King of the Hill is unquestionably different from its rivals in many ways: calmer, more subtle and simple. However, what defines KotH more than anything else is its timelessness: other shows seem to benefit off referencing the news and pop culture (South Park and Family Guy primarily). KotH on the other hand, builds its plot inwards around its own characters and locations. It could be shown to anyone in the next 40 years and they would understand it as much as today. Instead of simply racing towards offending the biggest celebrity or corporation, it keeps conservative and to itself. As well as this, the characters are memorable and brilliantly crafted: Hank, an every day man who sometimes makes stupid decisions. Dale Gribble, an anti-government obsessive. Jeff Boomhauer, the most 'modern' of the 4, but who cant seem to talk properly. And finally Bill Dauterive, a slobby but likable bachelor. The one reason I gave this 8/10 is because sometimes the show doesn't always seem to 'get going' and draw you in to the plot, however this is rare and not something that should put you off the show. To conclude, King of the Hill is a show which never got the attention it deserved, and a great alternative for anyone bored of modern ultra-paced cartoons.
176 Reviews
A great show
deatman916 November 2012
I really liked this show and I was heart broken when they cancelled it to make room for family guy even though I really like family guy. A lot of people don't like this show and I guess I can see why. It has a very dry humor to it which I persoanlly find very funny. Its not like your typical animated show like simpsons or family guy where crazy stuff is always happening. No its more like a live action show very realistic and it just shows people living their lives.
This show is about a propane salesman named Hank Hill who lives in the fictional town of Arlen Texas. He lives next door to his three best friends as they take on the tasks of live together from raising their kids to drinking beers in the alley.
I know the premise sounds kind of slow and dry and don't get me wrong it is but its still very enjoyable. This show only has two kind of viewers people who really like it or people that absolutely hate it there is no ladder. I say take a gamble on this one though folks watch a couple episodes see what you think because it really is good.
This show is about a propane salesman named Hank Hill who lives in the fictional town of Arlen Texas. He lives next door to his three best friends as they take on the tasks of live together from raising their kids to drinking beers in the alley.
I know the premise sounds kind of slow and dry and don't get me wrong it is but its still very enjoyable. This show only has two kind of viewers people who really like it or people that absolutely hate it there is no ladder. I say take a gamble on this one though folks watch a couple episodes see what you think because it really is good.
More grounded than The Simpsons
briancham199431 May 2020
It's inevitable that this would be compared to The Simpsons given its time period and style. This show definitely aims to be more grounded and relatable rather than zany. It does this very well but it can alienate some audiences who want an escape from everyday squabbles rather than see more of it. Also, the characters and scenarios become more extreme in order to remain engaging, which slowly defeats the purpose of the show. Still, I enjoyed a lot of the episodes and I think it does have a life of its own outside the typical 90s "Simpsons clone" genre.
An excellent change from everything else
kapilkulkarni8118 August 2005
Although we don't get this show in India, I managed to get a couple of episodes from the net. Let me tell you, this is a fine show. It deals with an upright, honest and sometimes down-on-his-luck propane salesman from Texas, Hank Hill and his quirky family and friends. But what makes this show different is that it does not have a frantic pace at which things take place. Although, I thoroughly enjoy 'The Simpsons' and 'Family Guy', yet these shows have everything happening at a breakneck speed; the gags, the animation, etc. King of the Hill somehow has a certain calmness to it. It deals with real people (5 fingers, not 4) and fairly real situations. It always puts a smile on my face and it's nice to hear Hank's pearls of wisdom. It was a pleasant surprise coming from the creators of Beavis and Butthead. I definitely recommend this show. Two thumbs up.
A remarkable creation
budikavlan15 July 2002
After "Beavis & Butthead" (which I loved), I was really surprised what an affectionate portrait Mike Judge put together. I know well how ripe Texas rednecks are for satire (being a native Texan), though the target is SO easy, it would get a bit tiresome to watch it week after week for years. Hank Hill turned out to be a realistic redneck: worshipful of tradition, fearful of variety and progress, but not really quite as conservative as he thinks he is. My parents are very much like that, too. As I've watched the series, I've been tickled by different characters at different times: first Bobby (almost zen in his bizarre but internally consistent individuality), then Hank's buddies (where the sillier satire comes in), then Hank himself (eternally thwarted by life, but always strong and loving in the end). Lately, Peggy's outrageous ego has me laughing the most. Since this is more like a regular sitcom than "The Simpsons" is, I doubt it will hold up as long, but for now I love it. "King of the Hill" may be the most realistic portrait of Texans ever seen on TV. In response to previous complaints: 1. While Texas does have many citizens who are members of ethnic minorities, the area of the state in which the show is set (NW Texas--best reckoning has Arlen based on Abilene or San Angelo) has very few of them. 2. If one finds the show boring, one need only change the channel.
