Some things are better left alone, especially when it comes to TV series. Sure, it was nice to reunite with the cast of Arrested Development on Netflix. But in a short time, viewers were stuck with a series where suspension of disbelief extended to accepting that any one star spent time with any other star on camera. The X-Files started so promisingly. Then it reminded fans how bogged down by mythology it was when it ended the first time. The list of resurrected series that have stumbled or outright fallen on their faces stretches far. Considerably longer than the list of shows that stuck the landing. But here is King of the Hill, trying to buck that trend.

The good news is it manages better than most. The season opener catches up with Hank (Mike Judge) and Peggy (Kathy Najimy) as they return from years away in Saudi Arabia. They quickly discover their beloved Texas isn’t exactly as they left it. The jokes lean a bit heavy on the “those wacky new trends,” but that’s been King of the Hill’s bread and butter since the beginning. Hank adapts to the present, ultimately, but that doesn’t stop him from finding much of it befuddling. That allows the show to have its cake and eat it too, scoring jokes at the expense of modern times as well as Hank’s reaction to them. In some hands, that might feel cowardly, but series creators Judge and Greg Daniels have built something that makes that middle road feel big-hearted.

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Some of the jokes have improved with age. Peggy’s blissful ignorance regarding her language skills, for instance, has a bit more snap. Incorporating a tour of the Middle East that has done almost nothing to diminish her ill-founded confidence elevates them. There is a risk of making the character herself feel like a joke, but once again, King of the Hill’s natural state of kindness ensures it doesn’t go that way.

It is all a pretty impressive act of “same as it ever was,” save for one element: Dale Gribble (Toby Huss). Part of it is unavoidable. Original voice actor Johnny Hardwick died during the recording of this season, and Huss stepped into the role for parts still unrecorded. The transition is unfortunately not seamless, with Huss doing an admirable but noticeable job.

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That, however, would be easy enough to overlook if not for the other problem with Gribble. As the show’s resident conspiracy nut, his wild theories and unfounded fears were formerly a great source of humor. King of the Hill tries to return to that well here. Unlike how well it accounts for most of the other ways the world has changed, it fails to account for the rapid proliferation and acceptance of conspiracy theories. For one, many of Gribble’s ideas seem positively quaint next to the likes of Pizzagate and adrenochrome guzzling. They don’t register as out there because there are so many wilder ideas that get treated with a level of respect they are very much not entitled to.

Even harder to swallow is the aftertaste of the jokes. When it seemed most easily dismissed conspiracy theorists and their ramblings, Gribble came across as silly. In a world where conspiracy theorists can and do whip people regularly into a frenzy, he no longer seems cute. It’s hard to laugh at a guy you know, the guy a block down the road thinks has some “real interesting ideas.”

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The best illustration of this comes in the season’s third episode. To kill time waiting to see Bobby’s (Pamela Adlon) restaurant, several members of the cast visit the George W. Bush Presidential Library. As part of the tour, there is a crisis simulation. While Hank takes things seriously, the scene degenerates when an ever-expanding roster of conspiracies piles on top of one another. In the face of such nonsense, the Hill patriarch can only wilt. It is a trenchant observation, perhaps, but the world of King of the Hill does not feel equal to the task of not just presenting it but offering commentary about it. Especially less than a 1/3 into a season where Gribble continues to pop up. It’s an honest dark note, but the show doesn’t know what else to do with it besides nod at its reality.

Will King of the Hill fans feel good about their series’ return? Likely, yes. And for good reason. But if they notice (as this critic did) the way Gribble’s presence affirms some of the worst changes in the eight years since it left, well, it might prove a far harder sit than it ever was before.

King of the Hill Season 14 has some propane for you on Hulu staring August 3.

King of the Hill Season 14 Trailer: