Aging the Hills With Purpose
The smartest choice the new season makes is to let time pass. We’re eight years beyond the original finale: Hank and Peggy have retired after a stint in the propane business in Saudi Arabia, and they’re relearning Arlen alongside us. It’s a simple, elegant way to invite new stories without breaking the show’s grounded tone. The time jump is explicit, and the “Saudi chapter” isn’t just a throwaway joke, it reframes Hank’s sense of home and Peggy’s shaky confidence in a way that pays off across the season.
Bobby Becomes the Show’s New Engine
If the original series belonged to Hank, Season 14 often belongs to Bobby. Now 21, he’s a working chef in Dallas (yes, a Japanese-German fusion spot), and his grown-up ambitions become the season’s most reliable source of both conflict and heart. Watching Hank grapple with charcoal cooking (the binchotan vs. propane wars arrive right on schedule) is classic KOTH: a culture clash rendered through appliances and technique, resolved through love, stubbornness, and shared meals. Bobby hasn’t been sanded down; he’s matured. The show lets him be capable without losing the sweetness that made him iconic.
“Is Arlen Meaner Now?”
Johnny Hardwick’s absence looms. Early episodes use archival-adjacent performance choices that sound different; later, Toby Huss steps in. It’s bumpy at first, and both AV Club and Den of Geek clock the transition, but the season treats Dale as essential rather than expendable, which is the right call. As the culture caught up to his conspiracies, Dale’s jokes risk losing their fringe absurdity; the writing compensates by doubling down on character, not shock value. The voice evolves; the guy remains Dale.
Still the Funniest Quiet Show on Television
What’s genuinely impressive here is how often the laugh lines emerge from mundane specifics: a ratings app that can sink a handyman’s livelihood; a retirement identity crisis you could set your watch by; an over-lavish Souphanousinphone party with secrets peeking out from every centerpiece. When the season goes broad, it usually earns it with detail. The animation is cleaner, the pacing tighter, but the show still trusts long, awkward pauses and small-town rituals to do the comedic heavy lifting. (There’s a reason so many critics note how recognizable these people feel.)
Any Misfires?
A 10-episode season magnifies wobbles. There’s at least one mid-run chapter that pushes a supporting character too far, and not every legacy player gets the same sparkle they once had. But the baseline is high, and the misses feel like the sort the original run occasionally produced, tasteful, fixable, and outweighed by an abundance of episodes that would’ve slotted seamlessly into the classic years.
TLDR:
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Premiere/availability: August 4, 2025; streaming on Hulu (also listed on Disney+). Rotten Tomatoes
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Season size: 10 episodes, released together. Den of Geek
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Setup: The Hills return to Arlen after working in Saudi Arabia; Bobby is 21 and a chef in Dallas. Den of GeekAV Club
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Reception (as of Aug 4): 100% on Rotten Tomatoes; critics highlight the show’s humane tone and timely updates. Rotten Tomatoes
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