King of the Hill

This article is about the TV series. For other uses see King of the Hill (disambiguation).

King of the Hill
From left to right: Boomhauer, Hank, Dale, and Bill drinking in the alley Neighbors drinking in the alley. From left to right: Boomhauer, Hank, Dale, and Bill
Created by	Mike Judge and Greg Daniels
Starring	Mike Judge Kathy Najimy Pamela Segall Brittany Murphy Ashley Gardner Toby Huss Lauren Tom Stephen Root Johnny Hardwick David Herman Johnathan Joss
Country of origin	USA
No. of episodes	188
Production
Running time	30 Minutes
Original release
Network	Fox Broadcasting Company
Release	January 12, 1997 – Current

King of the Hill is a long-running, satirical animated series. It depicts a "typical" Texan family, the Hills. A conservative, God-fearing Methodist family proud of its Texas heritage, the Hills reside in the fictional town of Arlen. Unlike most other animated series, which feature wacky or outlandish situations, King of the Hill attempts to retain realism; it is something of a dramedy. It is broadcast weekly on the FOX Network. The show's popularity has also led to frequent re-runs (syndicated) by many local affiliates and FX Networks.

King of the Hill documents the Hill family's daily life, taking on, in the process, some of the most controversial topics in modern America. Themes of past episodes have included women's liberation, female pastors, sex education, sexual harassment, proctologic examinations, ethnic diversity, and addiction support groups. The show focuses on the simple lives of the Hill family, often in contrast to "outsiders" such as the Souphanousinphones.

The title theme was written and performed by The Refreshments.

History

The series is the brainchild of Beavis and Butt-head creator Mike Judge. After a successful run of Beavis and Butt-head on MTV, he went on to co-create King of the Hill with former Simpsons writer Greg Daniels. Judge is a former resident of Garland, Texas, which is possibly the inspiration for the fictional town name Arlen.

Recently, King of the Hill has joined the ranks of other FOX shows like Futurama and Family Guy in that it's been placed in a poor timeslot, and faced frequent pre-emptions from sporting events featuring overtime play and post-game commentary. Currently the show is beginning its tenth season, which will be its last. It will be comprised for the most part of episodes which did not get to air last season, along with a few originals. It is unknown yet what type of series finale the show will have, if any.

Location of Arlen

As in the Simpsons, the fictional town (Arlen) oftentimes is described as being located relative to other locations in an impossible way.

Clues to the location of the series include:

• A sign when leaving Arlen lists the city's population as 145,900.
• Another episode shows Arlen as being north-northeast of Madero, Texas. This would place Arlen near Mission-McAllen, Texas. Again, this is a heavily Hispanic area, making Arlen's location here unlikely.
• Known inspirations for Arlen include Garland, Texas, home of creator Mike Judge, and [[Austin, Texas], where the Hill's address exists (and was the former home of Johnny Hardwick, voice of Dale Gribble).
• One episode shows Hank Hill picking up mail addressed to ZIP code 78104, which is Beeville, Texas. It is unlikely that Beeville is the setting for the series, though, as it is majority Hispanic, which Arlen clearly is not.
• Another episode shows mail addressed to the ZIP code 78701, which belongs to Austin, Texas.
• It has been hypothesised that the name "Arlen" is a hybrid of Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs Arlington and Garland.

However, there are a number of clues that are so conflicting that it is clear that the series is meant to be located "nowhere":

• The vegetation seems to suggest central Texas, as do day trips to Mexico, but the lack of significant Hispanic population in Arlen.
• The local football team plays another team from Belton, which is located between Austin and Waco in central Texas.
• Khan commutes to Houston, which is 160 miles from Austin, 185 miles from Waco, and 200 miles from Belton.
• Day trips are made to Mexico, which is over six hours from the Houston area.

However, Hank is a sports fan of the teams from the Dallas, area (the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, and Texas Rangers). Since the name Arlen sounds very similar to Garland, a suburb of Dallas, it is possible that Arlen is located near Dallas. Arlington, Texas is another possibility.

Major characters

When Mike Judge pitched the show 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. Dale is based on Robert Patrick, whom Judge had originally wanted to voice the character.

