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I'm a King of the Hill superfan. It's my favorite show and easily tops my list of the best shows on Hulu every time. I've seen every episode too many times to remember. And as far as I'm concerned, these are the best King of the Hill episodes ever. Though this list only covers the top 10, I could easily write a list of the top 100 funniest King of the Hill moments (my editors reined me in), and every single one of King of the Hill's original 13 seasons has multiple perfect episodes.
But for me, these are the greatest King of the Hill outings – the ones I come back to time and time again, that make me laugh as hard as I've ever laughed every time I watch them. As with any list like this, especially one that boils down a fantastic 256-episode run into just 10 picks, there are episodes that hurt to exclude, and it's impossible to represent King of the Hill's entire cast, let alone the whole town of Arlen.
So if I missed any of your picks for the best King of the Hill episodes, let us know which ones are your favorite in the comments. With a show this good, there are no wrong answers.
10. Livin' on Reds, Vitamin C and Propane (season 8, episode 7)
One of Hank Hill's defining traits is his quiet confidence, which he backs up with a surprising level of competence in all manner of blue collar skills. In this episode, he shows off his knowledge of commercial trucking by renting an entire semi-truck to haul a few pieces of furniture a few states over to his mother's house.
What follows is a rare instance of Hank getting knocked down a peg by actual long-haul truckers, only to win them back with his characteristically well-honed driving skills. It's a defining moment for Hank as a character in a show that centers around giving its main character defining moments. The b-plot of Peggy and Luanne attempting to write a great new Christmas song also delivers some tremendous laughs.
9. Bobby Goes Nuts (season 6, episode 1)
"That's my purse! I don't know you!" Bobby's immortal quote has become one of King of the Hill's most memed bits, and with good reason. To help him overcome bullying at school, Hank enrolls Bobby in a self-defense course. But rather than simple fighting lessons, it's a women's self-defense course that teaches Bobby to go straight for the groin.
Bobby's subsequent smashing spree is one of the most painfully hilarious half-hours ever committed to TV, as he finds a bold but frankly dirty way to handle his bullies, going too far when he turns his newfound powers against his own father. If you're not saying Bobby's new catchphrase after watching this episode, I don't know what to tell you.
8. Hilloween (season 2, episode 4)
Maybe I'm a sucker for a good Halloween episode, but this early King of the Hill holiday special lives in my memory not just for how deftly it captures the controversy over Halloween among some religious groups (a relatable story for a southerner like me), but for how happily it channels the nostalgia of All Hallows Eves gone by.
'Hilloween' pits Hank against local religious busybody Junie Harper (voiced by Sally Field) in a war for Halloween. Harper demands that all celebrations be canceled, while Hank wants to impart his love for the holiday onto Bobby. It's one of the show's clearest treatises on Hank's common-sense approach to just living his gottdang life, and it makes for a cutting piece of social satire to boot.
7. Joust Like a Woman (season 6, episode 8)
In one of the most memorable guest appearances in King of the Hill, which has no shortage of great cameos, Alan Rickman voices the haughty faux-king of the Texas Renaissance Festival, who entreats with Hank for a massive propane sale to power the fair's fire-breathing dragon. But Rickman's king rules over the fair with an iron fist, even forcing Hank to wear a costume.
This leads Peggy to start a revolt against his sexist, subpar treatment of the women he employs, culminating in Peggy beating him in a jousting match. Add in Bobby's typical love of silly Renaissance wear (much to his father's chagrin), and you've got an all-time classic King of the Hill episode.
6. Peggy the Boggle Champ (season 1, episode 9)
Peggy Hill has a kind of misplaced confidence in many of her off-kilter pursuits that is the inverse of Hank's stalwart nature. But that's only half the story, and in what I would consider King of the Hill's first truly great episode, Peggy wins her way to the state Boggle championships with Hank by her side as her coach.
