King of the Hill

For the 1993 film, see King of the Hill (1993 film). For other uses, see King of the Hill (disambiguation).

"Hank of the Hill" redirects here. For the El Borak story, see Hawk of the Hills (short story).

King of the Hill
File:King of the hill.svg
Genre	Adult animation Animated sitcom Comedy drama Slice of life Workplace humor
Created by	Mike Judge Greg Daniels
Voices of	Mike Judge Kathy Najimy Pamela Adlon Brittany Murphy Johnny Hardwick Stephen Root Toby Huss Ashley Gardner Jonathan Joss Lauren Tom Breckin Meyer Tom Petty
Theme music composer	The Refreshments
Opening theme	"Yahoos and Triangles"
Ending theme	"Yahoos and Triangles" (reprise)
Composer(s)	Roger Neill John O'Connor Greg Edmonson John Frizzell
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	13
No. of episodes	259 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Mike Judge Greg Daniels Richard Appel Jonathan Aibel Glenn Berger John Altschuler Dave Krinsky Jim Dauterive Garland Testa Howard Klein Michael Rotenberg
Producer(s)	Mark McJimsey David Zuckerman
Editor(s)	Lee Harting Kirk Benson Don Barrozo Mark Seymour Mark McJimsey Leo Papin Louis Russel Nick Gribble
Running time	20–22 minutes
Production company(s)	Deedle-Dee Productions Judgemental Films 3 Arts Entertainment Bandera Entertainment (season 14) 20th Century Fox Television (seasons 1-13) 20th Television Animation (season 14)
Animation services	Film Roman
Release
Original network	Fox (1997-2009) Syndication (2010) Hulu (revival)
Picture format	NTSC (1997–2008) HDTV 720p (2009–2010)
Audio format	Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Original release	January 12, 1997 (1997-01-12) – present (present)
External links
[{{#property:P856}} Website]

King of the Hill is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series initially aired from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, and centers on the Hills, an American family in the fictional city of Arlen, Texas, as well as their neighbors, co-workers, relatives, classmates, friends, and acquaintances. Series protagonist, patriarch, and everyman Hank Hill works as assistant manager at Strickland Propane. He lives in a ranch-style house with his wife Peggy, his son Bobby, his niece Luanne, and his pet bloodhound Lady Bird. Hank's neighbors are his longtime friends Bill Dauterive, a divorced, bald, overweight military barber and former high school football star; Dale Gribble, a paranoid, pro-gun, anti-government pest exterminator; and Jeff Boomhauer, a charismatic, soft-spoken, often unintelligible bachelor. The show's realistic approach seeks humor in the conventional and mundane aspects of everyday life, such as blue-collar workers, substitute teachers, the trials of puberty, and political correctness.

Judge began creating King of the Hill during his time making the MTV series Beavis and Butt-Head, which he also created and voiced in. After pitching the pilot to Fox, Judge was paired with Greg Daniels, an experienced writer who previously worked on The Simpsons. The series debuted on the Fox network as a mid-season replacement in 1997, quickly becoming a success. The series' popularity led to worldwide syndication, and cable reruns currently air on FXX and Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim, having aired on FX and Comedy Central in the past. The show became one of Fox's longest-running series. A total of 259 episodes aired over the course of its 13 seasons. The final episode aired on Fox on September 13, 2009. Four episodes from the final season were planned to air on Fox, but later premiered in nightly syndication from May 3 to 6, 2010.

King of the Hill was named by Time magazine in its 2007 list of "The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time". The series has won two Emmy Awards and has been nominated for seven. Its celebrity guest stars include Chuck Mangione (playing a fictionalized version of himself), Tom Petty (playing the recurring character Lucky), Alan Rickman (playing a king at a Renaissance fair), and numerous country music artists. On January 18, 2022, Judge and Daniels announced the forming of a new company called Bandera Entertainment, with a revival of King of the Hill being one of several series in development. In September 2022, it was announced that the revival had not been picked up by Fox. On January 31, 2023, it was announced that Hulu picked up the revival.

Series synopsis

King of the Hill is set in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas. The show centers on the Hill family, headed by the ever-responsible, calm, hard-working, loyal, disciplined, and honest propane and propane accessory salesman Hank Hill (voiced by Mike Judge). The punning title refers to Hank as the head of the family as well as metaphorically to the children's game King of the Hill. Hank is employed as the assistant manager at Strickland Propane, selling "propane and propane accessories", a frequent catchphrase. He often finds his traditional conservative values challenged by the changing world around him, though his common decency always sees him through. Hank typically serves as the de facto leader for his friends and family. His wife Peggy Hill (née Platter) (voiced by Kathy Najimy), a native of Montana, is a substitute Spanish teacher, though she has a poor grasp of the language. Peggy also finds employment and avocation as a freelance newspaper columnist for The Arlen Bystander as well as a Boggle champion, a notary public, a softball pitcher, and a real estate agent. She is confident, frequently to the point of lacking self-awareness. Hank and Peggy's only child, Bobby Hill (voiced by Pamela Adlon), is a student at Tom Landry Middle School. His characteristic lack of athleticism and interests in prop comedy and cooking are mystifying to his more conventional father but are encouraged by his mother.

Throughout the series, Peggy's naïve and emotional niece Luanne Platter (voiced by Brittany Murphy), the daughter of Peggy's scheming brother Hoyt (voiced by Johnny Knoxville) and his alcoholic ex-wife, Leanne (voiced by Adlon), lives with the Hill family. Hank originally encourages her to move out, but over time accepts her as a member of the household. Luanne attends beauty school and hosts a Christian-themed puppet show for a local cable access TV station. Luanne later engages in a relationship and later marries Elroy "Lucky" Kleinschmidt (voiced by Tom Petty), a snaggle-toothed layabout who lives on the settlements he has earned from a frivolous lawsuit.

Hank has a healthy relationship with his mother, Tilly (voiced by Tammy Wynette, later by Beth Grant and K Callan), a kind woman who lives in Arizona. Hank is, at first, uncomfortable with his mother dating Gary Kasner (voiced by Carl Reiner), a Jewish man, but he warms up to Gary as their relationship progresses. Hank is dismayed by his mother's choice to break up with Gary to marry a man she has only known for a few weeks, Chuck Garrison, but eventually finds Chuck as likable as Gary. In contrast, Hank has a strained relationship with his father, Cotton Hill (voiced by Toby Huss), a cantankerous World War II veteran who lost his shins to machine gun fire in Japan and who verbally abused Tilly during their marriage, leading to their divorce. Cotton later marries Didi (voiced by Ashley Gardner), a candy striper who attended kindergarten with Hank. Together, Cotton and Didi have a son, "G.H." ("Good Hank"), who bears a striking resemblance to Bobby.

Other main characters include Hank's friends and their families. Dale Gribble (voiced by Johnny Hardwick) is the Hills' chain-smoking, balding, conspiracy-theorist next-door neighbor and Hank's best friend. As a result of his paranoia, Dale does not trust the government or "the system". He owns his own pest control business, Dale's Dead Bug, and is also a licensed bounty hunter and President of the Arlen Gun Club. Dale is married to Nancy Hicks-Gribble (voiced by Ashley Gardner), a weather reporter and later an anchorwoman for the Channel 84 news. Dale and Nancy's only child, Joseph (voiced by Brittany Murphy and later by Breckin Meyer), is best friends with Bobby Hill. He plays quarterback for the football team, enjoys destructive activities like setting ants on fire, and becomes somewhat girl-crazy as he gets older. Joseph is not biologically his son, but was instead born from Nancy's 14-year-long and still-ongoing affair with John Redcorn (voiced by Victor Aaron; later Jonathan Joss), a Native American healer who has given Nancy therapeutic massages for her headaches for years; their affair, and Joseph's real parentage, has long been common knowledge among Nancy's neighbors, who have all seemingly agreed to keep it a secret from Dale. Dale has expressed suspicion that he is not Joseph's biological father, but believes that Nancy was impregnated by aliens. Even so, he clearly loves his son.

Across the alley from the Hills lives Bill Dauterive (voiced by Stephen Root). Known as the "Billdozer" in his high school football glory days, Bill is now overweight, bald, and clinically depressed, still struggling to get over his divorce with his ex-wife Lenore. Bill is a Sergeant and barber in the United States Army who idolizes Hank. Bill's loneliness often results in him being easily taken advantage of by strangers until his friends come to his rescue. Throughout the series, he finds near-success with women, including former Texas Governor Ann Richards. He frequently expresses an unrequited attraction to Peggy, which she occasionally uses to her advantage.

Boomhauer (voiced by Mike Judge), who also lives in the Hill's neighborhood, is a slim womanizer whose fast, non-fluent, and jumbled speech can be hard to understand for the audience despite being easily understood by his friends and most other characters. He is shown to be able to sing clearly and speak fluent Spanish and French. During a perspective flashback in the Season 3 episode "A Fire Fighting We Will Go", Boomhauer sees himself speaking normally while everyone else speaks in Boomhauer's manner of speaking. Though his occupation is not explicitly stated, a single line early in the series indicates he is an electrician living on worker's comp. In a montage leading to the conclusion of the final episode, a Texas Ranger badge falls open on his dresser. His given name, Jeff, is not revealed until the 13th and final season.

In the series' first season, the Souphanousinphones, a Laotian family, move in next door to the Hills. The family consists of the materialistic Kahn (voiced by Toby Huss), his class-conscious wife Minh (voiced by Lauren Tom), and their teenage daughter, Kahn, Jr., who goes by the name "Connie" (voiced by Lauren Tom). Kahn—who fled poverty in Laos to become a successful businessman in America—is often at odds with his neighbors, believing them to be hillbillies and rednecks due to their lower socioeconomic status (despite evidence to the contrary). Minh often becomes involved in activities with Peggy and Nancy, whom she looks down on as uncivilized and ignorant, despite still considering them her best friends. Connie has been pushed by her father to become a child prodigy and excels at a variety of things from academics to music, though she rejects her father's materialism and judgmental nature. She develops a relationship with Bobby that blossoms into romance over the first half of the series before the two decide to remain friends. Connie often accompanies Bobby and Joseph on their adventures.

Other minor characters include Buck Strickland (voiced by Stephen Root), Hank's licentious boss at Strickland Propane; Joe Jack (voiced by Toby Huss) and Enrique (Danny Trejo), Hank's co-workers at Strickland; Carl Moss (voiced by Dennis Burkley), Bobby's principal at Tom Landry Middle School; and Reverend Karen Stroup (voiced by Mary Tyler Moore and later by Ashley Gardner), the female minister of Arlen First Methodist.

Following the show's slice of life format, which is consistently present throughout its run, the show presents itself as being more down-to-earth than other competing animated comedies, e.g. Family Guy, due to the way the show applies realism and often derives its plots and humor from mundane topics. Critics also note the great deal of humanity shown throughout the show.

History

Conception

File:University of Texas at Arlington campus and surrounding area (10000749).jpg

The design of King of the Hill was based on Texas suburbs from the 1950s such as Arlington.

In early 1995, during the successful first run of Beavis and Butt-Head on MTV, Mike Judge decided to create another animated series, this one set in a small Texas town based on an amalgamation of Dallas suburbs, including Garland, where he had lived, and Richardson. Judge conceived the idea for the show, drew the main characters, and wrote a pilot script.

The Fox Broadcasting Company was uncertain of the viability of Judge's concept for an animated comedy based in reality and set in the American South, so the network teamed the animator with Greg Daniels, an experienced prime-time TV writer who had previously worked on The Simpsons. Daniels rewrote the pilot script and created important characters who did not appear in Judge's first draft, including Luanne and Cotton. Daniels also reworked some of the supporting characters (whom the pair characterized as originally having been generic, "snaggle-toothed hillbillies"), such as making Dale Gribble a conspiracy theorist. While Judge's writing tended to emphasize political humor, specifically the clash of Hank Hill's social conservatism and interlopers' liberalism, Daniels focused on character development to provide an emotional context for the series' numerous cultural conflicts. Judge was ultimately so pleased with Daniels' contributions, he chose to credit him as a co-creator, rather than give him the "developer" credit usually reserved for individuals brought onto a pilot written by someone else.

Initial success

After its debut, the series became a large success for Fox and was named one of the best television series of the year by various publications, including Entertainment Weekly, Time, and TV Guide. For the 1997–1998 season, the series became one of Fox's highest-rated programs and even outperformed The Simpsons in the ratings that season, ranking 15th with an average of 16.3 million viewers per episode. During the fifth and sixth seasons, Mike Judge and Greg Daniels became less involved with the show. They eventually refocused on it, even while Daniels became increasingly involved with other projects.

Format change

Over time, series co-creator Mike Judge took a more reduced role in the production of episodes.

Judge and Daniels' reduced involvement with the show resulted in the series' format turning more episodic and formulaic. Beginning in season seven, John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky, who had worked on the series since season two, took it over completely, tending to emphasize Judge's concept that the series was built around sociopolitical humor rather than character-driven humor. Although Fox insisted that the series lack character development or story arcs (a demand made of the network's other animated series, so that they can be shown out of order in syndication), Judge and Daniels had managed to develop minor arcs and story elements throughout the early years of the series, such as Luanne's becoming more independent and educated after Buckley's death, and the aging of characters being acknowledged (a rare narrative occurrence for an animated series). Lacking Judge and Daniels' supervision, the series ceased aging its characters and even began retconning character backstories; in the episode "A Rover Runs Through It", Peggy's mother was abruptly changed from a neurotic housewife with whom Peggy shared a competitive relationship to a bitter rancher from whom Peggy had been estranged for years. The format change also resulted in at least one minor character—Laoma, Kahn's mother—being written out of the show completely, and her relationship with Bill ignored in all future episodes.

Connection to Bless the Harts

Bless the Harts, an animated series created for Fox, loosely shares a universe with King of the Hill, and features the Mega-Lo-Mart in the show. Story editors Christy Stratton and Emily Spivey for King of the Hill are involved in the show, although Mike Judge is not. It premiered on September 29, 2019, and ended on June 20, 2021 due to Fox cancelling the series after two seasons.

Facing cancellation

Because it was scheduled to lead off Fox's Sunday-night animated programming lineup, portions of King of the Hill episodes were often pre-empted by sporting events that ran into overtime (the show was pre-empted more often than not by NFL football); in season nine especially, whole episodes were pre-empted. Ultimately, enough episodes were pre-empted that the majority of the series' 10th season—initially intended to be the final season, consisted of unaired ninth-season episodes. The 11th season was also meant to be the last, with a planned finale televised before it was renewed.

The 13th-season episode "Lucky See, Monkey Do" became the first episode of the series to be produced in widescreen high definition when it aired on February 8, 2009.

Cancellation

Although ratings remained consistent throughout the 10th, 11th, and 12th seasons and had begun to rise in the overall Nielsen ratings (up to the 105th most watched series on television, from 118th in season 8), Fox abruptly announced in 2008 that King of the Hill had been cancelled. The cancellation coincided with the announcement that Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy and American Dad!, would be creating a Family Guy spin-off called The Cleveland Show, which would take over King of the Hill's time slot.

Hopes to keep the show afloat surfaced as sources indicated that ABC (which was already airing Judge's new animated comedy, The Goode Family) was interested in securing the rights to the show, but in January 2009, ABC president Steve McPherson said he had "no plans to pick up the animated comedy."

On April 30, 2009, it was announced that Fox ordered at least two more episodes to give the show a finale. The show's 14th season was originally supposed to air sometime in the 2009–2010 season, but Fox later announced that it would not air the episodes, opting instead for syndication. On August 10, 2009, however, Fox released a statement that the network would air a series finale on September 13, 2009.

During the panel discussion for the return of Beavis and Butt-Head at Comic-Con 2011, Mike Judge said that no current plans exist to revive King of the Hill, although he would not rule out the possibility of it returning.

Revival

In August 2017, it was revealed that Judge and Daniels had talked with Fox executives about a potential revival. In an interview with Rotten Tomatoes the following March, Judge said he would want the revived series to include aged characters, such as an older Bobby. In March 2020, Daniels revealed that he and Judge had an idea for the reboot. Daniels stated, "We do have a plan for it and it's pretty funny. So maybe one day." In March 2021, writer Brent Forrester stated that a reboot is currently underway, stating in a Tweet, "I am sure Greg Daniels and Mike Judge will murder me for sharing this but… HELL YES. They are in hot negotiations to bring back King of the Hill." The reboot will possibly feature "aged-up characters".

In January 2022, Judge and Daniels announced the forming of a new company called Bandera Entertainment, with a revival of King of the Hill being one of several series in development.

During a panel at Comic-Con 2022, Judge stated that the show "has a very good chance of coming back." In September 2022, Fox Entertainment president Michael Thorn confirmed that the series would not air on Fox, with the reason being that Fox prefers to have full ownership of whatever new shows they air.

