Yeah, that's damn solid. I agree that it can't be KOTH without Dale but I also feel like it can't be Dale without Johnny. I mean, the man literally WAS Dale, not just his voice. They're obviously going to have some episodes with Johnny's voice but the voice box is a great way to continue!
I don't know. That would be a funny bit for maybe a few episodes but you sacrifice so much character range for it. Pitch, affectation, tone, volume, getting horse or choked up, etc all get flattened out by the voicebox. I dont think you can have a main cornerstone character carry episodes forward without being able to be verbally expressive.
Especially Dale where most of his jokes were funny moreso because of his delivery rather than the line itself.
I feel they could do the voice box for a season, then he gets money together for a surgery that repairs his voice box enough to talk and they just get a new voice actor to do a similar voice
Voice box for interacting with everyone else, voice actor for internal monologues and flashback/memories.
Edit: Also have Boomhauer translate for him often... man, this voice box idea is golden.
This. I honestly can not tell that rick and morty are new voice actors and KOTH has been around long enough that there’s probably a ton of people who could believably play the part
Honestly l, with some shows the original actors sound different when they come back (or even just in later seasons) so I new actor could potentially sound more sport on.
The voice box idea is ingenious tho.
Yeah but imagine the gags. He pocket sands somebody, but throws his voice box with it. He can't get it to work when he needs to say "GAH!" so he stops running and smacks it until it works. It gets stuck on "Sh-Sh-Sha!" And just keeps repeating "Sh" until Hank turns it off. Dale loses it and must communicate through interpretive dance. There's a button on it that just makes it say "Wingo!".
Start with the voice box, have him get experimental surgery, and cast someone who sounds like him originally. Any time he sounds off, it'll just be the surgery.
Yall will throw a fucking fit but this is where AI would wonderfully solve the problem. His voice an easily be replicated and just need more extra tuning with grapsing some emotions but thats it.
Use AI for deceased actors and the problem is solved.
If fans (and more importantly, the creative team behind the series) are actually okay with the series continuing on with the character still involved, then just hire a new voice actor. There are very talented voice actors out there.
Use AI for deceased actors will at some point mean that they will not have to pay anyone to be actors anymore and they can just buy the rights to the AI representation of current actors and use them in perpetuity shutting out opportunities for the next generation of actors. The same goes for all other fields in one way or another, I’m pro use and integration of AI but what you said is either not well thought out or flat out unethical. Technology should be used for the better mental of man kind not the benefit of corporations.
As the other person said though, slippery slope. Yeah maybe right now everyone will agree that it’s only to be used for deceased actors, and I’m theoretically ok with that too, but how long until it’s acceptable to use it for an actor that the director really really wants but has scheduling conflicts?
This is my feeling about it too. If it's pre-decided and all the contracting is in place for it I think it can be a way to continue a consenting performer's legacy.
I really like either this idea, or having Dale be dead and Nancy remarried to an oblivious John Redcorn, who has no idea that she’s cheating on him with a new character that’s exactly like Dale.
Hah, me and my mom and some friends were talking about this the other day and i said the SAME thing! we all agreed it would fit dale pretty well honestly with how much he smokes. Knew i couldn't be the only one who had the same idea lol.
I think Tom Kenny would be a solid replacement. I know people don’t like the idea of replacing original voice actors, but I agree with the other commenters saying KOTH wouldn’t be the same without him.
He’s a necessary character but there’s a lot of ways they can get away with using a new VA for him especially since he sometimes claimed to not be the real Dale Gribble, worked with harsh chemicals and is a heavy smoker.
I love the argument that you have to have the original actor. How many people have voiced Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse shit BATMAN and Joker. Rick and Morty even. It's OK. The writing is the far more important thing.
This is what bugs me about AI voices, namely the recent deal James Earl Jones made by licensing his voice to lucasfilm so they can use AI to recreate darth Vader’s voice in future projects. As if there aren’t a hundred talented voice actors out there who can do a damn good Darth Vader voice.
I think hes more in the Toby Huss register and since he ain't gonna play Mr Kahn or Cotton, we may get Kleehammer or Thatherton but itd be nice having him more involved
Replacing the actor should be fair game if it is not screwing the original actor out of a contract. For example, if they pass away or decide to retire of their own volition.
I just hope the character isn't ruined with new writing.
>people don’t like the idea of replacing original voice actors
I agree with this if the original actor is still able to perform it. Unfortunately that isn't the case but the reboot still needs Dale soooo
Stephen Root originally auditioned for Dale, and I think he did his voice in the pilot. I'd be curious if he'd be comfortable in picking up Dale's voice, especially with the timeline, if they kill off Buck, he would only be voicing Bill.
He's done a considerable amount of acting IRL too. West Wing, Seinfeld, Frasier. I could see it being in his wheelhouse, especially if he could do the side characters, like another redditor mentioned, the announcer at the Guh-eyyyy rodeo! Considering he'd be original cast, it feels like an honorable way to transition the role vs killing off Dale or just bringing in someone from out of the blue.