Just another great animated show on FOX
dee.reid5 October 2010
Mike Judge's "King of the Hill" was his next great success following "Beavis and Butthead" on MTV. "King of the Hill" follows Arlen, Texas, native and conservative family man Hank Hill, and his family and their circle of weird but likable friends. The show is also a satire of Texas life, and the sometimes absurd and eccentric attitudes of people who live there.
I remember when this show first premiered 13 years ago in 1997 and I thinking that this is the next great show FOX had to offer after "The Simpsons." I always looked forward to watching "King of the Hill" after "The Simpsons" every Sunday night before bedtime (I was still in elementary school around the time this show first premiered on television).
Mike Judge cannot fail in providing a show with a lot of great laughs and out-sized and unusual characters. That has always been one of his strengths as a show producer. After hearing that this show would be canceled earlier this year, I was quite disappointed. I'm not sure why this move was made (it could have had something to do with the tragic death of actress Brittany Murphy in December of last year), but I guess it just makes more room for Judge to lend his creative juices to another great animated satire.
10/10
I remember when this show first premiered 13 years ago in 1997 and I thinking that this is the next great show FOX had to offer after "The Simpsons." I always looked forward to watching "King of the Hill" after "The Simpsons" every Sunday night before bedtime (I was still in elementary school around the time this show first premiered on television).
Mike Judge cannot fail in providing a show with a lot of great laughs and out-sized and unusual characters. That has always been one of his strengths as a show producer. After hearing that this show would be canceled earlier this year, I was quite disappointed. I'm not sure why this move was made (it could have had something to do with the tragic death of actress Brittany Murphy in December of last year), but I guess it just makes more room for Judge to lend his creative juices to another great animated satire.
10/10
One of the most intelligent shows on TV
NoRealityShows4Me11 April 2005
I just love this show! It took me a while to figure it out, but now I'm addicted to it.
The characters are brilliant and a lot of the jokes are unexpectedly hilarious. This is one of the few shows that can take me by surprise with it's genius humor. Most of the characters are funny, but Peggy cracks me up with almost everything she says. She has an unshakable self-confidence and she'll sacrifice anybody (including her son) to win her silly little battles.
My favorite episode is the one in which the Hills go to Japan. Classic!
I hope "King of the Hill" sticks around for a long time.
The characters are brilliant and a lot of the jokes are unexpectedly hilarious. This is one of the few shows that can take me by surprise with it's genius humor. Most of the characters are funny, but Peggy cracks me up with almost everything she says. She has an unshakable self-confidence and she'll sacrifice anybody (including her son) to win her silly little battles.
My favorite episode is the one in which the Hills go to Japan. Classic!
I hope "King of the Hill" sticks around for a long time.
"An all Texas SuperBowl...Thy will be done"
gascichx531 July 2009
King of the Hill is, in my opinion, the funniest cartoon ever created. It's absolutely hilarious. And one of the most subtle programs I've ever seen. There aren't any "jokes" in this show.
King of the Hill finds humor in the mundane, normal, everyday situations that all of us go through, that every person can relate to. What makes it funny, is the characters. Every character is unique and distinct and insanely hilarious.
A lot of people don't "get" the show, and I'm guessing its because they don't "get" the characters. Not necessarily "get"...but to find the show funny, you have to know the characters, inside and out. The ordinary situations that the plots are built around are made funny because of the characters personalities.
It's been compared to the Simpsons, because they have similar premises, but this show is nothing like the Simpsons, when all is said and done. It's much more subtle (not saying the Simpsons isn't great or isn't funny) and, to me, much more relate-able.
This show isn't for everybody, but anybody who is interested in getting to know a lovely cast of characters, and is prepared to laugh at them, I completely recommend.
King of the Hill finds humor in the mundane, normal, everyday situations that all of us go through, that every person can relate to. What makes it funny, is the characters. Every character is unique and distinct and insanely hilarious.
A lot of people don't "get" the show, and I'm guessing its because they don't "get" the characters. Not necessarily "get"...but to find the show funny, you have to know the characters, inside and out. The ordinary situations that the plots are built around are made funny because of the characters personalities.
It's been compared to the Simpsons, because they have similar premises, but this show is nothing like the Simpsons, when all is said and done. It's much more subtle (not saying the Simpsons isn't great or isn't funny) and, to me, much more relate-able.
This show isn't for everybody, but anybody who is interested in getting to know a lovely cast of characters, and is prepared to laugh at them, I completely recommend.
A unique entry among prime time animated shows that starts out great, but degrades over time.
IonicBreezeMachine10 January 2021
Hank Hill is working stiff from Arlen, Texas who tackles various issues with his family and neighbors consisting of a quirky characters with unique personalities and identities.
Released in 1997 King of the Hill was Mike Judge's followup to his successful MTV series Beavis and Butthead and with a more grounded approach than either that or The Simpsons executives were skeptical of the show's viability even with Simpson's writer Greg Daniels polishing up certain aspects of the format. But when the show premiered it was a hit even briefly eclipsing Simpsons and became a staple of Fox's programming for 13 years, which although respectable did lead to some issues.
