King of the Hill

This article is about the television program. For other uses, see King of the Hill (disambiguation).

King of the Hill
From left to right: Ladybird, Bobby, Hank, Peggy, and Luanne
Created by	Mike Judge Greg Daniels
Voices of	Mike Judge Kathy Najimy Pamela Segall Adlon Brittany Murphy Johnny Hardwick Stephen Root
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	12
No. of episodes	235 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	22 min. per episode
Original release
Network	FOX
Release	January 12, 1997 – present

King of the Hill is an Emmy-winning American animated television series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It centers around the Hills, a suburban Methodist family proud of their Texas heritage. Unlike many animated sitcoms of its type that generally tend to feature unusual or impossible events, King of the Hill attempts to retain a realistic approach, featuring Americans with average IQs, and seeking humor in the otherwise conventional or sometimes even mundane.

Judge and Daniels conceived the series after a successful run with Judge's earlier Beavis and Butt-head on MTV, and the series debuted on the Fox Network on January 12, 1997, becoming an early hit. The series' popularity has also led to syndication by many local affiliates and the FX network as well as a number of international networks. The show has risen to become one of FOX's longest-running series, and the second longest running American animated series and sitcom, behind The Simpsons. In 2007, it was named by Time Magazine as one of the greatest television shows of all time. The title theme was written and performed by The Refreshments. King of the Hill has won two Emmy Awards and has been nominated for four since its inception.

On April 4, 2008, it was announced that King of the Hill would return for a 13th season in early 2009 with 13 episodes ordered.

Episodes

Main article: List of King of the Hill episodes

Origins

In early 1995, after a successful run of Beavis and Butt-head on MTV, Mike Judge co-created King of the Hill with former The Simpsons writer Greg Daniels. Judge is a former resident of Dallas, Texas suburb Garland, considered the basis of the setting of the series, the fictional Arlen. Judge loosely based his creation of Hank Hill from a character in Beavis and Butt-Head, Mr. Anderson. When Mike Judge pitched the series to Fox, he drew the characters as menacing looking, stereotypical "rednecks" with jagged teeth that protruded from their mouths when they spoke; Hank, Peggy, and Bobby were the only three characters whose present form closely resembles their original concept drawings (though originally Peggy was significantly overweight). Although rumored to be modeled after Judge himself, Dale is based on Robert Patrick, whom Judge had originally wanted to voice the character.

Recently, King of the Hill joined the ranks of other Fox Network series like Futurama and Family Guy in its placement within a questionable time slot and has faced frequent preemptions from sporting events (mostly The NFL on FOX) featuring overtime play and post-game commentary. The series' tenth season was largely composed of episodes that did not get to air the previous season. During the tenth season in 2005, the show was scheduled to be canceled, however the series managed to attract high ratings and the series was renewed. Fox renewed it for seasons eleven and twelve, making it the second longest-running animated television series after The Simpsons.

After its debut, the series became a huge success for the Fox Network and was named one of the best television series by various publications, including Entertainment Weekly, Time and TV Guide. For the 1998 season, the series outperformed The Simpsons in ratings, and brought more viewers to its lead-out program The X-Files. It quickly became one of the highest rated programs, finishing behind The X-Files and in-front of The Simpsons. Fox also earned a double profit from the series success, since Twentieth Century Fox produced the show.

Setting

King of the Hill is set in Arlen, Texas. Arlen is a city in south Texas that is known for its high concentrartion of registered and unregistered sex offenders. Characters in the series make mention to Austin and Houston as if they are located nearby. In a 1995 interview prior to the show's debut, Judge described the setting as "a town like Humble." Like most fictional towns, the basis for the town does not originate from one specific place. The Mega Lo Mart is a retail store in which its corporate spokesperson is musician Chuck Mangione, his character lives in the store and the musicians' song "Feels So Good" serves as its corporate slogan.

