Sometimes I am so far behind the curve that it's just embarrassing.  For example, I never bothered to watch <i>Becker</i> until the series had ended and gone into late night syndication.  Who knew it was actually funny?  I'm in that same place with </i>King of the Hill</i>.

I'd seen it a few times over the years on Fox and gotten some laughs out of it, but paid it very little attention. <i>King</i> just wasn't as flashy or famous as its time-slot companion <i>The Simpsons</i>.   It hasn't been until the last year or so during the near-constant re-runs that I've made a major discovery.  <i>King of the Hill</i> may be the best written and performed comedy on TV right now.  Unlike most of the lame, forgettable sitcoms we've had to endure the past few years, (<i>Grace Under Fire</i>, <i>Suddenly Susan</i>, <i>Jeff Foxworthy Show</i>--do I need to go on?) this show is memorable .  Here's why:  in the tradition of the great sitcoms of years past, it's character driven.  The laughs arise from of the characters' vivid clearly defined personalities and quirks and their response to situations.  This is opposed to "wacky" situations and "joke-joke-joke" lines that are always being imposed on generic characters that we see on lesser shows.

Take Hank Hill. He is the most uptight, unimaginative, unchanging character ever.  His propane fetish is all-encompassing and his idea of living on the edge is painting a room off-white.  His wife Peggy is delusional, believing herself to be an outstanding writer, Spanish-speaker and red hot mama.  Hank's father Cotton is cold, hateful, mean-spirited, unpleasant, bittter, abusive old crank, perhaps the nastiest character ever in a sitcom. (Homer Bedloe has nothing on this loser.)  Dale Gribble, the conspiracy nut, is all talk but has as much actual backbone as a squid. My personal fave, young Bobby Hill, is dropping hints, as Dave Letterman used to say, the size of canned hams.  His love for costumes, showbiz, excitement over a new washer/dryer, and regular use of exclamations like "Fabulous!" has me hoping he'll come busting out of that closet in the inevitable flash-forward episode. 

<i>King of the Hill</i>'s characters are all clearly defined and, to one degree or another, recognizable as people we've all met--or wish we hadn't.  This is where the comedy comes from and this is what elevates the series to classic status.  I gotta believe that Mary Tyler Moore, who has guested, would approve.