The 30 best cartoons even adults can enjoy

14. King of the Hill

Fox looked to capitalize on The Simpsons success, and the network brought King of the Hill to the air in 1997. The show was a strikingly different outlook on the adult cartoon landscape as it took a realistic look at life, avoiding almost all absurdity and instead choosing to find humor in the realm of real-life in rural Texas. The success was no surprise as it was created by Beavis and Butthead mastermind, Mike Judge.

The cast of characters includes a Texas family headed by propane salesman Hank Hill, his wife Peggy (born in Montana and raised on a cattle ranch), gentle and kind son Bobby, and their rebellious college-aged niece, Luanne. The cast also included Hank’s beer-drinking neighborhood buddies Rusty Shackleford, Bill and Boomhauer.

All the episodes dealt with real-world issues that Hank Hill and his family and friends dealt with using the sensibilities of small-town Texas life and mentality. It was smart, often kindhearted, and possibly the adult cartoon with the most humanity ever created. It isn’t flawless, and some of the jokes fall flat, but at the end of the day, this is a real family, and the humor remains true to the concept. While Family Guy and South Park found ridiculous situations and pop-culture references to throw into their stories, King of the Hill just found humor in life.

King of the Hill lasted a total of 13 seasons and 259 episodes before Fox canceled the series. Interestingly, the cancelation had nothing to do with the quality of the show but was just to clear up space for Seth MacFarlane’s next creation, the Cleveland Show.