On January 31, 2023, a revival on Hulu was officially confirmed to be ordered. Judge, Najimy, Root, Adlon, Hardwick and Tom are all expected to reprise their roles. With Murphy's death, it was not announced how the character of Luanne would be handled, and it is unknown if Toby Huss will return. On May 1, 2023, Root had stated that the new revival will also have a time jump taking place years after the series finale where Bobby is "older."

Setting and characters

Opening sequence

In the opening sequence, Hank joins Dale, Bill, and Boomhauer in the alley behind his house. When he opens his can of beer, the playback speed increases greatly and depicts other main and secondary characters carrying out various daily activities around them in a time-lapse. Meanwhile, the four continue drinking beer and a nearby recycling bin fills with their empty cans. When Peggy brings a bag of garbage out to Hank, the other three leave and the playback returns to normal speed as he takes it to the trash can and gathers with Peggy and Bobby.

The opening theme, "Yahoos and Triangles", is performed by the Arizona rock band The Refreshments. Variations of the theme are used for special episodes, including season finales and Christmas episodes.

Setting

The Hill family. From the left: Peggy (back), Bobby, Hank, and their dog, Ladybird.

King of the Hill is set in the fictional town of Arlen, Texas, an amalgamation of numerous Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs including Garland, Richardson, Arlington and Allen. In addition to drawing inspiration from the Dallas region, Judge has described Arlen as "a town like Humble" (a suburb of Houston). Time magazine praised the authentic portrayal as the "most acutely observed, realistic sitcom about regional American life bar none". In the episode "Hank's Cowboy Movie", the town's entrance sign lists its population as 145,300.

Though Arlen is inspired by various Texas suburban communities, its specific location in Texas is never specified in the series. Similar to the location of Springfield on The Simpsons, the location of Arlen within Texas is arbitrary based on the needs of a particular episode's plot, and multiple episodes give conflicting information as to Arlen's geographic location within the state. For example, one episode indicates that it is just north of the Brazos River in central Texas. Other episodes place it near Houston or Dallas, while others feature trips to Mexico and back taking place within a matter of hours. In the episode "Harlottown", the location is revealed to be somewhere on the Chisholm Trail.

The Hills and other major characters reside on the fictional Rainey Street in Arlen. Hank's friend and neighbor Bill Dauterive is a barber at Fort Blanda, an army post (similar to Fort Hood) near Arlen. Most of the children in the show attend the fictional Tom Landry Middle School. Early in the series, the school is referred to as being in the Heimlich County School District (according to markings on the school buses), though in later seasons this is changed to Arlen Independent School District. The school's mascot is a longhorn steer.

Characters

Main article: List of King of the Hill characters

King of the Hill depicts an "average" family and their lives in a typical American town. It documents the Hills' day-to-day-lives in the small Texas town of Arlen, exploring themes such as parent-child relationships, friendship, loyalty, and justice.

Episodes

Main article: List of King of the Hill episodes

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King of the Hill is an American animated television series that aired on Fox. The series was originally broadcast from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010.

Series overview

See also: List of King of the Hill DVDs

Season		Episodes	Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
	1	12	January 12, 1997	May 11, 1997
	2	23	September 21, 1997	May 17, 1998
	3	25	October 4, 1998	May 16, 1999
	4	24	September 26, 1999	May 21, 2000
	5	20	October 1, 2000	May 13, 2001
	6	22	November 11, 2001	May 12, 2002
	7	23	November 3, 2002	May 18, 2003
	8	22	November 2, 2003	May 23, 2004
	9	15	November 7, 2004	May 15, 2005
	10	15	September 18, 2005	May 14, 2006
	11	12	January 28, 2007	May 20, 2007
	12	22	September 23, 2007	May 18, 2008
	13	24	September 28, 2008	May 6, 2010

Episodes

Season 1: 1997

Main article: King of the Hill (season 1)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
1	1	"Pilot"	Wes Archer	Mike Judge & Greg Daniels	January 12, 1997 (1997-01-12)	4E01
Straitlaced propane salesman and family man, Hank Hill, is accused of beating his son, Bobby, after Bobby gets a black eye from getting hit in the face with a baseball during a Little League game and rumors spread that Hank beat up a teenaged Megalo-Mart employee (when really he just yelled at him for not knowing if the store sells a tap and dye and some WD-40). Meanwhile, Hank's friends, cuckolded conspiracy nut Dale Gribble, down-and-out Army barber Bill Dauterive, and fast-talking womanizer Jeff Boomhauer, try to fix Hank's truck, while Luanne Platter (Hank's niece) moves in with the Hills after her trailer trash parents get sent to jail over a domestic disturbance.
2	2	"Square Peg"	Gary McCarver	Joe Stillman	January 19, 1997 (1997-01-19)	4E02
Peggy is mortified and tongue-tied when she finds out she has been chosen to teach the middle school's sexual education class, while Hank does everything he can to keep his son from learning about sex.
3	3	"The Order of the Straight Arrow"	Klay Hall	Cheryl Holliday	February 2, 1997 (1997-02-02)	4E03
Hank, Bill, Dale, and Boomhauer take Bobby and his friends on an Order of the Straight Arrow camping trip where the men send the boys on a snipe hunt during which Bobby stuns a whooping crane but then everyone believes it is dead. Meanwhile, Peggy sneaks out to buy special shoes for her large feet.
4	4	"Hank's Got the Willies"	Monte Young	Johnny Hardwick	February 9, 1997 (1997-02-09)	4E05
Hank is worried that Bobby does not have a normal role model in his life—and things get worse when Bobby accidentally hits Hank's idol, Willie Nelson (voiced by Nelson himself) with a golf club during a day on the green.
5	5	"Luanne's Saga"	Pat Shinagawa	Paul Lieberstein	February 16, 1997 (1997-02-16)	4E04
When Buckley breaks up with Luanne and Luanne goes on a days-long crying jag, Hank sets out to find Luanne a new boyfriend in 48 hours—which backfires when Hank sees Luanne with Boomhauer. Chuck Mangione also guest stars.
6	6	"Hank's Unmentionable Problem"	Adam Kuhlman	Greg Daniels & Mike Judge	February 23, 1997 (1997-02-23)	4E07
Hank's ongoing constipation causes great concern for Peggy and, much to Hank's embarrassment, everyone else in Arlen.
7	7	"Westie Side Story"	Brian Sheesley	Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger	March 2, 1997 (1997-03-02)	4E06
When a new Laotian family moves in next door, problems ensue when the new neighbor's family dog goes missing and the Hills fear that the stereotype about Asians eating dogs is true.
8	8	"Shins of the Father"	Martin Archer Jr.	Alan R. Cohen & Alan Freedland	March 23, 1997 (1997-03-23)	4E08
Hank's brash, sexist father, Cotton Hill, crashes Bobby's 12th birthday party—and stays over the Hills' house, which does not sit well with Peggy when Cotton's misogyny begins rubbing off on Bobby.
9	9	"Peggy the Boggle Champ"	Chuck Sheetz	Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger	April 13, 1997 (1997-04-13)	4E09
Hank's promise to coach Peggy at the Texas State Boggle Championship is jeopardized when his buddies try to lure him away to the Ninth Annual Dallas Mower Expo. Meanwhile, Bobby and Luanne freak out when they leave a condensation ring on the new coffee table, but their efforts to fix it cause even more trouble.
10	10	"Keeping Up with Our Joneses"	John Rice	Jonathan Collier & Joe Stillman	April 27, 1997 (1997-04-27)	4E10
When Hank catches Bobby smoking a cigarette in a gas station bathroom, Hank punishes him by making his son smoke an entire carton, but the plan backfires when Bobby, Hank, and Peggy all become addicted.
11	11	"King of the Ant Hill"	Gary McCarver	Johnny Hardwick & Paul Lieberstein	May 4, 1997 (1997-05-04)	4E13
After telling Dale never to spray insecticide on his lawn again, Hank's expensive new lawn becomes mysteriously infested with fire ants days before Rainey Street's Cinco de Mayo celebration. Meanwhile, Bobby becomes the hypnotized servant for the Red Ant Queen.
12	12	"Plastic White Female"	Jeff Myers	David Zuckerman	May 11, 1997 (1997-05-11)	4E11
Bobby is invited to his first boy/girl party, and Peggy is horrified when she discovers him playing Spin the Bottle with one of Luanne's plastic beauty school heads.

Season 2: 1997–98

Main article: King of the Hill (season 2)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
13	1	"How to Fire a Rifle Without Really Trying"	Adam Kuhlman	Paul Lieberstein	September 21, 1997 (1997-09-21)	5E01
When Bobby displays a talent for target shooting, Hank signs up for a father–son fun shoot competition—only to discover a buried childhood memory is still sadly affecting his aim.
14	2	"Texas City Twister"	Jeff Myers	Cheryl Holliday	September 28, 1997 (1997-09-28)	5E02
Hank must save Peggy and Luanne from a tornado after he regrets not showing remorse for throwing Luanne out of the house and moving her back to the trailer that she moved out of after her mother tried to kill her father.
15	3	"The Arrow Head"	Klay Hall	Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger	October 19, 1997 (1997-10-19)	5E04
Peggy's excitement over finding Indian artifacts in the front yard distresses Hank when a condescending university professor tricks Peggy into letting him dig in the Hills' yard.
16	4	"Hilloween"	John Rice	David Zuckerman	October 26, 1997 (1997-10-26)	5E06
Hank goes to war with a litigious Evangelical Christian woman (voice of Sally Field) bent on banning Halloween and indoctrinating the kids by inviting them to a hell house.
17	5	"Jumpin' Crack Bass (It's a Gas, Gas, Gas)"	Gary McCarver	Alan R. Cohen & Alan Freedland	November 2, 1997 (1997-11-02)	5E03
Hank finds himself facing possible jail time after mistakenly buying crack cocaine to use as fish bait and the only way out is to prove that crack cocaine can be useful as fish bait.
18	6	"Husky Bobby"	Martin Archer	Jonathan Collier	November 9, 1997 (1997-11-09)	5E05
Hank is determined to save his son from humiliation after Bobby decides to model for a husky boy clothing line.
19	7	"The Man Who Shot Cane Skretteberg"	Monte Young	Johnny Hardwick	November 16, 1997 (1997-11-16)	5E07
Hank, Boomhauer, Bill and Dale face off in a paintball war against the teenage members of a garage band (guest-voiced by the members of the pop-punk band Green Day).
20	8	"The Son That Got Away"	Tricia Garcia	Jim Dauterive	November 23, 1997 (1997-11-23)	5E08
Bobby, Connie and Joseph run away to "The Caves", where "half of Arlen's unplanned pregnancies begin," after each of them gets in trouble at school for disrupting class.
21	9	"The Company Man"	Klay Hall	Jim Dauterive	December 7, 1997 (1997-12-07)	4E12
When a new housing development is in need of a propane supplier, Buck instructs Hank to show the owner, an obnoxious Northerner who acts like a Southerner, a good time. However, Hank is none too thrilled to learn that this will require him to act like a cowboy stereotype. NOTE: This episode aired during season two and is usually shown in its aired order as a second season episode, despite having a season one production code.
22	10	"Bobby Slam"	Chris Moeller	Gina Fattore	December 14, 1997 (1997-12-14)	5E10
Hank is delighted when Bobby announces he is joining the school wrestling team, but Peggy is mortified when she learns her son must first wrestle Connie in order to make the team.
23	11	"The Unbearable Blindness of Laying"	Cyndi Tang	Paul Lieberstein	December 21, 1997 (1997-12-21)	5E09
In this first Christmas episode, Hank is psychologically shocked into blindness after accidentally catching a glimpse of his mother and her new Jewish boyfriend (voiced by Carl Reiner) having sex on Hank's kitchen table.
24	12	"Meet the Manger Babies"	Jeff Myers	Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger	January 11, 1998 (1998-01-11)	5E12
Hank faces a dilemma of Biblical proportions when Luanne asks him to portray God in a live TV broadcast of her Christian puppet show, which is scheduled to occur during Hank's beloved Super Bowl party.
25	13	"Snow Job"	Adam Kuhlman	Cheryl Holliday Alan R. Cohen & Alan Freedland Jim Dauterive	February 1, 1998 (1998-02-01)	5E11
During a rare snowstorm in Texas, Buck Strickland has a heart attack and hires an incompetent worker to run his company while Hank is chosen to house-sit -- and Hank's world is shattered when he finds that Buck is only in the propane business for the cash and not the customer satisfaction.
26	14	"I Remember Mono"	Wes Archer	Paul Lieberstein	February 8, 1998 (1998-02-08)	5E13
While updating files at Arlen High School, Peggy learns that Hank's two-week absence from classes during their high school days was due to mononucleosis, not a back injury, and is crushed that what was a romantic story of young love is now a lie.
27	15	"Three Days of the Kahndo"	Lauren MacMullan	John Altschuler & Dave Krinsky	February 15, 1998 (1998-02-15)	5E15
Kahn's misreading of an advertisement for a Mexican timeshare results in him, Hank, and Dale getting trapped in Mexico, while Luanne and Bobby try to hide some contraband beauty products.
28	16	"Traffic Jam"	Klay Hall	Johnny Hardwick	February 22, 1998 (1998-02-22)	5E14
When Hank and Kahn collide with each other's cars, they are both forced to attend traffic school courses taught by a raunchy black comedian (voiced by Chris Rock), who begins mentoring Bobby in the art of stand-up -- and who begins mining material from racist websites.
29	17	"Hank's Dirty Laundry"	Shaun Cashman	Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger	March 1, 1998 (1998-03-01)	5E16
While purchasing a new dryer, Hank discovers that his credit is bad, thanks to a video store clerk who accuses Hank of renting a pornographic video and never returning it.
30	18	"The Final Shinsult"	Jack Dyer	Alan R. Cohen & Alan Freedland	March 15, 1998 (1998-03-15)	5E17
After losing his driver's license, Cotton moves in with Dale and plots to steal Antonio López de Santa Anna's wooden leg from a museum to use as a bargaining chip with the DMV.
31	19	"Leanne's Saga"	Tricia Garcia	David Zuckerman	April 19, 1998 (1998-04-19)	5E18
Luanne's alcoholic mother is released from prison and starts dating Bill, whom she begins to abuse.
32	20	"Junkie Business"	Cyndi Tang	Jim Dauterive	April 26, 1998 (1998-04-26)	5E19
Strickland Propane's new employee (whom Hank hired because he preferred a man over the qualified woman who applied) turns out to be a drug addict who uses a legal trick that frees him from responsibility on the job and from being fired. Meanwhile, Peggy fears that the woman Hank turned down for the job may be after Hank.
33	21	"Life in the Fast Lane, Bobby's Saga"	Adam Kuhlman	John Altschuler & Dave Krinsky	May 3, 1998 (1998-05-03)	5E21
Bobby gets a job as a concession boy at the Arlen race track, where he discovers that his boss is a mean man (voice of David Herman). Hank pays very little attention to Bobby's horror stories until he witnesses the mistreatment firsthand. Meanwhile, Boomhauer is given the chance to drive the pace car in an upcoming race.
34	22	"Peggy's Turtle Song"	Jeff Myers	Brent Forrester	May 10, 1998 (1998-05-10)	5E22
When Bobby is misdiagnosed with attention deficit disorder (after eating too much sugary cereal and disrupting class), Peggy quits her job as a substitute teacher and becomes a stay-at-home mom, but soon realizes that she needs a hobby for her newfound time and begins taking guitar lessons.
35	23	"Propane Boom"	Gary McCarver	Norm Hiscock	May 17, 1998 (1998-05-17)	5E23
Part one of two. Strickland Propane experiences discontinuation from business after the wholesale of economical propane from Mega Lo Mart, rendering Hank unemployed and forcing him to collude in a plot to disrupt a publicity stunt.

