Read this reviews before You buy..."Animated blue collar TV...", Initially aired following the 1997 Super Bowl, King of the Hill discovered an instant audience niche that has the followed the show loyally ever since. The brainchild of Beavis and Butthead creator Mike Judge (also known for the hit movie Office Space), King of the Hill is a unique animated series in that it doesn't rely on "cartoon" suspension of reality or outlandish antics. In fact, the show would arguably be just as successful if it were not animated at all. Nevertheless, it's Mike Judge (voice of Hank Hill) and his unique brand of humor that make King of the Hill a must-see TV series...
Set in the fictional town of Arlen, Texas, King of the Hill follows the life and exploits of Hank Hill and his traditional nuclear family. Hank is a red-state propane salesman who loves beer and apple pie, but he's constantly inundated with modern liberalism and grapples with the demands of political correctness. Hank is joined by his wife Peggy (a substitute teacher), his son Bobby (an awkward pre-pubescent youth), and a trailer park-like live-in niece named Luanne... Providing added comic relief to the series are Hank's off-the-wall friends Bill, Boomhauer (who is inaudible), and Dale (who believes everything is a government conspiracy)... Hank's Laotian neighbor Kahn (whose daughter Bobby is quite fond of) and his family live next door, providing Hank with a continuing dose of culture shock...
The King Of The Hill (Season 2) DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere "How to Fire a Rifle without Really Trying" in which Bobby takes a liking to the sport of target shooting. But when the opportunity to enter the father-son fun-shootout arises, Hank refuses to enter because he doesn't want to admit that he never learned how to shoot a gun... Other notable episodes from Season 2 include "Hilloween" in which Hank's haunted house is shut down by an overzealous churchgoer, and "Husky Bobby" in which Bobby becomes a successful clothing model for overweight boys (much to the worry of Hank)...
Below is a list of episodes included on the King Of The Hill (Season 2) DVD:
Episode 13 (How to Fire a Rifle Without Really Trying)
Episode 14 (Texas City Twister)
Episode 15 (The Arrowhead)
Episode 16 (Hilloween)
Episode 17 (Jumpin' Crack Bass)
Episode 18 (Husky Bobby)
Episode 19 (The Man Who Shot Cane Skretteburg)
Episode 20 (The Son That Got Away)
Episode 21 (The Company Man)
Episode 22 (Bobby Slam)
Episode 23 (The Unbearable Blindness of Laying)
Episode 24 (Meet the Manger Babies)
Episode 25 (Snow Job)
Episode 26 (I Remember Mono)
Episode 27 (Three Days of the Kahndo)
Episode 28 (Traffic Jam)
Episode 29 (Hank's Dirty Laundry)
Episode 30 (The Final Shinsult)
Episode 31 (Leanne's Saga)
Episode 32 (Junkie Business)
Episode 33 (Life in the Fast Lane, Bobby's Saga)
Episode 34 (Peggy's Turtle Song)
Episode 35 (Propane Boom)
The DVD Report
"King of the Hill - The Complete Second Season", The second season was my favorite season of King of the Hill history. Here are all the episodes of the second season.
"How to Fire a Rifle Without Really Trying" - September 21, 1997
"Texas City Twister" - September 26, 1997
"The Arrowhead" - October 19, 1997
"Hilloween" - October 26, 1997
"Jumpin' Crack Bass (It's a Gas, Gas, Gas)" - November 2, 1997
"Husky Bobby" - November 9, 1997
"The Man Who Shot Cane Skretteburg" - November 16, 1997
"The Son That Got Away" - November 23, 1997
"The Company Man" - December 7, 1997
"Bobby Slam" - December 14, 1997
"The Unbearable Blindness of Laying" - December 21, 1997
"Meet the Manger Babies" - January 11, 1998
"Snow Job" - February 1, 1998
"I Remember Mono" - February 8, 1998
"Three Days of the Kahndo" - February 15, 1998
"Traffic Jam" - February 22, 1998
"Hank's Dirty Laundry" - March 1, 1998
"The Final Shinsult" - March 15, 1998
"Leanne's Saga" - April 19, 1998
"Junkie Business" - April 26, 1998
"Life in the Fast Lane, Bobby's Saga" - May 3, 1998
"Peggy's Turtle Song" - May 10, 1998
"Propane Boom (1)" - May 17, 1998
A good season
"I tell you what. .....", Hank Hill is the great American father, husband, and employee. He has his set of morales and rules and it's only black and white in Hank Hill's world. If only everybody was more like good old Hank this would be a better world.
So help yourself to a heaping helping of King of the Hill and see life through the eyes of the residents of Arlen, Texas. You got some great episodes here like where Hank defends Halloween. That is a favorite of mine. If only these Christian fundamentalists would realize that Christmas and Easter celebrations are about as Pagan as Halloween itself.
In season two the characters develop a little more and Dale, Boomhauer, and Bill are just as loved and needed in the show as the Hills themselves.
Probably one of the best all-time episodes is here inthis season when Bill gets engaged to Luanne's mamma. She reminds me so much of my ex-wife it's downright scary, but to watch it in cartoon form is hilarious.
We also are introduced to the new family on the block, the Khans. This gives us all kinds of material to playwith as a family from Asia moves in.
So fire up the grill (but only with propane!), crack open a beer, and watch the good times roll. Who can resist the sound of that beer cracking open and the rambling, infectious theme song. I tell you what, if you need a cartoon that's funny, witty, and smart, then get yourself some King of the Hill.
And don't worry, Cotton Hill is as ornery as ever.
"Season 3", TVShowsondvd.com reports that King of the Hill season 3 should come to DVD in November or December of 2004. So that means that you can buy season 2 and rest assured that you *will* get to find out what happened after the season-ending cliffhanger.
This show will never have the niche cult appeal that allowed the mediocre Family Guy to sell so many DVDs; nor does it have the broad appeal of The Simpsons. But for people who like a show that gets laughs through characterization and observation, this is the best of the Fox animated shows. You don't have to be from Texas to like it; you just have to have known and liked a guy like Hank Hill: an old-fashioned guy struggling with a new-fangled world. If you liked Mike Judge's Office Space, or other movies and shows about one man facing everyday annoyances in this crazy world, you'll like this show. Or maybe even love it.
"Better then the Simpsons", The TV show altogether is better then the Simpsons and every other animated show. Unlike most every show on televion King of the Hill can make laughs and entertain you without the use of of crude sexual content, violence, obscene language or most any other immoral elements that pollute our television.
Aside from that... The DVD is great. The first and second season DVDs are better then both Family Guy and the Simpsons. What I love the most about the King of the Hill DVD is the commentary on the episodes with the characters from the show.
For instance... On the first boxset, Peggy and Bobby make comments through 2 epsisodes. Similar to how directors make comments, only this is something fun that you actually want to watch.