Jump to content

King of the Hill: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Eoghan1234 (talk | contribs)
246 edits
No edit summary
Eoghan1234 (talk | contribs)
246 edits
Not really part of the history of the show.
Line 28: Line 28:
In early 1995, after the successful run of ''[[Beavis and Butt-head]]'' on [[MTV]], Mike Judge co-created ''King of the Hill'' with former ''[[The Simpsons]]'' writer [[Greg Daniels]]. <ref name="kotharchives">{{cite web|url=http://alkek.library.txstate.edu/swwc/archives/film/koth.htm |title=A Guide to the King of the Hill Archives, 1995-2007 |work=www.lib.utexas.edu |accessdate=2009-3-30}}</ref> Judge was a former resident of the [[Dallas, Texas]] suburb of [[Garland, Texas|Garland]], considered the basis for the setting of the series, the fictional Arlen.<ref name="productionhistory">{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002501636 |title=Milestone: 'King of the Hill' |work=hollywoodreporter.com/ |date=May 11, 2006 |accessdate=2009-3-30}}</ref> Judge loosely based his creation of Hank Hill on a character from ''Beavis and Butt-Head'', [[Mr. Anderson (Beavis and Butt-head)|Tom Anderson]].<ref name="productionhistory" /> Mike Judge conceived the idea for the show, drew the main characters, and wrote a pilot script. [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]], as was its usual practice, teamed the cartoonist with an experienced prime-time TV writer.<ref name="productionhistory" /><!-- still need a ref for "drew the main characters" and "usual practice"--> Greg Daniels rewrote the pilot script and created several important characters that did not appear in Judge's first draft (including Luanne and Cotton), as well as some characterization ideas (e.g., making Dale Gribble a wacked-out right-wing conspiracy theorist).<ref name="briefhistory">{{cite web|url=http://www2.macleans.ca/2008/10/31/a-brief-history-of-king-of-the-hill/ |title=A Brief History of King of the Hill |work=macleans.ca |date=October 31, 2008 |accessdate=2009-3-30}}</ref>
In early 1995, after the successful run of ''[[Beavis and Butt-head]]'' on [[MTV]], Mike Judge co-created ''King of the Hill'' with former ''[[The Simpsons]]'' writer [[Greg Daniels]]. <ref name="kotharchives">{{cite web|url=http://alkek.library.txstate.edu/swwc/archives/film/koth.htm |title=A Guide to the King of the Hill Archives, 1995-2007 |work=www.lib.utexas.edu |accessdate=2009-3-30}}</ref> Judge was a former resident of the [[Dallas, Texas]] suburb of [[Garland, Texas|Garland]], considered the basis for the setting of the series, the fictional Arlen.<ref name="productionhistory">{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002501636 |title=Milestone: 'King of the Hill' |work=hollywoodreporter.com/ |date=May 11, 2006 |accessdate=2009-3-30}}</ref> Judge loosely based his creation of Hank Hill on a character from ''Beavis and Butt-Head'', [[Mr. Anderson (Beavis and Butt-head)|Tom Anderson]].<ref name="productionhistory" /> Mike Judge conceived the idea for the show, drew the main characters, and wrote a pilot script. [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]], as was its usual practice, teamed the cartoonist with an experienced prime-time TV writer.<ref name="productionhistory" /><!-- still need a ref for "drew the main characters" and "usual practice"--> Greg Daniels rewrote the pilot script and created several important characters that did not appear in Judge's first draft (including Luanne and Cotton), as well as some characterization ideas (e.g., making Dale Gribble a wacked-out right-wing conspiracy theorist).<ref name="briefhistory">{{cite web|url=http://www2.macleans.ca/2008/10/31/a-brief-history-of-king-of-the-hill/ |title=A Brief History of King of the Hill |work=macleans.ca |date=October 31, 2008 |accessdate=2009-3-30}}</ref>


