5 Essential King Of The Hill Episodes Everyone Should Watch At Least Once

Cartoon sitcoms about families have become somewhat commonplace over the years, with many trying to copy the success of the mega-hit "The Simpsons." "King of the Hill" is among the best, and truly stands on its own. Unlike many other sitcoms (animated or otherwise), "King of the Hill" was never heavily focused on its jokes, instead prioritizing an authentic, lived-in world where the characters felt like real people. The result is a series that's comforting to watch because you get to feel like you know the characters like your own neighbors. It's also a sweetly funny slice of Americana that hopefully helps remind us of the good in our real-world neighbors.

Created by "Beavis and Butt-Head" creator Mike Judge, "King of the Hill" follows propane and propane accessories salesman Hank Hill (Judge). He lives in the fictional town of Arlen, Texas, with his wife and substitute Spanish teacher, Peggy (Kathy Najimy), and their son, Bobby (Pamela Adlon). Hank's idea of a good time is mowing the lawn or grilling out for his neighbors, and many of the challenges he faces, and lessons he learns, are wholesome and relatable. There's a lot to love about "King of the Hill," but with 13 original seasons and a 14th that works as a revival now streaming on Hulu, it can be intimidating knowing where to start. There are honestly dozens of incredible episodes, but here are five of the best that everyone should check out at least once, regardless of whether they've seen any of the series before.

Hank Hill's understanding of women is limited at best. When he's left in charge of his neighbor's daughter (and son's girlfriend), Connie (Lauren Tom), while her parents are on vacation and she gets her first period, he is understandably flabbergasted about what to do. Since Peggy's already gone to work for the day and her parents aren't answering the phone, he wraps young Connie in a blanket and takes her to the emergency room, where they recommend some various menstrual products and send the mortified pair on their way. Hank is initially hesitant to help Connie and sends her down the dreaded "Aisle 8A" of the episode title on her own, but when she gets overwhelmed and starts crying, he helps her navigate the numerous products and reassures her that things will be alright — even though he is extremely uncomfortable with the situation himself.

When Peggy finds out, she tries to help Bobby understand what's going on and to be gentle with Connie because she might be embarassed or shy about the whole ordeal. It's a funny and extremely sweet episode that shows both of the Hill parents doing a bit of good, and it shows that Hank's heart is usually in the right place (even when some of his general ignorance might indicate otherwise). "Aisle 8A" is "King of the Hill" at its family sitcom best, offering something heartfelt for audiences of all ages. Any time Hank is put in a situation where he has to try to relate to young people is bound to be great, but "Aisle 8A" is one of the best.

Hank's boss at Strickland Propane is a real womanizer. In "Ho, Yeah!," he hires a (secret) sex worker from Oklahoma City named Tammy (Renée Zellweger) to be his secretary. When Hank and Peggy discover that Tammy is currently unhoused, Peggy offers to let her stay with them. Tammy has quite the impact on Hank and Peggy, giving Peggy a sultry makeover and buying Hank a befeathered hat, which leads to some confusion about Hank being Tammy's pimp. When her actual former pimp, Alabaster Jones (Snoop Dogg), shows up and tries to cause a ruckus because he thinks Tammy is "his," Hank ends up letting Alabaster have it. He pays Jones all of the money that Tammy had given him for rent and tells Alabaster that Tammy is now "his ho," so he better leave her alone.

In her time with Hank and Peggy, Tammy reads her first novel ever (Michael Crichton's "Congo") and works toward getting her GED. It's clear her life has changed for the better after the episode. While the episode has one joke about Peggy's appearance that hasn't aged beautifully and it uses outdated language regarding sex work, its heart is in the right place. It's also one of the outright funnier episodes in the series. Zellwegger and Snoop Dogg are both fantastic in their guest roles, and Hank gets to wax philosophically about pimping "sweet Lady Propane," which is pure comedy gold. There's a reason why Judge has said this is one of his favorite episodes, and it's well worth a watch.

One of the longest running gags on "King of the Hill" is that the Hill's neighbor, Dale Gribble (the late Johnny Hardwick), has no idea that his wife, Nancy (Ashley Gardner), is having an ongoing affair with John Redcorn (the late Jonathan Joss) and their son, Joseph (Breckin Meyer), is actually John's. Nancy and John's affair is an open secret to everyone but Dale, which is pretty funny considering he's a conspiracy theorist who questions everything — except the whereabouts and marital fidelity of his own wife. In "Of Mice and Little Green Men," Dale begins to question whether Joseph is actually his when he realizes that he was out of town nine months before Joseph was born. Instead of seeing the truth directly in front of him, he becomes convinced that Joseph was implanted in Nancy by aliens.

The B-plot following Hank feeling disconnected from Bobby because Bobby is into acting instead of sports is pretty fun, but it's Dale and Joseph's storyline that really hits. Eventually, Joseph starts questioning his own heritage (something that gets explored throughout the series) and runs away from home to find his alien father, but Dale proves that fatherhood isn't entirely about DNA when he tracks Joseph down and shows him how much he loves him. The episode tiptoes around Dale's knowledge of the truth, but when he proudly declares to the aliens that Joseph is his son, he means it full-heartedly (even if he still kind of thinks Joseph might be half-alien). It's heartwarming and hilarious, and also one of the smarter comedic episodes with how it handles what is likely Dale's denial of reality.

After Bobby gets beat up by bully Chane Wassanasong, he takes a course at the YMCA on women's self-defense and learns to protect himself. Instead of learning to box like his dad wanted, he learns to fight scrappy and mean and starts responding to bullies in his life by yelling "that's my purse, I don't know you" and kicking them squarely between the legs. This gets him thrown in detention, where he starts kicking genitals like mad and earns a reputation as a bit of a bully himself. When he eventually kicks Hank in his bait and tackle and takes things way too far, the Hills have to figure out how to deal with their kick-happy son.

"Bobby Goes Nuts" earned Bobby's voice actor, Pamela Adlon, an Emmy win for her work in the episode, and it's easily one of the funniest in the series. It's number one according to user rankings on IMDb and is among the most regularly memed episodes. Honestly, it's just really freaking funny. The less you know the better because it's a simple conceit with lots of below-the-belt punchlines, but it's easy to enjoy Bobby turning the tables on everyone who's ever made him feel itty bitty in the silliest way possible.

"King of the Hill" is set in suburban/semi-rural Texas, and Hank and Peggy tend to be pretty traditional in many of their beliefs. They're Methodists who attend church every Sunday and are deeply patriotic Americans, so occasionally they're a little conservative. In the season 2 episode "Hilloween," however, hardcore conservative Christians are given a proper send-up and the adults of Arlen show audiences what true goodness looks like.

After Hank tells Bobby that he's going to be too old to trick or treat soon, Bobby dejectedly goes with his cousin, Luanne (the late, great Brittany Murphy), who has recently become convinced that Halloween is the work of the devil by a bible-thumping neighbor. Soon, the neighbor has gotten every kid in the neighborhood to spend time listening to the evils of secular holidays instead of trick or treating, which just doesn't sit right with Hank.

The episode's climax sees Hank wearing Bobby's costume and Luanne eventually joining him dressed as a devil herself, marching down the street to get the kids and go trick or treating. As the neighbors see them, they come out in their own quickly-made or borrowed costumes, and it's incredible. Hank gets a handful of major wins over the course of "King of the Hill," but his triumphant rescue of Bobby and the other kids — and the letting go of a bit of his own ego — is probably the king. Hell yeah, Mr. Hill. Hell yeah.