Mike Judge’s King of the Hill is a class apart from other animated shows in the same realm. While most of the other shows go extreme with their ideas and setting (looking at you, Rick and Morty), this sitcom keeps it grounded and simple most of the time, though it does not hesitate to swing wildly when the need arises.
Beginning in 1997, the show ran for 13 seasons before ending, then was revived last year. The 15th season premiered this week, continuing its legacy and following the Hill family in their typical American life in Arlen, Texas. Here are the 14 seasons of the show so far, ranked.
14. Season 12 Runs Low on Ideas
The 12th season, the one before the first finale, was evidently running out of fresh ideas. The main characters seem to be out of arcs, and the season was filled with one-off episodes that sort of went nowhere, narratively. However, there were definitely some highlights, like ‘Death Picks Cotton,’ which controversially saw the death of Hank’s father, Cotton Hill, following a bizarre teppanyaki restaurant accident.
An episode built around Bill dating a woman previously tied to John Redcorn also mined the show’s long-running ‘everyone, but Dale knows’ joke for fresh laughs, proving the writers could still surprise even in a weaker year.
13. The First Series Finale in Season 13 Is Bittersweet
Before the revival, King of the Hill ended with season 13, and its finale was bittersweet. It carried the burden of wrapping up thirteen years of Arlen history, and it mostly succeeded emotionally even as the episode-to-episode comedy grew thinner than in the show’s prime.
The series finale, ‘To Sirloin with Love,’ gives Bobby a genuine, earned turn toward meat-judging competition that finally lets Hank see his son succeed on his own terms. An episode honoring Cotton’s final wishes also closes out his arc with the mix of absurdity and sentiment the show did so well, even if the season overall feels thin.
12. King of the Hill Season 10 Has a Smaller Scale
Season 10 was the first time after season 1 that a smaller episode order was given. The season only lasted 15 episodes, as opposed to the usual 20-24. This meant that the scale of the show was reduced and many were one-off episodes. The show was apparently intended to be the final season and, due to the uncertainty, aired mostly from season 9’s production line.
11. Season 11 Had Fewer Episodes
While Season 10 ran with leftover episodes from Season 9, Season 11 had a much shorter run with just 12 episodes, especially due to the WGA strikes of 2007. Similar to its previous season, this was also intended to be the final in the series, but the show was renewed. The lack of an arc really affected this one, but there are some gems.
‘Grand Theft Arlen’ cleverly flips Hank’s disdain for video games by making him obsessed with a game literally modeled after himself, while Bobby quietly gets in shape without his father noticing. ‘The Peggy Horror Picture Show’ is a season highlight, sending Peggy into an identity crisis when her new friend Carolyn turns out to be a drag queen
10. Supporting Cast Shine Better in Season 9
When season 9 aired, King of the Hill had already begun dwindling in quality. It was obvious that the writers were looking for material to land the jokes and do more character work. However, there were still some pretty good episodes that retained the magic of the show, especially with its focus on supporting characters.
‘Dale to the Chief’ turns Dale’s paranoid worldview inside out when he becomes a die-hard patriot after failing to poke holes in the Warren Commission Report, then reports Hank over a bureaucratic mix-up on his driver’s license. The season’s comedy is a bit less consistent than earlier years, but its character-focused episodes keep it respectable.
9. Season 7’s Guest Stars Keep Things Fresh
Season 7 benefits from a strong run of guest stars and inventive premises even as the show entered its back half. ‘Megalo Dale’ is a delightfully weird highlight, sending Dale’s exterminator business after Mega Lo Mart’s celebrity representative Chuck Mangione, with Topher Grace and Danny Masterson along for the ride.
‘The Texas Skilsaw Massacre’ forces the Hills to live with the Gribbles after Dale renders their kitchen unusable, escalating into real conflict when Hank accidentally injures Dale. ‘Maid in Arlen’ also expands Bill and Kahn’s mother Laoma’s dynamic in a way that adds welcome texture to Arlen’s world.
8. King of the Hill Began Its Descent from Season 8
Once Mike Judge and Greg Daniels reduced their involvement in the series, the show began its slow descent. While John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky took over the show in season 7, season 8 was when the quality started getting really low, and the show seemed to be on its dying breaths. It still, somehow, managed to reach season 13.
