Here’s What Bobby Hill and Pamela Adlon Have in Common

King of the Hill, Mike Judge’s seminal animated series about the best darn suburban Texas family who ever lived, is back on the air, and nobody’s more excited about it than Pamela Adlon. The Emmy-winning voice actor who brought Bobby Hill, the quirky son of Hank (Judge) and Peggy (Kathy Najimy) Hill to life, was more than thrilled to resurrect one of television’s most unique characters, especially when she found out that everyone’s favorite cartoon gourmand grew up to be a chef.

On the heels of the release of King of the Hill’s 14th season on Hulu, Eater caught up with Adlon about returning to the role, why chef was the perfect career choice for a guy like Bobby, and which of the Japanese-German fusion dishes on his menu she’s looking forward to trying out. 

What was it like to inhabit the character of Bobby Hill again after 15 years away from the show? 

Easy as pie. He just lives inside me, and he’s been dormant. It really didn’t hit me until later, though, that I do a lot of cooking in real life. I’m an amateur chef, and I did a lot of cooking in my own show, Better Things. So to be able to do that with Bobby, I love that. I love that they’re showing grown-up Bobby with his friends who are all off at university, and he’s working in a restaurant. He’s taken on some of these attributes of his dad — being a blue-collar working man, being responsible — but he’s still an outside-the-box thinker who comes up with an idea like serving German-Japanese cuisine in Dallas.

What was your reaction when you found out that Bobby grew up to be a chef? 

I freaked out. I thought it was the greatest thing ever. It just feels right. The only other option was for him to self-actualize and become a prop comic. I love that it has artistry, and also what I call “blacksmith skills,” the stuff that all human beings need to stay alive. 

It just feels so natural to see Bobby inside a restaurant. Like, of course he’s a chef. 

It really is a beautiful transition for him, and that’s a testament to the writers and the creators of the show, both the OG writers and the new writers. The new writers we got are real fans who grew up with the show, and it’s really sweet. They’re working so hard to honor the old-school, vintage King of the Hill stuff, but infuse it with new juice. And I think they did an awesome job. 

Did you bring any of your own restaurant experience to the role? 

I never worked in a restaurant. I always wanted to have a restaurant, but I’m just an amateur cook. My experience is years of cooking for my kids and their friends. I also did a lot of cooking on Better Things, and I loved incorporating food into those scenes. Food is a big part of my life and what I do, but [the writers] didn’t need me to give them any of my ideas. They already came up with all the good stuff. 

Bobby’s German-Japanese fusion definitely sounds interesting, but I’m not so sure about eating herring tempura. Are you looking forward to recreating any of his recipes at home? 

Absolutely. I think if I had to pick just one, it would be the miso-wurst.