‘King of the Hill’s Pamela Adlon Says That Bobby Hill is Her “Favorite Character” She’s Ever Done: “When I See a Picture of Bobby, I Think It’s a Picture of Me”

Hulu is moseying on back to Arlen, Texas with the return of King of the Hill, the animated comedy that originally aired on FOX for 13 seasons. Pamela Adlon is one of several original cast members reprising their roles in the revival, which picks up right at Season 14, over 15 years following its last episode.

Adlon is once again lending her voice to Bobby Hill, the hilarious, good-hearted son of Hank (voiced by series co-creator Mike Judge) and Peggy Hill (Kathy Najimy). Now 21, Bobby is at the helm of Robata Chane, a German-Japanese fusion restaurant that, to his father’s dismay, operates on charcoal as opposed to propane.

In an era chock full of revivals, Adlon lauds King of the Hill as “a very handmade show, down to the animation.”

“It just really honors the characters and the detail, and the situational stuff that they get into that’s just part of where and who they are in that moment,” she tells DECIDER during a visit to our studio this week. “And it’s a very present show. I learned a lot about writing myself from being an actor on King of the Hill and just letting moments land.”

For more on Adlon’s “pinch me moment” of returning to the series, the “gift” of voicing her “favorite character,” and how voiceover work has remained her “bread and butter” over the course of her career, continue reading.

DECIDER: Can you take me through what it was like learning of the show’s revival? Who called you? Was it an immediate yes?

ADLON: Well, A) of course. Immediate, yes. And two, Kathy Najimy, I guess for the past like 15 years — it seems longer — has been always sending the cast little snippets that she would hear, like in a chat room that was in, you know, like South Korea, and that was attached to a Reddit. And she would send it to the cast and I would be like, “Bro, it’s not happening.” And then when it really became a thing, you just pinch yourself. Because actually when we were recording the show, it was really a pinch me moment. Like we kind of felt like, oh, this show is really special, always from the beginning. It wasn’t just a job. It just felt like you were creating something that was just so profoundly stick-to-your-guts worthy, which is what King of the Hill always was to to all of us. So it was it was really like a pinch me moment. 

What was it like returning to such an iconic character like Bobby after so long?

Well, I always say that he’s my favorite character I’ve ever done. And when I see a picture of Bobby, I think it’s a picture of me. Like, I feel like it’s my headshot and it’s this cartoon 12, 13-year-old boy. It’s an amazing gift to be able to portray a character that you feel so deeply connected to, even though he always was a 12-year-old boy. Where did I reach down into myself to, you know, be this kid? And the reality is, he was always such a free-thinking, out-of-the-box character. And he just happened to be being raised in Texas and in this small suburb with his parents who both have certain ways about them and ways of thinking. And Bobby always challenged them. And it’s really fun now because you get to see Bobby with attributes of both his parents and yet still being himself. And so you get the good, vintage King of the Hill stuff, but also the the fresh new parts of the show that really keep it relevant and exciting. 

One of those new aspects of Bobby is we get to see him cheffing up at Robata Chane, a German-Japanese fusion restaurant. Were you at all involved in developing this plot line or did you give any ideas for any of his growth in this new season? Or were you just kind of presented with this idea and you rolled with it?

They did all the work. I like to think that maybe, because my love of cooking, part of it is like, maybe that would be cool for Bobby. But it’s just kind of a great way to introduce his cooking method as opposed to using propane on a grill. So it creates a good little bit of static or friction. 

Did you have a favorite dish of his?

I mean, anything that’s the German-Japanese fusion that you can get in Dallas, Texas. Yeah, there was one, but I can’t forget what the thing was [laughs]. But pretty much all of it sounds delicious.

In an era that’s filled with so many revivals and returns to older shows, what do you think sets King of the Hill apart from the others?

I don’t know about the other shows. I mean, it was really fun being in [San Diego] Comic-Con with South Park. The two shows are coming back at the same time, the new seasons… The thing about King of the Hill, it was always a very handmade show, down to the animation. It just really honors the characters and the detail, and the situational stuff that they get into that’s just part of where and who they are in that moment. And it’s a very present show. I learned a lot about writing myself from being an actor on King of the Hill and just letting moments land. Like I said, I loved it when we were doing the original seasons, and doing this new season was just rare air.

