About

It is the second-longest continuously running animated comedy on American television, behind only The Simpsons. It debuted in 1997 and depicts the Hills, a suburban Methodist family proud of its Texas heritage. Unlike some other animated sitcoms that feature wacky or outlandish situations, King of the Hill attempts to retain realism, seeking humor in the otherwise conventional. The series' popularity has also led to syndication by many local affiliates and FX Networks as well as a number of international networks.
King of the Hill documents the Hill family's daily life, regularly forcing characters to question their values when they are confronted with the values of others, including their Laotian neighbors, the Souphanousinphones, or even their son Bobby. Themes include friendship, family, masculinity and gender roles, and episodes have focused on women's liberation, sex education, sexual harassment, ethnic diversity, and patriotism. The title theme was written and performed by The Refreshments.
The series is the brainchild of Beavis and Butt-Head creator Mike Judge. After a successful run of Beavis and Butt-Head on MTV, he co-created King of the Hill with former Simpsons writer Greg Daniels in 1997. Judge is a former resident of Dallas suburb Garland, Texas. However the inspiration for the fictional town name Arlen is Temple, Texas, based on locations noted throughout the show both in word and on maps in various episodes.
King of the Hill reached its milestone 200th episode ("Edu-macating Lucky") on May 14, 2006. This indicates the hour-long "Returning Japanese" is considered to be one episode by FOX, despite its being split into two for syndication. FOX has done this with other shows including The Simpsons, whose 300th episode, "Barting Over", was actually the 302nd episode aired.
In addition to the regular cast, King of the Hill has featured special guest voice appearances by the likes of Chris Rock, Jennifer Aniston, Matthew McConaughey, Meryl Streep, Bernie Mac, Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Phillippe, Kid Rock, Pamela Anderson, Heather Locklear, Willie Nelson, Sally Field, Billy Bob Thornton, Lisa Kudrow, Renee Zellweger, Brad Pitt and Ben Stiller, No Doubt and the Dixie Chicks.