Johnny Hardwick, who voiced the conspiracy-minded character Dale Gribble on King of the Hill, died Aug. 8 at his home in Austin, Texas. Hardwick and his character with the distinctive Texas drawl had been with the Emmy-winning animated series since its debut in 1997 through its final episode on Fox in 2010. Earlier this year, Hulu, where the reruns currently stream, announced that Hardwick would return for the series’ streaming revival.
The updated version of the beloved adult animated comedy hails from original series creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels as well as Saladin Patterson. All three are also executive producers on the show, with Patterson also set to serve as showrunner.
Network head Michael Thorn says the broadcaster isn’t in the running for a possible return of the beloved series.
Rumors of a King of the Hill reboot have ebbed and flowed for the last several months. And once again, one of the creators is teasing us with tantalizing hints about the possible return of the beloved sitcom. At San Diego Comic Con last Friday, King of the Hill creator Mike Judge answered a fan question in his Beavis & Butt-Head panel about the potential revival, saying the show “has a very good chance of coming back.”
The network has had “preliminary conversations” with series creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels about reviving the ‘toon, Fox Chairman Dana Walden confirmed to reporters Tuesday at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour. The series originally ran on Fox from Jan. 12, 1997, to Sept. 13, 2009.
