King of the Hill is coming back for a brand new season with Hulu, so now it’s time to brush up with some of the best Hank Hill episodes of the original series before the revival. King of the Hill is coming back with a new season fifteen years after its original run came to an end, and fans will be thrown into a whole new kind of world for Hank and the others. Many things have changed for the animated series, but the characters are still very much grounded in their roots. It’s one of the big reasons fans still love it after all this time.
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There’s no better example of this than with Hank. Much of the original King of the Hill was focused on how much Hank would or would not change given any situation, and some of the best episodes focusing on him shared the wildest examples of Hank’s changes. For the best way to get to know Hank ahead of the new King of the Hill season, read on for our picks for ten of the best Hank episodes to check out before the new premiere.
#10. Hank’s Dirty Laundry (Season 2, Episode 17)
While it’s not the first real example, “Hank’s Dirty Laundry” is a great showcase of just how far Hank is willing to go for his own values. After being accused of having a late fee for an adult film, Hank goes as far as researching these adult films to the point where he recognizes that the film he rented didn’t exist at the time he rented it. Hank was willing to dive into the world of adult films to prove his point by any means necessary, and didn’t really see a problem with it. It’s just who Hank is.
#9. Beer and Loathing (Season 6, Episode 16)
Hank’s stubbornness can also get him in some pretty hilarious trouble too as his love of Alamo Beer ultimately led him and the others to go to Mexico and buy it when it’s taken off the shelves. Giving themselves terrible stomach issues as a result, Hank and the others then try and hide that fact from Peggy. This is more of a Peggy focused episode, but also shows how important Alamo is to Hank himself. There’s been teases that the new revival sees Hank dealing with modern beer brews, so it’s best to get accustomed to just how much he likes this particular brand of beer.
#8. Hank’s Bully (Season 10, Episode 14)
Hank’s been put up against a number of notable adversaries over the course of King of the Hill’s run, but his biggest (and most unique) was his young bully, Caleb. This kid was first introduced as a rowdy new child moving into the neighborhood, and was used to highlight Hank’s more strict parenting style compared to others. It’s a vein that the series had tapped in the past, but putting Hank in a situation where he couldn’t directly address the problem at hand made for a rather unique look at Hank himself. It really shows how petty he can be, but also the fact that he’s just trying to be a good parent and person at the end of the day.
#7. Hank’s On Board (Season 10, Episode 1)
Some of King of the Hill’s best episodes showcase Hank’s close relationships with his friends, and “Hank’s On Board” is the best example of how he fits into their dynamic. While much of the series had Hank chastising the others for being idiots, this was the first real time that Hank addressed his place within the group. After finding out that Dale and Boomhauer have been hanging out without him, he realizes he’s been a wet blanket this whole time. Finally losing that part of himself and acting like an idiot also revealed a whole new side of Hank. But then the others realized he’s the glue that keeps them together (and alive), and it further proves why they’ve been together all this time.
#6. Dances With Dogs (Season 7, Episode 5)
Ladybird has been concerningly absent from the new King of the Hill promotional revival materials thus far, and it’s likely that the worst cast scenario has come to pass in the decade since the original series. But if even she’s not a part of the new series, Hank’s love for Ladybird is a huge part of who he is as a character. While there are some strong examples of what Ladybird represents for him in other episodes, “Dances With Dogs” is the best example of their relationship as Hank dances with her. It also doubly serves as a fun look at Peggy as she’s jealous of Ladybird, and it’s a direct competition with Bobby, so it serves multiple functions for this list.
#5. The Son Also Roses (Season 7, Episode 6)
Speaking of Bobby and direct competitions, “The Son Also Roses” puts both of them in a very unique light for Hank. This episode sees Bobby enter the world of rose growing, and Hank only gets interested when it’s revealed that there’s an actual competition at hand. He then takes it way too seriously, and it’s a good look at how stubborn Hank can be in a negative way. It’s a showcase of the kind of serious person Hank is when it comes to competition, and he’ll even turn something like this into something he’ll commit to. There’s likely going to be some kind of competition in the revival, so Hank’s going to go all in.
#4. Little Horrors of Shop (Season 4, Episode 4)
King of the Hill’s new revival is going to feature a Hank who’s since retired, and thus needs to fill time in his life. “Little Horrors of Shop” was the first real example of what Hank is like when he can’t work for a week (as he’s forced to take some time off), and finds out that he’s good at being a substitute shop class teacher. This is the kind of Hank who we’ll likely see the most of in the new era as he’ll be trying out all sorts of things to fill his days, and he’ll likely also find out he’s good at those things too. It’s just who Hank is without a job to work, so it’s best to start getting used to it.
#3. Raise the Steaks (Season 12, Episode 6)
“Raise the Steaks” is the perfect example of years worth of building that the original King of the Hill series put into Hank. The episode not only demonstrated Hank’s love of beef, but also willingness to deal with those he initially had a distaste for. This episode sees him working at a co-op with the kinds of non-traditional people that seasons before he openly despised, but was willing to do so because of its good tasting beef. It also continued to build on Hank’s years long rivalry with Mega Lo Mart, and hilariously puts him on the side of environmentalism even when he’s been against the idea before. It’s just a great example that Hank does what best fits with his values regardless of what he actually has to do.
#2. Chasing Bobby (Season 5, Episode 9)
Hank is not really an emotional person (where a lot of the humor is mined from), but he truly broke down in “Chasing Bobby.” After watching an emotional movie in theaters, Hank cries in front of his friends and family when he realizes his truck is no longer operational. It’s the most emotional Hank has been in the entire series overall, and sees him surprisingly bonding with Bobby over the fact he has to say goodbye. Hank cried here more than when his father died, so that should tell you quite a lot about who he is alone.
#1. To Sirloin With Love (Season 13, Episode 20)
But when looking at King of the Hill‘s entire run, there’s no better introduction to the Hank that we’ll see in the revival than with its series finale, “To Sirloin With Love.” It takes the best elements of episodes mentioned before to highlight all sorts of parts of what makes Hank so special as a character. It’s an episode that shows him at his best as a father as he bonds with Bobby, it shows how seriously Hank takes competitions, it shows his love of beef and cooking, and ultimately it shows that he really does respect his son. Bobby might not always seem “right” to him, but at the end of the day he’s still proud. There’s no better showcase of Hank as a character, and why Hank’s going to be great to reunite with in the new episodes.
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