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King of the Hill: How to watch the adult animated comedy in release and chronological order

How to watch King of the Hill in release and chronological order

If you’re on the hunt for propane (or propane accessories) then take a trip to Arlen, Texas. The small town is home to Hank Hill, the best propane (and propane accessories) salesman in America. Hank is a simple man who knows what he likes, loves his family, and doesn’t always understand the changing world around him. At the end of the day, Hank wants to be a good propane (and propane accessories) salesman, a good husband, a good father, a good neighbor, and a good citizen. 

King of the Hill premiered on Fox in 1997. Created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, the adult animated comedy was never as wacky as The Simpsons, or as crass as Judge’s previous creation Beavis and Butt-Head. King of the Hill was a heartwarming show that focused on family, blue-collar Americans, racism, grief, and more. The series became a fan favorite, winning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program in 1999. 

The series ended its original run in 2009, but this year it will return for a new season on Hulu this August. This means it’s the perfect time to rewatch the series or watch it for the first time. Not sure where to begin? Not to worry, Popverse has you covered! This guide will tell you everything you need to know about watching King of the Hill. 

How to watch King of the Hill in release order

 

Watching King of the Hill in release order is one of the easiest things you’ll ever do. As of this writing, the show doesn’t have any spinoffs or sequels to keep track of. Simply start with the first episode of season one and keep going until you get to season 13. If you’re reading this after August 4, that means you’ll also be able to watch the season 14 relaunch on Hulu! 

If you’re curious about the show’s connection to The Simpsons and other adult animated comedies, we have a section for that later in the guide.


How to watch King of the Hill in chronological order

 

King of the Hill’s chronological order is more or less the same as its release order. In other words, if you’re looking to watch the show in chronological order, just follow the same list seen in the release order section of this guide.

However, some episodes have flashbacks to earlier points in the lives of Arlen's citizens. If you want to watch the various flashbacks in chronological order, here’s how to do it. Please note, King of the Hill has a sliding timescale, so any effort to attach a particular date to any event will simply give you a headache.

  • Season one episode eight ‘Shins of the Father’ – A flashback depicts Cotton Hill’s service during World War II.
  • Season six episode 21 ‘Returning Japanese’ – Flashback to Cotton’s days in Japan after World War II.
  • Season five episode 10 ‘Yankee Hankee’ – Flashback to Hank Hill’s birth.
  • Season one episode three ‘Order of the Straight Arrow’ – Brief flashback depicting Hank, Bill, Dale, and Boomhauer as young kids.
  • Season two episode four ‘Hilloween’ – Flashback shows Hank and his friends trick or treating as children.
  • Season one episode two ‘Square Peg’ – A childhood flashback featuring Peggy.
  • Season three episode 17 ‘Escape from Party Island’- Childhood flashback showing Hank around the time his parents divorced.
  • Season five episode 12 ‘Now Who’s the Dummy?’ – Flashback to Dale’s childhood.
  • Season seven episode two ‘The Fat and the Furious’ – Dale is seen as a fifth grader.
  • Season two episode six ‘Husky Bobby’- A brief flashback depicts Hank as a middle-schooler.
  • Season four episode 19 ‘Hank’s Bad Hair Day’ – Hank is seen as a teenager in a flashback
  • Season two episode 14 ‘I Remember Mono’- High school flashback to the beginning of Hank and Peggy’s relationship.
  • Season one episode ten ‘Keeping Up with Our Joneses’- Flashback to the early days of Hank and Peggy’s relationship.
  • Season two episode nine ‘The Company Man’ – Flashback shows Hank’s first meeting with Buck Strickland.
  • Season six episode 18 ‘My Own Private Rodeo’- Dale and Nancy’s wedding is seen
  • Season three episode four ‘Pregnant Paws’ – Flashbacks to Hank and Peggy’s early days with Ladybird shortly before Bobby was born.
  • Season 13 episode 24 ‘ To Sirloin With Love’ – Flashback depicts Bobby as a baby.
  • Season 13 episode 16 ‘ Bad News Bill’ – Brief flashback to Bobby playing T-ball a few years prior to the start of the series.

Is King of the Hill coming back in 2025?

Yes, Hulu was ordered new episodes of King of Hill! The show will return for season 14 on August 4. Every episode will be available on the same day, so you can binge the entire season in a single sitting.


Is King of the Hill a conservative show?

