History of King of the Hill in Timeline

King of the Hill is an animated sitcom focusing on the Hill family and their life in Arlen, Texas. The show humorously portrays everyday life, centering on blue-collar work, family dynamics, and the challenges of growing up. It aired on Fox from 1997 to 2009, with additional episodes in syndication. The series is known for its realistic approach and relatable characters, finding humor in the mundane aspects of suburban life.

January 12, 1997: King of the Hill Initial Air Date

On January 12, 1997, King of the Hill, created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, initially aired on Fox.

1997: Series Debut on Fox

In 1997, King of the Hill debuted on the Fox network as a mid-season replacement and quickly became a success.

1997: Mike Judge Comments on Show's Political Perspective

In 1997, Mike Judge stated that King of the Hill "is not a political show" and is "more a populist, common sense point of view."

1997: Series Success and Recognition

In 1997, after its debut, King of the Hill became a large success for Fox and was named one of the best television series of the year by various publications.

1997: Critical Acclaim and Recognition as Best New Show

In 1997, early reviews of King of the Hill were positive, and it was named as one of the best new shows of the year by Entertainment Weekly, Time and TV Guide.

1998: King of the Hill out-performs The Simpsons

For the 1997–1998 season, King of the Hill became one of Fox's highest-rated programs and even outperformed The Simpsons in the ratings that season, ranking 15th with an average of 16.3 million viewers per episode.

November 13, 2000: King of the Hill video game release

On November 13, 2000, a King of the Hill video game was released for the PC, where the player goes on a hunting trip with Hank and the gang.

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2001: King of the Hill broadcast syndication

In 2001, King of the Hill began airing in broadcast syndication.

2003: DVD Release of First Seasons

In 2003, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment began releasing the first seasons of King of the Hill on DVD.

September 2004: King of the Hill on FX

In September 2004, FX began airing King of the Hill daily nationwide.

2005: The New York Times Magazine

In 2005, Matt Bai of The New York Times Magazine called King of the Hill "the most subtle and complex portrayal of small-town voters on television."

2006: DVD Release of First Seasons

By 2006, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment continued releasing the first seasons of King of the Hill on DVD.

2007: Time's 100 Greatest TV Shows

In 2007, James Poniewozik included King of the Hill on Time's list of the 100 Greatest TV Shows.

2007: Time Magazine's "The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time"

In 2007, Time magazine named King of the Hill in its list of "The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time".

December 2008: King of the Hill leaves FX

In December 2008, King of the Hill stopped airing on FX.

2008: Cancellation Announcement

In 2008, Fox abruptly announced that King of the Hill had been cancelled.

January 1, 2009: King of the Hill on Adult Swim

On January 1, 2009, King of the Hill began airing on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block.

January 2009: ABC Passes on King of the Hill

In January 2009, ABC president Steve McPherson stated that he had "no plans to pick up the animated comedy", King of the Hill.

February 8, 2009: First Widescreen High Definition Episode

On February 8, 2009, the King of the Hill episode "Lucky See, Monkey Do" became the first episode of the series to be produced in widescreen high definition.

April 30, 2009: Two More Episodes Ordered

On April 30, 2009, Fox ordered at least two more episodes of King of the Hill to give the show a finale.

August 10, 2009: Series Finale Announcement

On August 10, 2009, Fox released a statement that the network would air a series finale of King of the Hill on September 13, 2009.

September 13, 2009: King of the Hill Final Episode Air Date

On September 13, 2009, King of the Hill aired its final episode on Fox.

May 2010: Syndication Premiere of Final Episodes

In May 2010, four episodes from the final season of King of the Hill, which were originally planned to air on Fox, premiered in nightly syndication.

2011: Mike Judge Comments on Revival Possibility

During the panel discussion for the return of Beavis and Butt-Head at Comic-Con 2011, Mike Judge said that there were no plans to revive King of the Hill, although he would not rule out the possibility of it returning.

October 1, 2013: End of Streaming

On October 1, 2013, Netflix and Fox stopped streaming all episodes of King of the Hill.

2013: TV Guide's Top 60 Greatest TV Cartoons of All Time

In 2013, TV Guide ranked King of the Hill as one of the top 60 Greatest TV Cartoons of All Time.

