Los reyes de la colina

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.

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.

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.

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.

I became addicted to KOTH at age eight. I was sitting on my dad's lap, drinking grapefruit juice and club soda and trying to shake off my migraine. Finally, after a lot of moaning on my part, Dad agreed to stop watching "Law & Order". He put in a tape of eight KOTHs and said that we could watch this instead.

I'm thirteen now, and I'm still hooked. The characters are memorable and extremely realistic. Being born and bred in the most ultra-prepster, WASP-ish town possible (with, ironically, liberal, agnostic parents) really made me appreciate Peggy and Bobby, because I interact with them daily, as well as Dale, Bill, and Hank (although I have a huge soft spot for Kahn, Minh, and Connie, as well as Kahn's mother. I have a friend how is the very epitome of Connie and with a Dad whose bigoted, holier-then-thou obnoxiousness makes Kahn look like Saint Pete.) The writing is more subtle then "The Simpsons", which was my earlier love and which now takes the back seat. Everything in this show could really happen, and often does. Even the bit-out-there affair of Nancy and John Redcorn isn't that far-fetched (with a husband as wacked an unsexy as Dale, what blonde D-cupped weather girl wouldn't go for a tall-dark-'n'-handsome Native American with sculpted biceps, perfect hair, and a New age healing center who gives massages for a living? Hmmm?) Some people may argue that this show is racist, bigoted, cynical, and Conservative. I was raised in a home where debates about original sin were allowed over vegan dinners and a dart board with Bill O'Reilly's image hangs on our dryer. I come from a mixed-race marriage with a bisexual uncle. And yet I can say that this show in fact tackles such important issues with dry wit and style. Those who act as though they are above Hank's mild "discomforts" with, for instance, gays and lesbians, are at least as hypocritical as Kahn. As for the Conservative argument, I think the show makes fun of Republicans as well, if not more, then left-wingers. Who doesn't laugh at Hank's utter devotion to his party? The argument that this show only has Anglo-Saxons in it is the most asinine I have ever heard. Does the beloved "Family Guy" in it's main cast list a Native American, several Hispanics, and an entire Laotian family? Sure, "The Simpsons" has more black people, but virtually no Asians and not a Hispanic in sight. Besides, Arlen is portrayed as remarkably diverse for a small Northern Texas community. Heck, i'm surprised it isn't pure Caucasian.

10/10. Brilliant writing, subtle but liberal amounts of dry humor, and a dose of humorous reality-blended satire. Curl up on a laid-back armchair, turn up the heat, and immerse yourself in "King of the Hill."