King of the Hill Loses Crown

The final episode of King of the Hill will air on FOX from 8 to 9 PM tonight.

I will watch with sadness and utter disappointment while mourning the loss of one of my favorite television staples. While some TV shows seem to go on forever from season to season into obscurity, only to fade out in hyped fanfair, King of the Hill has been a crowd favorite since the first episode aired on January 12, 1997.

The Hill family, though animated, appears more “real” than many sitcom families portrayed on television today. Situated in Arlen, Texas, Hank, Peggy, and Bobby Hill live together in a typical average ranch style suburban home in a typical average redneck middle class neighborhood. Hank Hill, a mild mannered propane salesman, is frequently taken advantage of when his calm demeanor is mistaken as a sign of weakness. Peggy Hill, his wife, is an ignorant and egotistical self-righteous individual who prefers to drive with her brights on, failing to dim them to oncoming traffic. Bobby Hill is their unfortunate prodigy, who’s dreams of someday becoming a stand-up comic are frequently stifled by his unworldly parents.

The show opens with a distinct original cow punk song by The Refreshments. While Hank Hill, his buddies: bugman Dale Gribble, heart throb mumbler Boomhauer, and slightly neurotic barber Bill Dauterive, stand outside the fence and drink cheap American beers, Hill’s wife Peggy, their son Bobby, and Peggy’s niece Luanne, move an old couch to the curb and change a flat tire without help from any of the men. It isn’t until Peggy brings Hank the customary “bag of trash to take out,” a man’s job, that the buddies disappear and leave Hank to do his dirty work.

Why is FOX ending the show?

It’s all about airtime. FOX needs to sacrifice King of the Hill to make room for two new animated shows they will launch on Sundays, The Cleveland Show, and Sit Down, Shut Up. (according to TV Series Finale)

I must admit, that I rarely watched King of the Hill on Sunday nights in its timeslot at 8:30 PM after the Simpson’s. I’m usually still out and about until 9 PM, enjoying a last hoorah before the end of the weekend. Instead, I prefer to watch the show in reruns, primarily on Adult Swim, which will continue to air the show every night at 10 PM (channel 36 on Brighthouse in Orlando, same as Cartoon Network).