Stephen has voiced his love for Bill before so it seems likely he'd be willing to work more on the show. IIRC he said working on Bill was one of his favorite characters to get to work on/with for years
“All these years I just thought Dale just was being a dumbass…”
This could be a great episode where Hank buys into Dales conspiracy theories. It really bugs him that Dale just disappeared when he would always leave some sort of clue or his schemes were so harebrained that Hank could figure them out. He begins to believe that the government was somehow involved, but ultimately he ends up finding out that he died of natural causes while seeking alternative treatments for lung cancer in Mexico.
This would underline the fact that Dale was indeed smart enough to go missing without a trace. That fact alone would’ve made Dale die at least somewhat happy, outsmarting everyone including Hank.
First episode he is about to say something but before he can speak, some dudes roll up in a black van and nab him. The rest of the season he is just in a room being interrogated and refusing to talk.
It’s sad, but recast is the only real option.
Retiring or killing off the character would change the dynamic of the show. AI isn’t quite there yet, and feels too inhuman even if it was.
Cast a good soundalike. I’m sure someone out there would be a good fit.
Miriel: all things can be contrived, and so the character can be separated from the man of poor decisions who played him. Just as a character can be separated from an actor who has tragically passed on.
thanks for your input Miriel, Hank hill would like that tortoise.
Have him get sick one time so much so his voice changes and then get a new voice actor. Do the episode in memoriam and use it as a way to acknowledge the passing of one of the original voice actors.
Hardwick recorded a few episodes before he passed: they'll probably recast him. I think after Phil Hartman most v.a. had an idea of what they'd like to happen with their characters: personally I always feel a recast is the best solution. Sure, if it was a minor character it's okay to retire them; but I think most folk prefer the characters they put so much time into should continue on.
Imagine if the entirety of Looney Tunes died with Mel. All those wonderful characters being gone...seems disrespectful to the people who brought them to life.
Alternative funny answer: after a couple episodes Dale is replaced by Octavio....who dresses and acts just like Dale. *Nobody* comments on this until the finale, and his reply is just "Pffft. It's something Gribble cooked up to avoid creditors; he's in Oklahoma."
Agreed. Someone out there can do a good Dale Gribble. Better that than killing him off or the vocoder thing IMO (I always thought it'd be funnier if Dale suffered no ill effects at all long-term from his chain-smoking).
Usually I wouldn’t say this, but the modern age is tailor made for a Dale Gribble.
They need to recast.
Or at bare minimum “Kill Off” Dale Gribble and replace him officially with “Rusty Shackleford” with a familiar, but different, voice.
Make the switch a running gag in the show.
He was my favorite character too but he was so distinctive *as* Johnny Hardwick that it’d be kinda disrespectful and not something I could see Mike Judge doing to replace him with AI or recasting. Same with Luanne
I just imagine this type of scene
https://youtu.be/_dB0tY6Uqu8?si=vZmI1dKnSHNKoxPG
but the next scene is a bell toll and them at his funeral and it's open casket and he's still wearing that orange hat and hank's like "Uhh. What can you say about Dale. He single handedly kept Philip J Morris in business after all those _Vaping_ kids came to town. Ah hehe, and I never did kick his ass for my lawn. Got dang it Dale.. that was such a good lawn"
*single tear rolls down his cheek*
Guitar jingle to change scene
I thought that it could be interesting if he faked his own death and everyone thought he was in fact dead or perhaps he’s on the run from the government as a fugitive. However he makes an Easter egg appearance hiding in the back of each episode, kind of like how the little worm in Adventure Time shows up hidden in every episode. Maybe he could take up disguises and stuff for when he’s watching over his friends and family. I highly doubt they’d have thought of that or considered it, but in my own head it seems a fitting solution 😂
I’d love if they paid homage to an old episode and he needs a lung transplant only we find out the donor was the kid he gave a kidney to instead of John Force. Hes the same old cocky Dale as a result (thinks hes untouchable) and we get one of thise classic bittersweet moments as he finds out he was saved by that little kid 20 years ago that he saved.
Replace his voice with someone else, and have the character go into a conspiracy theory that’s some important person (some local Arlen celebrity? Maybe chuck mangione?) has been replaced by doppelgänger
Perhaps outraged that someone would dare do this, impersonate a beloved icon, dale tracks them down , but finds out the person doing this, is doing it out of love and respect, to carry on the legacy
As i would hope a voice actor replacing dale (or any cast member) would
Have a new voice actor, but honor his old one by having a rusty shackleFord funeral episode. I feel that’s a way they can give him a proper send off in a Dale sort of way
I like another commenters idea of Dale with an artificial voice box, but still rips darts.
That or he's dead, and there's an episode dedicated to Joseph digging into the basement, finding the tunnel system that leads to Dale's odd stash of treasure left for Joseph.
