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\t\t\t\t\tJeff Boomhauer (voiced by Mike Judge) with Bill Dauterive (Stephen Root).<\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDisney\/Mike Judge<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n\tWith its return, the series that debuted in 1997 will arrive at a time when TV, pop culture and comedy are all in notably different places. \u201cWe\u2019re going to have to wait and see what a drop is going to look like for us, because that\u2019s never happened,\u201d says Root about the show\u2019s move from a 20-plus episode weekly release model on broadcast to a 10-episode binge format on streaming. \u201cBut I\u2019m really interested to see how people gobble up 10 episodes and then react to that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tHuss, who once voiced Kahn Souphanousinphone Sr. \u2014 Hank Hill\u2019s Laotian American neighbor \u2014 is also part of a modern industry shift away from casting actors who don\u2019t match the ethnicity or race of their character. At the same time he stepped back from that role (now voiced by Ronny Chieng), he stepped into the role of Hill\u2019s conspiracy theorist friend and neighbor Dale Gribble, following the death<\/a> of Johnny Hardwick<\/a> during production.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI liked the fact that we\u2019re asking these questions now culturally that we didn\u2019t ask back in \u201897, or if we did, they weren\u2019t very loud. Now we are, and I think it\u2019s a much better place to be as a society and as a culture to ask and then give some answers. And if the answers mean you have to make some corrections, let\u2019s make some corrections,\u201d Huss says. \u201cIn terms of Dale, I think I did one read through where I read Dale in the room, and they just thought, \u2018Well, hell, I guess Toby is close enough. Let\u2019s let him do it.\u2019 But it was a really sweet and humbling thing for them to ask.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe were thrilled as a cast that it was one of our own, that it was going to stay in the family,\u201d says Tom, with Root adding: \u201cNobody could replace Johnny, but Toby could further Johnny\u2019s wonderfulness.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAlongside Hardwick\u2019s passing, the series return arrives now also without several original voice actors, including Brittany Murphy<\/a>, Tom Petty<\/a>, Dennis Burkley <\/a>and Jonathan Joss <\/a>\u2014 the latter of whom completed his voice work for the season before his own death this past June<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tKing of the Hill; Right: Toby Huss, Johnny Hardwich and Stephen Root.<\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Hulu<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n\t\u201cWe miss all of them. We miss all of our departed friends,\u201d Root reflects when asked about Joss and others\u2019 passing. \u201cBrittany was always a joy. She was the kind of person that would take a half an hour to write a note to a fan. She was really happy to do that. It was fantastic. We miss that. We missed the loquacious Tom Petty, who was just so laid back and wonderful. Dennis Berkeley as our Principal [Moss]. We miss all of them so much, but we\u2019re really excited that we\u2019re in a new generation and a new way to look at things in this show.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI\u2019m glad we had each other to just heal through that because it\u2019s like losing a family member,\u201d Tom adds.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tThe show will handle the absence of specific characters differently, with on-screen credit tributes to Hardwick and Joss specifically. They help honor not just the original voices but what the original series fans loved. Yet, as Root notes, the series does move on, delivering a King of the Hill for a new generation. Part of that approach sees characters like Connie aged up, with Tom noting that she made slight tweaks to the now young woman\u2019s voice to go alongside her now young adult storylines. \u201cWe had to play around a little bit with it because my character is only 12 back then,\u201d she explains. \u201cSo I just did something that was closer to my own voice.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tWhile some characters like Connie and Bobby literally grow, true to the show\u2019s comedic approach, King of the Hill\u2019s return underscores how whether in real or animated life, some people never change. \u201cI\u2019m proud to say that Saladin [K. Patterson], our brilliant new showrunner, and all the great new writers that we have, didn\u2019t change Bill at all,\u201d says Root, to laughs from his co-stars.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n