King of the Hill
| King of the Hill | |
|---|---|
| From left to right: Boomhauer, Hank, Dale, and Bill drinking in the alley From left to right: Boomhauer, Hank, Dale and Bill | |
| Created by | Mike Judge Greg Daniels |
| Voices of | Mike Judge Kathy Najimy Pamela Segall Brittany Murphy Ashley Gardner Toby Huss Lauren Tom Stephen Root Johnny Hardwick David Herman Jonathan Joss |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 213 (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 American animated television series created by Mike Judge (creator of Beavis and Butt-head) and Greg Daniels for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It debuted in 1997 and depicts the Hills, a suburban Methodist family proud of its Texas heritage. Unlike some other animated sitcoms that feature unusual or improbable events, King of the Hill attempts to retain realism, seeking humor in the otherwise conventional. The series' popularity has also led to syndication by many local affiliates and FX Networks 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, behind The Simpsons.
King of the Hill documents the Hill family's daily life, regularly forcing characters to question their values when they are confronted with the values of others. Themes range from the everyday, such as friendship, to more serious issues, including gender roles, women's liberation, and drug abuse.
The title theme was written and performed by The Refreshments.
Production history
"King of the Hill" is the brainchild of Beavis and Butt-Head creator Mike Judge. After a successful run of Beavis and Butt-Head on MTV, he co-created King of the Hill with former Simpsons writer Greg Daniels. Judge is a former resident of Dallas suburb Garland, Texas. However the inspiration for the fictional town name Arlen is Temple, Texas, based on locations noted throughout the show both in word and on maps in various episodes.
Recently, King of the Hill joined the ranks of other FOX 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's tenth season was largely composed of episodes that did not get to air the previous season. The tenth season was also slated to be the last since the show passed the renewal deadline in September 2005 [1], but due to high ratings in the 10th season, the series was renewed[2] by FOX for an 11th season that began airing on January 28, 2007. Beginning this season, the show moved to the 8:30/7:30c time slot following The Simpsons.
King of the Hill reached its milestone 200th episode "Hanks Bully" on May 7, 2006. This indicates the hour-long Returning Japanese is considered to be one episode by FOX, despite its being split into two for syndication.
On January 25, 2007, it was announced on the official King of the Hill Myspace page that the show has been renewed for a twelfth season.
Characters
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). In a unique move, Mike Judge changed many of the characters to look like the actors and actresses providing their voices: Bill, Luanne, Nancy, and John Redcorn are all physically modeled on their voice actors. Although rumored to be modeled after Judge himself, Dale is based on Robert Patrick, whom Judge had originally wanted to voice the character.[3]
The Hills
Hank Hill (Mike Judge) proudly sells "propane and propane accessories" as the assistant manager at Strickland Propane. Hank is a generally well-meaning father but is often frustrated and confused by modern trends, as well as the antics of his friends and family members. 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 "arrrgghhhhh" wail of distress in times of discomfort and the phrase "I tell you what" are running gags on the series. He has an unusually close relationship with his pet dog, Ladybird.
Peggy Hill (Kathy Najimy), Hank's wife, is a substitute Spanish teacher who has a mediocre mastery of the language (referring to it phonetically as "es-pa-nole"). Peggy is also a freelance newspaper columnist, Notary Public, and Boggle champion. Peggy frequently speaks the phrases "Ho, yeah!" when she exerts effort into a task, in crude attempts at humor "Hey Hey Hey" made famous by the animated childrens show Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, and "Oh, Peggy!", a self-compliment after a perceived accomplishment.
Bobby Hill, (Pamela Segall), Hank and Peggy's husky 13-year-old son, wants to be a famous prop comic when he is older. Bobby lacks his father's athletic prowess, dislikes most sports, and 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 "That boy ain't right" and "What has the MTV done to you, son?"
Cotton Hill (Toby Huss), Hank's father, is a temperamental, politically incorrect misogynist and World War II veteran. Cotton fought in the Pacific theatre. His shins were shot off by the Japanese and his feet reattached to his knees, giving him his short stature and distinctive gait. After divorcing Hank's mother, he fathered a second son by his nurse wife, named "G.H", for "Good Hank." He refers to Peggy as "Hank's Wife" and speaks of his dubious heroism, including his killing of "fiddy men." Cotton is also very protective of his Cadillac, which he refers to as his "Cadillac car".
