The 15 best 'King of the Hill' episodes of all time

There are a lot of classic Peggy centric episodes throughout the series, but season 6’s “Lupe’s Revenge” feels like the most quintessential of the series when it comes to Peggy as a character. (“Full Metal Dust Jacket” and “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret Hill” could have easily been on this list, too.)

After successfully convincing Tom Landry Middle School to let her lead a class field trip to Mexico (even though she’s only a substitute teacher), Peggy ends up accidentally kidnapping a Mexican child back with her to Texas. Things only get worse when she attempts to return the girl home and winds up being arrested. In the end, she pleads her case in a Mexican courtroom with hilarious results. 

The whole episode plays on everything that makes Peggy an amazing and endearing character, with her overconfidence and ineptitude serving as both the source of and solution to all her problems. 

14. “A Firefighting We Will Go” (Season 3, Episode 10)

Who doesn’t love a Rashomon story? When Hank and the gang jump at the opportunity to live out their childhood dreams of becoming firefighters (or at least volunteer ones), that dream quickly turns into a nightmare when the local firehouse burns down on their watch. 

As each character recounts their version of events, we are treated to fun variations of the story through each unique perspective. We see everything from Dale picturing himself as a buff he-man with a luscious head of hair to the highlight of the episode wherein Boomhauer speaks in a normal voice while everyone else adopts his signature fast-talking gibberish. 

It’s a fantastic ensemble story that highlights the best of the core cast’s dynamics, and ultimately showcases what makes these four childhood friends so special. 

13. “Dang Ol’ Love” (Season 6, Episode 20)

Of all the core cast, Boomhauer probably has the least episodes centered around him as the focal character. But “Dang Ol’ Love” is a classic. 

A notorious bachelor, Boomhauer spends most of the series as your stereotypical “ladies man” archetype. That all changes however when he begins seeing a woman who finally makes him catch that dang ol’ thing called love. Before he knows it, Boomhauer is head over heels for the first time in his life, and ready to propose …only to find himself rejected and in the shoes of so many women he’s dated and cast aside. 

It’s a simple but great episode that humanizes and gives a little depth to a mostly one note character. Plus, it has some great moments from Bill as well that really showcase the versatility of the friend group and how they balance each other. 

12. “Of Mice and Little Green Men” (Season 6, Episode 14)

On the Dale-centric side of things, “Of Mice and Little Green Men” is a fantastic episode that blends that classic Hank and Bobby formula with the more bonkers pairing of Dale and Joseph. 

While the two fathers struggle to connect with their sons’ interests– Bobby acting in a theatrical production of Of Mice and Men and Joseph trying out for the lacrosse team– Hank and Dale decide to swap and mentor the other’s kid instead. This snowballs when Dale comes to the conclusion that the reason he has such a hard time connecting with his son is because Joseph is actually an alien. Naturally. 

Things only escalate from there, but in the end both relationships grow stronger in this touching adventure of fatherhood and extra terrestrials. 

11. “Hank’s Cowboy Movie” (Season 3, Episode 19)

Similar to “A Firefighting We Will Go,” this season 3 episode stands out as one of the best ensemble storylines of the series. And this time the action happens on an even grander scale! The episode brings in an extended roster of characters like Peggy and Nancy, as well as a touching Bobby and Hank story at its core. 

After a trip to see the Dallas Cowboys training camp in Wichita Fall, Bobby is left with a newfound distaste for his home town. Worried the new generation will all want to leave, Hank sets out to convince the Cowboys to move their camp to Arlen. In order to do this, he gets the whole gang together to make their own promotional video to mail to the team …and things go about as well as you’d imagine.

In the end, the ordeal does bring this close knit community together in a heartwarming way. And while it may not have won over the Cowboys, it sure does win over the audience.

10. “To Sirloin With Love” (Season 13, Episode 20)

While not technically the last episode to officially air of the series, for all intents and purposes, “To Sirloin With Love” serves as the series finale for the show’s original run. And it’s a darn near perfect one. In fact, we’d go as far as to call it one of the best series finales in television history. 

When Bobby displays an acute knack for beef, he soon finds himself a prodigy among the meat judging community. The episode evolves into a story about Bobby joining the college team and competing in a fairly straightforward King of the Hill plot. It beautifully pulls together the core of the show, which is the relationship between Hank and Bobby. Plus, the final moments of the episode really crank up the emotion for longtime fans of the series. It ends with a touching tribute to 13 seasons of friends, family, and steaks.  

9. “Bills Are Made to Be Broken” (Season 4, Episode 3) 

Bill is easily one of the most loveable of the side characters on King of the Hill. Often the butt of the joke due to his tragic luck, “Bills Are Made to Be Broken” is one episode where we really see Bill shine. 

When a young high school player breaks Bill’s old football record through questionable means, the stage is set for another disappointing chapter in Bill’s life. However, Hank finds a loophole that allows Bill the opportunity to play on the Arlen High team once more in order to get the record back. 

It’s a heartfelt story that showcases Bill and Hank’s friendship and even offers a more sincere exploration of Bill’s emotional depth. Long live the Billdozer.

8. “Keeping Up with Our Joneses” (Season 1, Episode 10)

For the most part, like many series, King of the Hill’s first season is a mixed bag. Not bad necessarily, but filled with growing pains as the writers are still fine tuning and figuring out the characters. That said, “Keeping Up with Our Joneses” is a standout classic from this early batch. 

When Hank catches Bobby smoking, he uses a questionable parenting method to teach him a lesson. Specifically, he forces Bobby to smoke an entire carton of cigarettes in an attempt to make him sick and never want to smoke again. This of course backfires and not only gets Bobby hooked on cigarettes, but reawakens Hank and Peggy’s addiction as well. 

