King of the Hill: The Complete First Season

Unlike The Simpsons, which got a running start on The Tracey Ullman Show, the Hills may take a little warming up to. In the pilot episode, Hank Hill (voiced by Judge) is more a quick-to-temper redneck than good ol' boy. But as this inaugural season unfolds, he empathetically struggles to be the voice of reason in an ever-changing world where his substitute teacher wife, Peggy (Kathy Najimy), is forced to teach sex ed (Hank's spit take when the repressed Peg blurts out the word "vagina" is worthy of Danny Thomas), his son Bobby (Pamela Segall) wants to be a prop comic, and his neighbor, Dale (Johnny Hardwick), finds government conspiracies under every grassy knoll. But Hank is that sitcom rarity: A good man and father who is devoted to his job (selling propane and propane accessories) and his family, which includes Peggy's niece, nubile aspiring beautician Luanne (Brittany Murphy). For the uninitiated, disc 2 of this three-disc set may make a more favorable first impression. It contains three of the season's best episodes, among them "Shins of the Father," which pits Peggy against Hank's incorrigibly sexist father (when Peggy tells him that Bobby is a good helper in the kitchen, he responds, "Whatever you say, Hillary"). The set is loaded with features, from deleted scenes to episode commentaries by the series' creators and the characters themselves. Welcome to home video, Hills. We'll get the barbecue started. --Donald Liebenson