Rent King of the Hill: Series 1 (1997)

King of the Hill: Series 1 review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

King of the Hill came about during a unique time for animated sitcoms. The Simpsons had taken off as a huge hit for Fox and this led to every network scrambling to find some more adult-oriented animation that they could run in the evenings. Many of these series never seen went past one season and some never even finished airing all their episodes. It could perhaps be argued that these series were all trying to duplicate the same type of absurd and silly humor of The Simpsons. King of the Hill was the first animated sitcom to rise above the rest for simply not competing on the same level.

The show was developed by Mike Judge, known at the time for his major hit of MTV’s Beavis & Butthead. Though that show was seemingly a mash of low-brow antics from brain-dead teenagers, the satire on human nature was palpable. The best humor in that show wasn’t just from the central characters in their oblivious nature to the world they stammer and chuckle through but how everyone else around them acts as the straight man. The perfect straight man for that series was Tom Anderson, a retired veteran who drones on and on, often mistaking Beavis & Butthead for other kids. He became the perfect prototype for the character of Hank Hill, father of one and devoted to propane in his hometown of Arlen Texas.

On the surface, King of the Hill appears to be the same format as The Simpsons. It’s about a family living in suburbia who get into all sorts of misadventures. Yet the series is incredibly grounded, even more so than Beavis & Butthead, to be more of a relatable sitcom rather than a wacky one. The first episode of the first season is the perfect encapsulation of the series. Hank stands around his car with his neighbors of Dale, Bill, and Boomhauer. They don’t say much at first. They drink beer and say yup to each other. Slowly the conversation comes around to topics of automobiles and parenting.

The first season struggles to find its footing a bit as with any animated series but its remarkable how well it holds up. Bobby is uniquely charming as the dead-pan son who is easily influenced but also hasn’t betrayed the honor of his parents. Peggy Hill is an overzealous parent and substitute teacher who has a bit of an ego problem (this problem blows up in future seasons). The neighbors also have their charms with Dale being a conspiracy theorist, Bill being a depressed divorcee, and Boomhauser being a babbling enigma.

The characters are all pretty easy-going in this first season, often feeling stiff as the animation attempts to remain as realistic as possible with some of the most anatomically correct animation ever placed on television. They more or less become ciphers for touching on familiar Southern topics. Peggy is assigned to teach sex-ed in school and is finding it such a taboo subject for both herself and her community that would rather not talk about such things. Controversial topics of smoking are addressed where the entire Hill family becomes addicted to them and has to learn how to knock their habit.

There are lot of unique stories this season you just don’t see in animated sitcoms of the era that it also felt the most daring. Consider the episode that addresses Hank’s intestinal issue that forces him to choose between a life of beef and death. Hank tries to confront his father for his misogynistic ways that have no place in the 1990s. There’s also the aspect of Hank’s new neighbors being from Laos, creating unique diversity angle while also giving Hank a compelling rival.

Not all of the episodes fully work this season. Peggy’s Boggle Championship episode just doesn’t hit as hard and there’s one episode that feels like a shameless plug to force in the celebrities of Willie Nelson and Dennis Hopper. Overall, though, the first season is rather strong and subverts the animation sitcom stylings of the times. It was such an intriguing hit of dry humor and articulate animation that it’s no wonder the show would proceed for 13 seasons, making it the first major animated sitcom hit to follow after The Simpsons.