2014: IGN's Top 100 Animated TV Series

As of 2014, King of the Hill was ranked No. 27 on IGN's "Top 100 Animated TV Series".

2014: Olive Films Acquires Sub-License

In 2014, Olive Films acquired the sub-license to release future seasons of King of the Hill on DVD.

April 7, 2015: Release of Seasons Nine and Ten

On April 7, 2015, Olive Films released seasons nine and ten of King of the Hill on DVD.

August 25, 2015: Release of Season Eleven

On August 25, 2015, Olive Films released season eleven of King of the Hill on DVD.

September 22, 2015: Release of Season Twelve

On September 22, 2015, Olive Films released season twelve of King of the Hill on DVD.

October 20, 2015: Release of Season Thirteen

On October 20, 2015, Olive Films released season thirteen of King of the Hill on DVD and Blu-ray.

2016: The Atlantic on the Show's Bipartisan Appeal

In 2016, The Atlantic dubbed King of the Hill the "last bipartisan TV comedy".

August 2017: Discussions with Fox Executives About Revival

In August 2017, it was revealed that Mike Judge and Greg Daniels had talked with Fox executives about a potential revival of King of the Hill.

2017: Removal from iTunes and Google Play

In early 2017, the King of the Hill series was removed from iTunes and Google Play, though it returned to the latter later that year.

May 2018: Second Removal from Digital Platforms

As of May 2018, all episodes of King of the Hill were again removed from Google Play and iTunes.

June 29, 2018: King of the Hill leaves Adult Swim

On June 29, 2018, King of the Hill stopped airing on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block.

July 24, 2018: King of the Hill reruns on Comedy Central and CMT

On July 24, 2018, King of the Hill began airing reruns on Comedy Central and CMT.

November 1, 2018: Availability on Hulu

On November 1, 2018, all episodes of King of the Hill became available for streaming on Hulu in the US.

September 29, 2019: Bless the Harts Premiere

On September 29, 2019, Bless the Harts, an animated series that loosely shares a universe with King of the Hill, premiered on Fox.

November 2019: King of the Hill pulled from Comedy Central and CMT

In November 2019, King of the Hill was pulled from the lineups of Comedy Central and CMT.

March 2020: Daniels Reveals Reboot Idea

In March 2020, Greg Daniels revealed that he and Mike Judge had an idea for the reboot of King of the Hill.

March 2021: Reboot Underway

In March 2021, writer Brent Forrester stated that a reboot of King of the Hill was currently underway.

June 20, 2021: Bless the Harts Series Finale

On June 20, 2021, Bless the Harts ended after being cancelled by Fox after two seasons.

September 20, 2021: King of the Hill joins FXX's lineup

On September 20, 2021, King of the Hill joined the lineup on FXX.

November 22, 2021: FXX and Adult Swim share syndication rights

As of November 22, 2021, Adult Swim regained partial syndication of King of the Hill, and FXX and Adult Swim now share the syndication rights.

January 2022: Bandera Entertainment Formation and Revival Announcement

In January 2022, Judge and Daniels announced the forming of a new company called Bandera Entertainment, with a revival of King of the Hill being one of several series in development.

January 18, 2022: Bandera Entertainment Formation and King of the Hill Revival Announcement

On January 18, 2022, Mike Judge and Greg Daniels announced the formation of a new company called Bandera Entertainment, with a King of the Hill revival being one of several series in development.

September 2022: Fox Decision

In September 2022, Fox Entertainment president Michael Thorn confirmed that the King of the Hill series would not air on Fox, with the reason being that Fox prefers to have full ownership of whatever new shows they air.

September 2022: King of the Hill characters appear in Animation Throwdown: The Quest for Cards

In September 2022, characters from King of the Hill appeared in the crossover game Animation Throwdown: The Quest for Cards, alongside characters from Family Guy, American Dad!, Futurama, Bob's Burgers, and Archer.

2022: International Availability on Disney+

In 2022, King of the Hill was made available internationally on Disney+ through the Star hub.

January 31, 2023: Hulu Picks Up King of the Hill Revival

On January 31, 2023, it was announced that Hulu had picked up the King of the Hill revival.

May 1, 2023: Revival Time Jump

On May 1, 2023, Root stated that the new King of the Hill revival will also have a time jump taking place years after the series finale where Bobby is "older".