Season 3: 1998–99

Main article: King of the Hill (season 3)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
36	1	"Death of a Propane Salesman"	Lauren MacMullan	Alan R. Cohen & Alan Freedland	October 6, 1998 (1998-10-06)	5E24
Conclusion. The aftermath of the propane explosion from part one leaves Hank suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder around propane, a now bald Luanne repressing her grief for Buckley (who was the only casualty in the propane explosion) by becoming a Sinéad O'Connor-esque activist while angry, and Bobby worried about death.
37	2	"And They Call It Bobby Love"	Cyndi Tang	Norm Hiscock	October 13, 1998 (1998-10-13)	3ABE01
Bobby falls in love with a 14-year-old classmate (guest-voiced by Sarah Michelle Gellar), but soon learns that love hurts when the girl confesses that she only wants a platonic friend. Meanwhile, Hank, Dale, Bill, and Boomhauer become attached to a couch that was thrown out in the Hills' yard.
38	3	"Peggy's Headache"	Chris Moeller	Joe Stillman	October 20, 1998 (1998-10-20)	5E20
Peggy gets hired to write for the Arlen Bystander, but the stress of a new career leads her to require treatment from John Redcorn—and she soon discovers that John Redcorn had an affair with Nancy and is Joseph's biological father.
39	4	"Pregnant Paws"	Chris Moeller	Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger	October 27, 1998 (1998-10-27)	3ABE02
While Hank is busy trying to breed Ladybird, Dale decides to add a little excitement to his life by enrolling in a four-hour bounty hunter training course. Special guest voice: William H. Macy
40	5	"Next of Shin"	Jeff Myers	Alan R. Cohen & Alan Freedland	November 3, 1998 (1998-11-03)	3ABE05
After Hank learns his sperm count is low, his mood worsens when Cotton shows up, boasting that his new wife, Didi, is pregnant.
41	6	"Peggy's Pageant Fever"	Tricia Garcia	Norm Hiscock	November 10, 1998 (1998-11-10)	3ABE07
Peggy enters the Mrs. Heimlich County Beauty pageant in hopes of winning a truck, but quickly discovers that she is not fit to compete with the other contestants.
42	7	"Nine Pretty Darn Angry Men"	Shaun Cashman	Jim Dauterive	November 17, 1998 (1998-11-17)	3ABE08
While shopping at the mall on Black Friday, Hank, Dale, Bill, Kahn, and Boomhauer are invited to be part of a focus group for a new mower (with Cotton as an uninvited guest), Luanne goes ice skating to forget about Buckley, and Peggy falls asleep at a shoe repair shop after tearing her loafer. Guest stars Billy Bob Thornton.
43	8	"Good Hill Hunting"	Klay Hall	Joe Stillman	December 8, 1998 (1998-12-08)	3ABE04
Hank takes Bobby hunting in order to initiate him into the mysteries of manhood. However, everything goes wrong when Hank discovers that it is too late for Bobby to get a hunting license.
44	9	"Pretty, Pretty Dresses"	Dominic Polcino	Paul Lieberstein	December 22, 1998 (1998-12-22)	3ABE10
In this second Christmas episode, Bill becomes more depressed than usual as it's the anniversary of his wife leaving him. Hank, Dale, and Boomhauer decide to watch Bill in case he threatens to commit suicide, but when Hank yells at him for being a burden, Bill's depression turns into delusion when he begins dressing in drag and impersonating his estranged wife, Lenore.
45	10	"A Firefighting We Will Go"	Cyndi Tang-Loveland	Alan R. Cohen & Alan Freedland	January 12, 1999 (1999-01-12)	3ABE11
In a Rashomon-meets-The Three Stooges-style story, Hank, Dale, Bill, and Boomhauer tell their own versions of their day as firefighters after getting arrested for burning the firehouse to the ground. Meanwhile, Bobby helps Peggy with a pulled groin muscle. Special guest voice: Barry Corbin
46	11	"To Spank, with Love"	Adam Kuhlman	David Zuckerman	January 19, 1999 (1999-01-19)	3ABE03
Peggy gains a reputation as an abusive disciplinarian when she spanks Dooley for humiliating her during class.
47	12	"Three Coaches and a Bobby"	Chris Moeller	Johnny Hardwick	February 2, 1999 (1999-02-02)	3ABE12
Hank gets his hard-knocks former high-school football coach to take on guidance of Bobby's football team, but the plan falls apart when Bobby joins the soccer team headed by a politically correct coach (voiced by Will Ferrell).
48	13	"De-Kahnstructing Henry"	Klay Hall	Paul Lieberstein	February 9, 1999 (1999-02-09)	3ABE14
Hank accidentally gets Kahn fired after revealing one of Kahn's top-secret plans for his company.
49	14	"The Wedding of Bobby Hill"	Jack Dyer	Jonathan Collier	February 16, 1999 (1999-02-16)	3ABE09
To teach Bobby and Luanne a lesson in playing pranks, Hank orders Bobby to marry Luanne after Bobby takes her birth control pills. Special guest voice: Matthew McConaughey
50	15	"Sleight of Hank"	Jeff Myers	Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger	February 23, 1999 (1999-02-23)	3ABE15
Peggy is chosen to be a magician's assistant, but angers Hank when she will not tell him the secret behind one of his tricks.
51	16	"Jon Vitti Presents: 'Return to La Grunta'"	Gary McCarver	Jon Vitti	March 2, 1999 (1999-03-02)	3ABE06
Luanne gets a job as a drink girl at a resort called "La Grunta", where the golfers sexually harass her. Meanwhile, Hank goes to La Grunta to swim with the dolphins—and gets molested by one of them, and is paid off with hotel merchandise to keep from reporting the incident. Guest star: Billy West as one of the golfers
52	17	"Escape from Party Island"	Gary McCarver	Jonathan Collier	March 16, 1999 (1999-03-16)	3ABE16
Hank reluctantly drives his mother and her friends to Port Aransas to shop for glass miniatures, but things get even worse when Hank and the rude old women have to contend with MTV's raucous spring breakers in order to leave. Guest voices: Phyllis Diller, Uta Hagen, Pauly Shore and Betty White
53	18	"Love Hurts...and So Does Art"	Adam Kuhlman	John Altschuler & Dave Krinsky	March 30, 1999 (1999-03-30)	3ABE13
An X-ray of Hank's colon from "Hank's Unmentionable Problem" winds up as the main attraction in an art museum. Meanwhile, Bobby is diagnosed with gout after eating chicken livers at a recently opened "New York" style deli.
54	19	"Hank's Cowboy Movie"	Shaun Cashman	Jim Dauterive	April 6, 1999 (1999-04-06)	3ABE18
Hurt by Bobby's negative views of his hometown, Hank tries to get the Dallas Cowboys to move their training camp from Wichita Falls to Arlen. However, his promotion video for Arlen is ruined by his wife's and his friends' incompetence.
55	20	"Dog Dale Afternoon"	Tricia Garcia	Jon Vitti	April 13, 1999 (1999-04-13)	3ABE17
After Dale annoys his friends by gloating over his new mower, he goes insane when they steal it as part of a prank.
56	21	"Revenge of the Lutefisk"	Jack Dyer	Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger	April 20, 1999 (1999-04-20)	3ABE19
Bobby accidentally burns down his church after getting sick from eating lutefisk, but Cotton gets blamed for it due to his sexist attitude towards the church accepting a female pastor. Special guest voice: Mary Tyler Moore
57	22	"Death and Texas"	Wes Archer	John Altschuler & Dave Krinsky	April 27, 1999 (1999-04-27)	3ABE20
Peggy visits a convict who tricks her into thinking he's a former student who ended up in jail and uses her as a cocaine mule. Meanwhile, Dale tries to apply for a job as a prison executioner.
58	23	"Wings of the Dope"	Cyndi Tang-Loveland	Johnny Hardwick	May 4, 1999 (1999-05-04)	3ABE21
After seeing the trampoline Kahn bought from Buckley's estate fall into disrepair, Hank and the guys move it to Hank's lawn to fix it. Buckley's Angel appears on it and visits Luanne. He persuades her to do something better with her life than attend beauty school and earns his halo afterward.
59	24	"Take Me Out of the Ball Game"	Chris Moeller	Alan R. Cohen & Alan Freedland	May 11, 1999 (1999-05-11)	3ABE22
Hank is picked to coach the company's softball team, spurring friction between Peggy and Hank.
60	25	"As Old as the Hills..." (Part 1)	Adam Kuhlman	Norm Hiscock	May 18, 1999 (1999-05-18)	3ABE23
Part one of two. Fearing that they may be getting too old to be "cool", Hank and Peggy spend their anniversary sky-diving, which comes to an abrupt end when Peggy's parachute malfunctions and she crashes onto a field. Meanwhile, Bobby struggles with taking his pregnant step-grandmother Didi to the hospital when her water breaks.

Season 4: 1999–2000

Main article: King of the Hill (season 4)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
61	1	"...Peggy Hill: The Decline and Fall" (Part 2)	Klay Hall	Paul Lieberstein	September 26, 1999 (1999-09-26)	3ABE24
Conclusion. Peggy struggles to regain her strength following her skydiving accident. Meanwhile, Bobby delivers Cotton's son (whom Cotton names "Good Hank") but gets overwhelmed when neither Cotton nor Didi embrace new parenthood.
62	2	"Cotton's Plot"	Anthony Lioi	Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger	October 3, 1999 (1999-10-03)	4ABE01
Cotton takes over Peggy's physical therapy in exchange for help getting a burial plot in the Texas State Cemetery, but Peggy discovers a discrepancy about Cotton's service in the Army during World War II.
63	3	"Bills Are Made to Be Broken"	Jeff Myers	John Altschuler & Dave Krinsky	October 24, 1999 (1999-10-24)	4ABE02
Bill's high school football record is broken unfairly, and (largely at Hank's insistence) he tries to get back on the field to set things right.
64	4	"Little Horrors of Shop"	Adam Kuhlman	Kit Boss	October 31, 1999 (1999-10-31)	4ABE03
Buck Strickland insists that Hank take two weeks off from Strickland Propane, and Hank begins teaching wood shop at Tom Landry Middle School, and becomes so popular that Peggy grows envious of him. However, Hank gets in trouble for violating the school's zero-tolerance policy on weapons when he asks his students to bring in tools from home.
65	5	"Aisle 8A"	Allan Jacobsen	Garland Testa	November 7, 1999 (1999-11-07)	4ABE04
Kahn and Minh go to Hawaii for Kahn's job and asks Hank to take care of Connie, who's excited that she will be staying with Bobby, but becomes emotional and mean-spirited when she gets her first period, leaving an extremely uncomfortable Hank to both deal with the unstable Connie and have to explain "the birds and the bees" to Bobby (who has no idea why Connie is so emotional).
66	6	"A Beer Can Named Desire"	Chuck Austen and Chris Moeller	Jim Dauterive	November 14, 1999 (1999-11-14)	4ABE05
Hank wins an Alamo Beer contest for a chance to win a million dollars by throwing a football through a one-foot hole in a giant Alamo Beer can, while Bill visits his eccentric Cajun relatives in Louisiana. Guest voices: Don Meredith, Meryl Streep, The Dixie Chicks (Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, and Emily Robison).
67	7	"The Hank's Giving Episode"	Martin Archer	Alan R. Cohen & Alan Freedland	November 21, 1999 (1999-11-21)	4ABE08
The Hills plan to fly to Montana for Thanksgiving, but are stranded with their neighbors at the airport by a snowstorm. Amanda Mealing guest stars.
68	8	"Not in My Back-hoe"	Shaun Cashman	Paul Lieberstein	November 28, 1999 (1999-11-28)	4ABE06
Drew Carey guest stars as a man who befriends Hank Hill after the two discover that they are very much alike. Meanwhile, Bill and Dale steal Hank's backhoe and take it to a pet cemetery, with disastrous results.
69	9	"To Kill a Ladybird"	Wes Archer	Norm Hiscock	December 12, 1999 (1999-12-12)	4ABE07
Bobby befriends a wild raccoon, that may, or may not have infected Dale and Ladybird with rabies.
70	10	"Hillennium"	Tricia Garcia	Johnny Hardwick	December 19, 1999 (1999-12-19)	4ABE10
As Christmas approaches, Hank gets irritated over everyone panicking about the supposed technological apocalypse that will purportedly happen on January 1, 2000, due to the Y2K computer date glitch—but soon finds himself trying to safeguard his family after a propane shortage.
71	11	"Old Glory"	Gary McCarver	Norm Hiscock	January 9, 2000 (2000-01-09)	4ABE09
Peggy writes a school essay for Bobby, and they both catch fire for it by a vengeful English teacher who accuses them of plagiarism. Meanwhile, Bill buys an oversized flag from the Army that is very special to him, but causes problems to his neighbors.
72	12	"Rodeo Days"	Cyndi Tang-Loveland	Jon Vitti	January 16, 2000 (2000-01-16)	4ABE11
When the rodeo comes to Arlen, Bobby tries his hand at cattle roping; when he fails miserably, he takes his career in the other direction, choosing to become a rodeo clown, much to Hank and Peggy's dismay.
73	13	"Hanky Panky" (Part 1)	Jeff Myers	Jim Dauterive	February 6, 2000 (2000-02-06)	4ABE13
Part one of two. Buck Strickland and his wife Miz Liz separate, and Buck dumps his secretary/mistress Debbie Grund (Reese Witherspoon) -- and Hank becomes an object of desire for Miz Liz while Debbie plots to murder Buck Strickland. Meanwhile, Peggy becomes the proprietor of Sugarfoot's Barbecue Restaurant and finds Debbie Grund's dead body in a Dumpster.
74	14	"High Anxiety" (Part 2)	Adam Kuhlman	Alan R. Cohen & Alan Freedland	February 13, 2000 (2000-02-13)	4ABE14
Conclusion. Peggy continues her experiment in running Sugarfoot's, while Hank inadvertently tries marijuana and becomes a person of interest in Debbie Grund's murder -- until a state trooper discovers the truth behind Debbie's death. NOTE: On Adult Swim, this episode is rated TV-14 for references to drugs (marijuana), gun violence, and unintentional suicide.
75	15	"Naked Ambition"	Anthony Lioi	Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger	February 20, 2000 (2000-02-20)	4ABE12
After a day of swimming at the river, Bobby accidentally walks in on Luanne naked. When Joseph hears the story, his imagination runs wild and he wants to see her nude too—until Connie catches them peeping. Meanwhile, Boomhauer floats down a river and ends up in Houston, where he is committed to a mental hospital due to his unintelligible speech.
76	16	"Movin' on Up"	Klay Hall	Garland Testa	February 27, 2000 (2000-02-27)	4ABE16
Fed up with Hank's demands, Luanne moves out of the Hills' den—and into a house with a trio of even more aggravating college-aged deadbeats.
77	17	"Bill of Sales"	Dominic Polcino	Paul Lieberstein	March 12, 2000 (2000-03-12)	4ABE15
Peggy reluctantly recruits Bill into a pyramid scheme and is pleasantly surprised by his superb sales abilities, but she's surprised when her for-once sincere praise for him leads to him being unable to sell anymore.
78	18	"Won't You Pimai Neighbor?"	Kyounghee Lim & Boowhan Lim	John Altschuler & Dave Krinsky	March 19, 2000 (2000-03-19)	4ABE18
Bobby undergoes tests to find out if he is the reincarnation of the Buddhist Lama Sanglug, much to Hank's discomfort.
79	19	"Hank's Bad Hair Day"	Gary McCarver	Jon Vitti	April 9, 2000 (2000-04-09)	4ABE19
After Hank's barber is forced to retire on account of the scarcity of business, Hank gets a haircut on the Army base from Bill, and puts Bill out of the job after lodging a complaint to the government about a $900 bill for the tonsorial procedure.
80	20	"Meet the Propaniacs"	Shaun Cashman	Kit Boss	April 16, 2000 (2000-04-16)	4ABE17
While working for Hank during the summer at Strickland Propane (instead of going to an acting camp), Bobby, some Strickland co-workers, Dale, and Luanne form a sketch comedy troupe called The Propaniacs.
81	21	"Nancy's Boys"	Tricia Garcia	Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger	April 30, 2000 (2000-04-30)	4ABE20
Nancy breaks off her adulterous affair with John Redcorn after going on a date with Dale and falling in love with him all over again.
82	22	"Flush with Power"	Allan Jacobsen	Alex Gregory & Peter Huyck	May 7, 2000 (2000-05-07)	4ABE22
Arlen's City Council forces Hank to install low-flow toilets against his wishes when a drought hits town. Hank's anger leads him to join the local zoning board, which he discovers is rife with corruption.
83	23	"Transnational Amusements Presents: Peggy's Magic Sex Feet"	Cyndi Tang-Loveland	Jonathan Collier	May 14, 2000 (2000-05-14)	4ABE21
After admitting her real shoe size during a night of bowling and learning from a shoe salesman that she's a size 16-and-a-half and will hit a size 20 in a few years, Peggy feels ashamed of her big feet—until a self-proclaimed "foot doctor" makes Peggy an Internet star on a foot fetish website.
84	24	"Peggy's Fan Fair"	Jeff Myers	Alan R. Cohen & Alan Freedland	May 21, 2000 (2000-05-21)	4ABE23
While attending a Nashville music festival with Hank and the guys, Peggy claims that Randy Travis stole lyrics from a song she wrote years ago. Guest voices: Randy Travis, Brooks & Dunn, Martina McBride, Clint Black, Lisa Hartman Black, Wynonna Judd, Travis Tritt, Vince Gill, and Tony Danza.

