King of the Hill is coming back with a brand new season of episodes later this Summer, but it’s starting to look like one character might not make it to the revival thanks to what might have happened during the time skip. One of the biggest developments heading into the new King of the Hill series is the fact that it’s been revealed that nearly a decade of time has passed since the events of the original series. That means not only have the characters each aged in major ways, but all sorts of things have happened to them since we’ve seen them last.
King of the Hill has had some real world changes behind the scenes as members of the original voice cast are no longer going to be around for the revival, and fans have seen how some of those characters have been handled. But it’s not the same case for characters who might just be retired entirely for the new series. Because as of right now, it really seems like Buck Strickland is one of the characters who won’t be making it into the new episodes, and he might be killed off during the events of the time skip.
What Happens to Strickland in King of the Hill?
King of the Hill’s new revival series has confirmed one major shift in Hank’s life following the end of the original series, he’s moved onto a different career. He had been spending the last few years working a special propane job in Saudi Arabia, and will be returning to Arlen for the first time after he and Peggy have saved enough for their retirement. This raised quite a few flags for long time fans immediately as it’s the kind of big move that would never be expected from Hank as he was always stalwart in his work with Strickland Propane.
There’s a chance that this job has come about due to some kind of special work exchange program with Strickland, and it would explain the new character seen in promotional materials but has yet to be revealed as of the time of this publication. This would also further explain why Hank would make such a life changing choice if he was encouraged to do so by Buck himself. Buck wouldn’t make Hank a full manager, so maybe he encouraged him to pursue this bigger career instead. But there’s also a much darker potential explanation. Buck might have died in between the events of the original and revival series, and it left Hank with no option but to chase such a big job.
What Would This Mean for Hank?
It’s hard to imagine that King of the Hill would go as far as killing off Buck Strickland given that there have been some very real losses of the actors behind the scenes over the years, but it’s also the kind of development that would also lead to such a major shift with Hank. He was loyal to Buck to a fault, and would likely never get the full promotion to manager that he’s always dreamed of (especially after he had it very briefly before telling Buck he loves him). Either Buck pushed him out the door, or is no longer around. Because why else would Hank go all the way to Saudi Arabia?
As a set up for the new series, Hank moving to Saudi Arabia is just inherently hilarious. It works both as a wild hook, and a way to explain why he’s missed out on some of the bigger changes in the United States over the last few years like the COVID pandemic and the multiple elections since the original series took place. It helps to have Hank avoid revealing his politics, but still needs a narrative explanation as to why someone like Hank would change his life so dramatically. Without his job we’re not going to see much of Strickland Propane either way, so Buck’s place in the series remains even more uncertain until the new King of the Hill premieres with Hulu on August 4th.
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