King of the Hill: Complete Season 5 [DVD] [1997] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

While not quite reaching the lofty heights of seasons prior, season five of "King of the Hill" still has far more than its fair share of laughs.

Season opener "The Perils of Polling" is a brilliant political satire, and one of the finest politically themed episode of any American sitcom around. "Ho Yeah!" sees Hank get involved in the shenanigans of a prostitute and her pimp, in typically oblivious fashion. "Chasing Bobby" is a fine example of the Hank-Bobby relationship at its very best; while for an example of out-and-out comedy, one needs look no further than the excellent "Hank's Back Story". The show's trademark subtle humour combined with a realistic, almost dramedy-like tone remains present throughout.

Episode list (there isn't currently one amongst the product detail):

The Perils of Polling

The Buck Stops Here

I Don't Want to Wait For Our Lives To Be Over...

Spin the Choice

Peggy Makes the Big Leagues

When Cotton Comes Marching Home

What Makes Bobby Run?

'Twas the Nut Before Christmas

Chasing Bobby

Yankee Hankie

Hank and the Great Glass Elevator

Now Who's the Dummy?

Ho Yeah!

The Exterminator

Luanne Virgin 2.0

Hank's Choice

It's Not Easy Being Green

The Trouble with Gribbles

Hank's Back Story

Kidney Boy and Hamster Girl: A Love Story

No use preaching to the converted, though - if you're a fan of KOTH, you'll already have added this to your virtual basket. If you've never seen the show (which would be no surprise, given the near-nonexistance of it on mainstream TV channels in a decent timeslot), season 1 would be a better place to start.

I have been a fan of King Of The Hill from the first series, when it was on Channel 4 on a Friday night - in college my friends and I would watch it, and laugh at the antics of Dale, Bill, Boomhower and of course Hank Hill, the man of the house married to Peggy, a temp teacher with attitude. There's also Bobby, their son, who likes to dance around, be funny and hang around with the neighbour's kids.

This show is very funny, and very different from Family Guy and The Simpsons - because it's not trying to be funny, but accidentally is funny; Hank just says something and you'll laugh, though Dale really is just funny - his crazy theories are just laugh out loud funny. Of course, the show wouldn't be what it is without Bill Dowtree acting like a loony, and Hank's father, Cotton is mad!

Louanne is also very funny but very dim, some really good episodes involving her were in series 5, and they're some of the best I have seen.

This series is very funny, episodes like the one where Hank moons a senator, the polling station episode, and the one where Bill has a Christmas themed home nearly all year round are just hilarious - and yet there are more sombre moments, like Hank crying, Cotton not being able to cope, and post natal depression, so yes, Mike Judge does try to include some rather sensitive subjects, yet doesn't shy away from them with comedy but tries to tackle them head on. Hank's belief that George W Bush is the best is funny too, and he's very Republican in his attitudes and doesn't really fit in with modern values. This is a stark contrast to Homer Simpson, who is immature, just like Peter Griffin, but this doesn't mean I don't like them, I love those shows, it's just King Of The Hill has something special those don't have, and it's nice to see something outside the usual anime circle.

There's also a lot of celebrity voices in this show, which is cool, even Renee Zelwegger gets a role in this, and the episode with Snoop Dog was so funny.

This DVD is not so funny though, no extras, and some of the disks refused to work in my player. I found out later it's due to the mastering; they won't play on hard disk DVD recorder units! So I have to watch them on another system, but at least I could do that. There are no commentaries, which is disappointing. This is quite poor compared to series 1 and 2, which were great. Also I am feeling rather annoyed at the decision to cancel making the rest of the series (6-13) on DVD due to poor sales. This is a disgrace. Also you have to see anti-piracy messages on all disks, I think we got the idea the first time round really.

Excellent episodes, and kudos to Mike and the team, shame Fox has no respect for their work :(

I tell you what, this is the best dvd boxset in the series so far. Hank is still up to propane and propane accessories, and Dale still thinks Vikings were the first people to land on the moon. But seriously, if you are a king of the hill fan, you will not be dissappointed by this season. If only the other seasons were on dvd, I would buy them too!