The show's earlier seasons are definitely some of the best examples of pirme time TV one can find thanks to the show's more grounded approach that makes the show feel more real. Every character, no matter how seemingly minor, while quirky and prone to humor is played in a very grounded style that makes them seem like real people as opposed to cartoons. The show uses its animated format quite well as it makes a believable world inhabited by the characters and is never constrained by limitations of sets or actor schedules so it can tackle larger scale events that while still grounded and based in reality wouldn't be all that feasible in live action.
The characters are also quite well developed with Hank serving as a a good straightman thanks to his no nonsense overly serious demeanor that makes him a great counterpoint to the quirks and eccentricities of other characters on the show. Be it Hank's Family with Know-it-all Peggy, overly soft class clown Bobby, and airheaded Luanne, or Hank's neighbors with depressed divorcee Bill, paranoid conspiracy theorist Dale, or swinging bachelor Boomhauer, the show manages to get humor from seemingly minor encounters thanks to how much depth and personality it gives to its characters. While these are certainly good traits, it doesn't distinguish itself from other sitcoms much, except unlike other shows of this ilk King of the Hill's characters evolve and have lasting impacts on them.
Throughout the first 6 seasons of King of the Hill characters will face challenges, life altering events, and even death and will often take multiple episode arcs to deal with these issues. While the show does still do a dilemma of the day approach similar to other sitcoms, it allows character based arcs to play out in the background that continue onward passed the episode they're introduced in. It's a really unique approach and it can be definitely seen as a precursor to other attempts at continuity in animated series such as Archer and Bojack Horseman with characters having to deal with consequences rather than reset the counter to zero.
And then Fox executives happened. During the show's sixth season, creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels stepped back from the show to pursue other projects (notably Judge's Idiocracy and Daniel's American adaptation of BBC's The Office), with them gone the show received an executive mandate to cease any ongoing arcs, aging, or relationship changes on the show and instead focus on political satire and culture wars so the series could be more easily shown out of order in second run syndication (which had proven to be quite a cash cow for Fox with The Simpsons). Essentially this change meant that stories were no longer written for the characters, and instead the characters were written for the stories. Rather abrupt retcons were introduced (including one involving Peggy's often seen mother becoming a grizzled rancher when she was established to be a neurotic homemaker) and the show started making the characters much more one note with Luanne's airheadedness being dialed up, as was bobby's oddness, Peggy's pride and ego, and Hank while always a little on the uptight side now seemed to be set to permanent killjoy with a rather domineering presence that made less relatable.
King of the Hill is a really good show, but like many it stayed on too long and started working against its own strengths to justify continuation. The first 6 seasons are some of the best TV Fox's animation block has ever produced and I still can't recommend them enough, the remaining seven seasons do have some funny or decent episodes mixed throughout, but its reliance on one off characters and over the top shenanigans make it clear its no longer the same show.
Released in 1997 King of the Hill was Mike Judge's followup to his successful MTV series Beavis and Butthead and with a more grounded approach than either that or The Simpsons executives were skeptical of the show's viability even with Simpson's writer Greg Daniels polishing up certain aspects of the format. But when the show premiered it was a hit even briefly eclipsing Simpsons and became a staple of Fox's programming for 13 years, which although respectable did lead to some issues.
The show's earlier seasons are definitely some of the best examples of pirme time TV one can find thanks to the show's more grounded approach that makes the show feel more real. Every character, no matter how seemingly minor, while quirky and prone to humor is played in a very grounded style that makes them seem like real people as opposed to cartoons. The show uses its animated format quite well as it makes a believable world inhabited by the characters and is never constrained by limitations of sets or actor schedules so it can tackle larger scale events that while still grounded and based in reality wouldn't be all that feasible in live action.
The characters are also quite well developed with Hank serving as a a good straightman thanks to his no nonsense overly serious demeanor that makes him a great counterpoint to the quirks and eccentricities of other characters on the show. Be it Hank's Family with Know-it-all Peggy, overly soft class clown Bobby, and airheaded Luanne, or Hank's neighbors with depressed divorcee Bill, paranoid conspiracy theorist Dale, or swinging bachelor Boomhauer, the show manages to get humor from seemingly minor encounters thanks to how much depth and personality it gives to its characters. While these are certainly good traits, it doesn't distinguish itself from other sitcoms much, except unlike other shows of this ilk King of the Hill's characters evolve and have lasting impacts on them.
Throughout the first 6 seasons of King of the Hill characters will face challenges, life altering events, and even death and will often take multiple episode arcs to deal with these issues. While the show does still do a dilemma of the day approach similar to other sitcoms, it allows character based arcs to play out in the background that continue onward passed the episode they're introduced in. It's a really unique approach and it can be definitely seen as a precursor to other attempts at continuity in animated series such as Archer and Bojack Horseman with characters having to deal with consequences rather than reset the counter to zero.