Season 5: 2000–01

Main article: King of the Hill (season 5)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
85	1	"The Perils of Polling"	Kyounghee Lim & Boohwan Lim	Jim Dauterive	October 1, 2000 (2000-10-01)	5ABE02
When Hank takes Luanne to an election fair, Hank meets George W. Bush and shakes his hand, only to discover that Bush's handshake is weak, giving Hank doubts about voting for him. Meanwhile, Luanne becomes infatuated with Communist candidate Robert Parigi.
86	2	"The Buck Stops Here"	Mike DiMartino	Norm Hiscock	November 5, 2000 (2000-11-05)	5ABE01
Bobby becomes a golf caddy for Buck Strickland, who takes him along for the ride on a gambling junket. Hank and Peggy are disturbed when Buck's habits rub off on Bobby. Brad Renfro guest stars.
87	3	"I Don't Want to Wait for Our Lives to Be Over, I Want to Know Right Now, Will It Be... Sorry. Do Do Doo Do Do, Do Do Doo Do Do, Do Do Doo Do Do, Doo..."	Adam Kuhlman	Paul Lieberstein	November 12, 2000 (2000-11-12)	4ABE24
With Bobby's 13th birthday approaching, Joseph comes back from summer vacation having grown six inches. Bobby is upset that everyone still treats him like a little kid, and Joseph is being driven crazy by the onset of puberty. Meanwhile, Hank tries to build coffins for himself and Peggy. NOTE: As of this episode, Joseph Gribble is now voiced by Breckin Meyer instead of Brittany Murphy.
88	4	"Spin the Choice"	Allan Jacobsen	Paul Lieberstein	November 19, 2000 (2000-11-19)	5ABE05
Despite Hank's promise to let him carve the turkey this year, Bobby boycotts Thanksgiving after receiving history lessons from John Redcorn that expose the shameful history behind it. Meanwhile, Peggy creates a pointless new game called "Spin the Choice" when everyone gets sick of playing Boggle with her every year.
89	5	"Peggy Makes the Big Leagues"	Dominic Polcino	Johnny Hardwick	November 26, 2000 (2000-11-26)	5ABE04
Peggy substitute-teaches at Arlen High School, but arouses the enmity of nearly all (including Hank and her fellow teachers) when she gives the school's unacademic football star (guest voiced by Brendan Fraser) a failing grade.
90	6	"When Cotton Comes Marching Home"	Tricia Garcia	Alan R. Cohen & Alan Freedland	December 3, 2000 (2000-12-03)	5ABE03
Cotton moves to the VFW, and wants to march in the Veterans Day parade, but his boss denies him the time off from his degrading restroom attendant job.
91	7	"What Makes Bobby Run?"	Cyndi Tang-Loveland	Alex Gregory & Peter Huyck	December 10, 2000 (2000-12-10)	5ABE07
When Bobby becomes the school mascot, the "Landry Longhorn," he is deemed a coward after he runs away from a traditional half-time beating by the opposing team's band.
92	8	"Twas the Nut Before Christmas"	Jeff Myers	John Altschuler & Dave Krinsky	December 17, 2000 (2000-12-17)	5ABE08
In the third Christmas episode, Bill's holiday loneliness leads to him opening a "Christmas village" in his yard, but things get out of hand when he takes on a twenty-something petty criminal (voiced by Ryan Phillippe) as a surrogate son.
93	9	"Chasing Bobby"	A. Lioi	Garland Testa	January 21, 2001 (2001-01-21)	5ABE10
When Hank becomes unusually emotional, especially while seeing a chick flick, Peggy believes it is because of a father-son void in his life, but Hank reveals that it is because of his truck, which is clearly on its last hinges.
94	10	"Yankee Hankee"	Adam Kuhlman	Kit Boss	February 4, 2001 (2001-02-04)	5ABE06
Hank's application for a "native Texan" license plate leads him to the utterly shocking news that he was born in a women's bathroom at Yankee Stadium in New York City, while Cotton and his cronies hatched a hare-brained scheme to assassinate Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
95	11	"Hank and the Great Glass Elevator"	Gary McCarver	Jonathan Collier	February 11, 2001 (2001-02-11)	5ABE12
On a daytrip to Austin for Bill's 40th birthday, Hank moons the former Governor of Texas, Ann Richards, leading Bill to take the blame and eventually enter a relationship with her. Bill's time with her leads to a fateful encounter with the last person he would ever expect to see again: his ex-wife, Lenore. Meanwhile, Peggy and Bobby try hamburgers grilled on a charcoal-powered barbecue for the first time—and run afoul of Hank's none-too-subtle loyalties when he discovers their stockpile of charcoal briquettes upon returning.
96	12	"Now Who's the Dummy?"	Dominic Polcino	Johnny Hardwick	February 18, 2001 (2001-02-18)	5ABE14
Bobby acquires a ventriloquist's dummy named Chip Block, which dredges up childhood anxieties for Dale. Meanwhile, Hank becomes overly attached to Chip due to the dummy's "knowledge" of sports.
97	13	"Ho Yeah!"	Tricia Garcia	Alex Gregory & Peter Huyck	February 25, 2001 (2001-02-25)	5ABE15
Tammi (guest voiced by Renée Zellweger), a prostitute from The OKC hires on at Strickland Propane, moves in with the Hills, and encourages Peggy to add spice to her own life, but things heat up when Tammi's ex-pimp Alabaster Jones (guest voiced by Snoop Dogg) comes to Arlen and mistakes Hank for a pimp trying to steal Tammi away from him.
98	14	"The Exterminator"	Shaun Cashman	Dean Young	March 4, 2001 (2001-03-04)	5ABE09
Dale goes from exterminating bugs to killing careers after a doctor tells Dale that the pesticides he's working with are taking a toll on his body and will kill him before he reaches 50 and Dale is forced to work an office job. Guest stars Lisa Kudrow as Amy Pittman.
99	15	"Luanne Virgin 2.0"	Adam Kuhlman	Kit Boss	March 11, 2001 (2001-03-11)	5ABE16
When Luanne reveals to Hank that she is no longer a virgin (after her latest boyfriend breaks up with her), Hank puts Luanne in the church's "born-again virgin" program, where Luanne meets a sexually insecure man (guest-voiced by Owen Wilson) and Peggy confesses that she had sex with a man (who turned out to be a homosexual) before she met Hank.
100	16	"Hank's Choice"	Kyounghee Lim & Boohwan Lim	Jon Vitti	April 1, 2001 (2001-04-01)	5ABE11
When it turns out that Bobby is allergic to Ladybird, he ends up living in Ladybird's luxurious new doghouse while Ladybird continues living in the house, which makes the Hills a laughingstock with the neighbors.
101	17	"It's Not Easy Being Green"	Jeff Myers	John Altschuler & Dave Krinsky	April 8, 2001 (2001-04-08)	5ABE18
Bobby gets into helping the environment, which threatens to reveal a 30-year-old secret kept by Hank, Dale, and Bill. Guest stars Paul Giamatti as Mr. McKay.
102	18	"The Trouble with Gribbles"	Shaun Cashman	Jim Dauterive	April 22, 2001 (2001-04-22)	5ABE19
Nancy fears losing her job after the network considers hiring Luanne because she's younger and prettier. When Nancy decides to get plastic surgery to keep her job, Dale decides to sue his favorite tobacco company (Manitoba Cigarettes) so he can win money for the operation, but Nancy mistakes Dale trying to get evidence that Manitoba Cigarettes caused Nancy to lose her looks as a sign that Dale feels the same way about her as the network executives.
103	19	"Hank's Back Story"	Cyndi Tang-Loveland	Alan R. Cohen & Alan Freedland	May 6, 2001 (2001-05-06)	5ABE17
Hank is diagnosed with "diminished gluteal syndrome" (a condition in which the butt shrinks in size and puts pressure on the spine) and is faced with choosing his health over his dignity when the doctor prescribes him a prosthetic posterior to wear.
104	20	"Kidney Boy and Hamster Girl: A Love Story"	Gary McCarver	Garland Testa	May 13, 2001 (2001-05-13)	5ABE22
Bobby pretends to be a high school student with a kidney disorder that stunted his growth, and helps the student body win a radio station contest, with ska band No Doubt performing at the high school prom as the prize. Meanwhile, Dale gets a port-a-potty for the alley so no one will have to go into the house to use the bathroom.

Season 6: 2001–02

Main article: King of the Hill (season 6)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
105	1	"Bobby Goes Nuts"	Tricia Garcia	Norm Hiscock	November 11, 2001 (2001-11-11)	5ABE24
After getting attacked at a slumber party by Chane Wassonasong, Hank lets Bobby sign up for a boxing class at the YMCA, but Bobby ends up taking a women's self-defense course, where Bobby is taught to attack his aggressors by kicking them in the groin—including his own father, after Hank tries to teach Bobby the proper way to fight.
106	2	"Soldier of Misfortune"	Anthony Lioi	J.B. Cook	December 9, 2001 (2001-12-09)	6ABE02
Dale is running for re-election as the Arlen Gun Club president, but his chances seem to be shot when he accidentally discharges his gun. To give Dale his confidence back, Hank pretends to be "Mr. Big", answers Dale's ad in Soldier of Fortune magazine, and assigns Dale to pick up a briefcase. But Dale bungles the job, and nearly gets his friends killed by his opponent at the Gun Club. Gary Busey guest stars as Mad Dog.
107	3	"Lupe's Revenge"	Allan Jacobsen	Dean Young	December 12, 2001 (2001-12-12)	5ABE13
Peggy takes the school Spanish club on a field trip to Mexico, and ends up in trouble for kidnapping a Mexican girl named Lupe, thanks to Peggy's horrible comprehension of the Spanish language. Meanwhile, Hank finds himself the object of the affections of a female police officer (voice of Kathy Bates), who keeps pulling him over for various reasons in order to spend time with him.
108	4	"The Father, the Son, and J.C."	Tricia Garcia	Etan Cohen	December 16, 2001 (2001-12-16)	6ABE04
While building a Habitat for Humanity house with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Buck promotes Hank to manager of Strickland Propane and Hank gushes with emotion to Buck, which doesn't sit well with Hank's father, Cotton.
109	5	"Father of the Bribe"	Cyndi Tang-Loveland	Dean Young	January 6, 2002 (2002-01-06)	6ABE06
Kahn tries to bribe Bobby to break up with Connie. Connie and Bobby decide to pretend to break up so they can get the money. When a schoolteacher thinks Connie may be depressed after Connie writes a note that reads "I'm so bored, I could kill myself" (which was a response to a dull lecture), her parents try to push her and Bobby back together. After endless double dates with the parents, they become tired of each other, and decide to break up, to Kahn's horror. Meanwhile, Dale hosts a pirated radio show.
110	6	"I'm with Cupid"	Allan Jacobsen	John Altschuler & Dave Krinsky	February 10, 2002 (2002-02-10)	6ABE09
Following the events from the previous episode, Bobby seems fine in regards to his breakup with Connie and the upcoming Valentine's Day. However, when he is left home alone while Peggy and Hank go out, Bill depresses Bobby by suggesting that Bobby blew his only shot at true love.
111	7	"Torch Song Hillogy"	Anthony Lioi	Emily Spivey	February 17, 2002 (2002-02-17)	6ABE12
Peggy nominates Bobby to carry the 2002 Winter Olympic Torch through Arlen, but Hank wins the honor—and bungles it.
112	8	"Joust Like a Woman"	Dominic Polcino	Garland Testa	February 24, 2002 (2002-02-24)	6ABE03
Peggy works as a cleaning wench at a Renaissance Faire, where her boss (Alan Rickman) refuses to give his female workers equal pay and benefits. NOTE: Following news of suicides related to anti-gay bullying in late 2010 (and heightened public concern about bullying and homophobic harassment), Adult Swim cut a short scene where two teenagers call King Phillip's performance "gay" ("That is so gay"). As of February 9, 2012, the scene has been reinstated.
113	9	"The Bluegrass Is Always Greener"	Tricia Garcia	Norm Hiscock	February 24, 2002 (2002-02-24)	6ABE14
Connie and the guys form a bluegrass band and head to Branson, Missouri, against Kahn's wishes. Vince Gill provides Boomhauer's singing voice, and Charlie Daniels and Yakov Smirnoff make guest appearances as themselves.
114	10	"The Substitute Spanish Prisoner"	Kyounghee Lim & Boowhan Lim	Etan Cohen	March 3, 2002 (2002-03-03)	5ABE21
After handing back tests to her class, Peggy is dumbfounded when Dooley asks her to explain the answer to a question. To restore her self-confidence, Peggy takes an Internet IQ test and discovers that she qualifies for "genius" status, but discovers that the IQ test is a scam when she blows Hank's retirement fund on a diploma. She then plans a risky counter-con against the scam's organizer (voice of Jeff Goldblum) to get everyone's money back.
115	11	"Unfortunate Son"	A. Lioi	Alex Gregory & Peter Huyck	March 10, 2002 (2002-03-10)	5ABE20
Cotton's VFW is in dire straits as members are dying and the veterans are behind on their propane bill, so the VFW moves to Hank's house, but the inclusion of Vietnam War veterans angers Cotton and the WWII vets and leads to an increasingly dangerous situation.
116	12	"Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret Hill"	Gary McCarver	Sivert Glarum & Michael Jamin	March 17, 2002 (2002-03-17)	6ABE07
Peggy (who is Methodist) must pretend she is a nun after she gets a job at a Catholic school, but fears that lying about her religion will cost her her immortal soul.
117	13	"Tankin' It to the Streets"	Monte Young	Alan R. Cohen & Alan Freedland	March 31, 2002 (2002-03-31)	6ABE10
After Bill finds out the Army subjected him to a secret medical experiment called "Operation Infinite Walrus" that left him fat and balding, he gets drunk and steals a tank, leaving his friends to try to save him from life in prison. Meanwhile, Peggy and Bobby try to win a free ice cream sundae from the Mega Lo-Mart's "Guess Your Sundae's Weight" contest.
118	14	"Of Mice and Little Green Men"	Shaun Cashman	Sivert Glarum & Michael Jamin	April 7, 2002 (2002-04-07)	6ABE08
When Hank and Dale find they have more in common with each other's sons than their own, Dale finally concludes that Joseph is not his biological son -- and jumps to the wild conclusion that Joseph's biological father is an extraterrestrial who impregnated Nancy while he was gone.
119	15	"A Man Without a Country Club"	Kyounghee Lim & Boowhan Lim	Kit Boss	April 14, 2002 (2002-04-14)	6ABE11
Hank is asked to join the exclusive all-Asian Nine Rivers Country Club, which doesn't sit well with Kahn (who's been on the waiting list for the country club for the longest time) and doesn't sit well with Hank (who discovers that he's only been chosen because Nine Rivers needs a white man to show the PGA members that they're racially diverse).
120	16	"Beer and Loathing"	Dominic Polcino	Etan Cohen	April 14, 2002 (2002-04-14)	6ABE13
Peggy gets a job with Alamo beer, and learns that the company is knowingly selling tainted beer. Megan Mullally guest stars as Teresa.
121	17	"Fun with Jane and Jane"	Adam Kuhlman	Garland Testa	April 21, 2002 (2002-04-21)	6ABE15
Luanne and Peggy unwittingly join a cult disguised as a college sorority. Meanwhile, Hank and his buddies try to find a place to hide Buck Strickland's emus after being ordered to kill them.
122	18	"My Own Private Rodeo"	Cyndi Tang-Loveland	Alex Gregory & Peter Huyck	April 28, 2002 (2002-04-28)	6ABE16
Dale and Nancy renew their wedding vows, and Nancy invites Dale's father, a gay man whom Dale detests for supposedly trying to win Nancy's affections away from him, to the ceremony.
123	19	"Sug Night"	Adam Kuhlman	Alex Gregory & Peter Huyck	May 5, 2002 (2002-05-05)	6ABE05
Hank freaks out when he begins having allegedly erotic dreams about grilling hamburgers naked with Dale's wife, Nancy.
124	20	"Dang Ol' Love"	Gary McCarver	Dean Young	May 5, 2002 (2002-05-05)	6ABE17
Boomhauer falls in love with a woman who wanted only a one-night stand (voice of Laura Linney), which crushes Boomhauer now that he feels like the many women he has seduced in the past, while Bill recovers from losing that same woman and finds advice that helps his friend.
125/126	21/22	"Returning Japanese"	Part 1: Allan Jacobsen Part 2: Anthony Lioi	Part 1: Kit Boss & Etan Cohen Part 2: Alex Gregory & Peter Huyck	May 12, 2002 (2002-05-12)	6ABE20/6ABE21
Cotton wants to return to Japan to apologize to the widow of a soldier he killed, and Peggy arranges to bring the family along. Hank is shocked to discover that Cotton actually had an affair with the widow and fathered another son—Junichiro. When Junichiro renounces his Hill ancestry, Cotton declares his own personal war on Japan by deciding to spit in the Japanese emperor's face.

