'King of the Hill':
King of the Hill, created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, first aired on Fox on January 12, 1997. King of the Hill is a spinoff, of sorts, of Judge's Beavis and Butt-head. Hank Hill originally appeared on Beavis and Butt-head as a cantakerous grown-up who was repeatedly frustrated by Beavis and Butt-head's bad manners and slacker attitudes. The final episode of King of the Hill aired September 13, 2009.
Premise:
King of the Hill is about a Texan family, the Hills, their friends, and the day-to-day struggles of a traditional, patriotic man who tries to do the right thing by his country and those he loves. Hank struggles with his son's attitudes and behavior, which are much different than his own. He is usually caught between a rock and a hard place, eventually choosing to act in a way that benefits the most folks, or is the "right" thing to do.
Characters:
Hank Hill is the patriarch of his family and the leader of his group of friends. He sells propane and propane-related products. Peggy, his wife, is a substitute Spanish teacher. Bobby, Hank's son, is an endearing boy who is more interested in leisurely pursuits than sports, much to Hank's chagrin. Hanks friends include Dale Gribble, a pest control expert; Boomhauer, the mumble-mouthed ladies' man; and Bill Dauterive, a lonely sadsack barber who lives across the street.
Creators:
Mike Judge first gained fame when he created Beavis and Butt-head, which aired on MTV. Mike Judge has also written and directed the critical hits and cult classic films Office Space and Idiocracy.
Greg Daniels did a short stint for The Simpsons before creating King of the Hill. More recently, he successfully translated the British comedy The Office for American TV audiences.
My Two Cents:
King of the Hill is a gem whose sparkle was hidden in the shadows of Fox's other animated comedies, The Simpsons and Family Guy. While those two shows have seen a slight decline in quality when their creators move on to other projects, King of Hill remained consistently funny and heartwarming for over a decade. Furthermore, though King of the Hill rarely grabbed headlines, it tackled thorny issues about marriage, family, politics and substance abuse. You can watch an episodes on Adult Swim on a regular basis. Or fuel your passion for King of the Hill by watching these DVDs.