And then Fox executives happened. During the show's sixth season, creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels stepped back from the show to pursue other projects (notably Judge's Idiocracy and Daniel's American adaptation of BBC's The Office), with them gone the show received an executive mandate to cease any ongoing arcs, aging, or relationship changes on the show and instead focus on political satire and culture wars so the series could be more easily shown out of order in second run syndication (which had proven to be quite a cash cow for Fox with The Simpsons). Essentially this change meant that stories were no longer written for the characters, and instead the characters were written for the stories. Rather abrupt retcons were introduced (including one involving Peggy's often seen mother becoming a grizzled rancher when she was established to be a neurotic homemaker) and the show started making the characters much more one note with Luanne's airheadedness being dialed up, as was bobby's oddness, Peggy's pride and ego, and Hank while always a little on the uptight side now seemed to be set to permanent killjoy with a rather domineering presence that made less relatable.
King of the Hill is a really good show, but like many it stayed on too long and started working against its own strengths to justify continuation. The first 6 seasons are some of the best TV Fox's animation block has ever produced and I still can't recommend them enough, the remaining seven seasons do have some funny or decent episodes mixed throughout, but its reliance on one off characters and over the top shenanigans make it clear its no longer the same show.
I hate Fox ended this show
JayPatton8814 November 2019
Different sort of comedy
mOVIemAN5619 May 2006
Even though King of the Hill is not the funniest show ever written, it still delivers some major laughs and some classic episodes. The show follows the everyday life of Hank Hill, his family, and his neighbors. The show is a satire of what many believe to be all Texans, rednecks, football loving, and hypocritical of everything liberal. The show is a major hit in my book. Hank Hill is the loving but highly conservative father, Peggy is the ignorant and naive wife, and Bobby is there overweight and often confused by genders son.
Along with these three, several of the neighbors work in with story and are quite funny in themselves, especially Boomhauer who is nearly impossible to understand and its even harder not to laugh at him. The animation is quite good and the voice acting is superb. Each actor works their role perfectly. I never get tired of this FOX show.
3.5/5
Along with these three, several of the neighbors work in with story and are quite funny in themselves, especially Boomhauer who is nearly impossible to understand and its even harder not to laugh at him. The animation is quite good and the voice acting is superb. Each actor works their role perfectly. I never get tired of this FOX show.
3.5/5
Intelligent humor that doesn't have to be gross or slapstick.
kirstiehale28 March 2022
I never really got into King of the Hill when it aired on television. I used to flip through the channel if it ever did come on, but I was also in my early twenties when cable became obsolete, so I'm not sure my sense of humor had ripened enough to appreciate it yet. It actually wasn't until just this week in early 2022 that I decided to put it on as background noise on Hulu. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. It's a very funny allegory on the "All-American family" from the late 90's-early 00's. Growing up in the south, I knew many Hank and Peggy Hills. The humor is subtle, which is what makes it easier to appreciate. There isn't someone yelling in your face to make you think it's funny. I was quite surprised by the mediocre reviews. I suppose not everything is for everyone, but this one is a winner in my book.
King of the Hill
jboothmillard11 May 2005
Warning: Spoilers
This is another good example of a comedy sitcom-like cartoon (still not as good as The Simpsons). Hank Hill is the weird father and husband. He lives with his wife Peggy, his son Bobby and the large dog. Throughout the show they have some pretty weird and wonderful "adventure" like happenings. For example, the dog starts to get an infection and Hank thinks he should have a doghouse outside so it doesn't infect the house. Instead Bobby decides to use the doghouse himself when the dog refuses to go outside. Hank is quite a good example of the weird or not too intelligent father and husband (Homer Simpson's still better though). It won the Emmys for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for Pamela Adlon and Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less) (it was nominated this same award 4 times). It was number 41 on The 100 Greatest Cartoons. Very good!
An Acquired Taste That I Don't Like
kyle-hannah25 July 2007
I'll admit i've enjoyed King Of The Hill the odd time but most of the time i find myself losing interest in the middle of the episode. I really don't find it interesting because it's a show that you'd expect over the top humour within due to the various over the top plots but most of the time they are so bland and boring you just don't really care anymore.
I'm very surprised it has lasted as long as it has because it airs the same time as the almighty kings of the animated comedy world The Simpsons and Family Guy but has absolutely dead air time 7:30 on Sundays when nobody watches therefore terrible ratings that and the fact that i find it nowhere near the same level as any of the big animated comedies and i am furious that it outlived Futurama.
The humour is subtle almost too subtle only for fans of things like Napoleon Dynamite. King Of The Hill is bland, dry, stale , and often up it's @$$ with half thought political messages. None of the main characters are memorable or interesting the only characters that make me laugh are Dale, Kahn, and the odd time Bill. Hank is annoying, up his own @$$, and a stick in the mud, Peggy is just whiny and does nothing the entire show, and Bobby just gets irritating to the point that you hope the jocks kick his @$$.
