane, but the Bobby quality was truthful indispensable that we explored a batch much options earlier settling connected his 2025 (look).

“Mike (Judge) and I had worked retired what his beingness and friends were similar successful the contiguous time arsenic good arsenic what the adults were up to,” Daniels continues. “We had the superb Wes Archer backmost connected committee arsenic the supervising manager and Mike brought successful a talented illustrator named Songgu Kwon that helium worked with connected Beavis and Butt-Head to bash a batch of conception drawings.”

How King of the Hill compares to The Office spin-off The Paper

In summation to the caller play of King of the Hill, Daniels besides co-created the Office spin-off The Paper, which debuts connected Peacock September 4, 2025. He says that portion the shows are inherently different, they stock immoderate of the aforesaid DNA.

“(The caller play of) King of the Hill was astir each pre-existing characters with a mates caller ones," Daniels says. “The Paper is each caller characters with Oscar. With some shows, the astir important happening is getting the code right. The tones are akin successful my caput — I brought astir of the touchstones I developed astatine King of the Hill to The Office successful presumption of small, real, relatable and observational storytelling, with a batch of twists and turns and three-act structure. Each has a formed of decent, mean Americans but King of the HIll is simply a household amusement and the emotion comes mostly retired of father-son relationships oregon husband-wife, oregon the guys successful the alley who’ve known each different since they were kids. The Office and The Paper are workplace comedies, truthful the relationships are betwixt co-workers and friends, peers and lovers."

King of the Hill Co-creator explains wherefore Hank Hill watches Fox News

In the premiere occurrence of Season 14, Hank HIll admits to his friends that portion surviving successful Saudi Arabia, helium watched immoderate CNN, but lone during Fox News commercialized breaks. Daniels says that Hank’s blimpish upbringing is simply a cardinal origin successful his communicative arc.

“Hank ever had a batch of taste conservatism from his upbringing,” Daniels says. “The amusement has a batch of storylines astir him bumping into modern beingness and having to marque compromises and effort caller things, but we privation to ever laughter with him (and) not astatine him, and get the details of his beingness right. It felt successful 1997 (when King of the Hill premiered) similar determination was a reddish state/blue authorities civilization spread that we could constitute astir and effort to find ways to bridge, and with societal media algorithms we are lone much polarized and successful request of that now.”

Why King of the Hill’s creators decided to nonstop Hank and Peggy to Saudi Arabia

Between the events of the show’s archetypal tally and the caller season, Hank and Peggy lived successful Saudi Arabia for an extended play of time. Daniels says the producers didn’t truly see immoderate different places for the Hills to person moved and thought that the far-flung determination would really beryllium appealing to immoderate of Hank’s much accepted sensibilities.

“I cognize radical who grew up connected the elephantine Aramco bases successful Saudi Arabia that are similar cleanable throwback Mayberry American towns for expats moving successful lipid and gas,” Daniels says. “And it conscionable seemed similar a precise plausible mode to support Hank and Peggy’s mindset backmost erstwhile we past saw them, truthful they tin person a caller absorption to the changes since the amusement went disconnected the air. Putting him connected the base, with glimpses of Saudi women modestly covered up from caput to toe, was a mode for him to beryllium precise comfy and unchallenged for a spell. Mike and I utilized to accidental astir Hank erstwhile the amusement began 'Andy Griffith’s back, and he’s pissed.'”

Season 14 of King of the Hill is present streaming connected Hulu. Check retired wherefore we gave the revival a 10/10.

Michael Peyton is the Senior Editorial Director of Events & Entertainment astatine IGN, starring amusement contented and sum of tentpole events including IGN Live, San Diego Comic Con, gamescom, and IGN Fan Fest. He's spent 20 years moving successful the games and amusement industry, and his adventures person taken him everyplace from the Oscars to Japan to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Follow him connected Bluesky @MichaelPeyton