# King of the Hill RENEWED! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 21, 2006, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-of-the-hill-renewed/349286 "2006-03-21T15:09:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-of-the-hill-renewed/349286/1 "2006-03-21T15:09:51Z")
HUZZAH! > [@](#): > > LOS ANGELES – FOX is keeping its commitment to the two longest-running comedies currently on television, picking up “The Simpsons” for two more years and, in a bit of a surprise, “King of the Hill” for one more year. > … > The bigger news, though, may be the resurrection of “King of the Hill.” It was expected that this season, the show’s 10th, would be its last after FOX let a renewal deadline slide by last year. > … > Because of the long production cycle for an animated show, “King of the Hill” probably won’t begin its 11th season before next January. That’s not a big concern for the network, though, as the show is frequently pre-empted in the fall for late-ending NFL games. [CITE](http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-kingofthehillsimpsonspickup,0,5159567.story?coll=zap-tv-headlines) This is great news. Especially the part about it not premiering until January. Better to wait and get to see the episodes in their entirety. I thought this was the last season for Hank, but he lives to fight another day! ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-of-the-hill-renewed/349286/2 "2006-03-21T15:51:50Z")
That is great news. King of the Hill is the most underrated show on the dial; I’m glad it’s hanging on. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-of-the-hill-renewed/349286/3 "2006-03-21T17:24:15Z")
**YES!** This news has made my day (or maybe even my week or my month). I’m surprised and delighted to see that the ratings for the show have actually gone up this season despite an utter lack of promotion and sporadic airings of new episodes (Sunday night’s episode was the first new one since January). From the beginning, I always thought KoTH’s downfall would be its almost complete dearth of superfans. Poke around the web a bit, and you will see conspicuously few sparsely-populated message boards and web sites dedicated to the show. By the end of its run, it will have racked up at least 217 episodes. Still, it’s hard to find people who are more than just casual viewers. Evidently I drew the wrong conclusion from that fact, since those casual viewers have now managed to keep the show running into its eleventh year. > [@middleman](#): > > This is great news. Especially the part about it not premiering until January. Better to wait and get to see the episodes in their entirety. True, but that probably means another fifteen-episode season, doesn’t it? Not that I’m complaining - fifteen is better than zero! I’m hoping that they’ll take this opportunity to further flesh out the character of Lucky. He cracks me up. I’d also love to see a Big Mountain Fudgecake reunion episode. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-of-the-hill-renewed/349286/4 "2006-03-21T18:12:11Z")
I’m ok with a 15 episode season. I’d rather only have half a season with a new episode each week than 22 episodes stretched out with re-runs all the time. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-of-the-hill-renewed/349286/5 "2006-03-21T18:55:13Z")
I was thinking more along the lines of long-term enjoyment of the show through repeated viewings. When the eleventh season comes out on DVD a few years down the road, I’d rather it have 22 episodes than fifteen. Still, I’d be quite happy even if the last season only had five episodes. Waiting through repeats for new episodes doesn’t bother me all that much. “Well, I do like delaying gratification.” –Hank Hill ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-of-the-hill-renewed/349286/6 "2006-03-21T18:57:47Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > That is great news. King of the Hill is the most underrated show on the dial; I’m glad it’s hanging on. I’ve never understood what people see in this show. I’ve watched it maybe half a dozen times, and I’ve never found it funny-- instead, I find it irritating. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not criticizing you folks who do-- I’m genuinely asking what it is that I’m missing. “Bobby, how can you get an F in English? You _speak_ English!” Perhaps it’s just me, but my mind instantly rebuts that with clauses and participles, and so the joke just strikes me as stupid. “If you weren’t my son, I’d hug you.” Is it supposed to be amusing that a man is so homophobic that he won’t hug his own kid? I’m a big fan of social satire. I love _South Park_ and _The Simpsons_ for just that reason. For some reason, though, I can’t designate this as satire. To me, it fits in the same category as “Larry the Cable Guy”-- lowbrow “redneck” humor. So, what is it that I’m not seeing? ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-of-the-hill-renewed/349286/7 "2006-03-21T19:07:06Z")