I know people who love subtle humour like that of Arrested Development, Napoleon Dynamite, and Eagle vs Shark and will disagree and i respect the show for entertaining those who enjoy that style of humour but it's 12 years too long it's time to end the kings reign after this season and honestly i think it should hung up in it's sixth season.
King Of The Hill while at times can be fun is too boring too dry too stale humoured. It's just sitting there taking up space, and collecting dust while shows like Futurama, Arrested Development, and The War At Home are canceled prematurely because of it.
I'm very surprised it has lasted as long as it has because it airs the same time as the almighty kings of the animated comedy world The Simpsons and Family Guy but has absolutely dead air time 7:30 on Sundays when nobody watches therefore terrible ratings that and the fact that i find it nowhere near the same level as any of the big animated comedies and i am furious that it outlived Futurama.
The humour is subtle almost too subtle only for fans of things like Napoleon Dynamite. King Of The Hill is bland, dry, stale , and often up it's @$$ with half thought political messages. None of the main characters are memorable or interesting the only characters that make me laugh are Dale, Kahn, and the odd time Bill. Hank is annoying, up his own @$$, and a stick in the mud, Peggy is just whiny and does nothing the entire show, and Bobby just gets irritating to the point that you hope the jocks kick his @$$.
I know people who love subtle humour like that of Arrested Development, Napoleon Dynamite, and Eagle vs Shark and will disagree and i respect the show for entertaining those who enjoy that style of humour but it's 12 years too long it's time to end the kings reign after this season and honestly i think it should hung up in it's sixth season.
King Of The Hill while at times can be fun is too boring too dry too stale humoured. It's just sitting there taking up space, and collecting dust while shows like Futurama, Arrested Development, and The War At Home are canceled prematurely because of it.
It's alright to be a redneck
DarthBill9 April 2004
Hank Hill, the hero of "King of the Hill", is the last of a dying breed in many ways. He's reasonably honest, reasonably moral, he works hard, he believes in American craftsmanship, and he loves his dysfunctional family. And he's a conservative. He's a bit repressed emotionally though; annoying him or getting him mad is easy, but expressing those tender emotions like love is hard for him, due mostly to his upbringing by his dysfunctional and tyrannical dad Cotton, an obnoxious old man who lost his shins in WWII and somehow had his feet sewn into his knees. Hank's conservative point of view doesn't always make him easily sympathetic in some cases though.
Hank's wife, Peggy, is a warm, loving and caring person at heart, but she's also a megalomaniac. Peggy is an over confident and under educated substitute Spanish teacher, quite rare in this day and age of "Women power". Peggy always strives to do her best, which isn't bad in and of itself, but her pride tends to exude control over her decisions which leads to Peggy making a fool of herself.
Hank's son Bobby is a dense, effeminate couch potato who's watched too much TV. Full of under developed desires and longings, Bobby is easily impressionable and easily gets caught up in fads when they shove their message in his face hard enough. As Hank puts it, "That boy ain't right." His initial goal is to be a stand up comic, but he later decides to be a magician. His friends are Connie (later a girlfriend) and Joseph.
Hank also has a live in niece, Luanne. She was raised to be trailer trash by her dysfunctional parents (her dad is Peggy's brother) and initially longs to be a Hollywood hair stylist. Like Bobby, Luanne can be easily caught up in fads.
Hanks friends are Dale, Bill and Boomhauer. Boomhauer is a motor mouth Lothario whom no one can really understand. Bill is a faded high school football star turned army barber who's wife has left him and appears to have a thing for Peggy. Dale is an exterminator and conspiracy theorist who's so wrapped up in his conspiracy theories that he would never suspect that his newscaster wife Nancy is having an affair with her Indian therapist John Redcorn and/or that his son Joseph is actually the son of John Redcorn and Nancy. The only other person who doesn't seem to notice this is Joseph himself. Hank's neighbor is an Asian man named Kahn (Connie's dad), the classic feuding neighbor scenario.
Despite the many frustrations Hank endures and the compromises he has to make, he trudges on, clinging to his ideals and doing the best he can.
Part of why this is still better than the Simpsons is that unlike the Simpsons, this show doesn't rely on anyone character to supply all the laughs and it doesn't rely on larger than life animated sight gags for all the laughs either. Hank is also probably the only TV Dad to have the dignity of being right anymore. And unlike Homer, even when Hank's efforts get ridiculous they're never as outlandish and moronic as the former's.
Hank's wife, Peggy, is a warm, loving and caring person at heart, but she's also a megalomaniac. Peggy is an over confident and under educated substitute Spanish teacher, quite rare in this day and age of "Women power". Peggy always strives to do her best, which isn't bad in and of itself, but her pride tends to exude control over her decisions which leads to Peggy making a fool of herself.