Season 7: 2002–03

Main article: King of the Hill (season 7)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
127	1	"Get Your Freak Off"	Tricia Garcia	Garland Testa	November 3, 2002 (2002-11-03)	7ABE01
Hank takes Bobby and his friends to a music concert, but is dismayed to see Bobby and a friend dancing inappropriately to boy band music, so he tries to make Bobby's adolescence more wholesome. Meanwhile, Peggy, Nancy, and Minh try to decide who is the best-looking out of Hank, Dale, Boomhauer, Kahn, Bill, and John Redcorn. Guest stars Eliza Dushku, Milla Jovovich, Debra Messing, and Elizabeth Perkins.
128	2	"The Fat and the Furious"	Allan Jacobsen	Alex Gregory & Peter Huyck	November 10, 2002 (2002-11-10)	7ABE03
Bill becomes a competitive eater after downing Hank's entire platter of hot dogs during a barbecue, but his dreams are soon crushed when Dale (who thinks competitive eating is degrading) beats him. Guest stars include Pamela Anderson, Jeff Garlin, and Kid Rock.
129	3	"Bad Girls, Bad Girls, Whatcha Gonna Do"	Kyounghee Lim & Boowhan Lim	Tom Saunders & Kell Cahoon	November 17, 2002 (2002-11-17)	6ABE19
Connie's criminal cousin, Tid Pau (voiced by Lucy Liu), becomes Bobby's science project partner and makes him an unwitting accomplice in creating a drug lab.
130	4	"Goodbye Normal Jeans"	Kyounghee Lim & Boowhan Lim	Kit Boss	November 24, 2002 (2002-11-24)	6ABE01
Peggy becomes jealous of Bobby when he uses his Home Ec. class cooking skills in the Hill kitchen.
131	5	"Dances with Dogs"	Anthony Lioi	Norm Hiscock	December 1, 2002 (2002-12-01)	7ABE02
Bobby and Hank use Ladybird to compete in a dog dancing contest. Meanwhile, Bill is tricked into buying an ill-tempered Rottweiler from an animal shelter. Scott Hamilton guest stars.
132	6	"The Son Also Roses"	Dominic Polcino	Dan Sterling	December 8, 2002 (2002-12-08)	6ABE22
Bobby becomes a rose grower when he tires of doing the Landry football team's laundry, and recruits the help of two cannabis cultivators to help him win a contest. Michael Clarke Duncan guest stars as Morgan, a rose growing enthusiast.
133	7	"The Texas Skillsaw Massacre"	Shaun Cashman	Alan R. Cohen & Alan Freedland	December 15, 2002 (2002-12-15)	6ABE18
The Hills are forced to live with the Gribbles after Dale digs a tunnel underneath the Hills' kitchen, and the inspector declares the Hill house uninhabitable until the necessary repairs are done. Things get worse when Hank is sentenced to take anger management classes after accidentally cutting one of Dale's fingers off with a circular saw.
134	8	"Full Metal Dust Jacket"	Adam Kuhlman	Dan McGrath	January 5, 2003 (2003-01-05)	7ABE04
Peggy takes over the lease of a bookstore, but when the bookstore's business plummets, she allows Dale and his gun group to sell firearms at the store. Peri Gilpin guest stars as Mary Ellen.
135	9	"Pigmalion"	Dominic Polcino	Jonathan Collier	January 12, 2003 (2003-01-12)	5ABE23
Luanne becomes involved with the psychotic owner (voiced by Michael Keaton) of a pork processing plant who wants Luanne to be just like the woman on the company logo.
136	10	"Megalo Dale"	Cyndi Tang-Loveland	J.B. Cook	January 12, 2003 (2003-01-12)	7ABE05
Dale is hired to exterminate at the Mega Lo Mart, but it turns out the "pest" is Chuck Mangione, the Mega Lo Mart spokesman. Topher Grace and Danny Masterson make guest appearances.
137	11	"Boxing Luanne"	Mike DiMartino	Dean Young	February 2, 2003 (2003-02-02)	7ABE07
To prove to men that she is more than just a pretty face and a sexy body, Luanne becomes a boxer, but soon learns that the boxing she has done was foxy boxing, and that every fight she won had been fixed and that she is soon to fight George Foreman's daughter, Freeda.
138	12	"Vision Quest"	Dominic Polcino	Etan Cohen	February 9, 2003 (2003-02-09)	7ABE09
John Redcorn is worried about how Dale is raising Joseph, so he gets Hank to take Joseph on a "vision quest", but Dale is the one who gets a vision and mistakenly believes that he is a Native American.
139	13	"Queasy Rider"	Wes Archer	Kit Boss	February 16, 2003 (2003-02-16)	7ABE10
Hank and Peggy try to fix their strained marriage by buying a motorcycle and immersing themselves in the biker lifestyle, only to find that the biker lifestyle is very misogynistic.
140	14	"Board Games"	Kyounghee Lim & Boowhan Lim	Sivert Glarum & Michael Jamin	March 2, 2003 (2003-03-02)	7ABE08
Peggy, Nancy, and Minh run for school board against each other after Tom Landry Middle School cuts all after-school programs out of the budget -- and all three women will stop at nothing to get the empty seat.
141	15	"An Officer and a Gentle Boy"	Gary McCarver	Dan Sterling	March 9, 2003 (2003-03-09)	7ABE06
Fed up with Bobby's laziness, Hank sends him off to Cotton's old military school Fort Berk Academy, but Cotton is dismayed that Fort Berk has softened up and sets out to make it as brutal as possible.
142	16	"The Miseducation of Bobby Hill"	Tricia Garcia	Tim Croston & Chip Hall	March 16, 2003 (2003-03-16)	7ABE11
Bobby becomes a salesman at Strickland Propane (although Hank doubts his ability, citing his inexperience) and uses underhanded tactics learned from Joe Jack to sell more grills. Meanwhile, Dale builds a Larry Walters-inspired flying lawn chair and tests it out on Bill, who ends up battered, bruised, and lost in Mexico.
143	17	"The Good Buck"	Allan Jacobsen	Alex Gregory & Peter Huyck	March 30, 2003 (2003-03-30)	7ABE13
Buck becomes a born-again Christian (courtesy of Luanne) after his wife divorces him, but Hank is worried that Buck only wants Luanne for sex. Meanwhile, Bobby hides out from his track coach and makes friends with two old ladies at Hotel Arlen's restaurant during tea time.
144	18	"I Never Promised You an Organic Garden"	Adam Kuhlman	Tony Gama-Lobo & Rebecca May	April 13, 2003 (2003-04-13)	7ABE14
Peggy takes over the organic garden at the school, but she is caught using pesticides on the garden when every organic treatment fails to save the garden from bug infestation.
145	19	"Be True to Your Fool"	Anthony Lioi	Dan McGrath	April 27, 2003 (2003-04-27)	7ABE12
When Bill infects Hank, Dale, and Boomhauer with lice, they are forced to shave off their hair, only for Hank to discover the word "Bill" tattooed on the back of his head. Meanwhile, Bill befriends prisoners at the county jail after being arrested for being drunk in public.
146	20	"Racist Dawg"	Mike DiMartino	J.B. Cook	May 4, 2003 (2003-05-04)	7ABE17
Hank hires an African-American repairman (guest-voiced by Bernie Mac), whom Ladybird attacks, prompting the town to think that Hank and his dog are racists.
147	21	"Night and Deity"	Gary McCarver	Garland Testa	May 11, 2003 (2003-05-11)	7ABE16
After Bill attracts pigeons to the alley, Dale must work with an attractive female exterminator (voice of Janeane Garofalo), who makes Nancy jealous.
148	22	"Maid in Arlen"	Kyounghee Lim & Boohwan Lim	Dan Sterling	May 18, 2003 (2003-05-18)	7ABE18
Kahn's mother Laoma arrives and soon becomes the Hills' housekeeper, much to Kahn's annoyance. Bill and Laoma later enter into a romantic relationship that Kahn works overtime to sabotage.
149	23	"The Witches of East Arlen"	Matt Engstrom	Sivert Glarum & Michael Jamin	May 18, 2003 (2003-05-18)	7ABE20
After losing out on playing Curly in the school production of Oklahoma!, Bobby gets involved with a group of post-adolescent geeks who are into tarot cards and witchcraft. David Cross guest stars.

Season 8: 2003–04

Main article: King of the Hill (season 8)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
150	1	"Patch Boomhauer"	Anthony Lioi	J.B. Cook	November 2, 2003 (2003-11-02)	8ABE01
When Boomhauer's brother (voiced by Brad Pitt) announces he is getting married to Boomhauer's old girlfriend, Hank believes Boomhauer is out to sabotage the wedding.
151	2	"Reborn to Be Wild"	Dominic Polcino	Tony Gama-Lobo & Rebecca May	November 9, 2003 (2003-11-09)	8ABE02
Fearing that Bobby is succumbing to bad influences, Hank makes him join a local church youth group. Bobby discovers that the group consists of cool punks (guest voiced by the band members of Sum 41), including their tattooed pastor, i.e. "Pastor K", who worship God through skateboarding and rock. Hank approves of Bobby's newfound interest in religion, but disapproves of the way the group treats Christianity as a fad. Meanwhile, Hank's friends (and Kahn) start a club called "The Last Meal Club", where they come up with what meals they would like to eat before they die.
152	3	"New Cowboy on the Block"	Cyndi Tang-Loveland	Dean Young	November 16, 2003 (2003-11-16)	7ABE15
A washed-up former Dallas Cowboys player moves into the neighborhood, and no one, not even Hank, can admit that he is a jerk—until the man starts harassing Hank.
153	4	"The Incredible Hank"	Wes Archer	Dan Sterling	November 23, 2003 (2003-11-23)	8ABE04
Hank takes Bobby to the doctor to get him some testosterone supplements to boost his energy, but Hank becomes the one who sorely needs a testosterone boost. Meanwhile, Bobby faces his fear of showering after gym class.
154	5	"Flirting with the Master"	Anthony Lioi	Norm Hiscock	November 30, 2003 (2003-11-30)	7ABE22
The actor who plays TV's "Monsignor Martinez" invites Peggy to Mexico City to tutor his children for an English language exam, and Peggy thinks the actor has fallen in love with her. Meanwhile, Luanne takes on Peggy's duties at home.
155	6	"After the Mold Rush"	Dominic Polcino	Kit Boss	December 7, 2003 (2003-12-07)	7ABE19
When Hank's house sustains minor water damage days before the Arlen Parade of Homes, a man from the insurance company sets out to get rich by determining that the Hill household is infested with mold and shaking them down for money with needless tests and repairs.
156	7	"Livin' on Reds, Vitamin C and Propane"	John Rice	Dan McGrath	December 14, 2003 (2003-12-14)	8ABE05
Hank needs to take some antique furniture to his mother in Arizona, so he rents an 18-wheeler and takes Bobby on a road trip (with Dale, Bill and Boomhauer stowing away). Meanwhile, Peggy and Luanne try to write a Christmas novelty song. Trace Adkins guest stars.
157	8	"Rich Hank, Poor Hank"	Tricia Garcia	Etan Cohen	January 4, 2004 (2004-01-04)	7ABE21
Bobby thinks Hank is secretly a rich miser after hearing Peggy talking about Hank's new $1000 bonus, and Bobby steals Hank's emergency credit card to go on a shopping spree with Connie and Joseph.
158	9	"Ceci N'Est Pas Une King of the Hill"	Tricia Garcia	Etan Cohen	January 25, 2004 (2004-01-25)	8ABE03
When Hank asks Peggy to design an art piece for Strickland Propane, she creates the "Probot," a statue made out of propane tanks. Her sculpture is rejected by the city board, but picked up by an art dealer from Dallas -- who makes her out to be an uneducated hillbilly. Meanwhile, Dale starts wearing a suit of armor and uses his newfound invincibility to insult people without consequence – until Bill creates his own suit of armor and challenges him to a fight. The episode won an Annie Award for writing.
159	10	"That's What She Said"	Cyndi Tang-Loveland	Sivert Glarum & Michael Jamin	February 8, 2004 (2004-02-08)	8ABE06
A new employee named Rich (voiced by Ben Stiller) becomes popular around Strickland Propane for telling lewd jokes, but Hank feels uncomfortable about them and the lawyer he talks to advises Hank to sue for sexual harassment (since telling raunchy jokes during work hours counts as harassment). Meanwhile, Dale trades smoking cigarettes for chewing tobacco.
160	11	"My Hair Lady"	Allan Jacobsen	Wyatt Cenac	February 15, 2004 (2004-02-15)	8ABE09
Luanne and Bill both get jobs at the hippest hair salon in Arlen called "Hottyz." But in order to keep his job, Bill must pretend to be gay. Meanwhile, Hank's elderly barber has a hard time staying in business.
161	12	"Phish and Wild Life"	Matt Engstrom	Greg Cohen	February 22, 2004 (2004-02-22)	8ABE10
Hank takes Bobby (who needs a lesson in self-reliance) and the guys on a fishing trip, where they vow to eat only what they catch, but the trip is ruined by hippies who would rather sponge off the park's resources, and Bobby inadvertently letting the hippies live off Hank.
162	13	"Cheer Factor"	Kyounghee Lim & Boohwan Lim	Christy Stratton	March 7, 2004 (2004-03-07)	8ABE07
Peggy volunteers to help with the school cheerleading squad by having Bobby as a mascot and participating with the cheerleaders, but soon finds herself facing the school board after her "Fighting Irish" show is deemed offensive.
163	14	"Dale Be Not Proud"	Anthony Lioi	Jonathan Collier	March 14, 2004 (2004-03-14)	8ABE11
When NHRA driver John Force needs an organ transplant, Dale is the only one who can save him. Hank encourages Dale to ignore his fear of hospitals and give up his kidney to save Force. Dale reluctantly agrees, but only if Hank takes his place being Dale for the day, a task that consists of outlandish duties.
164	15	"Après Hank, le Deluge"	Gary McCarver	Kit Boss	March 21, 2004 (2004-03-21)	8ABE08
When a flood threatens the town, the Arlenites gather in the communal shelter: the Tom Landry gym. When Hank is forced to flood a number of houses, lest he risk the dam bursting and flooding the entire city, the crowd does not get the full story and turns on him, led by Bill, who uses the people's panic to make himself feel important. Meantime, the kids go wild in the yearbook office, Peggy begins acting childish, and Dale schemes to build an ark to float his family to safety.
165	16	"DaleTech"	Dominic Polcino	J.B. Cook	March 28, 2004 (2004-03-28)	8ABE12
Dale starts a security company called "DaleTech", but his business is threatened by Cotton, who has become a new local auxiliary police officer. Meanwhile, Hank tries to solve the mystery of who's been in his house while everyone else is out.
166	17	"How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Alamo"	Brian Sheesley	Christy Stratton	April 18, 2004 (2004-04-18)	8ABE14
Hank tries to teach Bobby about the Alamo after discovering that the new history textbooks in school contain pop history — and things get worse when Hank's plans for an Alamo play include a director who wants to portray the American force as a bunch of drunken, doped-up, slave-owning, prostitute-loving cowards. Meanwhile, Nancy gets a Flat Stanley doll in the mail, and Peggy and Luanne put it through dangerous scenarios to teach kids about safety.
167	18	"Girl, You'll Be a Giant Soon"	Cyndi Tang-Loveland	Dan McGrath	April 25, 2004 (2004-04-25)	8ABE16
Luanne tries to help Hank protest against a grilling contest when it is revealed that the contest does not allow propane grills. Meanwhile, Peggy tries to visit a house where a famous murder took place, but the real estate agent is only letting in potential buyers.
168	19	"Stressed for Success"	Tricia Garcia	Tony Gama-Lobo & Rebecca May	May 2, 2004 (2004-05-02)	8ABE13
Bobby joins the school's Quiz Bowl team because of his extensive knowledge of pop culture, but he becomes stressed out by the pressure. Note: This episode is dedicated to John Ritter. Kelly Clarkson and Ben Stein also guest star.
169	20	"Hank's Back" "The Unbearable Lightness of Being Hank"	Robin Brigstocke	Aron Abrams & Gregory Thompson	May 9, 2004 (2004-05-09)	8ABE15
When Hank suffers a back injury at work and none of his doctors can fix it, he tries the healing powers of yoga. At first, he finds it a little too wacky, but thanks to the help of Yogi Victor, he realizes that it actually works. However, Hank's insurance company uses this to prove that Hank is taking unfair advantage of his workers' compensation. Meanwhile, Peggy fights to keep the old Pink & White market open by returning to her old job as a bagger. Guest stars: Angela Bloomfield, Johnny Depp as Yogi Victor, and Marg Helgenberger as the claims adjuster
170	21	"The Redneck on Rainey Street"	Gary McCarver	Jim Dauterive	May 16, 2004 (2004-05-16)	8ABE17
After Connie is turned down for a college prep summer program and realizing that their hard work and overachieving has gotten them nowhere in life, Kahn and Minh decide to give up and live like beer-drinking, El Camino-driving rednecks, which nearly drive them to homelessness when they stop making payments on their house. Trace Adkins, Elizabeth Perkins, and Tom Petty guest star.
171	22	"Talking Shop"	Anthony Lioi	Garland Testa	May 23, 2004 (2004-05-23)	8ABE20
Despite Hank's wishes for Bobby to take auto shop, Bobby takes peer counseling so he can give advice to vulnerable teenage girls. Meanwhile, Hank finds a wrecked car for Bobby to fix, thinking that he signed up for auto shop. Guest stars include Alyson Hannigan, Lindsay Lohan, and Laura Prepon.