After its debut, the series became a huge success for Fox and was named one of the best television series by various publications, including ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', ''[[Time]]'' and ''[[TV Guide]]''<ref> http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20207076_20207387_20207339,00.html</ref> For the 1997-1998 season, the series became one of FOX's highest rated programs and outperformed ''The Simpsons'' in ratings.<ref name="9798-ratings">{{cite web|url=http://classictvhits.com/tvratings/1997.htm |title=TV Ratings: 1997-1998 |work=classictvhits.com |accessdate=2009-4-4}}</ref> Fox also earned a double profit from the series success, since [[20th Century Fox]] produced the show.{{fact|date=April 2009}} During the [[List of King of the Hill episodes#Season 5: 2000-2001|fifth]] and [[List of King of the Hill episodes#Season 6: 2001-2002|sixth season]]s, Mike Judge and Greg Daniels became less involved with the show.<ref name="briefhistory"/> They eventually focused on the show again, though Greg Daniels steadily became more involved with other projects.<ref name="briefhistory"/>
After its debut, the series became a huge success for Fox and was named one of the best television series by various publications, including ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', ''[[Time]]'' and ''[[TV Guide]]''<ref> http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20207076_20207387_20207339,00.html</ref> For the 1997-1998 season, the series became one of FOX's highest rated programs and outperformed ''The Simpsons'' in ratings.<ref name="9798-ratings">{{cite web|url=http://classictvhits.com/tvratings/1997.htm |title=TV Ratings: 1997-1998 |work=classictvhits.com |accessdate=2009-4-4}}</ref> During the [[List of King of the Hill episodes#Season 5: 2000-2001|fifth]] and [[List of King of the Hill episodes#Season 6: 2001-2002|sixth season]]s, Mike Judge and Greg Daniels became less involved with the show.<ref name="briefhistory"/> They eventually focused on the show again, though Greg Daniels steadily became more involved with other projects.<ref name="briefhistory"/>


The series' [[List of King of the Hill episodes#Season 10 (2005-2006)|tenth season]] was largely composed of episodes that did not air the previous season due to frequent sporting event preemptions. During the tenth season, in 2005, the show was scheduled to be cancelled; however, it managed to attract high ratings and was renewed.<ref name="productionhistory" /> Fox renewed the series for [[List of King of the Hill episodes#Season 11: 2007|seasons eleven]] and [[List of King of the Hill episodes#Season 12: 2007-2008|twelve]], making it the second longest-running animated television series after ''The Simpsons''.<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/26/DDGF2NOE3J1.DTL&feed=rss.tgoodman King of the Hill kept alive by Fox, is in its prime. Long live the king], ''[[The San Francisco Chronicle]]'', 2007-01-26. Retrieved 2008-01-02.</ref>
The series' [[List of King of the Hill episodes#Season 10 (2005-2006)|tenth season]] was largely composed of episodes that did not air the previous season due to frequent sporting event preemptions. During the tenth season, in 2005, the show was scheduled to be cancelled; however, it managed to attract high ratings and was renewed.<ref name="productionhistory" /> Fox renewed the series for [[List of King of the Hill episodes#Season 11: 2007|seasons eleven]] and [[List of King of the Hill episodes#Season 12: 2007-2008|twelve]], making it the second longest-running animated television series after ''The Simpsons''.<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/26/DDGF2NOE3J1.DTL&feed=rss.tgoodman King of the Hill kept alive by Fox, is in its prime. Long live the king], ''[[The San Francisco Chronicle]]'', 2007-01-26. Retrieved 2008-01-02.</ref>

Revision as of 16:29, 18 April 2009

For other uses, see King of the Hill (disambiguation).
King of the Hill
From left to right: Ladybird, Bobby, Hank, Peggy, and Luanne
From left to right: Ladybird, Bobby, Hank, Peggy, and Luanne
Created byMike Judge
Greg Daniels
Voices ofMike Judge
Kathy Najimy
Pamela Segall Adlon
Brittany Murphy
Johnny Hardwick
Stephen Root
Toby Huss
Opening theme"Yahoos and Triangles" by
The Refreshments
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons13
No. of episodes248 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time22 min. per episode
Original release
NetworkFOX
ReleaseJanuary 12, 1997 –
present

King of the Hill is an American animated television series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It centers on the Hills, a small-town Methodist family in Texas. It attempts to retain a realistic approach, seeking humor in the conventional or mundane aspects of everyday life.

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 a hit early on. The series' popularity has also led to syndication around the world. The show has risen to become one of FOX's longest-running series, and the second longest-running American animated series, behind The Simpsons. In 2007, it was named by Time magazine as one of the greatest television shows of all time.[1] The title theme was written and performed by The Refreshments. King of the Hill has won two Emmy Awards and has been nominated for seven since its inception.

