Hank Hill enjoys a beer and hot dogs with his family

Fox series will likely remain on the air for the rest of the decade

By Matthew B. Zeidman

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Today) 11/2/08 – Throughout Fox’s checkered history regarding animated entertainment, there have been two constants: “The Simpsons” and “King of the Hill.”  Now “The Simpsons” will stand as the network’s only cartoon family impervious to cancelation, following Friday’s announcement that “King of the Hill” would likely end its run next season.

Begun in 1997, slightly more than 7 years after “The Simpsons” first graced television screens, “King of the Hill” took a subtler approach to suburban America, focusing on a Texan father more concerned with the tastefulness of lawn gnomes than outlandish escapades.

Though protagonist Hank Hill frequently claimed to hate everything about faraway New York, the sitcom was just as much a show about nothing as “Seinfeld,” another long-running show about the minutiae of everyday life, which took place in the Big Apple.

The Hill Family also included oblivious mom Peggy, who could barely speak Spanish, despite the fact she substitute-taught the subject, free-spirit son Bobby, whose lifelong dream was to be a comedian, and dense niece Luanne, whose naïveté often got her into trouble.  Colorful neighbors Bill, Dale, Boomhauer and Kahn were also central to the program.

The show was conceived by Mike Judge, the creator of 1990s pop culture staple “Beavis and Butt-head,” which aired on MTV for seven seasons.  In fact, Hank Hill was based on Tom Anderson, an older “Beavis and Butt-head” character who often fell afoul of his teenage neighbors’ misadventures and was himself based on an actual person.  Judge provided the voices of both Texans.

In a notable episode in 2000, Hank Hill met then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush during the politician’s presidential campaign.  Though initially enthusiastic about voting for Bush, he was repulsed by the Republican’s limp handshake and nearly abstained from voting as a result.  Though he decided to vote by the episode’s end, it was not revealed which presidential candidate he cast his ballot for.

“King of the Hill” won two Emmys and was nominated for seven during its run.