Season 9: 2004–05

Main article: King of the Hill (season 9)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
172	1	"A Rover Runs Through It"	Tricia Garcia	Dan Sterling	November 7, 2004 (2004-11-07)	8ABE22
The Hills travel to Montana to visit Peggy's mother for Thanksgiving. There, they find out the family is losing the ranch to Henry Winkler because of high property taxes.
173	2	"Ms. Wakefield"	Allan Jacobsen	J.B. Cook	December 19, 2004 (2004-12-19)	9ABE05
When an elderly stranger, Ms. Wakefield (voice of Marion Ross), visits the Hill residence during Christmas, Hank is thrilled to show her his house since it was also her childhood home. However, when Ms. Wakefield announces that she wants to die in their house, Hank and Peggy want nothing more than for her to leave, despite her bothersome insistence.
174	3	"Death Buys a Timeshare"	Kyounghee Lim & Boohwan Lim	Etan Cohen	January 16, 2005 (2005-01-16)	8ABE18
Cotton inherits $10,000 from the will of his friend Topsy, and goes to Mexico, with Bill in tow, to buy a timeshare. Feeling lonely after the death of his friend, Cotton gets suckered in by tales of the timeshare development's owner, O'Kelly, and decides to buy—even though Americans cannot own land in Mexico. Meanwhile during a heatwave in Arlen, Peggy, Bobby and Dale search for a pool to swim in.
175	4	"Yard, She Blows!"	Allan Jacobsen	Sivert Glarum & Michael Jamin	January 23, 2005 (2005-01-23)	8ABE19
Peggy is jealous that Hank always gets complimented on his yard, so she starts a garden in the front yard. When that plan fails, she puts Winklebottom the garden gnome in their front yard, which drives Hank insane.
176	5	"Dale to the Chief"	Anthony Lioi	Garland Testa	January 30, 2005 (2005-01-30)	9ABE02
When Dale reads Joseph the Warren Commission Report, he notices the absence of a discrepancy in the positioning of the local landmarks, decides that the U.S. government must be right about who assassinated John F. Kennedy (and thus, their official version of every story he had previously written off as part of some conspiracy is in fact completely factual) and turns his government-hating, right-wing mania into even more insufferable, flag-waving patriotism. Meanwhile, Hank discovers a mistake on his driver's license and is sent through a boatload of red tape in order to fix it—a task made all the more onerous when Dale reports Hank as a threat to America's national security.
177	6	"The Petriot Act"	Robin Brigstocke	Christy Stratton	February 13, 2005 (2005-02-13)	9ABE06
When Hank agrees to take in a soldier's pet, he gets Duke, a vicious, mean-spirited cat, against Hank's wishes. Hank takes Duke to visit Dr. Leslie (voice of Jason Bateman), a veterinarian who runs a battery of tests and presents Hank with a bill for several thousand dollars.
178	7	"Enrique-cilable Differences"	Dominic Polcino	Greg Cohen	February 20, 2005 (2005-02-20)	9ABE12
Hank's co-worker Enrique is having marital problems, and starts spending all his time with Hank. Meanwhile, Bobby tries to unblock the Fox network from the Hills' TV in order to watch the Daytona 500.
179	8	"Mutual of Omabwah"	Dominic Polcino	Tony Gama-Lobo & Rebecca May	March 6, 2005 (2005-03-06)	9ABE03
When Hank forgets to mail his insurance payment, Hank and Bobby must protect themselves from any accidents until their insurance can be re-activated in 36 hours. Meanwhile, Dale decides to raise bees, Bill and Boomhauer discover the joys of deep-frying, and Peggy and Luanne get stuck at a rest stop when Hank asks them not to drive uninsured.
180	9	"Care-Takin' Care of Business"	Cyndi Tang-Loveland	Dan McGrath	March 13, 2005 (2005-03-13)	9ABE01
When the Tom Landry Middle School football team has to forfeit a game due to poor field maintenance when the caretaker goes senile, the booster club resolves to replace the school's elderly groundskeeper, Smitty (voice of Christopher Lloyd), and Hank resolves to help him keep his job by secretly doing upkeep on the field. Meanwhile, Luanne starts dating a redneck named Lucky (first seen in "The Redneck on Rainey Street"), much to Peggy's dismay.
181	10	"Arlen City Bomber"	Kyounghee Lim	Jonathan Collier	March 27, 2005 (2005-03-27)	9ABE07
To pay off her credit card debts, Luanne signs up to be a roller derby girl. Peggy gets in on it too and uses borrowed money to make improvements on the team, sinking both Luanne and Peggy deeper into debt.
182	11	"Redcorn Gambles with His Future"	Matt Engstrom	Etan Cohen	April 10, 2005 (2005-04-10)	9ABE09
Hank is in charge of organizing the Strickland Family Fun Day. Meanwhile, John Redcorn and his band "Big Mountain Fudgecake" are having trouble finding a venue to play their music. Acting on Hank's advice, John Redcorn uses his land to open a casino so his band can have a place to play.
183	12	"Smoking and the Bandit"	Cyndi Tang-Loveland	Dan McGrath	April 17, 2005 (2005-04-17)	9ABE10
When Arlen bans smoking in all restaurants and bars, Dale becomes the rebellious "Smoking Bandit" to impress Joseph. Meanwhile, Peggy decides to tail the "Bandit" and unmask him. Tone Lōc guest stars.
184	13	"Gone with the Windstorm"	Yvette Kaplan	Wyatt Cenac	May 1, 2005 (2005-05-01)	9ABE08
When Channel 84 hires a new meteorologist, Irv Bennett, Nancy and her less-than-accurate weather reports are left out in the cold -- and the only way back to being hot is for Nancy to cover news of a forest fire. Meanwhile, Bobby tries to fight back against a bully who springs out and scares his victims. Note: This is the first episode to be part of Fox's Animation Domination block.
185	14	"Bobby on Track"	Tricia Garcia	Aron Abrams & Gregory Thompson	May 8, 2005 (2005-05-08)	9ABE13
Upset with Bobby's habit of giving up what he starts (after Bobby does not complete the miles needed to run for a charity race), Hank puts Bobby on the school's track team, but soon learns that the coach only wants Bobby as a "Stick" so he can push the other team members to do better.
186	15	"It Ain't Over 'til the Fat Neighbor Sings"	Julius Wu	Etan Cohen	May 15, 2005 (2005-05-15)	9ABE19
Bill joins an all-male chorus (based on a real Dallas-based men's chorus called The Vocal Majority) who end up using Bill and forcing him to blow off his appointment to cut the general's hair at the Army base. Meanwhile, Peggy and Bobby get caught up in a game of Pong after Peggy finds her old Atari console in the closet.

Season 10: 2005–06

Main article: King of the Hill (season 10)

The majority of episodes in this season are leftover episodes from the 9ABE production line, as well as one episode from the 8ABE production line ("Bystand Me"). The AABE production line (much like The Simpsons' 3G production line for seasons eight and nine) is a short-lived line and only lasts for five episodes (four airing this season and the fifth airing as a leftover episode next season).

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
187	1	"Hank's on Board"	Allan Jacobsen	Sivert Glarum & Michael Jamin	September 18, 2005 (2005-09-18)	9ABE14
Hank fears he is being shunned when his friends go on a vacation without him. Meanwhile, Bobby uses grocery money entrusted to him by Peggy to buy a metal detector.
188	2	"Bystand Me"	Dominic Polcino	Kit Boss	September 25, 2005 (2005-09-25)	8ABE21
When the Arlen Bystander newspaper gets a new editor, Peggy gets a job writing a household hints column (even though Peggy does not know any household hints). Meanwhile, Hank makes Bobby get a paper route.
189	3	"Bill's House"	Robin Brigstocke	Tony Gama-Lobo & Rebecca May	November 6, 2005 (2005-11-06)	9ABE15
Bill turns his house into a rehabilitation center for alcoholics, and enlists Hank's assistance when the task gets out of hand.
190	4	"Harlottown"	Tricia Garcia	Aron Abrams & Gregory Thompson	November 20, 2005 (2005-11-20)	9ABE04
While researching for an article, Peggy discovers that Arlen's founding mothers were prostitutes, which embarrasses Hank and prompts the city manager to open a Museum of Prostitution and have Arlen be the new city for the Adult Video Awards.
191	5	"Portrait of the Artist as a Young Clown"	Kyounghee Lim	Christy Stratton	December 4, 2005 (2005-12-04)	9ABE16
Bobby goes to clown college and becomes a classical clown, but no one likes his new act except Bobby himself.
192	6	"Orange You Sad I Did Say Banana?"	Adam Kuhlman	Dan Sterling	December 11, 2005 (2005-12-11)	9ABE11
Upon being told that he is too Americanized and called a "banana" (the Asian equivalent to an Oreo [a black person who "acts white"]), Kahn vows to return to his Laotian roots, which doesn't sit well with Minh and Connie, who are used to living the fat, pop-culture obsessed American life. Meanwhile, Hank, Bill, Dale, and Boomhauer help Kahn build a pool in his backyard.
193	7	"You Gotta Believe (in Moderation)"	Yvette Kaplan	Kit Boss	January 29, 2006 (2006-01-29)	9ABE17
Hank invites a softball team to compete against his own team of misfits, to raise money to save Tom Landry Middle School's baseball team.
194	8	"Business Is Picking Up"	Matt Engstrom	Dan Sterling	March 19, 2006 (2006-03-19)	9ABE18
Hank tries to get Bobby interested in working as a propane salesman during Tom Landry Middle School's Career Day, but when Joseph beats him to the punch, Bobby shadows a young, handsome man (voice of Johnny Knoxville) who makes his living picking up animal (and human) waste.
195	9	"The Year of Washing Dangerously"	Cyndi Tang-Loveland & Ken Wong	J.B. Cook	March 26, 2006 (2006-03-26)	9ABE20
Kahn buys the local car wash as part of get-rich-quick scheme he saw on TV, and Hank finds himself working for his disrespectful, money-obsessed neighbor when Buck takes a stake in the business as well.
196	10	"Hank Fixes Everything"	Dominic Polcino & Ronald Rubio	Kit Boss	April 2, 2006 (2006-04-02)	9ABE21
Buck Strickland hires the Teutul family from the reality show American Chopper (who voice themselves) to perform at Strickland Propane in order to win a price war with Thatherton Fuels, then gets into a price fixing conspiracy with the other propane companies in Arlen which attracts the government's attention—centered on Hank.
197	11	"Church Hopping"	Robin Brigstocke	Jim Dauterive	April 9, 2006 (2006-04-09)	9ABE22
When the Hill family finds out that their pew of many years has been given away to another family at church, they abandon their staid Methodist church and come about to worship at a new megachurch, but, while Bobby and Peggy enjoy it, Hank begins to miss his old church.
198	12	"24 Hour Propane People"	Robin Brigstocke	Aron Abrams & Gregory Thompson	April 23, 2006 (2006-04-23)	AABE01
When Buck gets banned from his favorite strip club, he focuses on making Strickland Propane a "fun" place to work after spending his days at a Cold Stone Creamery-style ice cream parlor where the clerks sing to their customers and give out gimmicky sizes and prizes for their service.
199	13	"The Texas Panhandler"	Ronald Rubio & Ken Wong	Tony Gama-Lobo & Rebecca May	April 30, 2006 (2006-04-30)	AABE02
When Hank refuses to buy Bobby designer faded jeans, Bobby gets a job as a sign spinner -- but quits when he realizes that he can get more money by becoming a slacker who begs for money for fun.
200	14	"Hank's Bully"	Kyounghee Lim	J.B. Cook	May 7, 2006 (2006-05-07)	AABE03
Hank gets bullied by a boy named Caleb, whose parents don't seem to mind that their son is pushing around an adult. Meanwhile, Dale and Peggy enter a taxidermy competition.
201	15	"Edu-macating Lucky"	Adam Kuhlman	Sivert Glarum & Michael Jamin	May 14, 2006 (2006-05-14)	AABE04
When Lucky asks Peggy to help him get his GED in the hopes of improving his chances of marrying Luanne, Peggy agrees to help him study for the test whilst being torn between her wish to help him and her wish to keep him away from her niece. He fails his GED, but the biggest shock comes after the results when Luanne announces she's pregnant with Lucky's child.

Season 11: 2007

Main article: King of the Hill (season 11)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
202	1	"The Peggy Horror Picture Show"	Kyounghee Lim	Christy Stratton	January 28, 2007 (2007-01-28)	BABE02
Peggy, feeling a bit unfeminine because of her masculine clothes and size-16 feet, befriends Carolyn, who views Peggy as the epitome of womanhood. Hank is thrilled that Peggy finally has someone else to talk to about her girl problems, but discovers that Carolyn is a drag queen who thinks Peggy is one too.
203	2	"serPUNt"	Robin Brigstocke	Greg Cohen	February 11, 2007 (2007-02-11)	BABE01
When a python Lucky gives to Bobby as a gift gets into the toilet, Hank calls on Tommy (guest-voiced by John Goodman) and Rollo at Animal Control for help. But instead of taking care of the problem, they make the city believe that the problem is worse than it is in order to get higher salaries, causing panic.
204	3	"Blood and Sauce"	Tricia Garcia	Dan McGrath	February 18, 2007 (2007-02-18)	BABE03
Bill is conflicted between keeping his family legacy alive and selling out when his effeminate cousin, Gilbert (last seen on "A Beer Can Named Desire"), arrives to tell him that everyone in the Dauterive family is either dead, has gone insane, can't have children, or not blood-related and tries to stop him from selling his family's barbecue sauce recipe to Mr. Strickland.
205	4	"Luanne Gets Lucky"	Ken Wong	Jonathan Collier	March 25, 2007 (2007-03-25)	BABE04
Lucky neglects Luanne when he becomes obsessed with retrieving a walnut tree stump his grandfather found, so Luanne accepts a 15-year-old's invitation to the senior prom (as her abusive parents kept her from going to the prom when she was a teenager).
206	5	"Hank Gets Dusted"	Michael Loya	Kit Boss	April 1, 2007 (2007-04-01)	BABE05
Hank is devastated when Cotton's Cadillac is given to Hank's cousin Dusty (voice of ZZ Top's Dusty Hill), but when Dusty and his bandmates show up at Hank's house to play practical jokes for a reality show taping, it is more than Hank can bear.
207	6	"Glen Peggy Glen Ross"	Tony Kluck	Jim Dauterive	April 22, 2007 (2007-04-22)	BABE06
Peggy is fired from The Arlen Bystander and begins a new career as a real estate agent. Meanwhile, after Dale buys a set of titanium golf clubs at a police auction, he gives the clubs to Hank, who does not want them after learning they were used as a murder weapon.
208	7	"The Passion of Dauterive"	Anthony Chun	Tony Gama-Lobo & Rebecca May	April 29, 2007 (2007-04-29)	BABE07
Bill searches for meaning in his life after surviving a roof collapse, leading to a relationship with Reverend Stroup.
209	8	"Grand Theft Arlen"	Ronald Rubio	Sanjay Shah	April 29, 2007 (2007-04-29)	BABE08
Hank protests against a new school program that lets failing gym students play video games—and becomes addicted to Pro-Pain, a Grand Theft Auto knockoff centered on propane and featuring Hank as the protagonist. Meanwhile, Bobby trains for the Presidential Physical Fitness Test.
210	9	"Peggy's Gone to Pots"	Robin Brigstocke	Paul Corrigan & Brad Walsh	May 6, 2007 (2007-05-06)	BABE09
Peggy's attempts at selling houses in the gated community Arlen Heights lands her in trouble with a scam kitchen supply company after Peggy unwittingly takes Ted Wassanasong's wife's place as a saleslady. Meanwhile, Dale encounters the man whose name he's been using as an alias for years (Rusty Shackleford).
211	10	"Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow"	Kyounghee Lim	Christy Stratton	May 13, 2007 (2007-05-13)	BABE10
Nancy turns to her mother (voiced by Rue McClanahan) for help when the stress of home life and unresolved feelings for John Redcorn cause her to lose her hair. Meanwhile, Dale takes a ride with Kahn's delinquent nephew in a souped-up racecar during the vernal equinox and thinks he has traveled through time.
212	11	"Bill, Bulk and the Body Buddies"	Tricia Garcia	Blake McCormick	May 20, 2007 (2007-05-20)	BABE11
Bill meets a body builder named Dirk who agrees to help him train for an upcoming Army physical, but when Bill starts working out with Dirk and his two meathead buddies, Bill develops a bad attitude and alienates his former friends. Randy Savage guests as one of the bodybuilders.
213	12	"Lucky's Wedding Suit"	Julius Wu	Jim Dauterive	May 20, 2007 (2007-05-20)	AABE05
When Lucky wants to give Luanne the expensive wedding that she desires, he sues Dale with a frivolous lawsuit after having an accident on the job. This was originally planned to be the final episode of the series.

