10 Best Episodes to Watch Before King of the Hill’s Revival Premieres

King of the Hill is coming back this Summer with a brand new revival series, so now is the best time and get refreshed on everything that happened in the original series with ten of the best episodes to catch up on. King of the Hill started out as one of the most humble animated series of its time. Compared to many of its compatriots, the show instead told a grounded story of a man living in the small town of Arlen, TX dealing with the changing world around him. As his views got challenged, Hank Hill changed by the end of the series too.

King of the Hill’s best episodes were about that change. Either Hank’s views on parenthood, society, and how someone should be were challenged head on, or his friends got caught up in some kind of wacky shenanigans that he needed to help straighten out. With the ten episodes here, it’s the best kind of spread for the tone that King of the Hill’s new revival will likely take as many of these episodes set up some reveals that will likely come after the time skip in between the original and new series. Check them out below.

Of Mice and Little Green Men (Season 6, Episode 14)

One of the biggest questions left over from the original King of the Hill was whether or not Dale Gribble would find out that his wife Nancy had cheated on him, and a few episodes from the original series had addressed whether or not Dale had known Joseph was not his biological son. The closest the series ever got to really hitting this head on was “Of Mice and Little Green Men” as Dale finds out that his genetic material doesn’t match Joseph’s. Instead thinking that Joseph was an alien, Hank helps Dale realize that he’s Joseph’s father regardless of whether or not he’s genetically related. It’s an episode that might be very crucial to the revival if Dale or Joseph brings this up again.

Get Your Freak Off (Season 7, Episode 1)

This likely won’t be the most fondly remembered on this list, but “Get Your Freak Off” is a perfect episode of King of the Hill. It captures every single angle of what you want from the show. It has Hank getting in over his head when he mistakes a boy band for a classic Doo-wop group, Peggy gets so impressed by a pair of cool parents that she wants to be in with them regardless of what it means, and Bobby is trying to get closer to a girl he likes but is having trouble making a connection at first.

But as the episode continues, Hank’s point of view ends up being the correct one. His style on parenting might seem strict, but it ultimately provides the boundaries that kids like Bobby appreciate. And it makes Hank sexy to the rest of the neighborhood women, so it’s a win for Peggy too. Every character ends up with a happy ending without much shake up, and that’s just fun to revisit.

Dances With Dogs (Season 7, Episode 5)

A common theme you’ll find in King of the Hill is Hank discovering he actually loves something he initially scoffed at, and one of the funniest examples comes from “Dances With Dogs.” After initially being confused at the fact that Bobby wanted to dance with a god, Hank discovers it’s actually a full competitive scene. Allowing Hank to connect with Ladybird, it shows just how much he loves his dog. There are a few better examples of just how much he loves Ladybird, but this one hilariously has Peggy being jealous over the fact that Hank’s dancing with his dog more than her. It’s just a fun one to revisit all around.

An Officer and a Gentle Boy (Season 7, Episode 15)

Hank’s father Cotton likely won’t be playing a major role in the new King of the Hill series given that he died during the events of the original show, but we’re going to hear him mentioned when Hank brings up his younger brother Good Hank. It might be a better idea to watch G.H’s debut episode to get context for the character (“Next of Shin”), but go with the more fun option that showcases how Cotton’s parenting style wouldn’t be a good fit for the modern era anyway.

After taking over a military camp Bobby was sent to straighten him out, Cotton learns that Bobby doesn’t give him an inch. Bobby has such a strong sense of self that he doesn’t break under any of the cruel torture from his grandfather, and gets some respect from his grandfather (and Hank) in the process. It was a great early example of how Bobby was just going to be who is he is regardless of anything anyone tried, and will likely help to shape Bobby in the coming revival.

Soldier of Misfortune (Season 9, Episode 12)

This is probably the best Dale Gribble focused episode, and it’s taken to a new level with Hank needing to help feed into the shenanigans. After Hank “hires” Dale (under the moniker “Mr. Big”) to help raise his confidence as a mercenary, Dale gets into a much wilder situation than he would have ever expected. It’s where the famous “pocket sand” scene comes from, and it’s just a lovely introduction to the character if you want to really get what Dale is all about. It’s also one of his biggest victories by the end of it too.