The season, however, has many character-rich episodes, with arcs of Hank, Peggy, and Luanne getting a lot of attention. It ranks low because of its dwindling quality.
7. Arlen is the Only One with A Solid Arc in Season 2
King of the Hill had a solid opening with season 1, but season 2 seemed to lose steam pretty soon. However, the city of Arlen was fleshed out well in this season, redeeming it from sophomore season hell. ‘Hank’s Dirty Laundry’ is a classic slow-burn embarrassment plot, in which a video-store mix-up leaves Hank wrongly accused of renting an adult film.
The season’s writing is a touch less sharp, but the character foundation is rock solid.
6. King of the Hill Season 5 Has More Outlandish Plots
Season 5 leans into more outlandish premises than earlier seasons and mostly makes them work through sheer commitment to character. ‘Ho Yeah!’ is a wonderfully uncomfortable episode for the reserved Hank, forced to host a prostitute-turned-houseguest played by Renée Zellweger while her former pimp, voiced by Snoop Dogg, assumes Hank is muscling in on his territory.
‘The Exterminator’ gives Dale real vulnerability as his own pesticides push him into office work he despises, and ‘Chasing Bobby’ memorably reframes Hank’s grief over losing his truck as an actual breakup. The season balances absurdity and heart exceptionally well.
5. Season 6 Has One of the Most Iconic Episodes
Season 6 has, perhaps, the show’s most iconic episode, ‘Bobby Goes Nuts’. In the episode, we see Bobby try to fight his bullies by learning self-defence. However, he accidentally goes to a women’s course and begins to attack his bullies in the groin. It is hilarious in all the right ways and, despite the silly premise, works wonders.
The season also expands Hank’s family history significantly, revealing that Cotton fathered a half-brother for Hank in Japan, voiced memorably by David Carradine, adding real weight to Cotton’s legacy of selfishness.
4. Experiments Became More Common in Season 3
King of the Hill began experimenting more with structure in season 3, and it paid off well. A Roshomon-style episode sees Hank, Bill, Boomhauer, and Dale recount how they burned the volunteer firehouse. Bobby Hill’s fake wedding episode is one of the most hilarious moments in the show. The episodes keep getting weirder, and we love it.
3. Season 1 Was a Solid Foundation
The first season of King of the Hill remains one of the best freshman seasons among animated shows. The pilot sees Hank’s worst fears come true, with him being mistaken as an abusive father due to a series of comedic errors. Other episodes perfectly establish the family’s dysfunctional dynamic, and they feel like a real family. Few sitcom debut seasons land this many characterizations and running jokes correctly on the first try.
2. King of the Hill Had a Good Revival with Season 14
Fifteen years after the show seemingly ended, Hulu picked up King of the Hill for a revival, and it was genuinely good. The premiere, ‘Return of the King,’ brings Hank and Peggy home from years in Saudi Arabia to a changed Arlen while Bobby thrives as an adult chef in Dallas, and the season balances nostalgia with real emotional growth rather than simply rehashing old jokes.
It succeeded where most revivals fail, respecting the original run while also doing something fresh with its characters.
1. Season 4 Remains the Show’s High Point
Widely regarded as the show’s creative peak, Season 4 is packed with all-time classic episodes. ‘Aisle 8A’ puts Hank in the mortifying position of explaining a teenage girl’s first period to Bobby after Connie is left in the Hills’ care, wringing huge laughs from Hank’s discomfort without ever mocking the situation itself.
The two-parter ‘Hanky Panky’ and ’High Anxiety’ entangle Hank in a murder investigation after his boss’s mistress, played by Reese Witherspoon, turns up dead, with Kathleen Turner voicing the boss’s wife who develops feelings for Hank. Nearly every episode this season is a genuine highlight.
| Rank | King of the Hill Season |
| 1 | Season 4 |
| 2 | Season 14 |
| 3 | Season 1 |
| 4 | Season 3 |
| 5 | Season 6 |
| 6 | Season 5 |
| 7 | Season 2 |
| 8 | Season 8 |
| 9 | Season 7 |
| 10 | Season 9 |
| 11 | Season 11 |
| 12 | Season 10 |
| 13 | Season 13 |
| 14 | Season 12 |
Which King of the Hill season do you think is the best? Comment below.
King of the Hill is available to stream on Hulu.