Hills (including Platters)

• Hank Hill, (Mike Judge), An upright Eagle Scout all American Patriot, Hank is the assistant manager at Strickland Propane, and sells "propane and propane accessories." He sounds (and looks) almost exactly like Tom Anderson from Beavis and Butthead, a character also voiced by Judge. Hank is a generally well-meaning father, but is often frustrated and confused by modern trends and the antics of his friends and family members.
• Bobby Hill, (Pamela Segall (Also as Pamela Segall Adlon)), The chubby 13-year-old son of Hank and Peggy, who wants to be a famous prop comic when he is older. Bobby's dissimilarity to his father is a constant source of humor.
• Peggy Hill, (Kathy Najimy), wife of Hank, substitute Spanish teacher (whose knowledge of the Spanish language is seriously lacking), freelance newspaper columnist, Notary Public, and Boggle champion. Though generally well-meaning, she is often quite ignorant, and she believes herself to be much smarter and more knowledgable than she actually is.
• Luanne Platter, (Brittany Murphy), college-age niece of Peggy, creator of Manger Babies, student of the beauty academy and later, junior college. She is often portrayed as dumb, though she has also shown herself to be an expert mechanic and good with logic puzzles. Although she was consistently shown to be promiscuous during the first half of the show's run, she settled down after enrolling in college, and started a Bible Study class. Luanne's name is a joke to Southerners who recognize the "Luly's" restaurant the Hill family frequents: at "Luby's" restaurants in Texas, the generic "one meat, two vegetables" plate is called the "Luanne Platter".
• Cotton Hill, (Toby Huss), Hank's coarse, politically incorrect, and homicidal father. Had his shins blown off and his feet reattached to his knees in WWII, resulting in his short height and stumpy gait. Has recently remarried his nurse, Didi, and fathered an infant child, "Good" Hank (or G.H.). The calling of his later life is the assasination of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
• Didi Hill, Cotton's second wife and nurse. She went to kindergarten with Hank.
• Lady Bird (Hill), the Hills' old hound dog. She is 14 years old. Her acquisition helped Peggy and Hank conceive Bobby. Named after famous Texan U.S. President Lyndon Johnson's wife Lady Bird Johnson. Her mother was involved in the manhunt for James Earl Ray. Hank's relationship with her frequently seems to be closer and more paternal than his relationship with Bobby.

Gribbles

• Dale Gribble, (Johnny Hardwick), chain smoking neighbor to the Hills, insect exterminator, conspiracy theorist, borderline maniac. He is also president of his gun club and a licensed bounty hunter, though the latter seems to be for prestige, as his bravado fails during confrontations when he thinks he may be in physical danger.
• Joseph Gribble, (Brittany Murphy/Breckin Meyer), muscular 13-year-old son of Dale (although John Redcorn is the biological father, unbeknownst to Dale). The running joke is that despite Joseph's obvious Native American features, Dale is unaware he is a cuckold.
• Nancy Gribble, (Ashley Gardner), wife of Dale, weather girl on local television station, had a lengthy affair with John Redcorn.

Souphanousinphones

• Kahn Souphanousinphone, (Toby Huss), the Hill's rich, Laotian American, materialistic next-door neighbor. Harbors a prejudice against Whites, and American Southerners in particular.
• Minh Souphanousinphone, (Lauren Tom), Kahn's wife. She is a housewife and grows roses in the front yard.
• Kahn "Connie" Souphanousinphone, Jr., (Lauren Tom), daughter of Kahn and Minh, violin player, A-student, dates Bobby for the latter majority of the show's run.

Other main characters

• Bill Dauterive, (Stephen Root), overweight, divorced, clinically depressed neighbor of the Hills, and a barber and sergeant in the United States Army.
• Boomhauer, (Mike Judge), womanizing friend of Hank who mutters incomprehensibly (although the other characters almost always seem to understand him perfectly). Example: "Dang-ol'-dang-ol'-one-two-three, man, dang-ol', mumble mumble." Boomhauer's occupation is never revealed and has served as a gag in some episodes.
• John Redcorn, (Jonathan Joss), Nancy's former Native American 'healer' and adulterous lover, biological father of Joseph Gribble, former roadie, and former lead singer of Big Mountain Fudgecake; drives a Jeep Wrangler.
• Buck Strickland, (Stephen Root), owner of Strickland Propane, Hank's boss, compulsive gambler, alcoholic, adulterer, womanizer.