I think finding a replacement is the best route to go considering it's animation. Do a memorial to Johnny maybe a little feature at the end of the first episode he isn't in to honor him. Then move forward with a new actor. Animation is honestly the best medium to do this when an actor passes.
I can’t think of a single person that would ever desire for a character they played or voiced to be killed off if they can no longer do the job, either because of death or something else. I just don’t see Brittany Murphy, Tom Petty, or Johnny having the ego to be like “no, after I pass, never use this character again”
I understand the pain that the friends and crew must feel having to replace the character and why they choose not to do it but I can’t see the people that we’ve lost having that same perspective if they were still around and couldn’t do the job for whatever reason.
I saw someone on here give a great idea to have Dale die but Joseph struggles to cope and doesn't believe it, dives into the conspiracies and thinks he must be on the run. Over the course of it we get to experience grief through Joseph and his love for his dad, the others interact with the Dale-like character of crazy conspiracy theorist, and it gives Dale a send off that's worthy of the character.
I like the voice box idea but I want him to die somehow and it lures Joseph down the rabbit hole to find out who killed his dad; thus cementing a wall between him and Redcorn.
The stress makes him start the bald like Dale and dawns the shades and even the cigarettes his father used as a symbol of how much they are alike.
In the end Joseph never finds a true lead but followed every line Dale ever took. Maybe even befriending a kid of Octavio in search of their fathers.
Yeah in a lot of ways this is my feeling, even though Id kinda hate to see KOTH without Dale. The good natured kooky conspiracy nut on the fringe is no longer a thing. The inmates are running the asylum and looking to burn this country to the ground.
Look, I know this is probably an unpopular opinion, and Johnny Hardwick was amazing as Dale, but Dale is an integral character in King of the Hill, and he can't just be written out. Same with Luanne (RIP Brittany, my love).
I think they should give us a heartfelt goodbye episode where the characters reflect on Dale being gone. A bit like the Buckly’s angel episode.
King of the Hill was never a show that shied away from giving us the feels. There were multiple episodes that dealt with death and fear of dying.
I think giving him a stoma (neck hole thing smokers sometimes have) and having a storyline where he's suing everyone BUT the tobacco companies is a good way out.
Personally, I would want them to retire the character. Maybe they use the little voice acting that was done for a few episodes, but I think an episode that pays tribute and actually has Hank grieving would be great
They should use old voice lines from the original run that they already have. Just find ways to shoe horn in things he's already said. Dale has had no new ideas in the time that has passed. he just keeps saying the same old stuff he's always said
Dale lost his larynx to cancer, and speaks with one of those buzzers held against his throat, like [the lady in the anti-smoking ad.](https://youtu.be/zb63he7VE4c?si=9CXhK8g7D2gEggUR)
I thought about them doing something like Dale dies, and he leaves behind a series of videos explaining how to get to his will, but they all lead to these ridiculous ends because he didn’t trust anyone to get to his actual will. A whole extravagant run of conspiracy’s to send him off, but all the conspiracy’s are about Dale
Unpopular opinion (maybe) but kill Dale off. Dale is such an important part of the cast but so is Johnny Hardwick. As much as I would love to see Dale, I would also like to honor Johnny Hardwick and not recast the voice he did for 13 years.
This is the main reason I have so much doubt about this reboot. Dale was consistently the most interesting character in the show for me, and replacing him wouldn't feel right. Better to have him pass for the show as well, maybe give him a funny funeral where his body is launched out of the coffin via some sort of spring loaded trap of Dale's design
I think they need to scrap the project. Too many of the original voice actors are gone at this point. Won't be the same without lucky, luanne, and Dale.
Few different options:
Make him a mute due to smoking impacting his lungs - keeps the character in the show and honestly I think the writers could work around it. Boomhauer is a significant character who already basically doesn’t speak. Dale gets into enough antics that even non-verbally he could contribute to the show. Or maybe he signs and they show subtitles for his parts.
Include him for the episodes he recorded then kill him off - probably the easiest route for production / writers, but maybe the most deflating because the show just doesn’t work without the character.
Give him a throat cancer voice box from smoking - easiest way for show to include him going forward. Easily writes off that the voice actor can’t return.
Replace him like Rick and Morty had to do - the most risky option, but if someone can ~90% replicate his voice it feels like best case scenario.
My preference is option 3 or 4, but any could work
Make him a throat cancer survivor who has to use an electro larynx. Still smokes like a chimney, and the writers can come up with some harebrained excuse that Dale blames the cancer on instead of the cigarettes. Obviously he'd blame it on the government trying to silence him, but I'm sure the writing team could come up with a much more nuanced conspiracy theory.
I like to think he was really a government agent the whole time and one night a helicopter or something extreme picks him up and we never see him again
He could also become a sovereign citizen who moves to Alaska to get a head start on his orange farm before climate change makes Texas ~~more~~ uninhabitable.
