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King of the Hill
From left to right: Boomhauer, Hank, Dale, and Bill
Format	Animated Sitcom
Created by	Mike Judge Greg Daniels
Voices of	Mike Judge Kathy Najimy Pamela Segall Adlon Brittany Murphy Ashley Gardner Toby Huss Lauren Tom Stephen Root Johnny Hardwick David Herman Jonathan Joss
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	12
No. of episodes	222 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time	22 min. per episode
Broadcast
Original channel	FOX
Picture format	480i (SDTV)
Original run	January 12, 1997 – present
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

King of the Hill is an American animated television series created by Mike Judge 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 a typical animated sitcom that features unusual or improbable events, King of the Hill attempts to retain realism, featuring Americans with average IQs, and seeking humor in the otherwise conventional. 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 as one of the greatest television shows of all time.^[1]

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.

Contents 1 Production history 2 Characters 2.1 The Hills 2.2 The Gribbles 2.3 Other Main Characters 2.4 The Souphanousinphones 2.5 The Kleinschmidts 2.6 Other Characters 2.7 Celebrity Voices 3 Episodes 4 Arlen, Texas 5 Themes and analysis 5.1 Hank 5.2 Politics 5.3 Souphanousinphones 5.4 Religion and Culture 6 References in Other Shows 7 References 8 External links

After a successful run of Beavis and Butt-Head on MTV, Mike Judge co-created King of the Hill with former Simpsons writer Greg Daniels. Judge is a former resident of Dallas, Texas suburb Garland. Despite conflicting information in various episodes, many speculate the inspiration for the fictional town named 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.

Main article: List of characters in King of the Hill

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.^[2]

Hank Hill (Mike Judge) strongly resembles Mr. Anderson from Beavis and Butthead. Hank 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 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, and it has been mentioned by Peggy that Hank has an "unhealthy obsession with that dog." Hank is also known to be passively prejudicial in a sexist manner, disallowing his son Bobby from any untraditional and "feminine" activities.

Peggy Hill (Kathy Najimy), Hank's wife, is a substitute Spanish teacher who has a mediocre grasp 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, and "Oh, Peggy!", a self-compliment after a perceived accomplishment. Usually well-meaning and open-minded, she often displays her naïveté and arrogance; she considers herself knowledgeable, clever, and physically attractive but is blind to the truth due, most likely, to severe narcissism. She has large feet (a trait that other characters point out regularly) One foot is size 16 while the other is 16 1/2. She has estimated her IQ to be 170.

Bobby Hill, (Pamela Adlon), Hank and Peggy's chubby 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 with the exception of football, which he plays, and soccer. He also plays baseball and ran track in an episode. He has a rather wacky sense of humor that clashes with Hank's more collected manner. Bobby's inclination towards pop phenomena such as the Spice Girls and comments such as "He's handsome" (in reference to race car driver Jeff Gordon) are taken by Hank as signs that Bobby may be gay even though the audience can easily recognize their harmless and unindicative nature. 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?".

Cotton Hill (Deceased) (Toby Huss), Hank's father, was a deranged, politically incorrect misogynist, with a hair-trigger temper. He had three sons by three different women. Cotton fought in the Second World War in the Pacific Theater and falsely claimed to have fought in Germany against the Nazis (pronounced "Nazzies" by Cotton). His shins were shot off by the Japanese at Iwo Jima, and his feet were reattached to his knees, giving him his short stature and distinctive gait. At the end of the war he fathered a son with his Japanese nurse in a war hospital in Tokyo, but was forced to leave her when he was shipped out. He held the rank of colonel and was addressed as such by his friends. After divorcing Hank's mother, he fathered a third son, named "G.H" for "Good Hank," by his nurse's assistant/wife Didi. He referred to Peggy as "Hank's Wife" (leading to many harsh words and heated arguments between them) and frequently made reference to his (perhaps dubious) wartime heroism, including his killing of "fiddy men." He had a politically incorrect view of foreigners, especially Asians, although in the episode "Shins of the Father" he recognized Kahn as a Laotian after Dale referred to him as Japanese. Cotton was also very protective of his Cadillac, which he referred to as his "Cadillac car". He exasperated Hank with his boorish behavior, but Hank, out of filial devotion, was slow to mention this to him. Cotton claimed to have once saved several members of his platoon by swimming them to shore. Unfortunately, in order to escape a growing shark threat Cotton "had to give 'em Fatty". He died in Episode "Death Picks Cotton" aired on Sunday, November 11, 2007 after having a final repartee with Peggy.

Tillie Mae Hill (Tammy Wynette), is Cotton's first wife and Hank's mother. She divorced Cotton after suffering years of verbal abuse. A kind woman who collects miniatures, Tilly lives in Phoenix with her Jewish boyfriend, Gary (voiced by Carl Reiner). Hank has trouble connecting emotionally with Tilly, but is a loving son who defends his mother against Cotton's insults.