But Hank is initially too enchanted by the Texas Mower Show (this Saturday, Saturday, SATURDAY! And Sunday) to give Peggy the support she needs. Still, he comes around in time to be there as she wins the whole tournament, showing an early example of Hank overcoming his own biases about his role in his marriage to become a more well-rounded human being.
5. Dances With Dogs (season 7, episode 5)
Dog dancing is a very real pursuit (check out the Crufts Dog Show 'freestyle heel work to music' category), and in this all-timer episode, Bobby discovers how much he loves choreographed dancing with Khan's dog Doggy, not to mention how good he is at it. Against all odds, Hank in turn becomes obsessed with dog dancing with his beloved Ladybird, resulting in a frankly adorable clash between father and son.
As Bobby and Hank – and Bill, who tries to train a wild rottweiler – descend into the heat of dog dancing competition, Bobby proves once again that he's got his own kind of showman's athleticism, and reminds Hank that sometimes it's about sharing something special, not just taking the W.
4. A Beer Can Named Desire (season 4, episode 6)
When it comes to quotable episodes, 'A Beer Can Named Desire' is chock-full, thanks to its literary influences and its wry humor. The Hill family takes a trip to a Dallas Cowboys game after Hank earns a chance to win a cool $1 million. But as usual, the rest of Hank's gang tags along, taking a side trip to Bill's ancestral manse deep in the cajun swamps of Louisiana.
The episode then becomes a hilarious riff on a Tennessee Williams play (hence the title), with Bill juggling the three widows who all wish to marry the last eligible Dauterive man. Along with introducing Bill's perfectly rendered cousin Gilbert, the episode delivers some of the funniest Bobby moments of all time.
3. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Clown (season 10, episode 5)
When it comes to great Bobby episodes, this is as good as it gets. When Bobby's class-clowning gets him in trouble at school, Hank and Peggy enroll him in a course on clowning at the local community college. However, it's no laughing matter, as the class's teacher, Professor Twilley (voiced impeccably by Bojack Horseman's Paul F. Tompkins), is less a silly circus clown and more of a commedia dell'arte style harlequin.
Bobby begins to learn obsessively about Twilley's pretentiously impenetrable style of artistic clowning, eschewing his usual wacky schtick in favor of a new routine as "Tartuffe, the spry wonder dog." Bobby's transformation is one of the show's best gags ever, and his ill-fated attempt to amuse his classmates lives rent-free in my head.
2. Transnational Amusements Presents: Peggy's Magic Sex Feet (season 4, episode 23)
Along with her sometimes chaotically overconfident nature, Peggy Hill is known for having hugely gigantic feet, even being forced to buy shoes at far-flung specialty shops. Always self-conscious about her oversized stompers, this episode finds Peggy overcoming her shyness to film a series of "empowerment" videos meant to give other big-footed women confidence in themselves.
But as everyone but Peggy realizes, these "empowerment" scenes, which mostly consist of stepping on rotten food, are actually fetish videos. When Peggy finds out, she's crushed, feeling worse than ever about her feet. But Bobby saves the day, delivering one of the show's best monologues in a treatise on body positivity that rounds out the absurd nature of the episode's plot.
1. Meet the Propaniacs (season 4, episode 20)
Bobby's love of performance and penchant for comedy form a wide gulf with Hank's sensible, sports-and-tools-loving nature. But in 'Meet the Propaniacs,' it all comes together as Bobby forms a sketch comedy troupe with a fully propane-based sense of humor that Hank can finally relate to.
Every scene in 'Meet the Propaniacs' is as funny as it gets, with memorable lines, hilarious gags, and weird little bits of characterization such as Hank's fascination with Texas Propane Commissioner Charlie Fortner. It all adds up to my favorite episode of all time. And the fact that it involves Hank and Bobby overcoming their biggest difference to find some common ground cements it as the top entry in the King of the Hill canon.
King of the Hill season 14 streams on Hulu from August 4. For more, check out our guide to the best new TV shows heading your way this year, and beyond.
