Revisiting King of the Hill

[up_the_hampipe]

I used to enjoy KOTH back in the day, but I only watched random episodes on BBC 2 or Sky 1 or whatever channel aired them. So I'm going through the whole series in order. There are 13 seasons and over 250 episodes, so my assumption is that there is a Simpsons-style decline at some point. Would the diehards recommend skipping any of the seasons or is it fairly consistent?

[Twed]

It gets worse, but it never becomes outright terrible. Good bunch of old boys.

[neveragain]

https://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=37072.0

An old thread might have some use here.

[Thursday]

[tag]Ok Boomhauer[/tag]

[madhair60]

There's no decline. It's good until the end.

A wonderful and underrated show.

[Delete Delete Delete]

If you wanted to join in with (spam), KOTH is part of the Tuesday night line up up, we are currently up to Season 4 episode 14 and so far its been constantly top notch.

[Old Nehamkin]

Seasons 1-4: Unimpeachable, wall-to-wall brilliance.  One of the greatest sitcom runs of all time. Can't talk it up enough.

Seasons 5-9: Settles into a more formulaic mould, with less of the ambitious character development and continuity of the early seasons. I think that Mike Judge and Greg Daniels were becoming less involved with the series in these years, and you can definitely sense a loss of creative verve. But the show is still consistently very funny and hugely likable, with plenty of stand-out classics and only a handful of misfires.

Seasons 10-13: Starting to get a bit tired, but there's definitely no sharp decline like the Simpsons suffered at this point in its lifespan (although for me the introduction of Tom Petty as Lucky feels like a soft shark jump). If the show started out as a 10, I'd say it ends as a 7. The finale is very nice.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Seasons 1-4: Unimpeachable, wall-to-wall brilliance.  One of the greatest sitcom runs of all time. Can't talk it up enough.

Seasons 5-9: Settles into a more formulaic mould, with less of the ambitious character development and continuity of the early seasons. I think that Mike Judge and Greg Daniels were becoming less involved with the series in these years, and you can definitely sense a loss of creative verve. But the show is still consistently very funny and hugely likable, with plenty of stand-out classics and only a handful of misfires.

Seasons 10-13: Starting to get a bit tired, but there's definitely no sharp decline like the Simpsons suffered at this point in its lifespan (although for me the introduction of Tom Petty as Lucky feels like a soft shark jump). If the show started out as a 10, I'd say it ends as a 7. The finale is very nice.

I'd pretty much agree with this apart from that I liked Lucky, he's not in any way amazing but I was fond of the character and so had no issue with his introduction.

[alan nagsworth]

There's no decline. It's good until the end.

A wonderful and underrated show.

Yeah but you say this about Family Guy so no one trusts you any more you fucking nutter

[madhair60]

I like Family Guy. It's funny. Funnier than the cunts who drone the fuck on about how bad it is, anyway.

[alan nagsworth]

I don't drone on :(

I am funny :(

[up_the_hampipe]

I like Family Guy. It's funny. Funnier than the cunts who drone the fuck on about how bad it is, anyway.

FG had a great early run, many truly hilarious gags. But the decline has been steep, perhaps more than The Simpsons or Ricky Gervais, some episodes and jokes are downright atrocities. What a shame.

Anyway, thanks for the info on KOTH. I'll probably burn through it all. Thinking of going through the whole Beavis and Butt-head collection as well. 

Yeah but you say this about Family Guy so no one trusts you any more you fucking nutter

C'maaaan, you must have found some of it funny. Not even this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJzBopVRKPo

[alan nagsworth]

Aye I stand by the early stuff, first two seasons especially are very good and often excellent, but it's vastly outweighed by the not great and downright awful material that steadily followed.

Anyway this ain't the thread for it. Even though I started it. If you want to know more of my opinions on Family Guy, which I will be reading out on video whilst completely nude, you can PM me.

[madhair60]

I think it's weird to hold a show as avowedly dumb as Family Guy to the same standards as a show that's trying to be coherent. Reminds me of South Park ripping into it and me being like, well, yeah, but when did you last tell a fucking joke.

The latest episode of FG is about as funny to me as the early stuff. It's all the same thing.

[up_the_hampipe]

Reminds me of South Park ripping into it and me being like, well, yeah, but when did you last tell a fucking joke.

Every episode.

[madhair60]

OK boomer

[up_the_hampipe]

You think Zombieland is "witless shit for idiots" but Family Guy is still as good as it's always been, and South Park doesn't even have jokes?! I think I might give up on KOTH.

[neveragain]

Oh don't.

Family Guy still has its funniness and I enjoy it, but it's nowhere near The Hill. In fact, it's like comparing Steptoe and Son with You've Been Framed; both ostensibly humorous but so different as to be etc.

[up_the_hampipe]

I'm just teasing the mad-haired man, I'm along for the ride for sure. Was The Goode Family any... good? It got cancelled quick but I don't know if that's just due to shitness or being underappreciated.

[madhair60]

I revisited Zombieland recently and found it massively less objectionable, to be honest.

I liked The Goode Family, it was fine

Edit: to elaborate on South Park I had trouble with its transition into topicality, and season 9 had been largely not so great (though of course that final sting in Free Willzyx, oof). So I found it a bit rum that SP went after Family Guy, which I saw as reliably funny. I really like what SP has done the past 4/5 years though.