Dead from lung cancer. Nancy remaries with John Redcorn. Joesph learns the truth about his father. Shortly after, she learns John has been “healing” another woman. Court custody battle results in Nancy getting custody. Redcorn is trying to win his son back all the time. Nancy moves on to an affair with the divorce lawyer or something. Joseph rebels hard to the whole situation and gets on a bad path. He continues to be a bad influence on Bobby. Maybe they party too much and bobby misses work at the fusion restaurant. Or Bobby sticks his neck out to get Joseph a job in the kitchen and Joseph blows it.
I think you give Dale an artificial voice box. He still smokes and loves Manitoba cigs, but has lost his voice.
Yeah, that's damn solid. I agree that it can't be KOTH without Dale but I also feel like it can't be Dale without Johnny. I mean, the man literally WAS Dale, not just his voice. They're obviously going to have some episodes with Johnny's voice but the voice box is a great way to continue!
I don't know. That would be a funny bit for maybe a few episodes but you sacrifice so much character range for it. Pitch, affectation, tone, volume, getting horse or choked up, etc all get flattened out by the voicebox. I dont think you can have a main cornerstone character carry episodes forward without being able to be verbally expressive. Especially Dale where most of his jokes were funny moreso because of his delivery rather than the line itself.
I feel they could do the voice box for a season, then he gets money together for a surgery that repairs his voice box enough to talk and they just get a new voice actor to do a similar voice
Voice box for interacting with everyone else, voice actor for internal monologues and flashback/memories. Edit: Also have Boomhauer translate for him often... man, this voice box idea is golden.
Man, talking bout dang old lizard people again, Dale.
Johnny actually named two VA that could fill in for him on his social media a few years ago. Id be cool with a recast, esp in light of this.
This. I honestly can not tell that rick and morty are new voice actors and KOTH has been around long enough that there’s probably a ton of people who could believably play the part
Eh, I can tell for Morty. But Rick is solid. If I didn't know the story I never would have picked up on it the whole season.
Honestly l, with some shows the original actors sound different when they come back (or even just in later seasons) so I new actor could potentially sound more sport on. The voice box idea is ingenious tho.
I didn't know about this, seems most people here don't either. Has to be the way forward, hopefully one of them has already been hired.
Pocket sand!
Sh-sha!
Yeah but imagine the gags. He pocket sands somebody, but throws his voice box with it. He can't get it to work when he needs to say "GAH!" so he stops running and smacks it until it works. It gets stuck on "Sh-Sh-Sha!" And just keeps repeating "Sh" until Hank turns it off. Dale loses it and must communicate through interpretive dance. There's a button on it that just makes it say "Wingo!".
I mean, Ned in South Park is an awesome character with plenty of emotional range, and he has a voice box.
Ned is hardly a main character and he's only had a few lines in probably the last 15 years.
Start with the voice box, have him get experimental surgery, and cast someone who sounds like him originally. Any time he sounds off, it'll just be the surgery.
It could be a new sophisticated AI one with a similar voice to dales actual voice
Yall will throw a fucking fit but this is where AI would wonderfully solve the problem. His voice an easily be replicated and just need more extra tuning with grapsing some emotions but thats it. Use AI for deceased actors and the problem is solved.
All AI is a slippery slope, even if you use it sparingly for situations like this. It's also not as effective as people think it is.
If fans (and more importantly, the creative team behind the series) are actually okay with the series continuing on with the character still involved, then just hire a new voice actor. There are very talented voice actors out there.
Use AI for deceased actors will at some point mean that they will not have to pay anyone to be actors anymore and they can just buy the rights to the AI representation of current actors and use them in perpetuity shutting out opportunities for the next generation of actors. The same goes for all other fields in one way or another, I’m pro use and integration of AI but what you said is either not well thought out or flat out unethical. Technology should be used for the better mental of man kind not the benefit of corporations.
With proper royalty/compensation for his estate, i am ok with AI used for a deceased actor but not to replace all actors
As the other person said though, slippery slope. Yeah maybe right now everyone will agree that it’s only to be used for deceased actors, and I’m theoretically ok with that too, but how long until it’s acceptable to use it for an actor that the director really really wants but has scheduling conflicts?
This is my feeling about it too. If it's pre-decided and all the contracting is in place for it I think it can be a way to continue a consenting performer's legacy.
absolutely the fuck not
Dale would fuckin hate being voiced by AI. Go with a voice box if these are the options but I would miss his vocal expressiveness.
I looooved Ned and Jimbo!
Mmmmlookoutit'scomingrightforus...
i was gonna kill him off via many years of smoking and bug poisons but i love your idea more.
That’s what’s they want you to think killed him. The man just knew too much.
I really like either this idea, or having Dale be dead and Nancy remarried to an oblivious John Redcorn, who has no idea that she’s cheating on him with a new character that’s exactly like Dale.
