Hank You Very Much: King of the Hill Celebrates Last Episode
By Libby Molyneaux
Cast members Breckin Meyer and Kathy Najimy. Photo by Christopher Victorio. Click image for entire slideshow.
Hank Hill sells propane. “And propane accessories” he would be quick to amend. Fans of Fox's King of the Hill have 13 seasons of reruns to obsess on the Hill family of Arlen, Texas. There will be no more pearls of wisdom from Hank, or Bobby, or Peggy, since Fox announced the show will not be returning for a 14th season. Rumors that ABC may pick it up abound, but the network hasn't commented. Episodes will run until September 2010. We'll see Luanne and Lucky have a baby; Hank have an uplifting experience under the knife; and Peggy's disappointment when she realizes she’s no longer cool.
So it was with a Texas-size helping of melancholy that the cast, writers, producers and assorted press gathered in an Encino conference room for the final table read of the 250th episode.
King of the Hill is the second longest-running animated show and one of the top 30 longest television show ever. The mood at the table read was upbeat, though one insider noticed, “I didn’t see anyone cry but I can sense the sadness and the emotion in all of them.” Show creator and Hank voice Mike Judge and Luanne voice Brittany Murphy were on teleconference, but after the script was read, Kathy Najimy, Breckin Meyer, Tom Petty, Pamela Segall, Johnny Hardwick and Stephen Root were feted with a standing ovation and a cake with a picture of a hibachi barbecue. For a group photo, Najimy smiled and yelled out “Cancellation!” There weren't tears, but, as Hank once told Bobby, “Bobby, if you weren't my son I'd hug ya.”
Write Comment
Email to Friend
Print Article