RELATED: King of the Hill’s Revival Episode Titles Reportedly Surface Online (& Tease New Hulu Series)

Hank’s on Board (Season 10, Episode 1)

Hank’s usually the straight man to all of the chaos around him, and that often makes him a wet blanket to the rest of his friends. This idea gets challenged a few times over the course of the series’ history, and this episode is one of the best examples of it. This episode sees Hank getting jealous over the fact that Dale and Boomhauer went fishing each year without him, and saw that his friends don’t really want him around as he chastises their nonsense all the time.

But when he finally plays around, he’s punished for it. It’s this episode that truly cements all of their friendships with one another in a new perspective, and it’s that Hank really does keep them out of trouble and they love him for it.

Blood and Sauce (Season 11, Episode 3)

There are a few episodes in King of the Hill that serve as big key points for the characters that will come back in the revival. Bobby had been showing an interest in cooking before, and even went as far as impressing his father with his skills (much to the chagrin of his mother, Peggy). But it wasn’t until this episode that it turned into a love of barbecue. As Bill Dauterive was concerned about passing on his legacy to an heir, Bobby becomes his spiritual son and the two form a new connection over their shared love of food and cooking.

Bobby has been teased to have become a chef in the King of the Hill revival series, and is even teased to have barbecue techniques at the center of his work. This is the episode where all of those interests begin to align, so it’s fun to see that Bill helped to foster this future direction for Bobby that wasn’t so focused on comedy.

Lucky’s Wedding Suit (Season 11, Episode 12)

With both Brittany Murphy and Tom Petty passing in the years since the original series, one of the big questions the King of the Hill revival is going to have to face head on is what will ultimately be the fate of their characters, Luanne and Lucky. The two of them eventually go on to have a daughter, Gracie, and while that episode would give more context, “Lucky’s Wedding Suit” is the best send off for Lucky and Luanne as characters overall.

The two might play big roles in the final two seasons of the series, with Lucky becoming a regular additional member in Hank’s usual adventurers, but this episode was almost a series finale. There’s a famous deleted scene that never got used where Hank reveals that it was really only a year since the beginning of the series and gives everything a final bit of closure. It’s why so many characters from the series were seen during the wedding, and it’s why you should see it before the new revival too.

Raise the Steaks (Season 12, Episode 6)

Hank really gets challenged with this one as not only does “Raise the Steaks” force him to hang out with more nature friendly types, but he also learns that their natural way of life leads to much better tasting meat. After spending much of the series facing off against hippie types, Hank ends up working closely with them to the point where their co-op store gets so popular that they eventually sell out. With Mega-Lo Mart already playing a big part in the series (and teased to get even bigger in the revival), Hank facing off against them one final time is such a fun watch.

It’s a twist on what Hank has done through the series thus far, and hilariously never loses sight of the fact that he wanted some good tasting steak at the end of the day. He’ll do whatever it takes if it meant higher quality food on his plate, and it’s these principles that go on to inspire Bobby heading into the series finale in the next season.

To Sirloin With Love (Season 13, Episode 20)

If you really only have time to watch a single episode of King of the Hill before the new revival series, however, the best episode really is the final one. The series finale is arguably the best episode of the animated series as a whole, and really wraps up many of the themes that had been set up throughout the show. Hank’s son Bobby reveals how well he knows cuts of meat, and he and his father share an interest for the first real time.

Bobby’s so good that he eventually gets to state wide competition, and it really is encapsulating of all of Bobby’s interests. His love of cooking, his love of grand competitions, and his love for his father all come together with one of the most beautiful send offs in television history. In fact, this revival’s already in trouble because it has to follow up such a beauty.

If you wanted to check out any of these episodes or King of the Hill’s original series overall, you can find the animated series now streaming with Hulu.