King Of The Hill's Return Preview Hints At Replacing A Beloved Character, And I'm Not Ready

King of the Hill is returning with new episodes to the 2026 TV schedule, and I can hardly wait to binge it with my Hulu subscription. It looks like there's a lot on the horizon for Hank and his friends, including a new pet that could replace his beloved late dog Lady Bird.

While the revival is explicitly made not to make fans nostalgic, it seems we may be taking a walk down memory lane based on this new poster promoting the show. I'm basing that on the picture of Hank, which shows him holding a leash without an animal attached:

While it's not explicitly stated in the return, common sense would imply that Lady Bird passed away from old age at some point between the ending of the original King of the Hill and the return. Hank's beloved dog was a minor character in the series, though she sometimes got the spotlight in a handful of episodes.

Is Hank considering getting a new dog? It wouldn't be surprising he'd consider it, especially given the show thrives on change. I would assume they didn't have a pet while living in Saudi Arabia, and transferring animals across international borders often comes with a lot of red tape. Now that they're back in Arlington, now might finally be the time for him to get a new companion, but can any dog replace Lady Bird?

Bringing in a new dog to replace Lady Bird isn't as wild as bringing back Luanne and Lucky, but definitely a significant moment in King of the Hill. Getting a new pet is a hard decision in life, and it can go one of many ways. I'm eager to see if Hank ends up finding a new pet he can learn to love, even if it breaks my heart to see him revisit the death of Lady Bird.

All this to say, we don't know for certain that Hank will be doing any of this when King of the Hill returns. I'm basing this on the fact that the last time the series dropped a poster like this, some of the things featured ended up getting mentioned in the season. Giving Hank a leash without an animal on it feels like a pretty big clue, so I'm betting we'll get some storyline involving a pet.

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King of the Hill returns to Hulu with new episodes on July 20th. I'm hyped to see what changes are on the way for all the characters, even if it means I have to shed a tear for some of the ones that we've lost along the way.