Hank's son Bobby is a dense, effeminate couch potato who's watched too much TV. Full of under developed desires and longings, Bobby is easily impressionable and easily gets caught up in fads when they shove their message in his face hard enough. As Hank puts it, "That boy ain't right." His initial goal is to be a stand up comic, but he later decides to be a magician. His friends are Connie (later a girlfriend) and Joseph.
Hank also has a live in niece, Luanne. She was raised to be trailer trash by her dysfunctional parents (her dad is Peggy's brother) and initially longs to be a Hollywood hair stylist. Like Bobby, Luanne can be easily caught up in fads.
Hanks friends are Dale, Bill and Boomhauer. Boomhauer is a motor mouth Lothario whom no one can really understand. Bill is a faded high school football star turned army barber who's wife has left him and appears to have a thing for Peggy. Dale is an exterminator and conspiracy theorist who's so wrapped up in his conspiracy theories that he would never suspect that his newscaster wife Nancy is having an affair with her Indian therapist John Redcorn and/or that his son Joseph is actually the son of John Redcorn and Nancy. The only other person who doesn't seem to notice this is Joseph himself. Hank's neighbor is an Asian man named Kahn (Connie's dad), the classic feuding neighbor scenario.
Despite the many frustrations Hank endures and the compromises he has to make, he trudges on, clinging to his ideals and doing the best he can.
Part of why this is still better than the Simpsons is that unlike the Simpsons, this show doesn't rely on anyone character to supply all the laughs and it doesn't rely on larger than life animated sight gags for all the laughs either. Hank is also probably the only TV Dad to have the dignity of being right anymore. And unlike Homer, even when Hank's efforts get ridiculous they're never as outlandish and moronic as the former's.
A show that creates and expands its own plausible world.
athomed16 December 2009
This review is 13 seasons in the making. For 12 years, I was a faithful viewer of King of the Hill. It started out as a wonderful addition to a great Sunday evening lineup on Fox, it ended as the saving grace to a boring and vulgar Sunday evening lineup. This show was forgotten by Fox for five years, they cut its marketing down to nothing and then wondered why it didn't deliver the numbers they wanted.
Hank Hill, a responsible husband, son, and father lives his life in a rapidly changing world. He's comforted by his small Texas town, "Arlen", and the friends he's made there, although sometimes, they offer more headache than anything else! The satire was biting right to the end. This show successfully balanced many different ideas without crushing them and did so without beating up on one of the other. Hank Hill is a Reagan conservative, or even a LBJ democrat, his aging dog is aptly named Ladybird.
Hank's ideas are often challenged by a growing wave of Liberal viewpoints around Arlen, and simply put, the show never makes fun of any ideology, it makes fun of the behavior intertwined with it, and shows that both ideologies have their problems and their good points. Conservatism is never made fun of and liberalism is never made fun of, except by the main characters.
The show follows the daily life of the Hill family and their neighborhood. Peggy is his loving wife with an inflated ego, Bobby is Hank's son, Hank worries that "that boy ain't right" because he's a little different and dreams of being a professional comedian, Hank would prefer he be High School football quarterback and then work at Strickland Propane with Hank. The ensemble cast is great and all of them are funny.
This show has everything going for it, well thought out plots, great voice acting, and pleasing animation.
This is a 10/10 excellent show. Give it a try if you haven't already.
Hank Hill, a responsible husband, son, and father lives his life in a rapidly changing world. He's comforted by his small Texas town, "Arlen", and the friends he's made there, although sometimes, they offer more headache than anything else! The satire was biting right to the end. This show successfully balanced many different ideas without crushing them and did so without beating up on one of the other. Hank Hill is a Reagan conservative, or even a LBJ democrat, his aging dog is aptly named Ladybird.
Hank's ideas are often challenged by a growing wave of Liberal viewpoints around Arlen, and simply put, the show never makes fun of any ideology, it makes fun of the behavior intertwined with it, and shows that both ideologies have their problems and their good points. Conservatism is never made fun of and liberalism is never made fun of, except by the main characters.
The show follows the daily life of the Hill family and their neighborhood. Peggy is his loving wife with an inflated ego, Bobby is Hank's son, Hank worries that "that boy ain't right" because he's a little different and dreams of being a professional comedian, Hank would prefer he be High School football quarterback and then work at Strickland Propane with Hank. The ensemble cast is great and all of them are funny.
This show has everything going for it, well thought out plots, great voice acting, and pleasing animation.
This is a 10/10 excellent show. Give it a try if you haven't already.
A great show that doesn't push agendas!!
justinhinson15 August 2018
This show is a masterpiece. Great storyline and funny throughout. This show has teen\adult humor. Great fun with a couple of rednecks. And most importantly a show that doesn't push any agendas, a great show for any race, religion, politics etc.
What can you say , wonderful!
craigsuperkev19 August 2018
King of the Hill is the King
ThunderKing63 October 2019
One of the things King of the Hill does right that Simpsons fails to do is retire while you are on top rather than drag yourself to a who cares death.