I like it because it is the most genuine and sweet family comedy/drama I have ever seen. The show has evolved far beyond the “that boy ain’t right” shtick of the early episodes. Sure, it is still present but it is toned down. The show, at its heart, is about a good but simple man, and his neurotic wife, trying to raise a kid they don’t understand in a changing world. The show is too sweet and honest to be lumped in with Larry the Cable Guy. A quote from Hank Hill himself best describes the series. \*Dangit, I am sick and tired of everyone’s asinine ideas about me. I’m not a redneck, and I’m not some Hollywood jerk. I’m something else entirely I’m… I’m complicated. \* He instantly regretted saying it. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-of-the-hill-renewed/349286/8 "2006-03-21T19:45:14Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > I’ve never understood what people see in this show. I’ve watched it maybe half a dozen times, and I’ve never found it funny-- instead, I find it irritating. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not criticizing you folks who do-- I’m genuinely asking what it is that I’m missing. Over time, you really do get to love the characters. **middleman** ’s Hank quote summed it up nicely. Virtually every character on the show has far more depth and humanity than you’d initially suspect. > [@](#): > > “If you weren’t my son, I’d hug you.” Is it supposed to be amusing that a man is so homophobic that he won’t hug his own kid? Hank’s not homophobic, really. He’s just _incredibly_ uptight. Other than a few uncharacteristic exceptions, the only emotions Hank seems to be able to express are over his dog. His wedding proposal, as recounted by Peggy, was “I’m surely not unfond of you, Peggy, I tell you what.” ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-of-the-hill-renewed/349286/9 "2006-03-21T19:53:22Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > “If you weren’t my son, I’d hug you.” Is it supposed to be amusing that a man is so homophobic that he won’t hug his own kid? I don’t see what that has to do with homophobia at all. That you do may help to explain why you don’t “get” the show. > [@](#): > > I’m a big fan of social satire. I love _South Park_ and _The Simpsons_ for just that reason. For some reason, though, I can’t designate this as satire. That’s because it isn’t. At least, not as much as it is a character-driven comedy. With characters that are more realistic and fully-realized than you may be expecting from an animated show. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-of-the-hill-renewed/349286/10 "2006-03-21T19:56:34Z")
KotH is certainly not satire. If it is categorized, it would be “slice of life.” ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-of-the-hill-renewed/349286/11 "2006-03-21T20:25:35Z")
Yeah, one of the differences is that Hank Hill is a decent, likeable guy, albeit an anal-retentive one, while Larry the Cable Guy isn’t. I’d like to know Hank; not so much Larry. I’d disagree with **middleman** and say that the show is satire, just extremely goodnatured. But the characters are, for the most part, sympathetic. The difference is, in the case of Larry the Cable Guy, Larry is the person you’re supposed to laugh at. But in Hank Hill’s case, Hank is the character you’re supposed to identify with and sympathize with. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-of-the-hill-renewed/349286/12 "2006-03-21T20:30:54Z")
> [@Captain Amazing](#): > > Yeah, one of the differences is that Hank Hill is a decent, likeable guy, albeit an anal-retentive one, while Larry the Cable Guy isn’t. I’d like to know Hank; not so much Larry. > > I’d disagree with **middleman** and say that the show is satire, just extremely goodnatured. But the characters are, for the most part, sympathetic. The difference is, in the case of Larry the Cable Guy, Larry is the person you’re supposed to laugh at. But in Hank Hill’s case, Hank is the character you’re supposed to identify with and sympathize with. It is at very least tongue in cheek. I’ll grant you that. But do you think the very nature of the show is satirize life in the exurbs? That never seemed to be the thrust of the show. Maybe I am defining satire a little differently. But it is one of the few “Southern” shows in recent years that doesn’t make fun of the South. Another added joy of the show, is whee Hank is reverent about something (e.g.- Tom Landry), you really hear Butthead in his voice. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-of-the-hill-renewed/349286/13 "2006-03-21T20:38:15Z")
Has Bobby Hill aged at all in the show? One of the things that makes the Simpsons still viable is that the children never aged at all. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-of-the-hill-renewed/349286/14 "2006-03-21T20:42:07Z")
> [@Dewey Finn](#): > > Has Bobby Hill aged at all in the show? One of the things that makes the Simpsons still viable is that the children never aged at all. If I’m remembering right, he’s had two birthdays on the show, and is now 13. Can anyone confirm? Joseph, of course, went through puberty early on, and now sports a permanent teen 'stache. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-of-the-hill-renewed/349286/15 "2006-03-21T20:47:39Z")