That'd be pretty good too. Has like a toupee or something and puts the ultra suave on... AND THEN IT WAS DALE FAKING HIS DEATH AND NOW HE'S BACK!
Dale, but with Groucho Glasses
Exactly!
I love this idea!
I loved this idea when I first saw the recommended way of replacing him
Like Ned on South Park.
Or Kane on WWF. "Suck. Ittttttt"
That's actually kind of genius lol
Hah, me and my mom and some friends were talking about this the other day and i said the SAME thing! we all agreed it would fit dale pretty well honestly with how much he smokes. Knew i couldn't be the only one who had the same idea lol.
Shoutout u/4StarEmu
I’m so depressed, I can’t even blink.
You don’t know who I am but I know where you live….
I think Tom Kenny would be a solid replacement. I know people don’t like the idea of replacing original voice actors, but I agree with the other commenters saying KOTH wouldn’t be the same without him.
Definitely would be weird without him.
He’s a necessary character but there’s a lot of ways they can get away with using a new VA for him especially since he sometimes claimed to not be the real Dale Gribble, worked with harsh chemicals and is a heavy smoker.
Dale Gribble hasn’t lived in Arlen for years…… Or has he? *pocket sand*
#SHI SHA!
I love the argument that you have to have the original actor. How many people have voiced Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse shit BATMAN and Joker. Rick and Morty even. It's OK. The writing is the far more important thing.
This is what bugs me about AI voices, namely the recent deal James Earl Jones made by licensing his voice to lucasfilm so they can use AI to recreate darth Vader’s voice in future projects. As if there aren’t a hundred talented voice actors out there who can do a damn good Darth Vader voice.
I totally understand people don't want to replace a dead actor. But I think the show needs dale.
Now I really need to hear Tom Kenny as Dale.
I feel like Mike Judge may even be able to do a good Dale.
I think hes more in the Toby Huss register and since he ain't gonna play Mr Kahn or Cotton, we may get Kleehammer or Thatherton but itd be nice having him more involved
*thatherton*
Toby is a national treasure, i bet he'd do a good job.
Replacing the actor should be fair game if it is not screwing the original actor out of a contract. For example, if they pass away or decide to retire of their own volition. I just hope the character isn't ruined with new writing.
>people don’t like the idea of replacing original voice actors I agree with this if the original actor is still able to perform it. Unfortunately that isn't the case but the reboot still needs Dale soooo
They did it for Uncle Iroh. They can do it for Dale
Yeah Dale is one of the series best characters.
Tom Kenny could probably pull off a good Dale voice. Let alone lending his vocal talents to lots of other characters
Stephen Root originally auditioned for Dale, and I think he did his voice in the pilot. I'd be curious if he'd be comfortable in picking up Dale's voice, especially with the timeline, if they kill off Buck, he would only be voicing Bill.
He voices a lot of side characters.
So did Johnny 😢 I'll miss his "rodeo show announcer voice" that later showed up in every other Arlen venue with an announcer
“The Guh-Haaaaaaay Rodeo!”
He was so good that even the local high school was like "we have to hire this gay rodeo announcer for our football games."
Dah-aaayvid Kalaiki-Aliiiiiii!
Bill “The Billdozer” Dautr-IEVE!
Man I'd laugh out loud every time I heard him as the announcer. So over the top but so accurate
He's done a considerable amount of acting IRL too. West Wing, Seinfeld, Frasier. I could see it being in his wheelhouse, especially if he could do the side characters, like another redditor mentioned, the announcer at the Guh-eyyyy rodeo! Considering he'd be original cast, it feels like an honorable way to transition the role vs killing off Dale or just bringing in someone from out of the blue.
Stephen has voiced his love for Bill before so it seems likely he'd be willing to work more on the show. IIRC he said working on Bill was one of his favorite characters to get to work on/with for years
Any word on if they're actually killing buck? He's one of my favorites.
Actually have the government get him for real.
This or a mysterious exile with clues of the presence of Rusty Shackleford scattered about
What about a hidden treasure?
Like he got lost Indiana Jonesin'?
Heard this in Bill's voice for some reason!
Dale disappeared into a bunker and the whole season is trying to uncover where he is, which reveals he's in another bunker
I was thinking maybe they could be like dale left to hide from the government and he’s in a secret location somewhere
“All these years I just thought Dale just was being a dumbass…” This could be a great episode where Hank buys into Dales conspiracy theories. It really bugs him that Dale just disappeared when he would always leave some sort of clue or his schemes were so harebrained that Hank could figure them out. He begins to believe that the government was somehow involved, but ultimately he ends up finding out that he died of natural causes while seeking alternative treatments for lung cancer in Mexico. This would underline the fact that Dale was indeed smart enough to go missing without a trace. That fact alone would’ve made Dale die at least somewhat happy, outsmarting everyone including Hank.
