Stephen Root has been a pop culture journeyman, having spent over 35 years playing a myriad of well-known roles across TV and film, including Office Space, NewsRadio and Barry. And 2026 has brought us two of his most well-regarded.Almost 30 years ago, Root began lending his voice to sadsack loner Bill Dauterive on the hit animated series King of the Hill. Over 13 seasons, he brought the depressed neighbor of Hank Hill to life, serving as a pivotal part of the Arlen ensemble. Last year, Mike Judge and Greg Daniels chose to give King of the Hill a new life on streaming, debuting a revival that had us checking in with the Hill family in the 2020s. And Root reveals, despite having not touched the character of Bill for over a decade, revisiting him seemed to be a matter of not if, but when.
?SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox ? "I think in the back of every cast member's mind of this show, that we would at least come back and maybe do a movie of some sort or some kind of revival that would be short-term," he tells Parade in an exclusive interview for the newest season of King of the Hill, which drops today on Hulu. "But the fact that we actually got picked up for a couple of seasons was a real shock and a wonder." "You've got to give credit to Mike and Greg for revolutionizing basically the animation of aging characters," he continues. "It's insane; it hadn't been done. It's being done now beautifully, making these people more and more human to be able to live in a world that's kind of hard to live in right now. They have to come to terms with their past and what's going on in the future. And so I give Greg and Mike all kudos for trying this experiment that I think is turning out pretty well."At the same time, in live-action form, Root is part of another experimental series that is "turning out pretty well," to say the least. Widow's Bay is one of the most talked-about shows of 2026 so far, an Apple TV horror comedy centered on a New England town mired in supernatural occurrences. The 75-year-old plays Wyck Crawford, the most devout believer in the "curse" that surrounds the titular town, much to the chagrin of the mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys). Related: Stephen King Raves Over Apple TV’s Underrated Comedy Thriller Series: ‘It’s Like Hitchcock Came Back’As creepy as Widow's Bay was in its first ten episodes, it's earned nothing but cheers from viewers and critics alike. Its combination of frights and foibles has made it a bona fide hit, earning a Season 2 renewal before the initial batch of episodes finished airing. Two weeks ago, the show earned a whopping 19 Emmy nominations, including one for Root in Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (his second overall)."The fact that we got so much love from the academy and our peers for this show was overwhelming," Root says about the commendations. "It really was. You never know when you're doing a show if it's going to resonate with people. But even when we were shooting the first couple of scripts, it was like, 'This is so well written. It's perfectly cast. Oh my goodness!' "Some of the greatest character actors around are playing roles in this. And they're not sometimes huge roles, but they're perfect. And the fact that we got so many good actors to come play with was astonishing. So I was pretty much overwhelmed. It was really nice to be recognized by your peers a second time for a nomination. But I would have been more than wonderfully happy if the show itself got picked up because this is truly an ensemble show."As much as Root could go on about his happiness working on Widow's Bay, when asked about what he knew for Season 2, he admitted he had no idea, wishing he had the power of telepathy to look into creator Katie Dippold's brain. But that doesn't stop him from putting forward some theories as to he thinks — and hopes — we'll see."I think if I were to guess that we're going to see a lot more of Kingston and his character in the show," he says. "I think we're going to discover more about exactly why the island, which is a character on the show, came to be. There are so many backstories that could happen. I'm hoping that Wyck will have a little more backstory with his teenage paramour in this season. Because it was thwarted in this season, so maybe next season we'll be able to get together a little more."
Related: 'The Pitt' Leads 2026 Emmy Nominations—See the Complete List of Nominees
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