History

In early 1995, after the successful run of Beavis and Butt-head on MTV, Mike Judge co-created King of the Hill with former The Simpsons writer Greg Daniels. [2] Judge was a former resident of the Dallas, Texas suburb of Garland, considered the basis for the setting of the series, the fictional Arlen.[3] Judge loosely based his creation of Hank Hill on a character from Beavis and Butt-Head, Tom Anderson.[3] Mike Judge conceived the idea for the show, drew the main characters, and wrote a pilot script. Fox, as was its usual practice, teamed the cartoonist with an experienced prime-time TV writer.[3] Greg Daniels rewrote the pilot script and created several important characters that did not appear in Judge's first draft (including Luanne and Cotton), as well as some characterization ideas (e.g., making Dale Gribble a wacked-out right-wing conspiracy theorist).[4]

After its debut, the series became a huge success for Fox and was named one of the best television series by various publications, including Entertainment Weekly, Time and TV Guide[5] For the 1997-1998 season, the series became one of FOX's highest rated programs and outperformed The Simpsons in ratings.[6] During the fifth and sixth seasons, Mike Judge and Greg Daniels became less involved with the show.[4] They eventually focused on the show again, though Greg Daniels steadily became more involved with other projects.[4]

The series' tenth season was largely composed of episodes that did not air the previous season due to frequent sporting event preemptions. During the tenth season, in 2005, the show was scheduled to be cancelled; however, it managed to attract high ratings and was renewed.[3] Fox renewed the series for seasons eleven and twelve, making it the second longest-running animated television series after The Simpsons.[7]

The thirteenth season episode "Lucky See, Monkey Do" became the first episode of the series to be produced in widescreen high-definition when it aired on February 8, 2009.[8]

Cancellation

On October 30, 2008, Fox announced that they were cancelling the show, stating that they had made a final order of 13 episodes.[9]

King of the Hill's ultimate replacement is the Family Guy spin-off The Cleveland Show.[10] Fox's major reason for cancelling the show is to make room for new shows, such as The Cleveland Show and Sit Down, Shut Up, in their "Animation Domination" block that currently includes The Simpsons, Family Guy, and American Dad!.

Hopes to keep the show afloat surfaced as sources indicated that ABC was interested in securing the rights to the show,[11] but in January 2009 ABC president Steve McPherson said he had "no plans to pick up the animated comedy".[12]

Settings, characters and themes

Setting

Main article: Arlen, Texas

King of the Hill is set in fictional Arlen, Texas.[2] In a 1995 interview prior to the show's debut, Judge described the setting as "a town like Humble."[13] Despite the fictitious locale, the show strives to portray the region accurately, going so far as to have annual research trips to Texas for the writing staff.[2] Time magazine praised the authentic portrayal as the "most acutely observed, realistic sitcom about regional American life bar none".[1]

Arlen includes settings such as Rainey Street, where the Hills reside,[2] and Strickland Propane, the business where Hank works. Also included are parodies of well-known businesses, such as Mega-Lo Mart (a parody of big-box stores), Luly's (a parody of Luby's), and Bazooms (a parody of Hooters). Most of the children in the show are enrolled at Tom Landry Middle School (named after the iconic former Dallas Cowboys coach). Early in the series, the school is referred to as being in the Heimlich County School District (according to markings on the school buses), though in later seasons this is changed to Arlen Independent School District. The school's mascot is a longhorn steer (named after the University of Texas Longhorns). The local country club is the Nine Rivers Country Club.

Characters

Main article: List of characters in King of the Hill

King of the Hill depicts an average middle-class 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 such as parent-child relationships, friendship, loyalty, and justice.[2] As an animated sitcom, however, King of the Hill's scope is generally larger than that of a regular sitcom.