King of the Hill is an intellectual, creative adult cartoon. The characters have more realism compared to Simpsons and Family Guy.
King of the Hill does not have gag after gag after gag like Family Guy.
King of the Hill very much is a great show to watch. Even for children. It's not crude of have high violence.
The golden age of Sunday evening cartoons is Over.
King of the Hill is an intellectual, creative adult cartoon. The characters have more realism compared to Simpsons and Family Guy.
King of the Hill does not have gag after gag after gag like Family Guy.
King of the Hill very much is a great show to watch. Even for children. It's not crude of have high violence.
The golden age of Sunday evening cartoons is Over.
It's very mediocre
ericstevenson5 May 2016
"King Of The Hill" is arguably the most realistic cartoon ever made. It's not just the settings, it's that the animation is unbelievably realistic. Mike Judge has more or less proved more so than any other cartoonist that we truly live in a wonderful world and there are plenty of things in it! That seems impossible, seeing as how he's perhaps the most religious cartoonist out there. Someone's a moron in this equation. Technically, he's done a lot to promote secular humanism and really does deserve some award for it. There was one episode where Luann saw an angel but it was ambiguous if it was just in her imagination. The characters appeared in an episode of "The Simpsons"...even though the creators said these shows don't take place in the same Universe. I absolutely refuse to believe these shows take place in the same Universe, because it is impossible for Simpsons characters to ever appear in an episode of "King Of The Hill".
So what can I really say about the show? Well, it really comes off as very average. I know that doesn't make a lot of sense, but that's really how I feel. I mean, I really don't see anything wrong with the show given how realistic it is, but I don't see anything right with it as it doesn't do much as a cartoon in itself. I can't really be against it because it accurately portrays real life. I want to promote reality and this is a good way of doing it. The characters aren't really bland, they're just very realistic. Dale is probably the funniest with his zany ideas. There are definitely funny moments, there just don't seem to be that many. It doesn't come off as that good when I first found out about it. Anything new seems good.
So, would I recommend this show? Well, yeah. I mean, it's so weird how it truly is a unique cartoon in that it's probably the least unique cartoon ever made. I think it should have more jokes like "Beavis And Butt-Head". If you want a realistic cartoon that's very funny, go watch "Bob's Burgers", even though the characters look like Muppets. **1/2 out of ****, simply because I want to go in the middle.
So what can I really say about the show? Well, it really comes off as very average. I know that doesn't make a lot of sense, but that's really how I feel. I mean, I really don't see anything wrong with the show given how realistic it is, but I don't see anything right with it as it doesn't do much as a cartoon in itself. I can't really be against it because it accurately portrays real life. I want to promote reality and this is a good way of doing it. The characters aren't really bland, they're just very realistic. Dale is probably the funniest with his zany ideas. There are definitely funny moments, there just don't seem to be that many. It doesn't come off as that good when I first found out about it. Anything new seems good.
So, would I recommend this show? Well, yeah. I mean, it's so weird how it truly is a unique cartoon in that it's probably the least unique cartoon ever made. I think it should have more jokes like "Beavis And Butt-Head". If you want a realistic cartoon that's very funny, go watch "Bob's Burgers", even though the characters look like Muppets. **1/2 out of ****, simply because I want to go in the middle.
A great cartoon for the whole family
movieman_kev30 September 2005
This show chronicles the animated everyday adventures of Hank Hill, his wife Peggy, son Bobby, and niece Luanne. Also featuring Hank's friends, the sad Bill, the paranoid Dale, and the plain indecipherable Boomhauer, as well as Hank's father and foreign neighbors every now and then. The antithesis of all the "popular" cartoons of the day (the Simpsons, Family guy, etcetera), and all the better for it. This cartoon is well-voiced, heartfelt, and is great family fare. Oh yeah, and it's frequently hilarious as well. Some blast this show for being a tad more conservative then other's of it's ilk. I say so what? It's refreshing to have one counter-point in a whole sea of one viewpoint.And with the show ending it's 9 year run this season, it still hasn't outstayed it's welcome like some others *cough* Simpsons *cough* And I for one will miss spending time Sunday nights with the Hill family (on the times it WASN'T preempted by Football, of course)
My Grade: A
Season 1 DVD Extras: Introductions by Hank Hill (on Disk1), Bobby on 2, and Dale on the third; Commentar on the Pilot and "Hank's Unmentionable Problem" by Co-creator Greg Daniels, "Order of the Straight Arrow" & "the Company Man" by Director Klay Hall, "Westie Side Story" & "King of the Ant Hill" with ' Dale Gribble' and 'Bill Dauterive' , "Shins of the Father" & "Plastic White Female" with 'Peggy' and 'Bobby'; a 24 minute Making of; 55 Deleted scenes & Animatics; Do's & Don'ts of animation; Meet the Hills (info & sketches); Barenakid Ladies Music Video; & 13 promos