The Souphanousinphones
Kahn Souphanousinphone (Toby Huss) is the Hills' materialistic Laotian American neighbor. An upwardly mobile middle management type, he disdains his neighbors, whom he writes off as ignorant rednecks, especially the "hillbilly" family. He frequently boasts about his superiority. Kahn occasionally wrestles with the fact that he has a daughter, and has even referred to her as his son in times of frustration.
Minh Souphanousinphone (Lauren Tom), Kahn's wife, is equally materialistic and feels superior to her neighbors. She enjoys making catty comments about the "redneck" neighbors, particularly Peggy, and has a hard time remembering to not call people "Jethro" and "hillbilly". She is the archetypal "perfect housewife", seeming to find time to do everything perfectly and show up all of her neighbors.
Kahn "Connie" Souphanousinphone, Jr. (Lauren Tom) is Kahn and Minh's daughter. She is an A student and classically trained on the violin. She is one of Bobby's best friends and on-again off-again girlfriend. Connie is named for her father because Kahn wanted a son - indeed, he often calls her "Kahn Jr." Kahn pushes her to excel, so that after she becomes successful, he can take her to his hometown to show her off.
The Gribbles
Dale Gribble (Johnny Hardwick) is the Hills' chain-smoking neighbor, an insect exterminator, conspiracy theorist, and borderline paranoiac. Though boastful, he is a coward who recoils in the face of violence. He often uses the alias "Rusty Shackleford." He drives a minivan (the Bug-a-bago) with a giant bug on the roof, advertising his extermination business ("Dale's Dead Bug"). He is often amoral, having attempted to sell out his friends for personal profit on many occasions, though often redeeming himself by coming to their rescue. His vulnerability and trust for those he is close to is a plot element in a number of episodes. He is the only character (besides his son, Joseph)unaware of his wife's 14-year affair, and that Joseph is not his son.
Nancy Gribble (Ashley Gardner) is Dale's wife and the weathergirl and then anchorwoman for the local television station. She has had a 14-year affair with John Redcorn, with only one short break. She frequently addresses other characters as "shoog" (short for "sugar").
Joseph Gribble (prepubescent, Brittany Murphy / pubescent, Breckin Meyer) is Dale's 13-year-old son and one of Bobby's best friends. The running gag is that despite Joseph's obvious Indian features and Dale's paranoid conspiracy theories, Dale is oblivious to that fact that John Redcorn is Joseph's biological father, the result of a 14-year affair with Nancy. Most of the people in the neighborhood know this and keep it secret from Dale. Nancy has referred to Dale's "Jamaican grandmother" to explain Joseph's dark complexion.
The Kleinschmidts
Lucky Kleinschmidt (Tom Petty), is Luanne's "disabled" husband, constantly bragging about how he is set for life because he "slipped on pee-pee at the Costco". He received a fifty five thousand dollar settlement, and bought a truck. Luanne is drawn to him from the start, and after a "whirlwind" romance as it was, he popped the question. They were married on the last episode of season 11,Lucky's Wedding Suit.
Luanne Platter Kleinschmidt (Brittany Murphy), Peggy's college-aged niece, is a student at the beauty academy, and later at Arlen Junior College. She is often portrayed as an airhead, although she is also an expert mechanic and is good at logic puzzles. Luanne is promiscuous, but she settles down after attending a church-sponsored "second virginity" program and starts a bible study class. In the 10th season finale, Luanne announces her pregnancy by her future husband, Lucky Kleinschmidt.
Other Main Characters
William Fontaine de la Tour "Bill" Dauterive (Stephen Root) is the Hills' overweight, divorced, clinically depressed neighbor from Louisiana. He is obsessed about his ex-wife, and his suicidal tendencies are a running gag on the series, as are his frequent attempts to woo Peggy. He is a sergeant barber in the United States Army. He was a star football player in high school (nicknamed "The Billdozer"), alongside Hank and Boomhauer (quarterback). In high school, Bill was respected for his decision to join the U.S. Army.
Boomhauer (Mike Judge) is a womanizing bachelor and classic car aficionado whose mutterings seem borderline incomprehensible, although his associates usually understand him perfectly. In spite of his hedonistic lifestyle and frequent ramblings, he is depicted as one of the more intelligent and introspective characters on the show, occasionally espousing deep philosophical thought; when Buckley dies, he is the only character to comprehend Khan's analagous parable, and demonstrates an eagerness and willingness to forgive betrayal.
