But Hank, Peggy, and Bobby are never alone in all of this. “King of the Hill” was, is, and always will be an ensemble show about the community surrounding the Hill family, and most of those familiar faces are back. Dale Gribble (formerly voiced by the late Johnny Hardwick and now voiced by Toby Huss) is still a conspiracy theorist extraordinaire; Bill Dauterive (Stephen Root) is still a codependent mess; and Boomhauer (Mike Judge again) is … well, he’s still Boomhauer. Their banter is sharp as ever, and their hijinks are still deeply engrossing, even if they’re all a little older and a little stranger.

As in the original series, this incarnation of “King of the Hill” knows how to spread the wealth of storytelling around to its ensemble. There are whole plots devoted to Bill’s social awkwardness, Dale’s scheming, Peggy’s ambition, and more, all shifted deftly to consider the place we find them all in right now. Hank used to worry about being a good father, a principled businessman, and an adequate husband. Now he worries about how to spend his time in retirement, what happens when his body gives out on him, and of course, how he’s supposed to break it to his friends that he enjoys soccer now. Meanwhile Bobby’s trying to figure out a love life and a business at the same time, Peggy’s looking to recapture some of her old energy, and everyone else in Arlen is dealing with issues of their own — all captured with empathy and palpable joy by the cast, animators, and writers.

Reviving a TV series is a high-wire act, all about balancing out the familiar with the new. Some shows stray too far into uncharted territory and can’t ever find their way back, while others come off as stiff, trying too hard to be something they can never be again. “King of the Hill,” in its return, is smart enough to see this problem coming, and makes a large part of its new season about that very issue. Hank likes things the way they’ve always been, but he also recognizes that he can’t sit and stew in the same old things forever, or he’s going to fade away. That creates great dramatic tension and moments of laugh-out-loud comedy, but it also manages to be remarkably true to what the show always was. At its best, “King of the Hill” is about a regular guy just trying to find the best path forward for himself and the ones he loves no matter how bizarre, alien, and uncomfortable the world might be. With that in mind, we just might need this show more than ever, and the new “King of the Hill” delivers, on every level, a remarkable return to form for one of the 21st century’s best animated series.

“King of the Hill” returns on August 4 on Hulu.