Hank Hill returns to a changed world in new 'King of the Hill' episodes

NEW YORK (AP) — Hank Hill is back and he's the same ol' Hank Hill, but a lot of things around him have changed.

The lovable animated hero of “King of the Hill” has returned from a 15-year lull and he isn't sure what boba tea is, how ridesharing works and is confused by all-gender bathrooms. “What kind of food is poke?” he asks his wife, Peggy.

Hank and Peggy have returned to their hometown of Arlen, Texas — and our TV sets — but a lot has happened over the years and they're stepping into a world they don't always recognize.

“Hank, have things changed here more than we thought?” Peggy asks, worried, in the first new episode. “Did we make a mistake coming back?”

Hulu is definitely hoping not, reuniting many of the same writers and voice cast who turned the propane-loving, beer-sipping Hill into one of TV's few blue-collar icons. The first 10 episodes hit Hulu on Monday.

Saladin K. Patterson, the executive producer and showrunner for the new season 14, hopes the original fans will return to see how Hill copes in the modern day.

“That’s always key because you want that core fan base to validate what you’ve done because they’re like the gatekeepers in a way,” he says. “So when they sign off and say, ‘OK, they didn’t mess it up, it’s still the same special show,’ I think other people who may be unfamiliar with it, or even on the fence, feel like, ‘OK, well, now we want to like it.’”

Viewers will learn that Hank and Peggy have been in Saudi Arabia all this time, where he served as “assistant manager in charge of Arabian propane and Arabian propane accessories.” Their son Bobby, now 21, is the chef of a “down home, German-Asian fusion” restaurant. (Sample dish: Grilled mackerel with a side of mustard pretzel.)

Hank and Peggy have retired and he happily rejoins his line of friends drinking cans of beer in an alley. Boomhauer gives him a hug and Dale has grown even more paranoid, becoming “an election-denier-denier.”

Bill has let himself go, staying indoors and living off Amazon deliveries. “I finished Netflix, Hank. Did you know that when you get to the end of Netflix, you get something called 'a wellness check?'” Viewers in the second episode hear Tom Petty's “Runnin' Down a Dream,” a nice nod to the late rocker's embrace of the show when it first appeared.

“The writers have found that balance between the vintage ‘King of the Hill’ that we adore and the new — and letting them coexist,” says Pamela Adlon, who voices Bobby.

Creators Mike Judge, the mastermind behind “Beavis and Butt-Head,” and Greg Daniels, who would go on to co-create “The Office,” helped Patterson navigate this world, which they sheparded during its first 13 seasons, airing from 1997 to 2009.

The show's tone maintains its gentle mocking of modern life, from hipsters and their craft ales to bike lanes. Hill at one point shakes his head over modern outdoor grills having sensors and app connections: “I shouldn’t have to call technical support to make a burger.”

Patterson says the humor is grounded in real life. “I do have a barbecue grill that is Wi-Fi- and Bluetooth-enabled. I have three devices to run it, but I’m calling tech support because I have guests coming over and the meat needs to be done,” he says. “And I do think over the pandemic, my wife finished Netflix.”

While there are changes, some things are immutable. “Hank’s still going to drink beer. Dale’s still going to be a conspiracy theorist. Bill’s still going to be a lovable sad sack,” says Patterson. “Those core character things had to be the same. I had a pastor who told me one time, ‘Grown folks don’t change.’”

Viewers will see in upcoming episodes if Hank — a happy propane seller and garage tinkerer — can really ever retire and watch as Hank’s friends navigate new chapters. They'll also explore the relationship between an adult Bobby and his parents.

“He’s of age now and it’s really kind of cool because you see the similarities and all the attributes that he took from his parents that he wasn’t even aware of when he was a boy — or didn’t want to have anything to do with — and now he’s using them to keep his business going and move himself forward,” says Adlon.

While debates have raged over where Hank Hill sits on the political spectrum, his creators argue he represents a sensible, common-sense middle. He follows the rules and does the best he can without hurting anyone.

“It's so not a Republican or a Democratic show or an independent show. It’s all of that,” says Adlon. “There’s space in the world for everybody. It’s hard for us all to find a safe space in a common area anymore and that’s what this show really is.”

And even though the new “King of the Hill” episodes arrive during President Donald Trump's second term, don't expect any politics from Hank Hill.

“We want to tell relatable stories where people can see themselves in our characters or their family members in our characters,” says Patterson.

“There are enough cultural things and relationship things that have shifted to where he can comment on that without us wading into tariffs and immigration policy and stuff like that.”

Mike Schneider, from left, Saladin K. Patterson, Greg Daniels, and Mike Judge attend a panel for "King of the Hill" during Comic-Con International on Friday, July 25, 2025, in San Diego. (Photo by Andrew Park/Invision/AP)

Greg Daniels, from left, Mike Judge, and Kathy Najimy attend a panel for "King of the Hill" during Comic-Con International on Friday, July 25, 2025, in San Diego. (Photo by Andrew Park/Invision/AP)

Kathy Najimy attends a panel for "King of the Hill" during Comic-Con International on Friday, July 25, 2025, in San Diego. (Photo by Andrew Park/Invision/AP)

Pamela Adlon attends a panel for "King of the Hill" during Comic-Con International on Friday, July 25, 2025, in San Diego. (Photo by Andrew Park/Invision/AP)

Saladin K. Patterson attends a panel for "King of the Hill" during Comic-Con International on Friday, July 25, 2025, in San Diego. (Photo by Andrew Park/Invision/AP)

NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Thailand (AP) — A construction crane collapsed onto an elevated road near Bangkok, killing two people on Thursday, a day after another crane fell on a moving passenger train in northeastern Thailand and killed 32 people.

The work on an extension of the Rama 2 Road expressway — a major artery leading from Bangkok — has become notorious for construction accidents, some of them fatal.

The crane collapsed at part of the road project in Samut Sakhon province, trapping two vehicles in the wreckage, according to the government’s Public Relations Department.

Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said on Thai TV Channel 7 that two people had died. It was unclear if anyone else had been trapped in the wreckage.

There was uncertainty about the number of victims because the site is still considered too dangerous for search teams to enter, said Suchart Tongteng, a rescue worker with the Ruamkatanyu Foundation.

“At this moment, we still can’t say whether another collapse could happen,” he said, citing dangling steel plates. “That’s why there are no rescue personnel inside the scene, only teams conducting on-site safety assessments.”

At the site of Wednesday's train derailment, the search for survivors ended, Nakhon Ratchasima Gov. Anuphong Suksomnit said. Three passengers listed as missing were presumed to have gotten off the train earlier, but that was still being investigated.

Officials believed 171 people had been aboard the train’s three carriages, which were being removed from the scene Thursday.

The crane that fell, crushing part of the train, was a launching gantry crane, a mobile piece of equipment often used in building elevated roadways.

Police were still collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses and have not pressed charges, provincial Police Chief Narongsak Promta told reporters.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry reported a South Korean man in his late 30s, was among the dead.

The high-speed rail project where the accident occurred is associated with the plan to connect China with Southeast Asia under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.

In August 2024, a railway tunnel on the planned route, also in Nakhon Ratchasima, collapsed, killing three workers.

Anan Phonimdaeng, acting governor of the State Railway of Thailand, said the project’s contractor is Italian-Thai Development, with a Chinese company responsible for design and construction supervision.

A statement posted on the website of the company, also known as Italthai, expressed condolences to the victims and said the company would pay compensation to the families of the dead and hospitalization expenses for the injured.

Transport Minister Phiphat said Italthai was also the lead contractor on the highway project where Thursday's accident took place, though several other companies are also involved.

The rail accident had already sparked outrage because Italthai was also the co-lead contractor for the State Audit Building in Bangkok that collapsed during construction last March during a major earthquake centered in Myanmar. The building's collapse was the worst quake damage in Thailand and about 100 people were killed.

Twenty-three individuals and companies have been indicted, including Italthai's president and the local director for the company China Railway No. 10, the project’s joint venture partner. The charges in the case include professional negligence and document forgery, and Thailand's Department of Special Investigation has recommended more indictments.

The involvement of Chinese companies in both projects has also drawn attention, as has Italthai and Chinese companies’ involvement in the construction of several expressway extensions in and around Bangkok where several accidents, some fatal, have occurred.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Wednesday the government was aware of the rail accident and had expressed condolences.

Associated Press writers Wasamon Audjarint in Bangkok and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.

Relatives of victims and others wait at a hospital, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Relatives wait at a hospital to receive bodies of victims, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Forensic workers inspect the site of a train accident, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A cuddly toy lies on the ground at the site of a train accident, a day after a construction crane fell into a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)

A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)

A construction crane that collapsed on the Rama 2 Road elevated expressway in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Arnun Chonmahatrakool)