Season 12: 2007–08

Main article: King of the Hill (season 12)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
214	1	"Suite Smells of Excess"	Michael Loya	Dave Schiff	September 23, 2007 (2007-09-23)	BABE13
When the guys take Bobby to a University of Texas football game their hijinks land them in a VIP box suite, where Hank is mistaken for a former player of the opposing Nebraska Cornhuskers, and is asked to call a crucial play for the team. Meanwhile, Peggy shops for a new TV after breaking the old one in a fit of rage.
215	2	"Bobby Rae"	Ken Wong	Tim Croston & Chip Hall	September 30, 2007 (2007-09-30)	BABE12
Bobby feigns interest in activism when he goes after the heart of a real student activist, who protests the installation of soda machines in the school (and the funds from said soda machines being used to pay for the teachers' vacation).
216	3	"The Powder Puff Boys"	Ronald Rubio	Christy Stratton	October 7, 2007 (2007-10-07)	BABE16
Hank encourages Bobby to be a part of the school's Powder Puff team (a team where boys dress in drag and impersonate female cheerleaders). However, the boys learn that Peggy and the PTA are trying to put a stop to the tradition as they feel it's demeaning to women.
217	4	"Four Wave Intersection"	Anthony Chun	Judah Miller & Murray Miller	October 14, 2007 (2007-10-14)	BABE15
Arlen is hit by a heat wave and Hank takes the kids to the water park. Unfortunately, they have to tangle with a group of surfer bullies to enjoy the "Endless Wave." Meanwhile, Boomhauer tries to regain his coolness after two sexy ladies laugh at him for wearing cutoff jeans, and Bill becomes a local celebrity known as the "Heat Waver" after his car breaks down and he begins waving at passing motorists.
218	5	"Death Picks Cotton"	Tony Kluck	Judah Miller & Murray Miller	November 11, 2007 (2007-11-11)	BABE14
While at a Japanese restaurant, Cotton suffers a war flashback and ends up getting hospitalized after falling on the grill and suffering from a shrimp allergy, where Peggy learns that Cotton may not have long to live.
219	6	"Raise the Steaks"	Robin Brigstocke	Paul Corrigan & Brad Walsh	November 18, 2007 (2007-11-18)	BABE17
After buying tough, unsavory steaks at the Mega-Lo-Mart, Hank, at Appleseed's suggestion, visits the town co-op in search of better meat. After falling in love with the delicious organic food, Hank becomes a co-op volunteer and co-owner, but his business skills causes the co-op to sell out to Mega Lo-Mart.
220	7	"Tears of an Inflatable Clown"	Tricia Garcia	Erin Ehrlich	November 25, 2007 (2007-11-25)	BABE19
Bobby's plans for a school carnival are ruined by a diversity expert who tricks the carnival committee into planning an assembly about racial and ethnic guilt. Meanwhile, Dale, Bill and Boomhauer try to get a reluctant Lucky to the hospital when he injures himself.
221	8	"The Minh Who Knew Too Much"	Kyounghee Lim	Dan McGrath	December 9, 2007 (2007-12-09)	BABE18
Minh joins the Arlen Gun Club to learn skeet shooting, a skill she hopes will make an exclusive country club want her and Kahn as members. Meanwhile, Hank tries to solve the mystery of who's been discarding trash in his trash cans.
222	9	"Dream Weaver"	Ken Wong	Jennifer Barrow	December 16, 2007 (2007-12-16)	BABE20
Nancy wants Dale to get a new job since he is not making any money, so he and Hank go on a "vocation vacation" to learn basket weaving. Meanwhile Peggy, Kahn and Bill try to achieve Internet stardom by creating a wacky viral video.
223	10	"Doggone Crazy"	Michael Loya	Dave Schiff	January 6, 2008 (2008-01-06)	CABE01
The Hill's dog, Ladybird, suddenly begins acting erratically and is put on a list of vicious dogs, and, if Hank doesn't hire a spiritualist to cure her, Ladybird will be euthanized.
224	11	"Trans-Fascism"	Kyounghee Lim	Paul Corrigan & Brad Walsh	February 10, 2008 (2008-02-10)	CABE02
When the Arlen City Council bans the sale of foods containing trans fats (along with rare burgers and raw oysters), Sugarfoot's Restaurant goes out of business. Strickland's solution to the problem is to sell his delicious, trans-fatty foods on a lunch truck so he can evade the law. Soon enough, other competitors come along, and with help from Nancy, Hank blackmails the town into repealing the food ban.
225	12	"Three Men and a Bastard" "The Untitled Blake McCormick Project"	Ken Wong	Blake McCormick	February 17, 2008 (2008-02-17)	CABE03
Bill becomes involved with a single mother, Charlene, who once had an affair with John Redcorn, and, like Nancy Gribble, has a half-Native American child who, like Joseph Gribble, is ignorant of her biological father's identity. Meanwhile, Joseph falls for Charlene's daughter, but everyone tries to keep him away from her as the two are related.
226	13	"The Accidental Terrorist"	Robin Brigstocke	Tim Croston & Chip Hall	March 2, 2008 (2008-03-02)	CABE04
Hank finds out his car salesman has been tricking him into overpaying for vehicle purchases, and in pursuit of recourse, gets tangled (and nearly prosecuted) in a botched plan cooked up by two college-aged activists.
227	14	"Lady and Gentrification"	Anthony Chun	Judah Miller & Murray Miller	March 9, 2008 (2008-03-09)	CABE05
Peggy inadvertently ruins Enrique's life when she sells a house in Enrique's neighborhood to a white hipster (voiced by Dax Shepard) who invites his hipster friends over to live in the same neighborhood. Meanwhile, Hank is asked to speak at Enrique's daughter Inez's quinceañera.
228	15	"Behind Closed Doors"	Tony Kluck	Christy Stratton	March 16, 2008 (2008-03-16)	CABE06
Tom Landry Middle School holds an emergency community meeting when Dooley goes missing in Arlen run by relationship expert Stephen Davies, who calls Peggy out on not keeping her family tight-knit.
229	16	"Pour Some Sugar on Kahn"	Tricia Garcia	Sanjay Shah	March 30, 2008 (2008-03-30)	CABE07
Kahn's father-in-law, General Gum, visits the Souphanousinphone family. The General gives Kahn a hard time and makes him feel like a failure. Kahn becomes depressed until he stumbles upon a Laotian karaoke bar where he becomes a star singing "The Morning After".
230	17	"Six Characters in Search of a House"	Ron Rubio	Erin Ehrlich	April 6, 2008 (2008-04-06)	CABE08
Peggy brings in a family of struggling actors to sell a house currently occupied by the strangest family in Arlen, and ends up making the Hill house appealing to customers looking to buy a house.
231	18	"The Courtship of Joseph's Father"	Michael Loya	Tony Gama-Lobo & Rebecca May	April 13, 2008 (2008-04-13)	CABE09
Joseph becomes the star quarterback at Tom Landry Middle School, and gives the school hope that they'll actually win this year -- until a wealthy prep school offers Joseph a chance to play for their school.
232	19	"Strangeness on a Train"	Kyounghee Lim	Jim Dauterive	April 27, 2008 (2008-04-27)	CABE10
Depressed over her past botched birthday parties, Peggy schedules a 1970s-style murder mystery party on a train, but when Dale ruins the surprise, thanks to Luanne's discovery of what her role is, a new mystery crops up — after Hank and Peg have sex in the train bathroom.
233	20	"Cops and Robert"	Ken Wong	Dave Schiff	May 4, 2008 (2008-05-04)	CABE11
When Hank accidentally steals another man's wallet (thinking that the man pickpocketed him), the man begins exacting his revenge on Hank. Meanwhile, Bobby gets sentenced to spend the day with the school security guard after being framed for throwing a soda can at him and Dale attempts to get a job at a Hooters-esque restaurant called "Bazooms" by citing sexual discrimination if he is not hired. Paul Sorvino guest stars.
234	21	"It Came from the Garage"	Robin Brigstocke	Blake McCormick	May 11, 2008 (2008-05-11)	CABE12
Hank and Bobby get in some father/son bonding time when Hank dumps the old team of Dale, Bill and Boomhauer to help Bobby in a boat-building competition. During the building process, Hank gets spooked by bats that invade the construction garage, forcing Bobby to do the building all alone.
235	22	"Life: A Loser's Manual"	Anthony Chun	Dan McGrath	May 18, 2008 (2008-05-18)	CABE13
Luanne's father/Peggy's brother Hoyt (voiced by Johnny Knoxville) returns to Arlen to stay with the family. Once he arrives, Peggy reveals to Hank that Hoyt (who was apparently hiding on an oil rig from his ex-wife) is in truth a no-good ex-con and that the myth was meant to protect Luanne, who is oblivious and couldn't handle the truth if she ever had to. Hoyt attempts to corrupt everyone, especially Lucky, and convinces him to take the fall when Hoyt is arrested for possessing drugs. Peggy and Hank must then unite to save the day, by getting Hoyt arrested and getting Lucky to recant his confession.

Season 13: 2008–10

Main article: King of the Hill (season 13)

Beginning with the episode "Lucky See, Monkey Do", King of the Hill started being produced in 720p high-definition. This was also the final season of King of the Hill. 20th Century Fox Television initially ordered 13 DABE production episodes, but decided to keep the show in production for four additional episodes (DABE14–DABE17). However, the network only aired the last of those four episodes (13 total for that production season), and confirmed it would not air the remaining four unaired episodes (DABE13–DABE16) in prime time, opting instead for syndication. These episodes premiered between May 3 and May 6, 2010, on local stations and premiered on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim line-up between May 17 and May 20, 2010, followed by the series finale (DABE17, "To Sirloin With Love") on May 21, 2010.

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
236	1	"Dia-BILL-ic Shock"	Ronald Rubio	Sanjay Shah	September 28, 2008 (2008-09-28)	CABE16
Bill, unwilling to change his sugary eating habits after collapsing from a blood sugar spike, is diagnosed with diabetes. When his first attempt to put it under control fails, a mean-spirited doctor tells him that he is going to lose his legs. After deciding to use a wheelchair (which he really does not need), he is befriended by a rugby player named Thunder, who teaches him how to be independent, but their friendship is strained when Thunder realizes Bill is not really disabled.
237	2	"Earthy Girls Are Easy"	Matt Engstrom	Paul Corrigan & Brad Walsh	October 5, 2008 (2008-10-05)	CABE17
A local paper plans to run a story about Strickland Propane illegally dumping old propane tanks into the river. Hank suggests the company go green, and when the ladies of Arlen hear of the eco-efforts made by the company, Dale decides to help out Strickland with their carbon off-sets to garner the attention of the girls. To impress the ladies, Mr. Strickland organizes an Earth benefit concert that goes wrong.
238	3	"Square-Footed Monster"	Kyounghee Lim	Jerry Collins	October 19, 2008 (2008-10-19)	CABE18
After Hank and the guys fix up the recently deceased Dotty Dwyer's house, Dotty's nephew sells the house to Ted Wassonasong. But when Ted has construction workers tear down the home to make way for a "McMansion" (and Kahn discovers that Ted didn't build the house to move into it), the Hill family and the rest of the neighborhood visit the City Council to protest the construction and must team up to tear it down when it falls apart during a thunderstorm.
239	4	"Lost in MySpace"	Tony Kluck	Judah Miller & Murray Miller	November 2, 2008 (2008-11-02)	CABE14
To boost business, Strickland Propane takes to advertising on the social media site MySpace, but when Donna is put in charge of creating the MySpace page, she uses the opportunity to make Strickland Propane look foolish and unprofessional. This eventually leads to Hank confronting Donna and she agrees to take down the negative content in exchange for him going easy on her. Meanwhile, Dale rents a pig to hunt truffles, loses it, and has to borrow Ladybird in order to track it down.
240	5	"No Bobby Left Behind"	Tricia Garcia	Tim Croston & Chip Hall	November 9, 2008 (2008-11-09)	CABE15
To raise the school's grade point average as part of the No Child Left Behind program, Bobby and Joseph are put into a "special needs" class, which irks Hank, who believes his son's mediocre grades are from lack of trying. And things get worse when Principal Moss lets the "special needs" kids go on a trip to Alamo Land on the same day as the honors students.
241	6	"A Bill Full of Dollars"	Steve Robertston	Dan McGrath	November 16, 2008 (2008-11-16)	CABE19
After losing money in the stock market, Peggy, Minh, and Dale decide to study an average man (Bill) in order to find out what sells among people like him.
242	7	"Straight as an Arrow"	Robin Brigstocke	Tony Gama-Lobo & Rebecca May	November 30, 2008 (2008-11-30)	CABE20
When Bobby decides to become a member of the Order of the Straight Arrow (even though it was established that Bobby is already a member according to the season one episode "Order of the Straight Arrow"), Hank decides to get involved as well, but when he bumps heads with the Arrowmaster, who happens to be a new resident of Arlen, Hank finds his teaching methods to be too childish, rather than being risky. Meanwhile, Lucky and Luanne shake their neighbors down for gifts after realizing no one gave them anything on their wedding day or their baby shower.
243	8	"Lucky See, Monkey Do"	Kyounghee Lim	Paul Corrigan & Brad Walsh	February 8, 2009 (2009-02-08)	DABE01
When Peggy plans a baby shower for Luanne, Lucky invites his sister Myrna and her children to the party. Myrna has conflicting parenting information to give Luanne, and is described by Peggy as a "modern mother". Meanwhile, Bill falls for a fast-food hotline operator's voice and travels to Arizona to find the woman behind the voice.
244	9	"What Happens at the National Propane Gas Convention in Memphis Stays at the National Propane Gas Convention in Memphis"	Ronald Rubio	Jim Dauterive	February 15, 2009 (2009-02-15)	DABE02
When Buck Strickland is invited to the National Propane Gas Convention as the newest inductee into the Propane Hall of Flame, he asks Hank to accompany him. Although Hank is honored, he quickly realizes his primary responsibility will be babysitting Buck and preventing him from getting into trouble. Hank's job is made that much more difficult when Buck meets his illegitimate son Ray Roy (guest voice Diedrich Bader) at the convention and stays out late carousing with him.
245	10	"Master of Puppets"	Tony Kluck	Blake McCormick	March 1, 2009 (2009-03-01)	DABE03
When Hank and Peggy forget to pick up Bobby at the mall, he begins using emotional blackmail to get them to do whatever he wants as revenge. Meanwhile, Dale camps out in the backyard after seeing a "survive in the wild" reality show.
246	11	"Bwah My Nose"	Jeff Myers	Judah Miller & Murray Miller	March 8, 2009 (2009-03-08)	DABE04
During a football game practice for an upcoming rematch, Bill breaks Hank's nose. After trying to live with the injury, Hank reluctantly gets plastic surgery...and becomes hung up on his looks.
247	12	"Uncool Customer"	Tricia Garcia	Christy Stratton	March 15, 2009 (2009-03-15)	DABE05
After Peggy finds out that she is not cool, she befriends one of Arlen's most glamorous and coolest moms in an effort to learn how to be cool. Meanwhile, Bobby joins a Cotillion class so he can be a proper gentleman and Hank finds a restaurant that sells delicious meatloaf sandwiches, but has a bizarre seating arrangement.
248	13	"Nancy Does Dallas"	Michael Loya	Tony Gama-Lobo & Rebecca May	March 22, 2009 (2009-03-22)	DABE06
Nancy cheats and back-stabs her way to being top news anchor after being promoted to a Dallas station, and soon finds the ride downhill to be a bumpy one — especially when she appears at the Thanksgiving Day parade drunk. Meanwhile, Dale conducts a hare-brained experiment by turning the house into an igloo.
249	14	"Born Again on the Fourth of July"	Ken Wong	Erin Ehrlich	April 19, 2009 (2009-04-19)	DABE07
Hank gets involved in a neighborhood war over Independence Day decorations, while a misbehaving Bobby is scared into righteousness by a fire-and-brimstone preacher.
250	15	"Serves Me Right for Giving General George S. Patton the Bathroom Key"	Steve Robertson	Tim Croston & Chip Hall	April 26, 2009 (2009-04-26)	DABE08
Hank receives a special delivery of his recently deceased father's personal belongings, including a list of bizarre final requests – one of which calls for Hank to flush Cotton's ashes in the toilet of a bar once used by General George S. Patton. Meanwhile, Dale and Bill bicker over an empty beer can Dale discarded in Bill's yard and will not pick up.
251	16	"Bad News Bill"	Ronald Rubio	Dave Schiff	May 3, 2009 (2009-05-03)	DABE10
When Hank tries to be realistic about Bobby's below-average baseball abilities, he is vilified by Bobby's over-enthusiastic Little League coach, who only wants to set Bobby up for disappointment. Meanwhile, Bill is hired as the head of the baseball field's snack counter.
252	17	"Manger Baby Einstein"	Kyounghee Lim	Sanjay Shah	May 10, 2009 (2009-05-10)	DABE09
While adjusting to her new career and life as a mom, Luanne resurrects her Manger Baby puppets and, with help from John Redcorn, starts a series of direct-to-DVD educational shows, but risks selling out when the franchise grows stale and other entertainers line up to take her place. Meanwhile, Dale writes a children's book about a lost bullet wanting to get home to find its gun.
253	18	"Uh-oh, Canada"	Tony Kluck	Jerry Collins	May 17, 2009 (2009-05-17)	DABE11
Boomhauer vacations in Quebec and meets a beautiful French-Canadian woman. Meanwhile, a Canadian family living in Boomhauer's house for the summer irks Hank.
254	19	"The Boy Can't Help It"	Jeff Myers	Dan McGrath	September 13, 2009 (2009-09-13)	DABE12
Bobby becomes quite the ladies' man when several girls in his class consider him a potential date for the Homecoming dance, but Hank is worried that Bobby is being used. Meanwhile, Hank and the guys try to put together the ultimate shopping cart for a local homeless man.
255	20	"The Honeymooners"	Tricia Garcia	Paul Corrigan & Brad Walsh	May 3, 2010 (2010-05-03)	DABE13
Hank is shocked when his mother announces she is marrying a man she has only known for a few weeks and broke up with her longtime boyfriend. Soon after, the newlyweds celebrate by purchasing an RV and heading to Hank's. When Hank's mom and new stepfather have a heated argument, she takes off with the RV and Hank is left to rescue his mother once again.
256	21	"Bill Gathers Moss"	Michael Loya	Aron Abrams & Gregory Thompson	May 4, 2010 (2010-05-04)	DABE14
Feeling lonely (and inspired by a cheesy sitcom about the wacky adventures of two roommates), Bill decides to take in roommates, but things take a turn for the worse when Bill is forced to take in a homeless Principal Moss (who recently lost his house and his car in a divorce and has been reduced to living in the school after hours, which Bobby and Joseph mistake for the paranormal activity of a dead homecoming queen), a former Playboy Bunny, and a Russian counterfeiter, who uses Moss to sell his wares at Tom Landry Middle School.
257	22	"When Joseph Met Lori, and Made Out with Her in the Janitor's Closet"	Ken Wong	Sanjay Shah	May 5, 2010 (2010-05-05)	DABE15
Joseph goes out with a girl who wants their relationship to become physical and goes to Dale for advice, but Dale checks himself into a mental hospital to avoid giving his son the sex talk. Meanwhile, Nancy competes with her coworkers to find the most compelling human interest story to broadcast on the air.
258	23	"Just Another Manic Kahn-Day"	Jack Perkins & Steve Robertson	Jennifer Barrow	May 6, 2010 (2010-05-06)	DABE16
Hank advises Kahn not to pick up his medication at the pharmacy, until he realizes that Kahn needs his medication to curb his manic-depressive mood swings, though Hank must choose between giving Kahn his medicine or exploiting his neighbor's manic energy in order to create a top-of-the-line grill. Meanwhile, Bobby tries to find the humor in a "Raymond J. Johnson, Jr." comedy record after his parents and other adults claim it is funny.
259	24	"To Sirloin with Love"	Kyounghee Lim	Jim Dauterive Tony Gama-Lobo & Rebecca May Christy Stratton	September 13, 2009 (2009-09-13)	DABE17
Hank discovers that Bobby has a talent for inspecting and distinguishing cuts of beef (a skill Hank taught Bobby ever since he was a baby, but wasn't made apparent until now), and puts Bobby on a meat-inspecting team run by Heimlich County's community college.

