King of the Hill premiered on Fox in 1997 and became an instant hit for the network, which aired for over a decade. From creator Mike Judge, the audience probably tuned in to expect something similar to his previous series Beavis and Butthead. Yet King of the Hill was a notably different series, one that focused on the Hill family and its patriarch, Hank Hill, who sell propane and propane accessories. His wife Peggy is a substitute Spanish teacher who thinks she is more talented than she really is. Bobby Hill, Hank and Peggy’s son, aspires to become a props comic, and Luanne Platter, Hank and Peggy’s niece, is often very naive about the world around her, but has a big heart.
The Hill family is a traditionally conservative household, in a traditionally red state like Texas, which has led some people to re-watch the series in the wake of the 2016 election, with many wondering who the various characters might have voted for. during the elections and how they would navigate in today’s world. With rumors of a King of the Hill revival is circulating, and a possible time jump for the series, this is certainly one possibility the show will address.
Despite the fixed dressing, King of the Hill is a series about American conservatism and liberalism coming together to find common ground. The series focuses less on political ideology and more on moral character. This is how King of the Hill can be the antidote to political division.
Hank Hill’s politics are motivated by common sense
Fans of King of the Hill know that Hank Hill is deeply committed to what he believes. Hank identifies as a Republican, and he certainly disagrees with hippies and government bureaucracy. Above all, he believes in hard work. However, Hank doesn’t just adapt to the completely conservative ideology. He acknowledges things like America’s mistreatment of indigenous peoples and even continued to practice yoga, despite thinking it was a hippie activity, because it allowed him to continue working.
Many of Hank’s beliefs are determined not by politics, but by his own sense of morality and common sense. For example, in the Season 12 episode titled “Raising the Stakes,” Hank gets involved in the organic food industry. Hank embraces organic food practices because it only makes for generally better tasting meats, which makes sense to him as an assistant manager of Strickland Propane.
Hank’s Faith in 2000 Republican candidate George W. Bush is shocked, not by any political platform, but by the discovery that he has a limp handshake. This causes a crisis for Hank, who almost misses the vote. Although Hank eventually votes, it is never revealed who he voted for, showing that Hank is not shaped by political ideology, but by something more personal. This makes him a television character that viewers across the political spectrum can identify with.
Break the chain
King of the Hill is a generational show, with the stark contrast between the adult cast and the various children. A constant tug-of-war throughout the series is between the generational differences between Hank and his son Bobby, requiring both of them to better understand each other. Hank is often shocked by a changing world, but also throughout the series he continues to change or adjust his own prejudices to fit within his own established worldview. Meanwhile, Bobby may not pick up on his father’s hard-working attitude, but he does look up to Hank, and the lessons both Hank and Peggy take from their son will help shape him and guide him through the world.
The generation gap is further highlighted by Hank’s relationship with his own father, Cotton Hill. Cotton is a World War II vet who likes to remind people that he lost his shins and killed 50 men, but he was also cruel and unloving to both Hank and Hank’s mother. Even though Hank isn’t the most affectionate with Bobby or Peggy, he still takes care of them and shows his love in his own way. He wants to be a better person than his father was, and wants Bobby to have a better future than he had.
Bobby Hill is the key to the king
Despite Hank constantly saying “that boy is wrong” regarding Bobby, he is the ideal version of the man Hank imagines. Many of the ideal candidates that Hank pursues, but doesn’t quite have, are all present in Bobby. The series establishes that Bobby is a great shooter, something that Hank struggles with. Hank’s judgmental WW2 veteran father Cotton has more love and appreciation for Bobby than he ever had for Hank.
Meanwhile, Bobby proves to be mentally stronger than Cotton, as he lasted longer than his grandfather in solitary confinement at military school. Bobby also seems to symbolize a more modern Texas, as in the world of the King of the Hill series, it is strongly suggested that he is the reincarnated version of the Dalai Lama, signifying an association between traditional American conservatism and spiritual Buddhist teachings.
Fittingly in the series finale, Hank and Bobby connect their love of meat and grilling, as Bobby displays a natural talent for identifying meat. In a moment of father-son bonding, Hank installs a second grill next to his so he and Bobby can cook together. As the Hill’s neighbors drop by for a meal together, Bobby notes that it’s the last one (referring to a steak but also the last episode) and Hank assures Bobby that he’ll be doing this for years and it’s just the beginning. . symbolizes that father has passed on the best to his son and will carry that son with him to improve for the next generation.
King of the Hill shows the many different complicated facets of a person, and how they often don’t fit into one simple box that can be ticked off a simple political division. Dale Gribble, the conspiratorial member of Hank’s group of friends, is an active gun club member and the sort of person who would be portrayed in traditional media as a stereotypical narrow-minded conservative, yet he is open-minded when he discovers his father is gay.
Khan and Minh Souphanousinphone, the Hill’s Laotian neighbors, often refer to their neighbors as hillbillies and rednecks, but they also show a certain appreciation and care for them. Khan and Minh may not want to admit it, but it is their proximity to their neighbors that has made them better people and also influenced their daughter Connie.
Often, king of the hill shows that the community is made up of different individuals with different political and ideological beliefs, they have more in common than they realize. Much of the series is less about Hank and his friends forcing their way onto others (except maybe their own children), but more about making sure that they and by extension the rest of Arlen can live their best life as they need to. deem. This is why the first scene of the series is a group of friends just having a drink, and the last scene of the series is all the neighbors getting together to enjoy a nice meal. It is a collection of people and ideas that define a community and shape a person.