However, there is much to support the theory that Temple, Texas is the real location of Arlen. It is the location of Scott and White Hospital. and, as such, it is noted that Bobby drove to this hospital, arguably the most recognizable in all Central Texas. "Furthermore, with Bill (one of Hank's sex buddies) working on a large Army base, the location of Fort Hood is right beside Temple/Killeen, Texas." Other clues also point to Temple. One episode in which Dale's wife, a weather forecaster, reports live from a wildfire points to a map that shows Arlen located just where Temple is located on a Texas map. Also in an episode titled "What Makes Bobby Run to the Toilet: Prostate Problems in Adolescence" in which Bobby, serving as Arlen's Longhorn mascot, attempts to kidnap the armadillo mascot of Arlen's arch-rival but is repeatedly interupted by his overactive bladder. That arch rival was Belton, located just west of Temple.

Another hint that the location is actually Temple, Texas is found in Season 10 Episode 13, "The Texas Panhandler." While Bobby and Josef stand out on the street holding signs pointing to deluxe apartments, behind Josef's head, the word "Temple" can be seen as part of the sign for a video store. When he moves his head, the sign reads, "Temple of Videos," pointing to what is likely an in-joke and a hint at the town's location.

Themes

King of the Hill uses the standard set-up of a situational comedy or "sitcom" as its premise, depicting a family and their lives in a typical American town. It documents the Hills' day-to-day-lives in the small Texas town of Arlen, exploring modern themes ranging from parent-child relationships, to friendship and loyalty, to justice and patriotism, to envy and hubris, to sexuality and sado-masochistic tendencies. As an animated sitcom, however, King of the Hill's scope is generally larger than that of a regular sitcom.

Characters

Main article: List of characters in King of the Hill

The patriarch of the Hills is Hank Hill, a salesman of "propane and propane accessories," who has an obsession with his lawn, Buck Strickland, propane and the Dallas Cowboys. Hank strongly resembles Mr. Anderson from Beavis and Butthead, largely because both characters were based on Mike Judge's father. He is uncomfortable with intimacy and sexuality but has a healthy relationship with his wife, as well as the rest of his family. Hank's trademark grunting sigh in times of discomfort and the phrase "I tell you what" are running gags on the series. In contrast with his emotional distance with the members of his family, he dotes unashamedly on his dog Ladybird. Hank is also known to be passively prejudicial in a sexist manner, disallowing his son Bobby from any untraditional and "feminine" activities. Hank is married to Peggy Hill, a substitute Spanish teacher who has a poor grasp of the language (referring to it phonetically as "es-pa-nole"). Peggy is also a freelance newspaper columnist, real estate agent, notary public, and Boggle champion. Peggy frequently speaks the phrases "Oh, yeah!" when she exerts effort into a task, and "Oh, Peggy!", a self-compliment after a perceived accomplishment. Usually well-meaning and open-minded, she often displays her naïveté and arrogance; with an inflated sense of her intelligence and appearance, she considers herself knowledgeable, clever and physically attractive, but is blind to the truth due—most likely—to severe narcissism.

The two have a son, Bobby Hill, a chubby 13-year-old son, who wants to be a famous prop comic when he is older. Bobby lacks his father's athletic prowess, dislikes most sports with the exception of wrestling, baseball, and track which he played for Tom Landry Middle School. He also attempted to play football and soccer. He has a rather wacky sense of humor that clashes with Hank's more collected manner. Hank's discomfort with Bobby's proclivities is a regular narrative element in the series, and he has stated this with phrases like "The boy ain't right" and "What has the MTV done to you, son?" because he is thought of by his father, as potentially being homosexual; however, some evidence opposes this. In addition to the lead family, the show includes an array of quirky characters: co-workers, teachers, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople and local celebrities. Occasionally, the series features guest stars.

Luanne Platter is named after a plate from Luby's, a cafeteria that is famous throughout Texas.

Celebrity voices

Billy West, Ashley Gardner, Toby Huss, Lauren Tom, David Herman, Breckin Meyer, Jonathan Joss and Tom Petty have recurring roles in the series.