Minor characters

• Lenore Dauterive (Ellen Barkin)., Bill's ex-wife (also, in one episode, the name of his iguana). Mentioned frequently throughout the course of the show, but only appeared once.
• Buckley, (David Herman), boyfriend of Luanne, vaporized in a propane explosion while working at Mega Lo Mart. Had no real feelings for Luanne--or anyone or anything. The majority of his dialogue on the show were the words "What" and "Hey." With tiny angel wings, Buckley came back and visited Luanne after his death.
• Eustis, (David Herman), a wimpy, moustached patent lawyer, father of Bobby's classmate, Randy.
• Debbie Grund, former employee of Strickland Propane who was Buck Strickland's mistress who once tried to seduce a horrified Hank. She accidentally kills herself while waiting to murder Buck and his wife Miz Liz Strickland. She didn't speak much in the series. When she did, she was voiced by Brittney Murphy. In the episode leading to her death, she was voiced by Reese Witherspoon.
• Miz Liz Strickland tried to seduce Hank Hill to get even with her womanizing husband. Hank reacted with horror to her advances even though she is attractive.
• Chuck Mangione, playing himself, musician who shamelessly promotes Mega Lo Mart until he grows tired of going to every Mega Lo Mart opening and becomes a hermit. The store's slogan incorporates the title of his well-known hit song "Feels So Good."
• Leanne Platter, Luanne's mother. Imprisoned for stabbing her husband with a fork. Frequently mentioned over the course of the show but seen only once. In that episode she is released from prison and has an affair with Bill.
• Lane Pratley, The sexist owner of Arlen's Hyundai, Cheverolet & Cadillac car dealerships. Favors prostitutes.
• Chane Wasonasong, a smart but obnoxious classmate of Bobby and Connie's. Connie's parents are constantly trying to fix her up with Chane as they see him as a positive alternative to dating Bobby. Chane often refers to Bobby as "Booby" Hill. In one episode, Bobby finally stands up to Chane's abuse by kicking him in the testicles.
• Jimmy Wichard, A violent mentally retarded man. According to Dale: "People say he fried his brain one day staring at the sun. Of course he couldn't have been too smart to begin with...kind of a chicken/egg thing I guess." He has had several jobs including concession manager at the racetrack.
• Lucky, (Tom Petty) A dimwitted local man living on government disability payments (he slipped in urine in a Costco bathroom) and proud of it. Once worked on an assembly line making snack foods, which led to him scheming to show Bobby how good a chip tastes right off the line by breaking into his old workplace. Dated Luanne, to Hank's consternation.
• M. F. Thatherton, (Burt Reynolds), former employee of Strickland Propane who struck out on his own and opened up the crooked Thatherton Fuels company across the street from Strickland. He is a foil to Hank Hill. Thatherton once bragged that he sold propane to nursing homes by telling them it was oxygen. A small joke involves the alluded to, but not stated, meaning of the initials M.F.
• Toppington (aka Topsy), An old wartime buddy of Cotton's, he often acts as accomplice to Cotton's inane hate/revenge-driven schemes. Topsy has no teeth so he mumbles whenever he talks, and one of his favorite tricks is to puff out his cheeks a la Dizzy Gillespie. Topsy always appears somewhat disoriented and mildly violent. In a late episodes he is left for dead by Cotton after a failed scheme; Cotton: "He's playing checkers with the worms."
• Monsignor Martinez, the hero of the fictional TV show The Monsignor Martinez Mysteries that appears in several episodes. Martinez is a homicidal priest that often kills his enemies in violent or extravagent ways. His killing someone is always accompanied by him saying, "Vaya con Dios" (go with God).

Trivia

• All the main Caucasian characters worship at the United Methodist Church, as does John Redcorn. The Souphanousinphones are Buddhists and follow the Dalai Lama. Hank's mother had a Jewish boyfriend for a while.
• Hank (much to his discomfort) learned in his thirties that he had been born in New York City; this may have been inspired by Mike Judge's discovery that he was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
• Hank has an illegitimate half-Japanese elder brother, born after a liaison between his father and a Japanese woman, shortly after WWII.

See also

• List of King of the Hill episodes

External links

• King of the Hill (Fox Broadcasting Company site)
• King of the Hill at the Big Cartoon DataBase
• King of the Hill at IMDb
• Template:Google Video Search1
• King of the Hill soundboard