King of the Hill: Season 1 (1997)

TV. King of the Hill began the year before I moved to Texas and it has been a droll hoot of a Texas-themed spoof ever since. Hank, Peggy, and Bobby Hill are so middle-of-the-road that it's a wonder they're not road kill in the highway of life, but of course it's their staunch values that get them through anything together. (I would say "staunch family values," but Hank and Peggy are sometimes so uptight and repressed that they're dysfunctional -- and wait till you see Hank's father Cotton! I would say "staunch American values," but they sometimes see Texas above America as their true republic. Still, they muddle through every challenge together and consistently demonstrate faithfulness and integrity.) The Hills live in the small-town enclave of Arlen, where Hank's dedication to his chosen profession as a propane (he speaks the word with reverence) salesman as well as to his lawn, his tools, his gun, and his huntin' dog Ladybird rival his devotion to his wife. Peggy, in turn, possesses self-esteem beyond her chosen profession as a substitute teacher; her Spanish mispronunciations border on the painful, though Hank thinks she is the smartest woman in the state and she manages to win the state Boggle championship. Bobby is a pudgy, underachieving comedic wannabe with a good heart. Hank's trailer-park niece Luanne, who lives with the Hills while her mama is in prison, struggles but earns her beauty certificate. The Hills' neighbors are lovable and pathetic blends of Texans we may know: Dale (amateur exterminator, cuckold, and conspiracy theorist), Bill (part-time Army Reserves barber, divorcee, and emotional wreck), and Boomhauer (ladies' man and speaker of a monotone Texas patter that is hilarious if incomprehensible to non-Texans). Catch these first season discs to see the pilot episode followed by the episodes Square Peg (the Hills begin a comic love/hate relationship with new Laotian neighbors Khan, Min, and daughter Khan Jr.), The Order of the Straight Arrow (Bobby's scout pack goes snipe hunting but kills a whooping crane), Luanne's Saga, Becoming King of the Hill, A Mowing Lesson with Charlie, Hank's Unmentionable Problem (constipation is the topic but family support is the theme), Hank's Got the Willies, Westie Side Story, Shins of the Father (introducing Hank's sexist, racist, obnoxious war-hero father), Peggy the Boggle Champ, Keeping Up with Our Joneses, Plastic White Female, and King of the Ant Hill (Hank chooses his lawn over his friend Dale because "I have lots of friends but only one lawn"). Every disc has deleted scenes, the second disc has a Meet the Hills portfolio in addition to the fascinating animators' 60-some rules of The Do's and Don'ts of King of the Hill (which will help you appreciate the artistry behind the show) and Dale's Conspiracies, and the third disc includes an audio commentary with a cool Barenaked Ladies music video. 4.5 stars.