King of the Hill is a Fox legend famous for its down-to-earth comedy and Mike Judge's tongue-in-cheek commentary at its peak. It's a series built on the personalities and happenings of its core cast that revels in the simple silliness of Texas culture. Don't be fooled, though. As planted into the core identities of small town culture as it is, that doesn't mean that King of the Hill can't have profound, complex characters.
One such character has brought the series to some of its darkest places and has come out each time more inspired and hopeful than the previous pitfall. That would be Bill Dauterive, the fat, balding, divorcee of Rainy Street whose struggle to find a win in life makes for some of the series' most memorable moments. This list will be giving the army barber his due, as it runs down the series' best Bill episodes.
10 Dia-BILL-ic Shock
The curtain call has finally arrived for Bill, when a doctor tells him that he has diabetes. A little frustrated with Bill's near contempt for self-improvement, the doctor scares him into believing that he will actually need a wheelchair. Jumping the gun a bit, Bill immediately goes out and gets one.
While this could just be a pitiful display for anyone else, this somehow leads Bill to a new world of active men in wheelchairs. These sportsters on spokes teach Bill how to live life to the fullest, as they get him outside more and even make him more confident. It's a fun ride that actually helps Bill combat his diabetes, and it gets more exciting as the truth of Bill's condition draws ever nearer.
9 It Ain't Over 'Til The Fat Neighbor Sings
Bill is a lonely sole that is either chasing the nearest woman to give him attention or constantly pawing for the approval of his alley bound friends. When he looks to the church to find a new activity to fill the void, he stumbles upon the eclectic world of a capella singing.
Enthralled by the harmony and sense of community, Bill immediately tries to join but finds that the group may be a little more competitive and demanding than he had initially hoped. Yet, being Bill, he gives this cult-like a capella group near everything, and it's up to Hank and company to snap him out of his lyrical daze.
8 Leanne's Saga
Bill has always had trouble with the ladies and that kind of goes hand-in-hand with his struggles with hygiene. When a new, foot odor medication requires him to stay off alcohol, he becomes alienated from the rest of the gang. This comes just in time for Leanne's mother's return to the open world.
After having been incarcerated for stabbing Leanne's daddy with a fork, Leanne tries to blend back in with society by staying off liquor. This eventually leads her to the only other sober person on Rainy Street and an unexpected romance blossoms. However, when Bill's medication runs out, and she begins to become disgusted with the man, Leanne begins drinking again and falls back into a domino effect that led her to prison in the first place. Bill just so happens to be at the other end of the fork.
7 Maid In Arlen
While Bill's romantic history is rife with disappointment and abuse, "Maid in Arlen" shows one of the few gleaming lights in the character's history. When Kahn's mother, Laoma, decides to move in with him, Minh quickly gets the old woman a maid job in the neighborhood to get her out of the house. Having known Minh, Laoma happily obliges. This line of work eventually leads her to Bill's house.
Not only is she excited to be depended on so willingly, having to work with Bill's messy life meant the two got to spend a lot of time together, beginning a more hopeful, healthier romance for Bill. When Kahn gets word of the romance, however, he's not too keen on his mother dating a redneck and hatches his own scheme.
6 My Hair Lady
While the series likes to drag Bill through the gutter, it never ignores the fact that Bill is a genuinely good barber. On occasion, the show has reveled in his hair cutting importance, and "My Hair Lady" is the peak showing of that talent. When Leanne decides to go back into styling hair, Bill helps her train for her cosmetology exams.
Leanne, however, would soon get discovered by one of the hottest salons in Arlen but find that she can't afford the chair rental. Enlisting Bill's help, the duo bite and scratch to survive in the fast paced world small town stylists.
5 Tankin' It To The Streets
On the worst days, a lot of people are gonna feel like something out in the world is against them. Though this is often just anxious delusion, "Tankin' It to the Streets" suggest that a grand conspiracy may actually be to blame for Bill's terrible life.
When Dale discovers that Bill was once part of a secret government project to turn soldiers into walruses to fight the Russians (not even Hank bats an eye at this), Bill's entire worldview changes and begins to feel cheated instead of just sad. Such anguish leads Bill to do the most impulsive thing he's done since joining the army: he goes out and steals a tank.
4 Dang Ol' Love
Given his romantic history, Bill Dauterive may not initially look like the captain of all relationships. That title often goes to the ladies man of the alley, Boomhauer. After Bill tries to woo a woman by trying to get her to fall into literal pit traps (dating is hard), Boomhauer jumps in to sweep Bill's girl off her feet.
This in turn has Boomhauer fall head over heels for the first ever woman that he's ever found interesting but is only destroyed when he finds out that she doesn't share the same feelings. Feeling rejection for the first time of this life, Boomhauer enters a deep spiral that only one man on Rainy Street has the experience to take on.
3 Hank And The Great Glass Elevator
King of the Hill has had a decent line of celebrity guest roles, but one that will always stick out to fans as one of the greatest will be the time the show got ex-Texas senator, Ann Richards, to play herself. Not only that, but they had Hank personally moon her during one of her speeches.
While this would be tragic for the Texas native, Bill steps in to take the heat. Surprisingly enough, Ann Richards is touched by Bill's sense of bravery and camaraderie and begins one of the most memorable romances with the lovelorn sergeant. It's possibly the best thing that has ever happened to Bill, and only one thing could have possibly messed it up: The return of Bill's ex-wife, Lenore.
2 Pretty, Pretty Dresses
"Pretty, Pretty Dresses" is one of the most well-remembered episodes of King of the Hill and possibly stands as its greatest holiday special. This isn't to take away from the series' strong line-up of holiday specials, but this episode is one of the earliest to do something special with Bill's overall condition.
Having finally hit rock bottom, Bill becomes suicidal and needs to be watched by the entire neighborhood. As patient as they were, this finally gets to Hank who tries to shake Bill out of his funk, leaving behind some unexpected consequences.
1 Bills Are Made To Be Broken
Bill doesn't have that many achievements in his life. He's been mangled by the system, mangled by his ex-wife, and his abusive childhood certainly didn't do him any favors. His major achievement in life is the fact that he held Arlen's touchdown record for a couple of decades.
This all changes when the new, hot quarterback not only breaks his record, but it's practically given to him following an injury. Feeling that he needs to protect one of the few legacies that he has, Bill re-enrolls in Arlen High to play one last game.