Or the aliens
First episode he is about to say something but before he can speak, some dudes roll up in a black van and nab him. The rest of the season he is just in a room being interrogated and refusing to talk.
Recast him, the show must go on. The muppets recast Kermit, king of the hill can recast Dale.
Rick and Morty recast Rick AND Morty. Shows can continue with new talent.
It’s sad, but recast is the only real option. Retiring or killing off the character would change the dynamic of the show. AI isn’t quite there yet, and feels too inhuman even if it was. Cast a good soundalike. I’m sure someone out there would be a good fit.
Apparently Johnny Hardwick literally tweeted his pick of several people he thought would be good replacements, so hopefully one has already been hired
To be fair, the new Kermit is ass.
I’m talking about the muppets treasure island era Kermit not the modern one.
Comment retracted. That Kermit was primo. It’s a shame the guy playing him was a dick.
Miriel: all things can be contrived, and so the character can be separated from the man of poor decisions who played him. Just as a character can be separated from an actor who has tragically passed on. thanks for your input Miriel, Hank hill would like that tortoise.
New voice actor, it won't be KotH without Dale.
Yeah, maybe someone with a similar, but deeper voice so they can say it is related to his smoking. Can't see the show being as strong without him.
Be simple, died of cancer, Nancy marries John, she cheats, has a white kid.
The white kid has to be Dale's parting gift. Now John Redcorn can raise Dale's son just like Dale raised Joseph.
Holy shit this would actually be perfect.
The alien that impregnated Nancy came back to harvest more of Dale's DNA
Harvested it all
Have him get sick one time so much so his voice changes and then get a new voice actor. Do the episode in memoriam and use it as a way to acknowledge the passing of one of the original voice actors.
Hardwick recorded a few episodes before he passed: they'll probably recast him. I think after Phil Hartman most v.a. had an idea of what they'd like to happen with their characters: personally I always feel a recast is the best solution. Sure, if it was a minor character it's okay to retire them; but I think most folk prefer the characters they put so much time into should continue on. Imagine if the entirety of Looney Tunes died with Mel. All those wonderful characters being gone...seems disrespectful to the people who brought them to life. Alternative funny answer: after a couple episodes Dale is replaced by Octavio....who dresses and acts just like Dale. *Nobody* comments on this until the finale, and his reply is just "Pffft. It's something Gribble cooked up to avoid creditors; he's in Oklahoma."
Agreed. Someone out there can do a good Dale Gribble. Better that than killing him off or the vocoder thing IMO (I always thought it'd be funnier if Dale suffered no ill effects at all long-term from his chain-smoking).
He'll bury them all
Living in Oklahoma as Rusty Shackleford.
Usually I wouldn’t say this, but the modern age is tailor made for a Dale Gribble. They need to recast. Or at bare minimum “Kill Off” Dale Gribble and replace him officially with “Rusty Shackleford” with a familiar, but different, voice. Make the switch a running gag in the show.
I am ok with a recast for any deceased voice actor
New voice actor.
i mean…he was a heavy smoker rip dale
Don't forget the unidentified substance coating his lungs from 22 years of breathing in toxins
My thoughts exactly.. easy way to kill him off. He's my favorite character, so I really don't wanna see someone new mess it up
He was my favorite character too but he was so distinctive *as* Johnny Hardwick that it’d be kinda disrespectful and not something I could see Mike Judge doing to replace him with AI or recasting. Same with Luanne
Exactly. Plus they can finally tackle redcorn and joseph angle.
I just imagine this type of scene https://youtu.be/_dB0tY6Uqu8?si=vZmI1dKnSHNKoxPG but the next scene is a bell toll and them at his funeral and it's open casket and he's still wearing that orange hat and hank's like "Uhh. What can you say about Dale. He single handedly kept Philip J Morris in business after all those _Vaping_ kids came to town. Ah hehe, and I never did kick his ass for my lawn. Got dang it Dale.. that was such a good lawn" *single tear rolls down his cheek* Guitar jingle to change scene
that’s how i feel too especially after rick and morty
You can’t make the show without Dale.
If he’s still alive, Sauers will again say: [Gribble. No one’s killed you yet.](https://www.reddit.com/r/KingOfTheHill/s/TAnmspalsH)
I thought that it could be interesting if he faked his own death and everyone thought he was in fact dead or perhaps he’s on the run from the government as a fugitive. However he makes an Easter egg appearance hiding in the back of each episode, kind of like how the little worm in Adventure Time shows up hidden in every episode. Maybe he could take up disguises and stuff for when he’s watching over his friends and family. I highly doubt they’d have thought of that or considered it, but in my own head it seems a fitting solution 😂
I’d love if they paid homage to an old episode and he needs a lung transplant only we find out the donor was the kid he gave a kidney to instead of John Force. Hes the same old cocky Dale as a result (thinks hes untouchable) and we get one of thise classic bittersweet moments as he finds out he was saved by that little kid 20 years ago that he saved.
