Pamela Adlon has said she intends to keep voicing Bobby Hill for as long as possible, as King of the Hill returns with an older version of the character. Speaking before the new season’s premiere, she described the challenge of making 21-year-old Bobby sound believable while preserving the qualities that long-time viewers recognise, and said the revival was pursued only once its creators felt it had the right tone.

Adlon said the revived series grew out of an enthusiastic reunion table read in San Francisco, which persuaded co-creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels that a return could work. She chose a subtly deeper, more mature voice rather than relying on studio alteration, while naming Bobby’s gout storyline, the raccoon episode, “The Order of the Straight Arrow”, the Willie Nelson episode and “A Beer Can Named Desire” among her favourites; she has played Bobby across 15 seasons and nearly 300 episodes.