History YMMV / KingOfTheHill

** Cotton is a racist, sexist, loud, obnoxious man who is largely the reason Hank is so messed up, but consider that he loses a lot of friends in World War II, becomes permanently disfigured during said war, and genuinely falls in love with his nurse Michiko but is forced to go back to America (abandoning her) due to the laws of the time. He then returns to a country that is hostile towards him and other veterans, and he, like his old war buddies, becomes a bitter old shell of his former self, eventually becoming the last survivor, his bitterness is at least semi-understandable .

** Rick from "That's What She Said" is a lurid jackass, but his main motivation was that he was afraid he wouldn't fit in at Strickland and thought his dirty jokes were helping the others to like him more. He probably wouldn't have gone as far as he did had the others (sans [[OnlySaneMan Hank]]) hadn't egged him on. [[TookALevelInJerkass Of course]], he quickly loses any sympathetic qualities once he starts crossing the line into inappropriate touching and refusing to stop even when he's clearly making everyone else uncomfortable, and by the end of the episode, his firing is more than justified.

** There's also a rivalry, with, of all shows, ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', due to it replacing Creator/AdultSwim's ''King of the Hill'' reruns. ([[{{Misblamed}} It should be noted that Adult Swim was losing the rights to the show anyway.]])

** Some fans don't consider "A Rover Runs Through It" or "Life: A Loser's Manual" as canon because these were later episodes that messed with early established canon in the series that fans preferred. The former changed Peggy's backstory from her spending her childhood in Montana and moving to Arlen before high school and being high school sweethearts with Hank to now growing up entirely in Montana and leaving as an adult to escape her abusive mother who still lives there. (Previous episodes have also established Peggy's mother living in Arlen as well.) The latter is disliked because it retcons the series-wide backstory of Luanne's father working in an oil rig to escape from his violently abusive ex-wife, Leanne to being in prison and is just as much of a lowlife as Leanne was. The events from these episodes aren't ever mentioned later in the series, making it fairly easy for fans to forget about them.

** It was very popular in the UK. Even more popular then the likes of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', and ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''. This is likely due to the fact that the UK is one of the more conservative countries in the developed world.

** In one episode where everyone at Strickland Propane is trying to get in on the Americans with Disabilities Act after a drug addict's addiction is diagnosed as a disease (season three's "Junkie Business"), one employee claims he has priapism and requires a roomier workstation and a view of [[MsFanservice Debbie]]. "Priapism" is the medical term for an erection that doesn't go down or soft, even after intercourse or masturbation.

** In the episode that explores Kahn's manic depression, Dale talks about how he and the energized Kahn studied the Lincoln and Kennedy assasinations and were planning to study [=McKinley=]'s murder. A student of history would know that [=McKinley=]'s is one where the ruling, that he had been murdered by an anarchist who acted alone, is considered to be plausible and non-controversial by most historians.

* {{Squick}}: In the episode ''[[Recap/KingOfTheHillS2E17HanksDirtyLaundry Hanks Dirty Laundry]]'', It's implied that Fernanda Valley, the star of the film "Cuffs and Collars," was starring in pornographic films while she was still a minor.[[labelnote:Explanation]]Fernanda Valley has an "I love Charlie Sheen" tattoo in the movie, which she did not get until two weeks after Hank supposedly rented the film. However, the reason she got that tattoo was to "celebrate her triumphant return to the profession" on the occaision of her eighteenth birthday, implying that she had been starring in pornographic films before she had turned eighteen.[[/labelnote]]

** It was also panned in the Netherlands and Scandinavia. Both countries are quite secular, casual, modern and left-wing in their values, making the conservative religious Hill family less relatable.

* AmericansHateTingle:
** It was also panned in the Netherlands and Scandinavia. Both countries are quite secular, casual, modern and left-wing in their values, making the conservative religious Hill family less relatable.
** The show never really caught on in Hungary. As a rule, {{Animated Shock Comed|y}}ies are beloved in that country; the more low-brow and vulgar, the better (''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', for example, [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff is extremely popular there]]). While the Hungarian dub of ''King of the Hill'' was loaded with profanity, cultural differences between Hungary and the United States and the show's general laid-back tone prevented the show from becoming a hit.

** Cotton. On one side, there are the fans who love how hilariously [[CrossesTheLineTwice over-the-top he is in his lack of manners]]; on the other side, there are the fans who hate how much of an abusive and misogynistic {{Jerkass}} he is.