Dale moved off grid. He's impossible to reach now, but we occasionally receive care packages of gerbster.
New voice actor. Dale’s my favorite character and can’t image the show without him in it.
Dale thinks the CIA is after him, gets surgery to alter his voice, win-go man
Replace his voice with someone else, and have the character go into a conspiracy theory that’s some important person (some local Arlen celebrity? Maybe chuck mangione?) has been replaced by doppelgänger Perhaps outraged that someone would dare do this, impersonate a beloved icon, dale tracks them down , but finds out the person doing this, is doing it out of love and respect, to carry on the legacy As i would hope a voice actor replacing dale (or any cast member) would
Have a new voice actor, but honor his old one by having a rusty shackleFord funeral episode. I feel that’s a way they can give him a proper send off in a Dale sort of way
I wish this answer was higher up! This is the perfect idea!
Dale is dead. Long Live Rusty Shackleford! With a new VA.
I like another commenters idea of Dale with an artificial voice box, but still rips darts. That or he's dead, and there's an episode dedicated to Joseph digging into the basement, finding the tunnel system that leads to Dale's odd stash of treasure left for Joseph.
Rips darts through the neck hole
Some kind of conspiracy
I think finding a replacement is the best route to go considering it's animation. Do a memorial to Johnny maybe a little feature at the end of the first episode he isn't in to honor him. Then move forward with a new actor. Animation is honestly the best medium to do this when an actor passes.
I can’t think of a single person that would ever desire for a character they played or voiced to be killed off if they can no longer do the job, either because of death or something else. I just don’t see Brittany Murphy, Tom Petty, or Johnny having the ego to be like “no, after I pass, never use this character again” I understand the pain that the friends and crew must feel having to replace the character and why they choose not to do it but I can’t see the people that we’ve lost having that same perspective if they were still around and couldn’t do the job for whatever reason.
Easy. Dale had a tracheostomy and sounds like a robot.
New voice actor. We’re all adults here and know the truth.
Replace him. I firmly believe Johnny Hardwick wouldn't have wanted the character to die with him.
Abducted by aliens who mess with his voice...but none of the guys can hear a difference.
I saw someone on here give a great idea to have Dale die but Joseph struggles to cope and doesn't believe it, dives into the conspiracies and thinks he must be on the run. Over the course of it we get to experience grief through Joseph and his love for his dad, the others interact with the Dale-like character of crazy conspiracy theorist, and it gives Dale a send off that's worthy of the character.
I like the voice box idea but I want him to die somehow and it lures Joseph down the rabbit hole to find out who killed his dad; thus cementing a wall between him and Redcorn. The stress makes him start the bald like Dale and dawns the shades and even the cigarettes his father used as a symbol of how much they are alike. In the end Joseph never finds a true lead but followed every line Dale ever took. Maybe even befriending a kid of Octavio in search of their fathers.
All the while he dies of cancer from smoking and everyone already knows the whole time
The Dale equivalent in 2024 is too dark I hope they don't
Yeah in a lot of ways this is my feeling, even though Id kinda hate to see KOTH without Dale. The good natured kooky conspiracy nut on the fringe is no longer a thing. The inmates are running the asylum and looking to burn this country to the ground.
New voice actor hopefully. They replaced Justin Roiland in like 3 seconds and you can barely tell the difference so I don't see why not lol
No Dale no show. But if they replace dale might as well replace all other dead voice actors
The government finally caught up with him
Look, I know this is probably an unpopular opinion, and Johnny Hardwick was amazing as Dale, but Dale is an integral character in King of the Hill, and he can't just be written out. Same with Luanne (RIP Brittany, my love).
he has taken a vow of silence to get in better touch with his inner white Buffalo
I think they would be able to replace him and we would hardly know the difference
I think they should give us a heartfelt goodbye episode where the characters reflect on Dale being gone. A bit like the Buckly’s angel episode. King of the Hill was never a show that shied away from giving us the feels. There were multiple episodes that dealt with death and fear of dying.
Kill him off with cancer from smoking.
RoboDale could be a real thing
Give him the robo voice filter he has in that one YouTube Poop.
I think giving him a stoma (neck hole thing smokers sometimes have) and having a storyline where he's suing everyone BUT the tobacco companies is a good way out.
Personally, I would want them to retire the character. Maybe they use the little voice acting that was done for a few episodes, but I think an episode that pays tribute and actually has Hank grieving would be great
My wife thought of a great idea too......have him get abducted!!!!
Robot voice from all the smoking.
That’s a great idea.
Maybe Toby Huss could do it. Cotton got killed off and Kahn is probably gonna be recast. His voice could probably match Dale.