John Redcorn (Jonathan Joss) is Nancy's former Native American "healer" and 14-year adulterous lover, as well as the biological father of Joseph Gribble. He eventually ended the affair, feeling guilty after Dale proved to be a loyal friend and supporter of Redcorn's Native American "nationalist" movement. (Dale never suspects Nancy and John Redcorn of having an affair because he assumes Redcorn is gay, as he commonly states.) A former roadie for Winger and lead singer of Big Mountain Fudgecake, John Redcorn enjoys classic rock music and hair metal. John Redcorn works out of his trailer as a masseur, generally only with women.
Celebrity Voices
In addition, the show has many celebrity appearances, though rarely as themselves. Kelly Clarkson, Tom Petty, Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, John Ritter, Brad Pitt, Snoop Dogg, Big Boi, Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Kennedy, Green Day, Bernie Mac, Nathan Fillion, John Force, Willie Nelson, Matthew McConaughey, Chris Rock, Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Johnny Knoxville, Trace Adkins, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Owen Wilson, Drew Carey, Lucy Liu, Laura Prepon, Brendan Fraser, Dale Earnhardt and all three members of ZZ Top, with Dusty Hill as Hank's cousin.
Jazz musician Chuck Mangione has a recurring part as himself. He is featured in eleven episodes as a celebrity spokesman for Mega Lo Mart.
Episodes
Arlen, Texas
See
Themes and analysis
Hank
The general theme is that Hank is always willing to do the right thing, even when those around him may be more inclined to do wrong for the sake of ease. Hank Hill is the most virtuous character on the series, and, it could be argued, on current television; his character is a modern updating of the type found on 1950s sitcoms such as Leave it to Beaver and Father Knows Best. For the most part, Hank acts in an honest, loyal manner; his "by-the-book" lifestyle is highlighted in almost every episode. For example, at one point he refuses to tape a Major League Baseball game because it is technically illegal to record televised professional sporting events without expressed written permission from the broadcasting network of the game in question. However, Hank's desire to achieve complete conventionality often leads him to live with fear or shame. Hank disapproves of his son's hopes of becoming a comedian, and the issues of his health conditions (a narrow urethra and "diminished glutes," which render him basically unable to sit down without the aid of a hidden prosthetic) are of great embarrassment to him. Hank is also uncomfortable with intimacy, which is demonstrated on the numerous occasions that he refuses to kiss Peggy in public (instead offering her a firm handshake). At one point, while standing in the alley with Bill, Dale, and Boomhauer, he sarcastically says, "What are we supposed to talk about? Our feelings?"
Politics
Generally, when it comes to politics, the series champions Hank's small-town values and motivations while simultaneously poking fun at his highly traditionalist worldview and addressing issues including global warming, guns, the ACLU and homosexuality. Mega-Lo-Mart, a stand in for Wal-Mart, is a de-facto villain of sorts in the first two seasons of the series, destroying all of Arlen's small businesses and forcing their middle aged, competent owners to go to work at Mega-Lo, where they are debased by high school student supervisors who know nothing about their trade. In one episode Hank mistakenly hires a drug addict. When he attempts to fire the addict, the addict checks himself into rehab and then threatens Hank with a lawsuit because it is against the law to fire an addict in recovery. The employee continues to show up to work under the influence, always accompanied by a member of the ACLU to remind Hank that the workplace must conform to the employee's special needs. Eventually, Hank's office becomes unproductive as other employees, disgusted at the special privileges which the ACLU is forcing the company to give to a drug addict, themselves begin making up addictions and afflictions to use as excuses to get paid for doing nothing. In the end, Hank "saves the day" by quitting his job, which allows the company to circumvent employment laws because they now have too few employees to qualify as a government-recognized business. Hank is for the most part a staunch Republican; however, he expressed doubts in George W. Bush after being granted a "weak" handshake from him, and later realizes that George W. Bush is a great leader and apt President. Hank is a great admirer of Ronald Reagan; he once said in regards to him, "I miss voting for that man." When confronted with the story that Reagan dyed his hair, he replied that it was only "to show his strength to the Communists." Hank also disdains Bill Clinton. In one episode Hank drives into Arkansas and sees a sign proclaiming the home of Clinton. He makes a displeased sound and locks his car doors. In another episode where Hank is suspected of taking drugs, he states that he voted for Bob Dole over Clinton, because the only drugs he used were prescription drugs for his injured back. However like many Texans, Hank often expresses admiration for Democrats of the past, such as Lyndon B. Johnson (Hank's beloved dog Ladybird is named after Lyndon Johnson's wife Lady Bird).