Hank Hill
 The family patriarch is Hank Hill, a salesman of "propane and propane accessories," who is obsessed with his lawn and the Dallas Cowboys.[2] 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 sigh in times of discomfort or exasperation, his scream of "Bwah!" when startled, and the phrase "I tell you what!" are running gags on the series; additionally, when someone angers him, he tends to respond with, "I'm going to kick your ass!" In contrast with his emotional distance with the members of his family, he dotes unashamedly on his aging Bloodhound, Ladybird.[14]
Peggy Hill
 Hank is married to Peggy Hill, a substitute Spanish teacher who has a poor grasp of the language [15] (referring to it phonetically as "es-puh-nole"). Peggy is also a freelance newspaper columnist, real estate agent, notary public, and Boggle champion.[3][16] Peggy frequently speaks the phrases "Ho, yeah!" when she exerts effort into a task, and "Oh, Peggy!" a self-compliment after a perceived accomplishment, and "I am Peggy Hill! Oh, yeah!" 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 very physically attractive.[citation needed]
Bobby Hill
 The two have a son, Bobby Hill, a chubby 13-year-old, who wants to be a famous prop comic when he is older.[17] Although he is not particularly attractive or intelligent, Bobby has an excellent sense of self-esteem; he is not ashamed of his body or his often sub-par performance in sports or other activities. Bobby lacks his father's athletic prowess and dislikes most sports, but has participated- often in a peripheral way- in wrestling, baseball, and track at Tom Landry Middle School. He has also attempted to play football and soccer. He has a rather offbeat sense of humor that clashes with Hank's more collected and conservative manner. Hank's discomfort with Bobby's proclivities is a regular narrative element in the series, and is manifested with remarks like "That boy ain't right."[18]
Luanne Platter
 Luanne Platter (named after the Lu Ann Platter from Luby's) is Peggy's niece. She was taken in by the Hills after her mother, Leanne, was sent to prison for stabbing Luanne's father (Peggy's brother) with a fork.[19]

In addition to the Hills, the show includes an array of quirky characters -- co-workers, teachers, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, and local celebrities.


Episodes

Main article: List of King of the Hill episodes

Season

# of
Episodes 		Original airdate
1 12 1997
2 23 1997–1998
3 25 1998–1999
4 24 1999–2000
5 20 2000–2001
6 22 2001–2002
7 23 2002–2003
8 22 2003–2004
9 15 2004–2005
10 15 2005–2006
11 12 2007
12 22 2007–2008
13 18 2008–2009

Fox ordered 13 more production episodes which will air during the 14th season that have yet to air, along with any holdovers from the previous production line (DABEXX) will make up the season. Airdates are unknown

Awards

References

  1. ^ a b The 100 Greatest Television Shows of All Time, TIME. Retrieved 2008-01-02.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "A Guide to the King of the Hill Archives, 1995-2007". www.lib.utexas.edu. Retrieved 2009-3-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  3. ^ a b c d e "Milestone: 'King of the Hill'". hollywoodreporter.com/. May 11, 2006. Retrieved 2009-3-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  4. ^ a b c "A Brief History of King of the Hill". macleans.ca. October 31, 2008. Retrieved 2009-3-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  5. ^ http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20207076_20207387_20207339,00.html
  6. ^ "TV Ratings: 1997-1998". classictvhits.com. Retrieved 2009-4-4. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  7. ^ King of the Hill kept alive by Fox, is in its prime. Long live the king, The San Francisco Chronicle, 2007-01-26. Retrieved 2008-01-02.
  8. ^ [1] Lucky see, Monkey do at TV.com.
  9. ^ "Fox Not Renewing King of the Hill". comingsoon.net. October 31, 2008. Retrieved 2009-3-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  10. ^ "Reign ends for 'King of the Hill', Replaced By 'Family Guy' Spin-Off". CNN.com. Associated Press. November 1, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
  11. ^ Hibberd, James (2008-11-03), "King of the Hill" could reign at ABC, Reuters, retrieved 2008-11-04
  12. ^ "ABC Aiming For a Comedy Comeback". variety.com. January 16, 2009. Retrieved 2009-1-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  13. ^ Bruce Westbrook. "Remote control: Back home in Texas, Mike Judge keeps 'Beavis' clicking," Houston Chronicle, October 15, 1995, page 8.
  14. ^ http://wiki.adultswim.com/xwiki/bin/King+of+the+Hill/Hank
  15. ^ "'King of the Hill' Democrats?". nytimes.com. June 26, 2005. Retrieved 2009-4-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  16. ^ "Will you marry me/save this series?". macleans.ca. May 22, 2006. Retrieved 2009-4-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  17. ^ http://wiki.adultswim.com/xwiki/bin/King+of+the+Hill/Bobby
  18. ^ http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/tombstone/839/id8.htm
  19. ^ http://wiki.adultswim.com/xwiki/bin/King+of+the+Hill/Luanne
  20. ^ "List of King of the Hill Awards". Retrieved 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  21. ^ "Thirteenth Annual Media Awards". Environmental Media Association. 2003. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
Wikiquote has quotations related to King of the Hill.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=King_of_the_Hill&oldid=284638332"