* MisaimedMarketing: ''Very'' early in the show's run, they tried to cross promote the show on Creator/FoxKids with "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpmw9azzLDI Fox Kids Heads for the Hills]]", where special bumpers and promos showed the characters interacting with various FK characters -- like Hank convincing the WesternAnimation/SilverSurfer [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1FLRlVnHJQ to switch to propane power for his surfboard]]. This might have been a misguided attempt to promote it based off the popularity of ''Beavis and Butt-head'' with young people, though [[https://kidsblockblog.wordpress.com/2019/08/05/foxs-cross-promotions-of-king-of-the-hill/ some evidence]] suggests that the first season of ''King of the Hill'' was in fact [[PeripheryDemographic extremely popular with kids]]... which doesn't make the cross promotion any less bizarre. Also, this was one of the last times Fox's primetime lineup ever really interacted with the FK lineup -- it was mainly untenable at this point. [[note]]Due to half of Fox's affiliates in major markets (specifically, station that had switched due to the DisasterDominoes that ensued when Fox nabbed the NFL -- see that page for ''that'' mess) not wanting to air the block, specifically the weekday lineup, because they didn't want cartoons leading into their newscasts. As a result, depending on where you lived in the 90s, Fox Kids wasn't likely to be on the Fox station -- it'd be on a WB, UPN, or indie station. So cross-promotion became rarer as an aftereffect of that.[[/note]] It is however worth pointing out that as far as adult animation goes, King of the Hill is actually quite tame -- even ''for'' its time.

** The show has become a bonafide CultClassic in Japan. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the way Hank's [[SeriousBusiness obsession with propane]] resonates with the [[{{Salaryman}} Japanese work ethic]], and the general ValuesResonance of the series' tongue-in-cheek satire of the stubborn conservative traditionalism shared by both Texas and Japan. Amusingly, the series is a major flashpoint of the SubbingVsDubbing debate in Japan.

** During the season two finale "Propane Boom", Mega Lo Mart explodes with Hank, Luanne, and Buckley inside as the citizens of Arlen run screaming and look on in horror. Absolutely mortifying. But it's ''[[TheUnintelligible Boomhauer]]'' who calls 911, and of course, the operator can't understand a word he says.

** Dale Gribble. Most people agree that Dale is the funniest character on the show. However, there's a non-inconsequential percentage who find him to be an annoying, dangerous idiot and a ToxicFriendInfluence. And there are some who believe that these statements aren't mutually exclusive.

* DracoInLeatherPants: Dale Gribble gets this due to him being his jerky, paranoid behavior towards Hank.

** Cotton. On one side, there are the fans who love how hilariously [[CrossesTheLineTwice over-the-top he is in his lack of manners]]; on the other side, there are the fans who hate how much of an abusive and misogynistic Jerkass he is.

* FountainOfMemes: Hank Hill, as evidenced by the MemeticMutation section below.

** Hank forcing Bobby to smoke an entire carton of cigarettes in "Keeping Up With Our Joneses" after catching the latter smoke one cigarette sounds like a ridiculous punishment. In actuality, this was disturbingly real punishment for years, and similar "you're going to do this bad thing until you hate it" punishments aren't uncommon from parents, either. It doesn't happen as much as it used to in Hank's day, but it's not gone.

** In "Reborn To Be Wild", Hank claims he didn't want Bobby to be with a church group because he didn't want Christianity to be a fad to Bobby when up to then it was clear he didn't want Bobby to be with the group because the teens apart of the group liked to skate and listen to rock music, and since this was revealed at the end of the episode with absolutely no foreshadowing it comes off like a lazy attempt to make Hank look like the good guy and justify his behavior.

** The episode [[HalloweenSpecial "Hilloween"]] features [[TheFundamentalist Junie Harper, a religious fanatic]], who takes Bobby and several other kids on the tour of her "Hallelujah House," which aims to show what happens when people stray from the path of God. For example, she shows that an unmarried couple died because "it's true what they say, [[DeathBySex sex kills!]]" She then shows them a scene where a gorilla eats its human grandchild because evolution is taught in schools. In reality, Hallelujah Houses usually spring up around Halloween, particularly in [[TheDeepSouth Southern states, like Texas]], where the show takes place, [[https://www.buzzfeed.com/sarahburton/evangelical-hell-houses-that-will-terrify-you-if-youre-int?utm_term=.qjG9810Ja#.nuLMlBA7G and they really do give haunted houses a run for their money in terms of sheer horror.]] Though while haunted houses do it [[RuleOfFun for entertainment]], [[http://www.religioustolerance.org/hallo_he.htm Hallelujah Houses do it to instill a fear of God.]]

*** Another interpretation that's gained popularity in recent years is that Hank has [[AmbiguousDisorder high-functioning autism or Asperger's]]. It's fully possible, given the show’s timeframe, as well as Hank's age, that he could be on the spectrum without anyone knowing.