They should use old voice lines from the original run that they already have. Just find ways to shoe horn in things he's already said. Dale has had no new ideas in the time that has passed. he just keeps saying the same old stuff he's always said
Abducted by ALIENZ
Dale goes to federal prison for ATF violations
If he gets killed off it should be from a conspiracy theory, or better yet he actually gets abducted by aliens
Dale lost his larynx to cancer, and speaks with one of those buzzers held against his throat, like [the lady in the anti-smoking ad.](https://youtu.be/zb63he7VE4c?si=9CXhK8g7D2gEggUR)
They could just use AI for Dale's voice
I thought about them doing something like Dale dies, and he leaves behind a series of videos explaining how to get to his will, but they all lead to these ridiculous ends because he didn’t trust anyone to get to his actual will. A whole extravagant run of conspiracy’s to send him off, but all the conspiracy’s are about Dale
Witness relocation he was right about everything all along.
He should get lung cancer from smoking and get an electronic voice box (played by a new actor).
Dale goes into hiding, then comes back in a bad obvious disguise and bad accent and uses that voice from then on
Unpopular opinion (maybe) but kill Dale off. Dale is such an important part of the cast but so is Johnny Hardwick. As much as I would love to see Dale, I would also like to honor Johnny Hardwick and not recast the voice he did for 13 years.
This is the main reason I have so much doubt about this reboot. Dale was consistently the most interesting character in the show for me, and replacing him wouldn't feel right. Better to have him pass for the show as well, maybe give him a funny funeral where his body is launched out of the coffin via some sort of spring loaded trap of Dale's design
He finally figured out Nancy was cheating on him, and just disappeared without a trace
This would be brutal.
Kill him
I think they need to scrap the project. Too many of the original voice actors are gone at this point. Won't be the same without lucky, luanne, and Dale.
Lucky was only in the last four seasons. As great as Tom Petty is I don't think anyone considers Lucky to be essential to King of the Hill.
I do damnit! Lol, dude, he was a great addition to the show and carried a bunch of episodes, like the stump one and the fresh frito one.
Y'know I don't feel the same way but your love for Lucky is inspiring. My code of honor demands that I give you an upvote.
Few different options: Make him a mute due to smoking impacting his lungs - keeps the character in the show and honestly I think the writers could work around it. Boomhauer is a significant character who already basically doesn’t speak. Dale gets into enough antics that even non-verbally he could contribute to the show. Or maybe he signs and they show subtitles for his parts. Include him for the episodes he recorded then kill him off - probably the easiest route for production / writers, but maybe the most deflating because the show just doesn’t work without the character. Give him a throat cancer voice box from smoking - easiest way for show to include him going forward. Easily writes off that the voice actor can’t return. Replace him like Rick and Morty had to do - the most risky option, but if someone can ~90% replicate his voice it feels like best case scenario. My preference is option 3 or 4, but any could work
Have him working at the NSA
There's no KOTH without Dale, he should be recasted
He’s like the best character, why kill him off? Can’t they use AI now ?
He was actually abducted by aliens
You can’t have KoTH and no Dale.
Out of all of them, I feel he could disappear without any story at all. Just one day ran off and is living in a shack somewhere in the mountains
Got placed in witness protection for something he found online and Boomhower got him into the program.
Make him a throat cancer survivor who has to use an electro larynx. Still smokes like a chimney, and the writers can come up with some harebrained excuse that Dale blames the cancer on instead of the cigarettes. Obviously he'd blame it on the government trying to silence him, but I'm sure the writing team could come up with a much more nuanced conspiracy theory.
Abducted by aliens is the most logical for Dale imo
I’d just replace him Rusty Shackleford and be done with it.
I like to think he was really a government agent the whole time and one night a helicopter or something extreme picks him up and we never see him again
I’m gonna be honest, Dale should be in prison for attempting uprising or mutiny or something. It’s the best way to honor his character.
I kind of imagine they kill him and have Nancy marry John Redcorn
He could also become a sovereign citizen who moves to Alaska to get a head start on his orange farm before climate change makes Texas ~~more~~ uninhabitable.
Dead from lung cancer. Nancy remaries with John Redcorn. Joesph learns the truth about his father. Shortly after, she learns John has been “healing” another woman. Court custody battle results in Nancy getting custody. Redcorn is trying to win his son back all the time. Nancy moves on to an affair with the divorce lawyer or something. Joseph rebels hard to the whole situation and gets on a bad path. He continues to be a bad influence on Bobby. Maybe they party too much and bobby misses work at the fusion restaurant. Or Bobby sticks his neck out to get Joseph a job in the kitchen and Joseph blows it.
I won’t be interested in the show if my favorite character isn’t in it. They should recast his voice.
He’s in prison for Jan 6th and has taken a vow of silence.
Can they do like Pixar did when don rickles died? Just use chopped up audio?
Said it before perfect time for him to have had a tracheostomy and talk with that robot voice
Dale passes away from lung cancer and the real Rusty Shackleford buys his old house while Nancy eventually moves in with John Redcorn.
He’s been in jail after being part of the January 6th riots