2 Easter Eggs: On the first disk, go to 'Special Features', then to 'Commentaries' and highlight the lawn-tractor for "Mowing Lesson with Charlie" a short on lawnmower safety; On the third disk, in the main menu click on the map for Hank Hill thanking the people who worked on Season 1
My Grade: A
Season 1 DVD Extras: Introductions by Hank Hill (on Disk1), Bobby on 2, and Dale on the third; Commentar on the Pilot and "Hank's Unmentionable Problem" by Co-creator Greg Daniels, "Order of the Straight Arrow" & "the Company Man" by Director Klay Hall, "Westie Side Story" & "King of the Ant Hill" with ' Dale Gribble' and 'Bill Dauterive' , "Shins of the Father" & "Plastic White Female" with 'Peggy' and 'Bobby'; a 24 minute Making of; 55 Deleted scenes & Animatics; Do's & Don'ts of animation; Meet the Hills (info & sketches); Barenakid Ladies Music Video; & 13 promos
2 Easter Eggs: On the first disk, go to 'Special Features', then to 'Commentaries' and highlight the lawn-tractor for "Mowing Lesson with Charlie" a short on lawnmower safety; On the third disk, in the main menu click on the map for Hank Hill thanking the people who worked on Season 1
Eh... It's Good but not Great
zdflanders12 January 2019
It's amusing and comforting as a background noise but not nearly as funny as Family Guy, The Simpsons, American Dad, or South Park. I've watched up to season 12 currently so I've already seen most of the episodes. There are a ton of great qualities but I'm going to go over everything I found wrong with it.
Without a doubt, both Bill and Peggy are two of the most annoying characters. If an episode focuses on Bill, it completely sucks. He is far too much of a pitiful downer and its extremely irritating when he takes charge of his life by the end of the episode and goes right back to crying by the next. Too much of Peggy can get really on anyone's nerves and I wish the writers kept her as more of a side character.
Hank is pretty funny but he can get my nerves with his morals. Like in that episode where someone was sitting in his seat at church and he had a tantrum that ended with him getting assigned seats. Or the fact that he had to cover up the town's history when he found out it was founded based on prostitution but he already said before that preserving history was important in the civil war episode. I understand that his over the top morals are what make him funny but it becomes moronic when it becomes the moral of the episode.
How many episodes is Kahn going to spend trying to get into that club. It always ends with him realizing he wants something different. Like Bill and his insecurities it's a bit too repetitive.
Overall the plots are interesting enough to be watchable and very entertaining but the show could use more of a comedic quality. I found it much funnier in the earlier seasons. Now it kinda drags.
Without a doubt, both Bill and Peggy are two of the most annoying characters. If an episode focuses on Bill, it completely sucks. He is far too much of a pitiful downer and its extremely irritating when he takes charge of his life by the end of the episode and goes right back to crying by the next. Too much of Peggy can get really on anyone's nerves and I wish the writers kept her as more of a side character.
Hank is pretty funny but he can get my nerves with his morals. Like in that episode where someone was sitting in his seat at church and he had a tantrum that ended with him getting assigned seats. Or the fact that he had to cover up the town's history when he found out it was founded based on prostitution but he already said before that preserving history was important in the civil war episode. I understand that his over the top morals are what make him funny but it becomes moronic when it becomes the moral of the episode.
How many episodes is Kahn going to spend trying to get into that club. It always ends with him realizing he wants something different. Like Bill and his insecurities it's a bit too repetitive.
Overall the plots are interesting enough to be watchable and very entertaining but the show could use more of a comedic quality. I found it much funnier in the earlier seasons. Now it kinda drags.
Very relatable and very funny
BustedBlock11 September 2020
It might not be the most fast-paced show, but it's still a very funny and relatable cartoon with animation that fits its premise. It also has some pretty entertaining characters like Hank. It's definitely worth a watch
It's just on...
jackjack-2995130 June 2020
King of the hill has some funny moments, but generally isn't that good in comedy. The plot of the episodes do entertain though and can be just fun to watch the characters move through situations. 6/10, isn't the best thing on cable, but can entertain.
The entire series in ten lines
kaipi-15 March 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Hank sells propane, he has trouble conceiving, he wears square glasses and doesn't get along with Asians. "That boy ain't right." Peggy is a boggle champion who likes to be 'artistic'. "That boy ain't right." He has annoying neighbors. One of his neighbor's son is illegitimate. "That boy ain't right." He has a hippie niece who loses her hair in a propane explosion, that goes on for a while. "That boy ain't right." His octogenarian military dad has a son with some woman. "That boy ain't right." He has an old dog named ladybug, or something like that, and he's obsessed with his truck and propane. "That boy ain't right." * 10,000
That's pretty much everything that's ever happened in the series. So now there's no reason to watch it.
That's pretty much everything that's ever happened in the series. So now there's no reason to watch it.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
