Minority Mindset

2023 and 2024 were turbulent years for television. Strikes by writers and actors, combined with California wildfires, halted production and led to job losses. Financial struggles at companies like Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, and Disney (with the planned elimination of standalone Hulu) created a lot of anxiety about the industry’s future. Despite all this, some shows proved that TV still has incredible potential. The best series of the year felt deeply connected to the real world, prompting viewers to really see what’s happening around them. One show even featured Malin Åkerman finding creative ways to use a particularly strong word – a testament to the power and freedom of the medium.

It always felt wonderfully unexpected to hear Pamela Adlon, with her distinctive New York voice, play Bobby Hill, a goofy kid growing up in Texas. That contrast is a key reason why her delivery of the line, “That’s my purse! I don’t know you!” became so famous. In the new King of the Hill revival, Adlon doesn’t drastically change Bobby’s voice – he still sounds like Bobby – but both the actress and the character have evolved. Now in her late 50s, Adlon brings a deeper, more mature warmth to the role, as Bobby, now in his early 20s, tackles adulthood with the same innocent enthusiasm he had as a child. What’s impressive is how skillfully Adlon balances the old and the new. Bobby still has the unique, slightly quirky rhythm that made him so memorable, but there’s a newfound gentleness and understanding beneath the surface. Adlon manages to make Bobby feel fresh and updated while staying true to the character we all loved.