• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, July 20, 2026

The TV Blog rarely revisits TV shows when they are starting a new season, but there are exceptions.

One of them is “The Simpsons” annual premiere and then a few weeks later, the show’s annual Halloween “Treehouse of Horror” anthology special.

Another is “King of the Hill,” which starts its 15th season Monday on Hulu. This is the revered animated comedy’s second season since its revival last year on Hulu after a 15-year absence.

The importance of “The Simpsons” in the history of television is not debatable. The series starts its 38th season this fall. 

And this fall’s “Treehouse of Horror” will be the show’s 37th. The TV Blog will write on both of them if they are available.

“The Simpsons” and “King of the Hill” share a remarkable trait. This is just one blogger’s opinion, but they are both the best TV shows ever made that chronicle, satirize and comment on our ever-changing world. 

In this pursuit, the TV Blog has long given “King of the Hill” a slight edge, possibly because its animated characters are more like “real” people than the residents of fictional Springfield, USA, in “The Simpsons.”

The characters in “King of the Hill” are recognizable and relatable, starting with the show’s title character Hank Hill (above photo), along with his wife Peggy, son Bobby and friends Boomhauer, Dale Gribble and Bill Dauterive.

Hank Hill represents everyone who observes social change with a resigned skepticism. In the 15th-season premiere on Monday, he is frustrated by an electric pickup truck that someone keeps parking in front of his house. 

His fear is that his neighbors will mistakenly think this EV is his, which to him is a big disgrace.

The episode involves Hank’s search for the owner. He even stakes out the car all night with his friends to see if they can catch the owner before the car has to be moved at 6 a.m.

But then the worst happens: It turns out that the car is autonomous and can be moved across the street remotely.

The most appealing feature of “King of the Hill” is its absence of anger. Hank Hill never raises his voice, even when new things he does not understand have the potential to raise his hackles.

The show is gently satirical and highly comedic. Comedy master Mike Judge is its co-creator (with Greg Daniels) and the voice of Hank.

“King of the Hill” first premiered on Fox in 1997. The fact that it retains its consistently high quality 29 years later is a remarkable trait. It is a trait it shares with “The Simpsons.”

The 15th season of “King of the Hill” starts streaming Monday, July 20, on Hulu.