Reception

Critical response

King of the Hill received critical acclaim over its 13-year run. Early reviews of the show were positive. Diane Holloway at the Chicago Tribune considered it the "most Texan television series since Dallas", and praised the show's "sly sense of humor and subversive sensibility." At the Los Angeles Times, writer Howard Rosenberg suggested that the show "totes a few smiles, but [there's] little to bowl you over, and it takes a spell getting used to." The show's first season received an approval rating of 83% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on sixteen reviews. Its consensus reads, "King of the Hill's mild yet extremely funny depiction of small-town Texas life is refreshingly worlds away from conventional prime-time animation." While the fifth and thirteenth seasons received more critical praise with a 100% approval rating.

At the show's conclusion, James Poniewozik at Time opined that it had "quietly been the best family comedy on TV", calling the show's ending "one of the most moving things I've seen on TV this year." Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger described it as "sweeter and more human than the great majority of live-action sitcoms that overlapped its run." Genevieve Koski of The A.V. Club described the program as a "steadfast, down-to-earth series", while noting "the show saw its fair share of silly conceits and contrived setups—and got fairly repetitive in the final seasons."

Writers have examined the show through a political lens. "It's not a political show", said Mike Judge in 1997. "It's more a populist, common sense point of view." In 2005, Matt Bai of The New York Times Magazine called it "the most subtle and complex portrayal of small-town voters on television." A 2016 reappraisal from The Atlantic dubbed it the "last bipartisan TV comedy", with writer Bert Clere noting the program "imbued all of its characters with a rich humanity that made their foibles deeply sympathetic. In this, King of the Hill was far ahead of its time, and the broader TV landscape has yet to catch up."

As of 2014, King of the Hill was ranked No. 27 on IGN's "Top 100 Animated TV Series". In 2013, TV Guide ranked King of the Hill as one of the top 60 Greatest TV Cartoons of All Time.

Ratings

Season		No. of episodes	Originally aired			Nielsen ratings
			Time slot (ET)	Season premiere	Season finale	Ranking	Viewers (in millions)
1st	1996–97	12	Sunday 8:30 pm	January 12, 1997	May 11, 1997	#43	8.6
2nd	1997–98	23		September 21, 1997	May 17, 1998	#15	16.3
3rd	1998–99	25	Tuesday 8:00 pm	September 15, 1998	May 18, 1999	#110	7.9
4th	1999–2000	24	Sunday 7:30 pm	September 26, 1999	May 21, 2000	#77	8.7
5th	2000–01	20		October 1, 2000	May 13, 2001	#68	9.5
6th	2001–02	22	Sunday 7:30 pm (Episodes 1-2, 4-20, 22) Wednesday 7:00 pm (Episode 3) Sunday 7:00 pm (Episode 21)	November 11, 2001	May 12, 2002	#90	7.7
7th	2002–03	23	Sunday 8:30 pm (Episodes 1-3, 6-8, 10) Sunday 7:30 pm (Episodes 4-5, 9, 11-12, 14-21, 23) Sunday 7:00 pm (Episodes 13, 22)	November 3, 2002	May 18, 2003	#68	9.5
8th	2003–04	22	Sunday 7:30 pm (Episodes 1-9, 15-22) Sunday 7:00 pm (Episodes 10-14)	November 2, 2003	May 23, 2004	#118	6.4
9th	2004–05	15	Sunday 7:00 pm (Episode 1, 3-6, 8-15) Sunday 9:30 pm (Episodes 2, 7)	November 7, 2004	May 15, 2005	#110	4.8
10th	2005–06	15	Sunday 7:30 pm	September 18, 2005	May 14, 2006	#111	5.2
11th	2006–07	12	Sunday 8:30 pm (Episodes 1-5) Sunday 7:30 pm (Episodes 6, 8-10, 12) Sunday 7:00 pm (Episodes 7, 11)	January 28, 2007	May 20, 2007	#109	5.5
12th	2007–08	22	Sunday 8:30 pm (Episodes 1-6, 8-22) Sunday 7:00 pm (Episode 7)	September 23, 2007	May 18, 2008	#105	6.6
13th	2008–09	24	Sunday 8:30 pm (Episodes 1-13, 16-18, 20) Sunday 7:30 pm (Episodes 14-15) Sunday 8:00 pm (Episode 19)	September 28, 2008	September 13, 2009	#95	6.0

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result
1997	Annie Awards	Best Animated TV Program	20th Century Fox and Film Roman Productions	Nominated
		Best Individual Achievement: Directing in a TV Production	John Rice (for "Keeping Up with Our Joneses")	Nominated
		Best Individual Achievement: Voice Acting by a Female Performer in a TV Production	Brittany Murphy (as Luanne Platter)	Nominated
		Best Individual Achievement: Voice Acting by a Male Performer in a TV Production	Mike Judge (as Hank Hill)	Nominated
		Best Individual Achievement: Writing in a TV Production	Paul Lieberstein (for "Luanne's Saga")	Nominated
			Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland (for "Shins of the Father")	Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less)	Greg Daniels, Mike Judge, Howard Klein, Michael Rotenberg, et al. (for "Square Peg")	Nominated
	TCA Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Comedy	King of the Hill	Nominated
1998	Annie Awards	Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Primetime or Late Night Television Program	20th Century Fox Television, Deedle-Dee Productions, Judgemental Films, and 3 Arts Entertainment	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Television Production	Kathy Najimy (as Peggy Hill)	Nominated
	BMI Film & TV Awards	BMI TV Music Award	John O'Connor, Roger Neill, and Lance Rubin	Won
	Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Cartoon	King of the Hill	Nominated
	Golden Reel Award	Best Sound Editing – Television Animated Specials	"The Unbearable Blindness of Laying"	Nominated
		Best Sound Editing – Television Animation – Music	King of the Hill	Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less)	Greg Daniels, Mike Judge, Howard Klein, Michael Rotenberg, et al. (for "Texas City Twister")	Nominated
1999	Annie Awards	Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Program	20th Century Fox Television	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement for Writing in an Animated Television Production	Jim Dauterive (for "Hank's Cowboy Movie")	Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less)	Greg Daniels, Mike Judge, Howard Klein, Michael Rotenberg, Richard Appel, et al. (for "And They Call It Bobby Love")	Won
2000	Annie Awards	Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Television Production	Kyoung Hee Lim and Boo Hwan Lim (for "Won't You Pimai Neighbor?")	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Television Production	Brittany Murphy (as Luanne Platter in "Movin' on Up")	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Television Production	Mike Judge (as Hank Hill in "Hanky Panky")	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement for Writing in an Animated Television Production	Garland Testa (for "Aisle 8A")	Nominated
2001	American Comedy Awards	Funniest Television Series – Animated	King of the Hill	Nominated
	Annie Awards	Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Television Production	Kathy Najimy (as Peggy Hill in "Luanne Virgin 2.0")	Won
		Outstanding Individual Achievement for Writing in an Animated Television Production	Garland Testa (for "Chasing Bobby")	Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour)	Greg Daniels, Mike Judge, Richard Appel, Howard Klein, Michael Rotenberg, et al. (for "Chasing Bobby")	Nominated
2002	Annie Awards	Outstanding Writing in an Animated Television Production	Norm Hiscock (for "Bobby Goes Nuts")	Won
			Kit Boss (for "A Man Without a Country Club")	Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Voice-Over Performance	Pamela Adlon (as Bobby Hill, Clark Peters, and Chane Wassanasong in "Bobby Goes Nuts")	Won
		Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour)	Greg Daniels, Mike Judge, Richard Appel, Howard Klein, Michael Rotenberg, et al. (for "Bobby Goes Nuts")	Nominated
2003	Annie Awards	Outstanding Writing in an Animated Television Production	Tony Gama-Lobo and Rebecca May (for "Reborn to Be Wild")	Nominated
	GLAAD Media Awards	Outstanding Individual Episode (In a Series Without a Regular Gay Character)	"My Own Private Rodeo"	Nominated
	WGA Awards	Animation	Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck (for "My Own Private Rodeo")	Nominated
2004	Annie Awards	Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production	Brittany Murphy (as Luanne Platter in "Girl, You'll Be a Giant Soon")	Won
		Writing in an Animated Television Production	Etan Cohen (for "Ceci N'est Pas Une King of the Hill")	Won
	WGA Awards	Animation	Tony Gama-Lobo and Rebecca May (for "Reborn to Be Wild")	Nominated
2005	Annie Awards	Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production	Johnny Hardwick (as Dale Gribble in "Smoking and the Bandit")	Nominated
2006	Annie Awards	Best Animated Television Production	20th Century Fox Television	Nominated
	Teen Choice Awards	TV – Choice Animated Show	King of the Hill	Nominated
2007	People's Choice Awards	Favorite TV Comedy – Animated	King of the Hill	Nominated
	WGA Awards	Animation	Jim Dauterive (for "Church Hopping")	Nominated
2008	Annie Awards	Best Animated Television Production	20th Century Fox Television	Nominated
	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Animated TV Comedy	King of the Hill	Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour)	Mike Judge, Greg Daniels, John Altschuler, Dave Krinsky, Jim Dauterive, Garland Testa, et al. (for "Death Picks Cotton")	Nominated
	WGA Awards	Animation	Jim Dauterive (for "Lucky's Wedding Suit")	Nominated
			Tony Gama-Lobo and Rebecca May (for "The Passion of the Dauterive")	Nominated
2009	Prism Awards	Comedy Episode	"Dia-BILL-ic Shock"	Won
	WGA Awards	Animation	Jim Dauterive (for "Strangeness on a Train")	Nominated
			Dan McGrath (for "Life: A Loser's Manual")	Nominated

Home media

Main article: List of King of the Hill home video releases

The first six seasons were released on DVD by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment from 2003 to 2006. The seventh season was originally planned to be released in late 2006, but it was delayed, most likely due to poor sales of the DVDs, the release was cancelled. However, in 2014, Olive Films acquired the sub-license to release future seasons of the show, and seasons seven and eight were released on November 18, of that same year, with nine and ten released on April 7, 2015, eleven released on August 25, 2015, twelve released on September 22, 2015, and thirteen released (also Blu-ray) on October 20, 2015.

Netflix and Fox streamed all episodes, but stopped streaming on October 1, 2013, and in early 2017, the series was removed from iTunes and Google Play, though it returned to the latter later that year. As of May 2018, all episodes were again removed from Google Play and iTunes.

On November 1, 2018, all episodes became available for streaming on Hulu in the US. In some countries, the series was unavailable to stream or buy digitally, since Hulu is only available in the United States. However in 2022, the series was made available internationally on Disney+ through the Star hub.

Title	Episodes	DVD release date			Blu-ray release date (Region A)
		Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
The Complete First Season	12	July 1, 2003	March 13, 2006	March 15, 2006	TBA
The Complete Second Season	23	November 11, 2003	March 13, 2006	May 23, 2006	TBA
The Complete Third Season	25	December 28, 2004	August 28, 2006	September 26, 2006	TBA
The Complete Fourth Season	24	May 3, 2005	January 15, 2007	June 19, 2007	TBA
The Complete Fifth Season	20	November 22, 2005	February 26, 2007	April 23, 2008	TBA
The Complete Sixth Season	22	May 2, 2006	July 27, 2015	TBA	TBA
The Complete Seventh Season	23	November 18, 2014	July 27, 2015	TBA	TBA
The Complete Eighth Season	22	November 18, 2014	August 24, 2015	TBA	TBA
The Complete Ninth Season	15	April 7, 2015	August 24, 2015	TBA	TBA
The Complete Tenth Season	15	April 7, 2015	February 29, 2016	TBA	TBA
The Complete Eleventh Season	12	August 25, 2015	February 29, 2016	TBA	TBA
The Complete Twelfth Season	22	September 22, 2015	March 28, 2016	TBA	TBA
The Complete Thirteenth Season	24	October 20, 2015	April 4, 2016	TBA	October 20, 2015

The show aired in broadcast syndication from 2001 to 2020. From September 2004 to December 2008, FX aired the series daily nationwide. The show later aired on Cartoon Network's late-night programming block Adult Swim from January 1, 2009, to June 29, 2018. The series then aired short-lived reruns on Comedy Central and CMT from July 24, 2018, until November 2019, when the series was pulled from their lineups. However, the series joined FXX's lineup on September 20, 2021; shortly thereafter, Adult Swim regained partial syndication, and so FXX and Adult Swim share the syndication rights as of November 22, 2021.

Video game

A video game based on the series was released on November 13, 2000, for the PC. The player goes on a hunting trip with Hank and the gang where the player must hunt for various animals. The game received mixed to negative reviews. The characters also appeared in a crossover game, Animation Throwdown: The Quest for Cards, which features not only King of the Hill, but also Family Guy, American Dad!, Futurama, Bob's Burgers, and (as of September 2022) Archer. They are also playable characters in a 2022 racing game, Warped Kart Racers, also featuring Family Guy and American Dad!, as well as Solar Opposites.

Archival sources

• The King of the Hill Production Archive 1995–2006 (75 linear ft) is housed at the Wittliff Collections, Texas State University in San Marcos.

External links

• King of the Hill at IMDb
• King of the Hill at epguides.com
• King of the Hill at the Big Cartoon DataBase
• King of the Hill on Comedy Central