Dale Gribble (Johnny Hardwick) is the Hills' chain-smoking neighbor, an insect exterminator, conspiracy theorist, borderline, and paranoiac. Though boastful, he is a coward who recoils in the face of violence. He is the president of the local gun club (but he is only president because he owns the most guns). He often uses the alias "Rusty Shackleford.", which Hank has stated is 'The fake name he orders pizza with.' He drives a minivan (the Bug-a-bago; a reference to Winnebago RVs) with a giant queen fire ant 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. An example of this is tormenting Hank with fire ants in his beloved yard, then later saving Bobby from them. His vulnerability and trust for those he is close to is a plot element in a number of episodes. After Peggy Hill figures it out in season 3, Dale remains the only character besides his "son", Joseph, who is unaware of his wife's 14-year affair, and of the fact that Joseph is not his biological son. He also brown-nosed Cotton whenever possible.

Nancy Gribble (Ashley Gardner) is Dale's wife and the weathergirl and then anchorwoman for the local television station. She had a 14-year affair with John Redcorn (resulting in the birth of their biological son, Joseph) before finally ending it in season 4. She frequently addresses other characters as "shug" (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.

William Fontaine de la Tour "Bill" Dauterive (Stephen Root) is the Hills' overweight, divorced, clinically depressed neighbor from Louisiana. He is obsessed with his cheating ex-wife, Lenore, 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 (running back) 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 Kahn's analogous 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 glam metal. John Redcorn works out of his trailer as a masseur, generally only with women.

Kahn Souphanousinphone (Toby Huss) is the Hills' materialistic Laotian 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, (although sometimes appears to be best friends with Nancy and 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 in 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, her given name is "Kahn Jr." Kahn pushes her to excel, so that after she becomes successful, he can take her to his hometown to show her off.

Elroy "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, damaged his spine, filed a lawsuit and received a $53,000 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 titled "Lucky's Wedding Suit".

Luanne Platter-Kleinschmidt (Brittany Murphy), Peggy's college-aged niece, was a student at the beauty academy, later Arlen Junior College, finally she studied for and passed the state's cosmetology exam with the help of Bill. She is often portrayed as an airhead, although she is also an expert mechanic and is good at logic puzzles. In the earlier seasons of the show Luanne was generally promiscuous, however, that all changed when she attended a church-sponsored "second virginity" program and shortly thereafter started a locally popular Bible study class, as well as a Christian puppet show called the Manger Babies, which contain a donkey, a penguin, and an octopus, as well as God, played by Hank. In the 10th season finale, Luanne announces her pregnancy by her husband, Lucky Kleinschmidt.

Main article: List of characters in King of the Hill

In addition, the show has many celebrity appearances, though rarely as themselves. 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, Will Ferrell, Sally Field, John Goodman, Nathan Fillion, John Force, Brendan Fraser, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Vince Gill, Topher Grace, Green Day, Kirk Hammett, Dennis Hopper, Michael Keaton, Jamie Kennedy, Kid Rock, Johnny Knoxville, Laura Linney, Lucy Liu, Tone Lōc, Bernie Mac, Danny Masterson, Matthew McConaughey, Willie Nelson, No Doubt, Laura Prepon, John Ritter, Chris Rock, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Cybil 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, and all three members of ZZ Top, Jeff Goldblum, 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 significant other of Luanne Platter.

Main article: List of King of the Hill episodes

Main article: Arlen, Texas

Hank represents the law-abiding citizen and the question of law/morality correspondence. 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 express 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). According to Peggy, Hank's words when he asked her to marry him were, "I surely am not un-fond of you, I tell you what." 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?"

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, leading to a personal crisis. 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 ("...and he earned them!").

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 aid 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. Kahn and Hank, despite their differences, do sometimes get along which is ironic given that Kahn considers Hank his best friend. (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.

The Hills are Methodists though Hank and Peggy were unable to articulate to Bobby much of their faith when he asked about it. 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 an 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 an ostentatious display of affection.

• 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." 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 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 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!".

• King of the Hill (Fox Broadcasting Company site)
• King of the Hill at the Internet Movie Database
• King of the Hill at the Big Cartoon DataBase
• King of the Hill at TV.com

v • d • e King of the Hill

Hank Hill — Peggy Hill — Bobby Hill — Luanne Platter — Cotton Hill — Tilly Hill — G. H. Hill — Ladybird Hill — Dale Gribble — Joseph Gribble — Nancy Gribble — Kahn Souphanousinphone — Minh Souphanousinphone — Connie Souphanousinphone — Boomhauer — Bill Dauterive — John Redcorn — M. F. Thatherton — Chuck Mangione — Monsignor Martinez Mike Judge — Kathy Najimy — Pamela Segall Adlon Brittany Murphy — Ashley Gardner — Toby Huss — Lauren Tom — Stephen Root — Johnny Hardwick — David Herman — Jonathan Joss Episode list — DVDs — List of characters — Alamo Beer — Arlen — Mega Lo Mart — Strickland Propane

v • d • e Mike Judge
Films directed: Beavis and Butt-Head Do America • Office Space • Idiocracy Television series created: Office Space (Milton/SNL shorts) • Beavis and Butt-head • King of the Hill