Some might liken the character of Buck Strickland to President Lyndon Johnson. For example, in one episode, there is a photograph of Buck holding his pet dog by the ears (a parody of a now-famous photo of LBJ in a similar pose), and he often holds meetings while sitting on the toilet - perhaps a comment on LBJ's famous crudeness. Like Johnson, Buck is narcissistic, domineering, and often plagued by emotional and personal problems.
Souphanousinphones
The interaction between the Hills and the Souphanousinphones highlights the culture gap that often ensues in immigrant families - particularly those from Southeast Asia. The Souphanousinphones are generally disliked by their neighbors who see them as uppity and snobbish, while the Souphanousinphones look down on the locals as ignorant rednecks. Kahn mockingly refers to the Hills as the "Hillbillies" and is never hesitant to rub his daughter's academic prowess in the faces of the Hills who are less assured about the academic success of Bobby. The interactions between the Souphanousinphones and other Asian American families (like the Wasonasongs) point out that there are divisions within race, just as there are between races. Kahn and Minh regard financial success above happiness and personal fulfillment. They frequently try to forge a romantic relationship between their daughter Connie and Chane Wasonasong, in hopes that this alliance will aide their family; Kahn's attempt to join the exclusive Asian-dominated Nine Rivers Country Club is another example of this (it can also be seen as an inversion of the country club culture of the early and mid twentieth century, which was often highly elitist and racist). They also put immense pressure on their daughter to excel academically and musically, often to the point that it breeds discord between Connie and her parents. Connie envies the Hills, who are much more tolerant of Bobby's interests and predilections. Also, Kahn and Hank, despite their differences, do sometimes get along. (It is not hard to spot that their names are anagrams of one another.) At one point, Hank offers financial support to Kahn when Kahn loses his job and on another occasion, when Hank, Dale, and Kahn were trapped in Mexico, it was Kahn, rather than Dale, who risked his own life to help bring Hank back to the States.
Religion and Culture
The Hills are Methodists. The series is also often critical of the evangelicals, such as in the episode "Hilloween," when an evangelical Christian convinces the town council to ban the celebration of Halloween, and Hank gets his revenge by creating a haunted house in his garage called "Hank Hell's" and when nobody shows up, he puts on his old costume and shouts "trick or treat" soon to be joined by others. The series sometimes mocks the arbitrary nature of social customs and subjectivity of social appropriateness; in one episode, while visiting a Amish town, Hank, often prudish, allows Bobby to hold a girl's hand instead of letting him kiss her. Seconds later, an Amish man expresses disgust at what he perceives to be such a ostentatious display of affection.
Continuity errors
See
References in Other Shows
- The series is regularly referenced in The Simpsons. The Hill family was once (briefly) seen in "Bart Star", 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 the latter's tab at Moe's, saying "D'oh!, woohoo!, uh... that boy ain't right." The last is a catchphrase of Hank Hill, not Homer Simpson. 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 Mike Nelson 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 episode "Lost in Parking Space, Part One" of the comedy show Drawn Together, while the character Foxxy Love is in a local Hot Topic, she comes across a King of the Hill Boredom Helmet. After putting it on and standing still for a few seconds, she exclaims "Oooh! This is almost as boring as the show itself!".
International
The series airs in the United Kingdom on Channel 4 (S4C in Wales) and FX, and in the Republic of Ireland on RTÉ Two and FX. In Australia it aired on the Seven Network (with reruns on Pay-TV channel FOX8), in Canada it airs both on Global TV (with reruns on the Comedy Network and various local channels) and in bilingual French-English cable television Teletoon. In French-speaking communities, such as Quebec and France (there it airs in specialty channel Série Club), the series is both known by its English title and a French one, Henri pis sa gang ("Henry and his Gang"). In Greece, the show is aired on Mak TV weeknights at 19:30, with new episodes on Sundays at 19:30.
In Spanish-speaking countries, the series is known by various names. Whereas Latin-American countries know it as Los Reyes de la Colina (which translates into "The Kings of the Hill", Reyes being the family's surname in the Spanish translation which translates into Kings), in Spain it is known as Los Hills (The Hills). Something similar happens between Brazil and Portugal. In both countries the series is known by its original title, but in Brazil its dubbed version is called O Rei do Pedaço (the way of translation is similar to Los Reyes de la Colina). Spain: first aired on FX Spain, since 2006 on La Sexta. The series also airs in Italy, Germany, Greece, Russia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Israel, Finland and Sweden.
External links