** Despite the above case of AmericansHateTingle, the show has become a bonafide CultClassic in Japan. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the way Hank's [[SeriousBusiness obsession with propane]] resonates with the [[{{Salaryman}} Japanese work ethic]], and the general ValuesResonance of the series' tongue-in-cheek satire of the stubborn conservative traditionalism shared by both Texas and Japan. Amusingly, the series is a major flashpoint of the SubbingVsDubbing debate in Japan.

* IdiotPlot: "Hank's Unmentionable Problem", in which Hank becomes constipated, is a plot because Hank refuses to take a laxative and even has an IAteWhat moment when Peggy makes a chocolate desert containing laxatives.

* AcceptableEthnicTargets:
** [[CanadaEh Canadians]], surprisingly enough. The episode "Uh Oh, Canada" depicts the Canadian neighbors as the most negative stereotype possible, being passive-aggressive, [[BitchInSheepsClothing faux-polite]] {{jerkass}}es who constantly drop belittling {{Stealth Insult}}s at Hank and his family that they simply assume he's too dumb to catch.
** California is a big one in the show (and to a lesser extent: Oklahoma and New York) especially with Hank. He never misses an opportunity to express his dislike towards those three states, especially the former. Bobby being into show business, however, loves California and New York so it balances out.
* AcceptableHardLuckTargets: ''Bullied'' people. Hank's stance is that getting detention for getting back at a bully is admirable and worthy of respect. He tries to keep Bobby from doing things bullies will want to pick him on rather than letting Bobby enjoy those because Hank ''himself'' was a bully who tormented others, and finds the idea of getting bullied himself very laughable (until he gets a bully in a new kid who gets on his nerves and has Bobby bully his irresponsible parents to get them to stop their kid).
* AcceptableProfessionalTargets:
** People who work in insurance. The claims investigator and the company doctor are depicted as jerkasses who are firmly convinced Hank's just faking a back injury to get a quick buck. The investigator is shown to be especially incompetent, only managing to get incriminating pictures of Hank after he's healed and even confronts about being a faker just as he's trying to go ''back'' to work.
** Much like in ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'', people with a history in the military are rarely depicted in a positive light. Cotton is a massive {{Jerkass}}, Minh's father (General Gum) is an {{obnoxious in law|s}}, and Bill is a pathetic StalkerWithACrush. The ''sole'' exception seems to be the general who oversees Bill's army base, who's professional, tough, and appreciative of Bill's work (opposed to the many grunts who ignore him), though Peggy's gynecologist served in Vietnam and is well adjusted (even if Hank is creeped out by his line of work) and Cotton's fellow VFD members (minus Topsy) are at worst {{grumpy old m|an}}en.
** Artists are also attacked often, being depicted as unhygienic weirdos that make art of disturbing or nonsensical subjects.
** People who actually do have advanced educations like the archeology professor[[note]]It should be noted that Creator/MikeJudge's dad is a professor of archaeology, and reportedly a fan of the show. So it might have been an in-joke.[[/note]] and Bill's doctor are still often portrayed negatively, so the portrayal as self-important but unqualified may just be another aspect of the treatment of intellectuals, rather than unqualified intellectuals being the target itself. It's worth noting that the doctors in Arlen all seem to be bitter, hostile burnouts who fully expect their patients to have done or are about to do incredibly stupid things and then lie about them. The show often bears them out in this regard. It may be a subtle bit of LampshadeHanging. And it's averted by Hank's proctologist (who, while irritating to Hank and far too quick to prescribe a colectomy, is friendly and professional), Anthony Page's superior at CPS (who exasperatedly asks why Page didn't bother to so much as ''ask'' Bobby's coach what happened before wasting federal money on an extraneous investigation motivated by personal spite, and then has him removed), the psychologist from the anger management episode, and the sports psychologist from the rifle episode, who, while wacky and dismissive when Hank actually opens up about his father, does genuinely help Hank out. The doctor who talked to Hank after Peggy broke her back also averts this by being quite professional without being rude as he explains about the possibility of Peggy going through a "second crash" emotionally. Compared to many doctors on the show, he was respectful and polite as well as genuinely concerned about Peggy's mental state which he wound up being correct about.
** In one episode, Hank seems to get harassed by a female cop, and nobody seems to find anything weird with it at all. Zigzagged with "That's What She Said!", which features a new employee who constantly makes sex jokes and slaps other coworkers' behinds. They at first find this funny and Hank is portrayed as overreacting, but it grows out of hand and everyone else starts to become annoyed. Hank tries to find legal help, and responds to the comments of "male on male sexual harassment" with "BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!". Enrique refuses to do anything about it because he's afraid of being made fun of (or not being taken seriously). This is actually startlingly {{truth in television}}. Aggressors of male-on-male or female-on-male sexual harassment are [[DoubleStandard much more likely to get away with it than male on female aggressors]], simply because most people, when confronted with this issue, respond like Hank and Enrique did.