[Small Man Big Horse]

I'm just teasing the mad-haired man, I'm along for the ride for sure. Was The Goode Family any... good? It got cancelled quick but I don't know if that's just due to shitness or being underappreciated.

It was okay but I didn't connect with it in any way, and I'd say it's the one Mike Judge tv series that isn't really worth bothering with unless you have a lot of spare time on your hands.

[sevendaughters]

woah independent of knowing about this thread's existence, because of my lack of knowledge of 'series' (it was just on telly if I watched it) I got series 1 and am slowly pawing my way through it. First few episodes are great. Fully fleshed out. Looking to see where the few memorable episodes I can recall are along the way without looking them up first. Anyway count me in.

[alan nagsworth]

woah independent of knowing about this thread's existence, because of my lack of knowledge of 'series' (it was just on telly if I watched it) I got series 1 and am slowly pawing my way through it. First few episodes are great. Fully fleshed out. Looking to see where the few memorable episodes I can recall are along the way without looking them up first. Anyway count me in.

I seem to recall the first time I properly dove into KOTH, S1E4 "Hank's Got The Willies" immediately grabbed my attention and I knew I was gonna fuckin love this show.

[Ignatius_S]

Absolutely outstanding show.

In this thread - https://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=64588.0 – I posted some links that has some interesting information about the show (e.g. who the showrunners were).

As mentioned, Judge and Daniels were less involved and this has been suggested that this affected the quality and/or the show became more formulaic. Although I am sympathetic to that view, it was still an excellent show and can't think of a duff episode.

When Judge became more involved again in the show, the quality did improve – however, because Daniels and him brought very different things to the table, I feel it's a shame he wasn't involved.

Speaking of that partnership, it really is tribute to Judge (but genuinely the behaviour one associates with him) that instead him credited as the creator and Daniels getting the 'developed by' credit, which should have happened, Judge insisted that Daniels got co-creator credit (as mentioned in one of the sources mention in the thread above).

For me, Season 13 was a good one to end on. There were some great episodes – the straight arrow one that I mentioned in the link above, being one. However, there were moments like the beginning of To Sirloin With Love, where Hank displays a real antipathy about Bobby and the complaints about they have nothing in common (we've been there but even if we hadn't, Hank is shown to love his son unconditionally) doesn't sit that comfortably with the show's history.

One thing I really liked the show is that so many characters got good storylines and episodes.  I've always been fond of Boomhauer, but I can't think of many shows that would have done an episode like Patch Boomhauer, which is rather moving and gives depth to a character. In season 12, there's episode featuring a water park and again, it's really nice Boomhauer one.

[phes]

Another voice here for the perfection of the early seasons of this show. Funny, beautiful, likeable, it's got everything. Thread has inspired me to revisit this over the next few months, thanks!

[idunnosomename]

Channel 4 had it here, not the BBC. As was normal then they didnt get the later seasons and you had to see them on Sky.

I always it thought it was down to earth in a way unparalleled for a major animated series. Almost like an American Shuttleworths: an intensely dull, conservative man living his dull life. And lots of hints about adultery that never get explicitly addressed. But ultimately character driven, rather than lots of shitty cheap gags and cultural references. Also the voice acting a really big part of it.

It was so realistic that at first they aged the characters. But they gave that up pretty quickly and Bobby never grew up.

[Ignatius_S]

I'm just teasing the mad-haired man, I'm along for the ride for sure. Was The Goode Family any... good? It got cancelled quick but I don't know if that's just due to shitness or being underappreciated.

It was a solid series. Going from memory but episodes could be rather uneven, albeit still satisfying.

From what I remember, the series has potential but needed some time to develop it. Coming from King of the Hill, it got crushed with the weight of expectation.

A big issue was the central idea – a family trying to led a very ethical way of life on a limited budget – which had a limited appeal. When it was shown, I visited some American forums to do with ethical living and posters just hated it – I don't feel it's an oversimplification to say the main opinion was that it was wrong to be laughing at people with an ethical lifestyle and the target of the humour should be people who don't live like that.

I thought it was difficult to warm to Mr & Mrs Goode to begin with (whereas it was easy with Peggy & Hank) and you needed to give the show a chance – but people will do that with drama, not so much with comedy.

Some of the characters were a little by the numbers – e.g. the son was husky, rather dopey but sweet and had hidden depths, which we had with FG and KOTH.

Thinking about it, I suspect that people didn't find it a comfortable watch. I suspect that it did ask questions about how we live our lives. Also, it was perhaps ahead of its time.

[Ignatius_S]

...It was so realistic that at first they aged the characters. But they gave that up pretty quickly and Bobby never grew up.

They were forced to do that by Fox.

[ASFTSN]

CRTL+F "Dale Gribble" Phrase not found.

What???

I love KOTH. Need a rewatch very soon.

So many favourite jokes but one that comes to mind now: In the Thanksgiving episode where the Hills get stuck at the airport. Luanne approaches Hank and says a man asked her if she'd like to "Join the Mile High Club" and asks him if he could help her get an application form.

Hank: "I imagine they'll have those on the plane Luanne".

Two different kinds of cluelessness coming from entirely different places, great stuff and so beautifully in character.

[madhair60]

"JOY!!"