Hulu is now the exclusive U.S. streaming home to “King of the Hill” — all 259 episodes from all 13 seasons of the animated sitcom.
The streaming-video provider has added all seasons of “King of the Hill” exclusively to its service, under a deal expanding its licensing agreement with 20th Century Fox Television Distribution. In addition, Hulu renewed exclusive post-broadcast streaming rights to 20th Century Fox animated comedies “Bob’s Burgers,” “Family Guy,” and “American Dad!” and all episodes of “The Cleveland Show” and “Futurama.” Hulu first secured those exclusive rights in a pact announced last year.
“King of the Hill” aired on Fox from 1997 to 2009. The show originally was created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels as a companion piece to “The Simpsons.”
Judge starred as Hank Hill, who lived in the fictional suburb of Arlen, Texas, along with wife Peggy (Kathy Najimy) and son Bobby (Pamela Adlon). Other voice talent included Brittany Murphy (as Hank’s niece Luanne), Stephen Root (Hank’s neighbor Bill), Johnny Hardwick (the conspiracy-minded Dale); and Tom Petty, as Luanne’s husband, Lucky. Judge also provided the voice of another of Hank’s neighbors, the nearly incomprehensible Jeff Boomhauer.
“King of the Hill” hasn’t been available on a streaming service since 2013, when the series rolled off Netflix. It’s currently unavailable to purchase from Apple’s iTunes and Google Play.
Hulu, along with its lineup of animated Fox series, also is the exclusive post-broadcast streaming home to other 20th Century Fox Television Distribution shows including drama series “The Orville,” “The Gifted” and “The Resident,” as well as “Empire” and “The Last Man on Earth.”
21st Century Fox is one of Hulu’s parent companies, along with Disney, Comcast/NBCUniversal and AT&T’s WarnerMedia. However, Fox’s 30% stake in Hulu will transfer to Disney (giving Disney majority control) once the Disney deal with 21CF to acquire 20th Century Fox and other assets closes (expected in the first half of 2019).