* AcceptableHardLuckTargets: ''Bullied'' people. Hank's stance is that getting detention for getting back at a bully is admirable and worthy of respect. He tries to keep Bobby from doing things bullies will want to pick him on rather than letting Bobby enjoy those because Hank ''himself'' was a bully who tormented others, and finds the idea of getting bullied himself very laughable ([[TemptingFate until he gets a bully in a new kid who gets on his nerves]] and has Bobby bully his irresponsible parents to get them to stop their kid).

** "It was back when we didn't know the Russians were incompetent." [[note]]This line provided by Hank saw a lot of quoting after multiple Russian failures, defeats and embarrassments during their invasion of Ukraine[[/note]]

* CriticalResearchFailure:
** In "Bobby Goes Nuts", Bobby takes a women's defense class and goes a little too overboard with the GroinAttack. He tries it on Peggy, but she {{No Sell}}s it and claims it doesn't work since "ladies don't have groins". As half the world can tell you, getting kicked between the legs hurts like hell regardless of whether there are any testicles. Given that this isn't the first time Peggy has made that exact claim, it may just be her obliviousness and refusal to admit she's wrong going to new heights.
** In "Bystand Me"[[note]]season 10 episode where Peggy works for ''The Arlen Bystander'' and tries to get household hints from Minh while Bobby works a paper route and gets Dale to do most of the work for him[[/note]], Hank freaks out when he finds out that Peggy's latest household hint is to mix ammonia with bleach and tells her that's the ingredients to mustard gas (and he knows this because his deranged UsefulNotes/WorldWarII vet father, Cotton, would always make it on VJ-Day). Ammonia and bleach mixed together doesn't make mustard gas, but it does make chloramide, which is still lethal.
** But perhaps most egregious of all is that John Redcorn identifies as an Anasazi. The Anasazi tribe not only died off before white people came to North America,[[note]]The term Anasazi itself is generally considered offensive by the Pueblo and other tribes descended from them, so it's unlikely that Redcorn would refer to himself as such anyway[[/note]] they also never lived in Texas. Could potentially be chalked up to John's character, since he's routinely shown to live a lifestyle nothing like traditional Native American life, or possibly that the showrunners didn't want to identify Redcorn with a real life Native American group, but still worth noting.
** In "Won't You Pimai My Neighbor", the episode centers on who is supposed to be reincarnated as the next lama Sanglung following Kahn and Minh's Pimai party, the Laotian celebration of New Years following the Buddhist calendar. Given that this takes place in April, suggests that the Souphanousinphones are Theravada Buddhists, the branch of Buddhism primarily practiced in Laos. A lama is a uniquely Tibetan Buddhist concept, not Theravada, making this depiction of Buddhism grossly incorrect. Not to mention that the monks who do visit Arlen are clearly designed after Tibetan monks, not Theravada bhikkus.
*** A minor example in the same episode is during Bobby's final reincarnation test, Kahn gifts Bobby a "Buddha" statue. This figure, often misattributed as the "Fat Buddha", is not actually Buddha, as in the founder of the religion, Siddhartha Gautama, but rather "Budhai", who is ''a'' Buddha, but not Gautama Buddha. However, this makes it even worse as Budai is a figure in Mahayana Buddhism, which would not be practiced by Laotians.
** Another minor example featuring the Souphanousinphones, is when Kahn tries to get more in touch with his Laotian roots, he and Minh are watching a show featuring actors clearly in traditional Korean clothing, not Laotian. Although it's not uncommon for foreign shows to be imported into South-east Asian and dubbed into their respective languages, it's very unlikely that the creator's of King of the Hill would have known this firsthand.
** The major conflict of "Redcorn Gambles on His Future" is that John Redcorn cannot legally open a casino in Texas due to gambling being outlawed in the state. Except for the fact that Texas is also under the Indian gaming act which allows Native American casinos and gaming establishments in spite of the law.

** "Lucky's Wedding Suit" was initially envisioned as the Series Finale. In the original ending of this episode, the series would have been revealed to have taken place in the span of 1 year (10 seasons in 12 months). This would of contradicted the multiple Christmas episodes throughout the series run. And to complicate things even further, the ending would of included 2 cases of DiscontinuityNod, with Hank telling Bill, he imagined himself "stealing a Tank" and "Hank being born in New York."