He’s aged, but not much. I’d say he’s been in middle school (6th-8th) the whole time. I know he is still in 8th Grade. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-of-the-hill-renewed/349286/16 "2006-03-21T20:49:02Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > That’s because it isn’t. At least, not as much as it is a character-driven comedy. With characters that are more realistic and fully-realized than you may be expecting from an animated show. This is it. Most of the criticisms I’ve heard of _King of the Hill_ are based on comparisons with shows like _The Simpsons_ and _Family Guy_. I don’t understand why some people feel that animated programs _have_ to be over-the-top. There’s nothing wrong with over-the-top, of course, but you can have a quality show that’s a bit more subtle. People often ask “Why didn’t they just make it live action?” The answer is simple: Live action family sitcoms _suck_ – mainly because children _grow_ and most often can’t act. Pamela Segall has been turning in a nuanced performance as a twelve-year-old boy for a decade. That’s something an actual twelve-year-old boy would have a hard time pulling off for six months. Of course all the characters are caricatures to some degree, but they have an authenticity that is really attractive. You have to like Hank. Yes, he’s got a very limited world-view – but it’s not because he’s chosen to be narrow-minded, it’s what he was born to. He’s a decent guy with some comic foibles. Even Peggy, who’s the last person you’d want to be around in real life, is a sympathetic character, because she’s so pathetic and insecure. She really _needs_ to be an authority on something, but she’s got the misfortune of being as dumb as a bag of rocks. Everybody knows someone like Peggy Hill. Hank’s not much brighter, but he has so much compassion. But the main thing is it’s _funny_. The last episode, with the job fair, and Hank being so stoked about Bobby getting in on the ground floor of the propane business, oblivious to how cool Bobby is to the idea. “You’re not even fourteen, and you’ve got most of your life figured out,” and Bobby’s great reaction shot. “Uh…” And Hank’s view of the infinite horizon: “Who knows where he might end up? Maybe Strickland West…” Maybe a little more droll than Sideshow Bob stepping on the rake or Stewie Griffen plotting world domination, but defenitely quality entertainment. I like the outrageousness and cynicism of other animated shows, but I like the often understated humour and optimism of _King of the Hill_, too. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-of-the-hill-renewed/349286/17 "2006-03-22T04:26:27Z")
Hank is anything but homophobic. Hank is just extremely uptight and uncomfortable with emotions and anything he doesn’t feel familiar with. When he found out Dale’s dad was gay, he didn’t care, he was more embarassed by all the showiness, because well, Hank is a very plain, simple guy, and he doesn’t like big, grand showy things. And he hates showing emotions. The show isn’t redneck humor. It definitely rises above the stereotypes. It would have been so easy to make Bobby the stereotypical fat kid, the dumbass loser. Instead, he’s the class clown-he’s one of the most popular kids in his school, he’s very popular with girls, more so than his tale, early developing friend, Joseph. He’s fat, but he knows it, and he doesn’t seem to care. He’s probably lower to middle in academics, but he makes up for it with enthusiasm. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-of-the-hill-renewed/349286/18 "2006-03-22T05:05:06Z")
> [@neutron star](#): > > From the beginning, I always thought KoTH’s downfall would be its almost complete dearth of superfans. Poke around the web a bit, and you will see conspicuously few sparsely-populated message boards and web sites dedicated to the show. By the end of its run, it will have racked up at least 217 episodes. Still, it’s hard to find people who are more than just casual viewers. Yeah, this is a bit mysterious to me as well. I like the show, but I’ve never been more than a casual viewer either – in part that might just be because I very seldom pick up new shows, or maybe it’s that KotH is under-advertised and I’m never exactly clear on when it’s on. But everytime I accidentally stumble across it I enjoy it – definitely a very human touch to the series. Compare, for example, the episode where Peggy buys a little independant bookstore and tries to break into the local cultured set, with the episode of The Simpsons in which Marge buys a designer dress and tries to get her family into the Springfield country club. Both had essentially the same premise, but the tone and results were very different – the Simpsons emphasized the gags and satire more, while KotH really focused on Peggy’s sense of rejection and disappointment. Each approach is valid, but it’s a bit of a disconcerting jump going from one to the other. Maybe that’s why KotH perplexes a lot of people – most TV shows (especially on Fox) try the Simpsons approach; KotH is kind of a lone duck. I get the feeling that this would be a show that would be better appreciated on DVD over a long period of time – getting to know the characters from the beginning, getting into the sensibility, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-of-the-hill-renewed/349286/19 "2006-03-22T05:15:34Z")
Wow, I wasn’t even aware the show had been going for ten seasons. Time flies! I’m very pleased to hear it’s going to stick around a while longer. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2006, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-of-the-hill-renewed/349286/20 "2006-03-22T05:17:39Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > Joseph, of course, went through puberty early on, and now sports a permanent teen 'stache. And he now appears to be nine and a half feet tall. 😉 I’m another casual viewer, but I admire the way the show handles its characters. It’s not super-funny, but it’s amusing and it’s human. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-of-the-hill-renewed/349286.md?page=2)