King of the Hill is an animated sitcom from Fox, which aired for over a decade. I've only seen one episode, but it was surprisingly interesting. The show is set in Texas, and centers around one family--the father is in a white shirt below, and the other three men are his friends. The opening theme gives the impression of Butsch's "working class buffoons." Four men stand outside a house drinking beer all day, while the world functions around them. The most productive thing any of them do is take out the trash, but even that's a stretch--the wife has already taken it out, and merely hands it off to her husband, who just has to walk a few feet to the trashcan.
What was memorable to me about the episode wasn't the elements listed above. Had that been the main content of the series, I doubt that it ever could have lasted for over a decade, let alone more than a full season or two. Even though there were plenty of jabs at stereotypical Texas (and one guy in a tank top who was borderline mentally retarded), the show was about family. Regardless of the state, economic class, or general way of life, most parents want to instill good values in their children.
While at first, my middle class New Yorker Democrat self was laughing at the characters featured in "King Of The Hill," and I certainly looked down at the "buffoons," I ultimately realized that there was more to it, and that the messages being delivered were no different than higher class shows dealing with family or raising children. Not bad for one 22 minute episode!
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