This is a loaded question, because King of the Hill can be seen as somewhat of a Rorschach test. In other words, you might find liberal ideology in the show if you look for it, and you might see conservative ideology if you’re looking for that. Hank Hill has conservative values, but he doesn’t always vote Republican. The 2000 episode ‘The Perils of Polling’ portrays Hank facing a crisis of conscience when he realizes George W. Bush has a weak handshake. As a result, Hank isn’t sure who to vote for in the 2000 presidential election. The episode ends without revealing who Hank voted for.

It's worth noting that being a conservative and being a liberal meant something different during King of the Hill’s original run. Many viewers believe that Hank would turn his back on what the modern Republican Party stands for, but that’s a complex issue that we don’t have the space to fully examine here.

Does Dale ever find out about John Redcorn?

One of the funniest running gags in the series is Dale’s obliviousness to his wife Nancy’s affair with John Redcorn. Dale seems to be the only person in the neighborhood who isn’t aware of their affair, or the fact that John Redcorn is the biological father of Dale’s son Joseph. While there are some fan theories that say Dale is playing dumb, there is no evidence in the show itself that Dale ever found out. However, it’s possible that something could happen in the 2025 Hulu relaunch.

Who did Snoop Dogg play in King of the Hill?

Snoop Dogg voices a pimp named Alabaster Jones in the season five episode ‘Ho Yeah.’ His character mistakes Hank for a rival pimp and confronts him about stealing one of his whores. This results in one of the funniest moments of the series, as Hank pretends to be a pimp and succeeds in intimidating Alabaster.

What’s the deal with Tom Anderson from Beavis and Butt-Head?

If you’ve ever seen Beavis and Butthead, the character Tom Anderson might seem familiar. Tom Anderson’s voice and mannerisms are eerily similar to Hank Hill. This is because both characters were created by and voiced by Mike Judge. Tom Anderson first appeared in the second season of Beavis and Butt-Head, four years before King of the Hill’s 1997 series premiere.

According to Judge, when he was developing King of the Hill, he had the idea that Tom was Hank Hill’s father. However, Fox turned down this idea, and the character of Cotton Hill was created instead. This would’ve taken the show in a different direction, as Cotton’s personality is miles away from Tom Anderson.

What shows has King of the Hill crossed over with?

 

King of the Hill has had a few crossovers with other animated comedies, but none of them are canon. Here is a brief rundown.

  • The Simpsons – The Hill family and their neighbors attend a pee-wee football game between Springfield and Arlen during the 1997 episode ‘Bart Star.’ Mike Judge has one line, “We drove 2,000 miles for this.” According to King of the Hill producer Greg Daniels, the cameo was a gag, and the two shows don’t exist in the same universe.  
  • The Cleveland Show – Hank Hill is seen in a rehab facility during the 2012 episode ‘Das Shrimp Boot.’ Judge reprises his role as Hank, telling the other rehab patients that he inhaled too much propane.
  • Family Guy – Hank has a dream that he’s in Lois and Peter’s bedroom during the episode ‘Bigfat.’ Mike Judge voices Hank for this scene. The series also contains numerous jokes and references to King of the Hill, but they shouldn’t be considered canon.
  • Silver Surfer – Hank offers to upgrade the Silver Surfer’s board in a special bumper created for the Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup.
  • Space Goofs – Hank and Peggy were seen in alongside the Space Goofs characters in a series of special bumpers created for the Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup.
  • Bless the Harts – An adult animated comedy created by Emily Spivey, a former King of the Hill writer. While no characters have crossed over, Bless the Harts is said to be in the same universe as King of the Hill. The fictional superstore Mega Lo Mart can be seen in both shows.
  • Warped Kart Racers – While it’s not a television series, it’s worth noting that Hank Hill is a playable character in the Warped Kart Racers. Hank races alongside other adult animation characters like Peter Griffin and Stan Smith.

Where can I watch King of the Hill?

Hulu doesn’t have propane or propane accessories, but it has every season of King of the Hill. The entire series is currently streaming on Hulu, which will also be the home of the 2025 relaunch. If you have the Disney+/Hulu bundle, you can use that to watch King of the Hill on Disney+. However, it only works if you have a Hulu subscription. Please note, the availability of King of the Hill could change as streaming licenses expire and new deals are made.  


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Joshua Lapin-Bertone

Joshua Lapin-Bertone: Joshua is a pop culture writer specializing in comic book media. His work has appeared on the official DC Comics website, the DC Universe subscription service, HBO Max promotional videos, the Batman Universe fansite, and more. In between traveling around the country to cover various comic conventions, Joshua resides in Florida where he binges superhero television and reads obscure comics from yesteryear.

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