Although not the best Bobby and Hank story, “Keeping Up with Our Joneses” does establish some of the classic themes of the show and makes for a memorable early entry in the series. 

7. The Witches of East Arlen (Season 7, Episode 23)

What do you get when you mix King of the Hill, Dungeons & Dragons, and a guest appearance by David Cross? An all-time classic, that’s what. 

After Bobby fails to land a role in the school musical, he sets out on a journey of discovery as he desperately looks to find his “thing.” When he stumbles upon a deck of tarot cards at the flea market, Bobby ends up finding himself taken in by a cringy group of nerds who take their love of “magick” to the next level. 

The episode is a great Bobby centric coming of age story, where, in the end, he may not have found his “thing”, but he does find a greater sense of self nonetheless. 

6. “Nancy’s Boys” (Season 4, Episode 21)

One of the greatest running gags/storylines of the series is easily the Dale and Nancy’s messy marriage and her “secret affair” with John Redcorn. And there’s no better episode that captures the chaos of that whole situation better than “Nancy’s Boys.”

In an absurdly hilarious twist on the situation, Nancy winds up “cheating” on John Redcorn with Dale after being forced into a double date night with Hank and Peggy. As Nancy attempts to fix her “mistake”, Dale and John Redcorn strike up an unexpected friendship that only further complicates things. 

The whole episode is a brilliantly woven farce that somehow also manages to find a surprisingly sweet resolution for everyone involved. 

5. “Hanky Panky/High Anxiety” (Season 4, Episode 13 & 14)

There are a few classic two-parter stories throughout the series and, for me, “Hanky Panky” and “High Anxiety” are the best of the bunch. Similar to The Simpsons’ classic “Who Shot Mr. Burns?” mystery, this pair of episodes see the cast in their own little whodunit. 

“Hanky Panky” serves as a dramatic setup with Buck Strickland’s wife Mrs. Liz turning things upside down for Buck, Hank, and the rest of the characters– culminating in the mysterious death of Buck’s ex-mistress, Debbie. Then, High Anxiety brings things home in hilarious and bizarre fashion as the truth eventually comes to light in this macabre caper.

Oh and this is the story where Hank accidentally smokes marijuana. Need we say more? 

4. “Wings of the Dope” (Season 3, Episode 23)

Luanne episodes are a special thing. They’re heartfelt, empowering, and hilarious, all the things that make her so memorable. And “Wings of the Dope” is the best of them all. 

For the first two seasons of the series, Luanne is largely a side character without much agency or ambition. This can be best exemplified in her on-again, off-again boyfriend Buckley, who treats her with little respect and serves as a symbol of arrested development in her life. When Buckley is killed in the season 2 finale– a casualty of the propane explosion at the Mega Lo Mart– it marks a turning point for Luanne’s journey as a character throughout the show’s third season. 

This culminates in “Wings of the Dope,” where Luanne is at a crossroads in her life and finds herself visited by Buckley’s angel to help her through it. What follows is a beautiful exploration of faith, perseverance, and profound growth of a beloved character. 

What else can you say but “Chicken thigh.” 

3. “Aisle 8A” (Season 4, Episode 5)

Hank Hill’s comedic brilliance shines when he’s put into uncomfortable situations that push him to his breaking point. There’s no better example of that than “Aisle 8A.”

He watches Connie while Kahn and Minh go out of town, and things quickly spiral into comedic chaos when Connie gets her first period. The whole situation is a nightmare scenario for Hank, who treats it like a medical disaster and rushes her to the emergency room wrapped in a blanket. Meanwhile, the episode also serves some poignant coming of age beats as well, as it highlights Connie and Bobby’s perspective during this significant milestone of adolescence. 

While the show’s more out-there stories can be fun and entertaining in their own right, this episode shows that King of the Hill is at its best when it finds the humanity and humor in the little things that make up life. 

2. “Bobby Goes Nuts” (Season 6, Episode 1)

Is there a more iconic and quotable episode of King of the Hill than this? Even if you have never seen the show, chances are you’ve heard the phrase “That’s my purse! I don’t know you!” It’s almost become as ubiquitous in pop culture as the meme of Homer disappearing into the bushes from The Simpsons. And it’s not surprising because this is one of the funniest episodes of the series. 

When Bobby is beaten up by bullies, Hank sends his son to the YMCA to learn how to defend himself. Unfortunately, the boxing class is full, but Bobby manages to get a spot in a women’s self defense course instead. Armed with a new fighting style and a hilarious catch phrase to go with it, Bobby soon goes overboard with his new power and is kicking nuts left and right. (Including his father’s nuts.)

It’s simple, hilarious, and an all-time classic for a reason. 

1. “Meet the Propaniacs” (Season 4, Episode 20)

And that brings us to the best episode of King of the Hill, which is “Meet the Propaniacs.” While “Bobby Goes Nuts” may be the funniest, “Meet the Propaniacs” is pure perfection when it comes to embodying everything that makes the series so special. 

King of the Hill is, at its core, about the complicated relationship between Hank and Bobby. About two very different personalities of two different generations trying to find common ground with each other. In a lot of ways this episode feels like a spiritual precursor to “To Sirloin With Love,” with the story centering around Hank and Bobby finding a new hobby on which to build a relationship. 

The episode sees Bobby helping out during a crisis at Strickland Propane, distracting an angry mob by putting on a propane themed comedy show. While Peggy initially fears Hank will be angry that Bobby is “making fun” of sweet lady propane, the opposite happens. Hank loves it. Hank is literally crying with laughter at every joke. And thus the comedy group known as “The Propainiacs” is born. 

Unfortunately, through the course of the episode, hijinx ensue that ultimately result in the Propaniacs being barred from performing at official propane functions. But in the end, what’s important is the connection that Hank and Bobby have made.