In addition, the show has many celebrity appearances, though rarely as themselves. Lisa Kudrow, Brad Pitt, Trace Adkins, Pamela Anderson, Jennifer Aniston, Will Arnett, Tom Arnold, Diedrich Bader, Big Boi, Clint Black, Lisa Hartman Black, Brooks & Dunn, Gary Busey, Drew Carey, Kelly Clarkson, David Cross, Johnny Depp, Laura Dern, Ani DiFranco, Snoop Dogg, Dale Earnhardt, Shannon Elizabeth,Will Ferrell, Sally Field, John Goodman, Nathan Fillion, John Force, Brendan Fraser, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Paul Giamatti, Vince Gill, Jeff Goldblum, Topher Grace, Green Day, Kirk Hammett, Ed Harris, Dennis Hopper, Michael Keaton, Jamie Kennedy, Kid Rock, Johnny Knoxville, Laura Linney, Lucy Liu, Heather Locklear, Lindsay Lohan, Tone Lōc, Bernie Mac, Danny Masterson, Rue McClanahan, Matthew McConaughey, Mary Tyler Moore, Willie Nelson, No Doubt, Laura Prepon, Brad Renfro, John Ritter, Chris Rock, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Cybill Shepherd, Gene Simmons, Ben Stiller, Meryl Streep, Sum 41, Mikey Teutul, Paul Teutul Jr., Paul Teutul Sr., Randy Travis, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Alan Rickman, Mo Collins, Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, Fred Willard, Dennis Burkley, Dax Shepard, Phil Hendrie, and all three members of ZZ Top, with Dusty Hill as Hank's cousin.

Jazz musician Chuck Mangione has a recurring part as himself. Musician Tom Petty has a recurring role as Lucky, the boyfriend (later husband) of Luanne Platter.

Trivia

• The series is occasionally referenced in The Simpsons. The Hill family was once (briefly) seen in "Bart Star" (with Dale, Bill and Boomhauer visible in the background), where Bart Simpson and his football team badly defeat Arlen's team, with Hank making the remark: "We drove 2,000 miles for this?" In "Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo", Barney imitates Homer in order to put drinks on his tab at Moe's, saying "D'oh!, woohoo!, uh... that boy ain't right.", combining Homer's and Hank Hill's catchphrases. In "Helter Shelter", in which the Simpson house undergoes fumigation, the family questions one another on where to live. Homer decides to stand outside the house and wait. He opens a beer, and the King of the Hill theme tune plays and, as with the theme of King of the Hill, time speeds up and events occur rapidly while Homer takes sips of beer, just as Hank does. Upon finding that only a few minutes have passed, Homer gives up. In "Missionary: Impossible", Hank can be seen at the end of the episode working the PBS-style pledge phonelines for the FOX network. In "Marge vs. Singles, Seniors, Childless Couples and Teens, and Gays", while Bart and Lisa are fighting over the remote control, it stops on one channel and although the viewer cannot see the screen they hear an imitation of Hank's voice saying "Bobby, I've got propane in my urethra," combining three recurring elements of the show.
• In the Family Guy episode "One If By Clam, Two If By Sea", the guys stand in front of the alley and act out the famous "Yep" scene after their bar has been taken over by British people. In "Petergeist", Peter begins to peel off his face in front of a mirror until Hank Hill's face is revealed underneath. He then says "heheheh... propane."
• In the episode "Cartoon Wars Part II" of the series South Park, when Cartman and Kyle are fighting at Fox Studios, they pass through cubicles with signs that say "King of the Hill - 11th Season." Mike Judge has been friends with South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker since he advised them on how to deal with the cult status of a cartoon in 1997 and provided the unmuffled voice of Kenny in South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.
• Hank, Bill, and Dale are parodied on Godzilla: The Series; known as the "Red Neck Hunters", recurring villains who attempt to hunt Godzilla as a trophy.
• In an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, "Squirrel Jokes" when SpongeBob tells squirrel jokes, a fish that looks like Hank Hill can be seen in the audience.
• Boomhauer is referenced in the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode featuring the movie Squirm. A character in the movie mumbles something incoherently, to which Tom Servo replies, "Thanks, Hank Hill's friend."
• In the PC game Starcraft, clicking repeatedly on a Terran Firebat unit will eventually result in the Firebat asking, "Do you have any questions about propane?" followed by "Or propane accessories?" This is a direct reference to Hank Hill's recurring statement about selling "propane and propane accessories."
• In the Web Game Merry Poppings from Slingo, explosive balloons are stated to be filled with "Propane and Propane Accessories", referring to Hank's famous line.

External links

• King of the Hill (Fox Broadcasting Company site) (requires Flash)
• King of the Hill at IMDb
• King of the Hill at the Big Cartoon DataBase
• King of the Hill at TV.com