For those who've lived under a rock the better part of the last decade, the story centers on a family in the mythical small town of Arlen, Texas called the Hills. The exact location of the town has long been in dispute as somewhere around Plano (north Texas for the geographically impaired) or somewhat north of Austin (more centralized) but the specifics rarely get in the way of the story. Led by Hank Hill, the family gets into the kind of misadventures brought on by their stereotypical living arrangement as they try to make sense of a changing world. Hank is the kind of working stiff that most modern people would hate to become. He loves his job and lot in life, thinking those who dream about rosy futures are idiots. He sells propane (and propane accessories) and can tell you the chemical composition without blinking an eye, has worked his job his whole life, and even with a carefree boss, he'd never entertain the thought of working elsewhere. He lives his life based on old fashioned values that sometimes clash with modern day living, making him come off as a bit of a wet blanket. His joy in life is to hang out with his three best friends and drink beer before going to sleep to do it all again the next day with weekends reserved for his yardwork that he takes great pride in.

Hank's wife is Peggy Hill, a part time school teacher and full time homemaker with self esteem issues that cause her to compete with those around her. She's never really done anything special and sometimes worries that she's simply a second wheel to her largely boring (but good at providing a living) husband Hank. She cares almost as much about what the neighbors think as Hank does and tends to act accordingly. Their son Bobby worries them because he seems a bit light in the loafers and is always getting into trouble but they all love each other as openly as they can, making for a standard nuclear family.

Most of the drama of the series comes into their lives via their neighbors or friends. From headcase Dale who believes everything's a government conspiracy and his cheating wife Nancy (that everyone except Dale knows about), to loser Bill (whose luck with women is the result of a complete lack of self worth), to playboy Boomhauer (whose incoherent mumbling is somehow understood by those around him); the immediate friends cause lots of grief but remain lifelong friends. Neighbors Kahn and Minh (with daughter Connie), add something of an edge since there is a rivalry with the foreigners who shun the Hills as "rednecks", which isn't too far off the mark. While one would think that a few years of the show would exhaust every possible story, I can tell you that a lot of the stories are not limited to observations of small town Texas living but apply to more general conditions elsewhere too (human nature is similar, no matter what many think, everywhere).

I was a latecomer to King of the Hill due in large part to the way my local Fox affiliate preempted episodes for sports but the fifth season episodes seemed to focus more on smaller topics than the previous couple (of seasons) I had randomly watched in syndication. This worked well in most cases, with a lot of down home wisdom at the end of many shows. Here's an episode list for those wanting one:

King of the Hill: Season Five (2000-2001):
1) The Perils of Polling 10/1/00
2) The Buck Stops Here 11/5/00
3) I Don't Want To Wait For… 11/12/00
4) Spin The Choice 11/19/00
5) Peggy Makes The Big Leagues 11/26/00
6) When Cotton Comes Marching Home 12/3/00
7) What Makes Bobby Run? 12/10/00
8) 'Twas The Night Before Christmas 12/17/00
9) Chasing Bobby 1/21/01
10) Yankee Hankie 2/4/01
11) Hank and the Great Glass Elevator 2/11/01
12) Now Who's the Dummy? 2/18/01
13) Ho Yeah! 2/25/01
14) The Exterminator 3/4/01
15) Luanne, Version 2.0 3/11/01
16) Hank's Choice 4/1/01
17) It's Not East Being Green 4/8/01
18) The Trouble With Gribbles 4/22/01
19) Hank's Back Story 5/6/01
20) Kidney Boy and Hamster Girl: A Love Story 5/13/01

In keeping with past tradition, there were a lot of famous people guest starring on the show. Lending one's voice to such a show has become in vogue since it's quick, easy and painless these days but it also adds something to the mix in my estimation. There were actors like Brendan Fraser, John Ritter, Dave Thomas, Ellen Barkin, Carl Reiner, Ed Asner, Renee Zellweger, Lisa Kudrow, Nathan Fillion, and Robert Stack; musicians like No Doubt (including hotty Gwen Steffani) and Snoop Dogg; sports celebrities like Terry Bradshaw, James Brown, and Howie Long, and even former governor of Texas, Ann Richards. If that's not among the most diverse set of guests on a modern show, I'd like to see better.

The episodes were well rounded too. From the season opener where lifelong Republican Hank has second thoughts about voting for George Bush based solely on a limp handshake to Peggy having the nerve to fail a high school football star (endangering the big game) to Bobby trying to gain immortality like his dad by becoming the school mascot; the entire clan was given a chance to shine in this season. Other highlights were Hank's truck finally giving out (he loves his truck), Bobby's allergies towards the family dog, Ladybird, cause Hank to choose between them (the dog had been in the family longer and was a prized bloodhound), Hank finding out where he was actually born, and Hank's realization that his back pain is the result of having no butt (you have to see it to believe it). To me, a fairly fresh convert to the show, there were no truly weak episodes and the way liberals, lawyers, and government officials were portrayed was classic. It's been said that the show is an acquired taste and not for everyone. In a sense, I agree that some people will never get the premise or understand the humor (some of whom are living the exact same life style as the Hills) but even without extras, the show was endearing, interesting, and thoroughly engaging. To think that the creator was the same guy who came up with the lame Beavis & Butthead (where Hank got his start as another character) was a surprise enough for me but the season set was worth a rating of Highly Recommended in my book.

Picture: King of the Hill: The Complete Fifth Season was presented in the same 1.33:1 ratio full frame color it was made in. The animation style was limited but I noticed that as the seasons advanced, the quality improved substantially. Such was the case with season five with clean lines, solid colors, and few of the problems the first season had. In general, the style here was appropriate to the material, I saw no compression artifacts, and no inconsistencies in the animation (like earlier seasons where the picture jumped around like crazy).

Sound: The audio was presented in 2.0 Dolby Digital with a choice of English or Spanish, with optional subtitles in each language. There wasn't a whole lot of separation between the channels or significant dynamic range but it sounded better than the current episodes do when broadcast (and better than the syndicated episodes do) and I can live with that. The dialogue was crisp and clear with the music and sound effects nicely handled.

Extras: There were no extras included. The reasoning is that the show is currently in production and taking time out would force the season sets to be greatly delayed. I'm not a big supporter of that line of reasoning since commentaries can be done on the fly, as can interviews and other extras but the important thing was that the entire season was present on the three disc set.

Final Thoughts: King of the Hill: The Complete Fifth Season offered up enjoyable family entertainment in a nicely packaged set (three thinpaks in a cardboard case). The season was more consistently funny than the first three and on par with the fourth. There were a number of insider jokes, plenty of which I didn't quite get although they were recognized as such, and I believed the replay value was above average. I'm going to rate the set as Highly Recommended although I'll be the first to admit I hesitated due to the lack of extras. If you like the show, seeing the episodes without the syndicated edits and commercials will be enough to convince you to pick this one up, and it'll be money well spent.

If you enjoy animation, take a look at some of the recommendations by DVDTalk's twisted cast of reviewers in their Best Of Anime 2003 and Best Of Anime 2004 articles or regular column Anime Talk.