Mike Judge’s King Of The Hill functions well in syndication, as the vast majority of the 259 episodes are standalone stories that don’t make much of a dent in the continuity – but that doesn’t mean the series is wholly without arcs and character development. Audiences who watch the seasons in order see Luanne Platter become a more independent person, witness Joseph Gribble get hit by puberty, and get a conclusion in the conflict between Hank Hill and his hateful father, Cotton. Casual fans may be surprised by what they don’t remember about the long-running animated show.
Now that a King Of The Hill revival series is in the works as a Hulu exclusive (with confirmation that time has passed in the canon), now is a good time to refresh yourself on the goings on in Arlen, Texas, and I am happy to help you with that mission. If you don’t have time to do a deep dive into all 13 seasons of the show, I’ve put this feature together to remind you of everything you need to know about all of the main characters.
Hank Hill
At the center of everything in the King Of The Hill universe is the stalwart Hank Hill. While we never got to see him get a promotion to manager at Strickland Propane, his love for selling both the gas and related accessories has never dimmed or diminished (and the same goes for his admiration of his boss, Buck Strickland, despite many, many controversies).
With Hank’s dad being dead (Season 12’s "Death Picks Cotton"), a life-long poison has been removed from his life, though he still has an awkward relationship with his mother, Tilly Garrison. He is known to fly into a blind rage once in a while, despite having attended anger management therapy (Season 7's "The Texas Skillsaw Massacre"), and he regularly gets frustrated with his family, but they are always his first priority.
Peggy Hill
Ever the unbearable know-it-all, Peggy Hill’s big life changes in King Of The Hill are all about her career rather than her character. She has many jobs throughout the series, but she gets semi-regular work as an elementary school substitute teacher, and though she doesn’t have a degree, she aspires to be a full-time educator.
She is also a writer for the local newspaper, The Arlen Bystander, though her time working there is interrupted for a time when she works as a real estate agent. There are a number of negative things to be said about her personality, and she is flighty professionally, but it can be said that she is a devoted wife and mother.
Bobby Hill
Throughout King Of The Hill’s long run, Bobby Hill regularly demonstrates himself as a weird kid (as his father would say, “That boy ain’t right”), but he does find ways to connect with his father – be it as a fan of the Dallas Cowboys (Season 3’s "Hank's Cowboy Movie") or working together in a rose growing competition (Season 7’s "The Son Also Roses").
In “To Sirloin With Love”, the episode that was created to be the series finale, they find common ground over a deep appreciation for beef, with Bobby showcasing an innate expertise in meat grading. Whether or not this will end up being carried into the revival series is unknown. Perhaps older Bobby has turned this skill into a career and left his ambitions to become a comic behind?
Dale Gribble & Nancy Hicks-Gribble
From the King Of The Hill pilot through most of the fourth season, Nancy Hicks Gribble maintains an on-going affair with John Redcorn, and while Dale Gribble never actually discovers this illicit relationship, it comes to an end in Season 4’s "Nancy's Boys." After that, the marriage is tested by many conflicts, but it holds strong through the end of the show.
It’s a good thing, because Dale can’t support himself and his paranoia-driven schemes via his failing exterminator business, and Nancy maintains a steady job as a popular local news anchor. It’s not yet clear how the revival series will feature Dale following the death of Johnny Hardwick, but it has been reported that the voice actor did do some work on the show prior to his passing.
Joseph Gribble
Joseph Gribble is fascinating when looked at through the lens of the nature vs. nurture debate. Like his biological father, John Redcorn, he is tall and strong (and thus athletically gifted), but he suffers the consequences of being raised by the psychopath that is Dale Gribble.
In addition to being extremely dumb, he lacks any kind of social skills and is regularly overwhelmed by his id. Because of his lacking intelligence, he, like his dad, never puts together that he is not related to Dale, but John Redcorn does still get to have some influence on his life (see: Season 7’s "Vision Quest"). Joseph struggles greatly through puberty, so it will be interesting to see what kind of person he has become when he is reintroduced in the revival series.
Jeff Boomhauer
This is perhaps the most fascinating section to be found in this feature, as there are some major bombshells dropped about Jeff Boomhauer at the end of King Of The Hill… including the fact that his first name is “Jeff.” The character is only referred to as “Boomhauer” throughout the entire series, but audiences finally learn his name in Season 13’s “To Sirloin With Love” when we get a peek inside of his wallet.
His name isn’t the only thing we see in his billfold, however. It turns out that the womanizing, mumbling Arlenite is a bona fide Texas Ranger. His occupation isn’t something that is ever mentioned on the show, as it was purposefully kept secret like the character’s name, and the revelation actually creates a number of plot holes in the series… but now that we know, it feels like the story potential is practically unlimited for the revival series. If Hank or any of his friends or family members run into an issue with the law, it will be Boomhauer’s time to shine.
Bill Dauterive
Slovenly Army barber Bill Dauterive may be forever cursed to be the picture perfect definition of “pathetic,” but it can at least be said that he experiences personal development through King Of The Hill’s run. While he was once totally hung up on his ex-wife, Lenore, for example, he got closure to that part of his life in Season 5’s "Hank and the Great Glass Elevator."
On a less positive note, he never finds a positive on-going romantic relationship, and while he at one point has family living in Louisiana (Season 4’s "A Beer Can Named Desire"), all of them end up dying with the exception of his cousin, Gilbert Fontaine De la Tour D'Haute Rive (Season 11’s "Blood and Sauce").
Kahn & Minh Souphanousinphone
The Souphanousinphone family moves to Arlen, Texas late in Season 1 of King Of The Hill, and though the adolescent Connie (more on her in a minute) is a positive presence, Kahn and Minh are frequent antagonists to the Hills as a result of their horrible attitudes.
Revealed to suffer from bipolar disorder in Season 13’s “Just Another Manic Kahn-Day,” Kahn is insufferably egotistical. While this behavior is frequently self-destructive, it’s rarely quelled by Minh, who is also a hungry social climber. She maintains a better relationship with Peggy and Nancy than he does with Hank, Dale, Bill and Boomhauer, but it’s frequently more neighborly than friendly.
Connie Souphanousinphone
When the King Of The Hill revival series begins, will we see Bobby Hill still with Connie Souphanousinphone? That’s certainly a big question lingering in the minds of fans. Their romance is of the on again/off again variety, so it’s unclear if they will end up in a mature relationship, be we can at least hope that they have remained friends (as they are at the end of the show).
She demonstrates extreme intelligence as a child to go along with her violin skills, which would theoretically put her on a great path going into adulthood… but given all of the pressure she is constantly under from her parents, one has to be worried about burnout.
Luanne & Lucky Kleinschmidt
As noted earlier, Luanne Platter significantly develops over the course of King Of The Hill. At the start of the show, she is living in the Hill house as a guest, but she eventually moves out, and after quitting college, she successfully earns a beauty school certificate. She gets married to Elroy "Lucky" Kleinschmidt in Season 11’s "Lucky's Wedding Suit," and their daughter, Gracie, is born in Season 13’s "Lucky See, Monkey Do."
Given that both Brittany Murphy and Tom Petty, the voices of Luanne and Lucky, have passed away in the years since the series ended, it’s unclear what will be done with the characters in the revival series.
The King Of The Hill revival series does not yet have a release date, but work on the show has begun. Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for all of the latest updates from behind-the-scenes, and for a preview of everything that is on the way to the small screen, check out our 2024 TV premiere schedule.
