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Johnny Hardwick, who voiced Dale Gribble in the original King of the Hill series, unfortunately passed away while in production on the new episodes for Hulu. He was able to complete his recordings for a few episodes, but King of the Hill has announced that Toby Huss (who provided many voices in the original series) will be taking on the role. Speaking on this during the King of the Hill reunion and Season 14 sneak peek panel during ATX TV Festival (of which ComicBook was in attendance), Huss opened up about the emotional tightrope he’s been walking with the character.
King of the Hill’s Toby Huss Takes Over for Dale
“Johnny was one-of-a-kind and a wonderful fellow.” Huss stated. “I’m not trying to copy Johnny…I guess I’m trying to be Johnny. He laid down a really wonderful goofball character…he had a lot of weird heart to him and that’s a credit to Johnny. So all I’m trying to do is hold on to his Dale-ness. We love our guy Johnny and it’s so sad that he’s not here.” It was then that King of the Hill series co-creator Mike Judge confirmed that Hardwick will be featured in six of the new episodes coming in Season 14 too.
Huss taking over for Dale is going to be an adjustment for some, but King of the Hill fans likely know that the character is in great hands. Not only does this allow Toby Huss to play a huge role in the new series now that his most prominent characters have either since died (like Hank’s father Cotton) or have since been recast (such as Kahn Souphanousinphone), but it’s also someone who knew Hardwick on a very personal and emotional level. It’s clear by Huss’ approach that he’s handling Dale with a lot of care moving forward.
RELATED: King of The Hill Revival Reveals Major Change to Boomhauer
When Does King of the Hill Season 14 Come Out?
King of the Hill will be premiering its new revival series with Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ on August 4th, and will be running for ten episodes as a Season 14. This new series takes place nearly a decade following the events of the original show, and is teasing some big changes to all of the characters in the years since we have seen them last. This even includes someone staunchly opposed to change like Hank as he’s even gotten his biggest shift yet with a new job that took him out of the country all this time.
As he and Peggy head back to Arlen, Hank and King of the Hill fans are about to see a whole new series. Here’s how Hulu teases what’s next, “After years working a propane job in Saudi Arabia to earn their retirement nest egg, Hank and Peggy Hill return to a changed Arlen, Texas to reconnect with old friends Dale, Boomhauer and Bill. Meanwhile, Bobby is living his dream as a chef in Dallas and enjoying his 20s with his former classmates Connie, Joseph and Chane.”