With there being such a huge fan base for this show from its previous 13 seasons, was there anything you were nervous about with this revival? Like navigating both an old audience and also welcoming it and opening it up to a new audience? 

Well, I start to feel very protective because it just feels like you don’t want it to be just doing a show for the sake of doing it. You want it to be as good or special as it always was. And when you’re coming in with something like this, you’ve got to probably even be a little bit more, more betta. 

Something I love about this show, is while it feels so kind of comfortably contained in Arlen, I feel like it’s also so self-aware. I loved the comment about King of the Grill and like just little almost self-jabs and cultural commentary. Was there any piece of cultural commentary, I guess, that you enjoyed most in this new season?

I like it all. I really trust the writers. We had some old-school OGs come back, and then we had a fresh crop of new writers. There’s stuff I’m so excited for people to see and watch, and the storylines that I love the most aren’t just about Bobby. It’s really about everybody in this community and the village in Arlen and Dallas.

At our site, we’re dedicated to all things streaming. Do you have any idea of the kind of shows that you think Bobby would be streaming right now?

Oh [laughs]. What’s that one that somebody said? Oh, that’s a game. Fortnite. Yeah, I would think he’s watching as many cooking shows as possible.

This season also welcomed some new voice actors, as well as a new showrunner. What was it like working with some new members of the cast and crew?

Well, you know, full disclosure, in terms of recording, we don’t get to see people. So when I found out that Keith David was a voice on the show, I was like… I couldn’t believe — I was so frickin excited because I’m such a huge fan. And I love Ronny Chieng. But really Saladin Patterson, who is our new showrunner, so it was like [speaks in Bobby’s voice] my third dad [Exits Bobby’s voice] That was so cool because we had this guy come in, who’s like an OG fan of King of the Hill, be able to really nurture it and develop it and bring it into the now.

Do you think fans can expect more King of the Hill after this season? And if so, would you be onboard for more seasons?

What am I, insane? Of course I’d be onboard. That would be the best. That would be amazing. But just a gift to have done this one.

Where do you see Bobby going forward if there is more to come?

Well, I hope he can stay 21 for the next 20 years [laughs]. And I don’t know. I would never put anything on Bobby because he’s like, even though he’s me, he’s like one of my kids. So I just want him to be fulfilled, healthy, and keep going. 

With him growing older, did you work on anything to make your voice sound at all distinguished?

We talked about it a lot. We had a lot of meetings about it. It was just like a nuance, like, you know, I lowered the balls a little bit. I don’t know if you could say that here. I said it. Yeah. I got a thumb up… my butt. Sorry. No, it was just like the tiniest tweak. And, you know, because you feel very protective of the character. They had every right. They could have gone and gotten, you know, like a man, a Barry White-sounding [actor] or done something electronically. But we just did it with just a little change so people could get that Bobby feeling, but that he has grown.

Your experience spans from both voiceover work to onscreen acting work and directing. I know you were mentioning that a lot of the voiceover work is very individual. How else does your experience with voiceover work, like on King of the Hill, differ from some of your more onscreen acting roles?

It’s just so easy. It’s kind of the best feeling is to be able to go into a recording studio and lay down recording tracks and not have to worry about hair and makeup and locations and wrangling all of these things. It’s really kind of a perfect world. I think that my first job when I was 10 was a voiceover, and it was an accident. It was when I first visited Los Angeles with my dad. And now it’s still my bread and butter. It’s the greatest world. So hopefully one day I could create my own animated show or movie.

Although you’re very different from Bobby, what do you identify with most in Bobby?

His curiosity. Just the way he observes the world and he takes it in. He’s really present and he pays attention. He’s kind, and he cares, and he’s funny.

You co-created, starred, and directed Better Things, and your onscreen daughter, Mikey Madison, recently won an Oscar. Are you guys still in touch? Did you get to congratulate her on the win?

Yeah, I congratulated her, and it’s fantastic. And, you know, hopefully it’ll make people, you know, look up her beginnings and watch Better Things because there’s five seasons. It’s great for everybody when somebody achieves something and they came from something. So it’s kind of a really huge thing.

Seasons 1-14 of King of the Hill are streaming on Hulu.