DFW Restaurant Week & Nolan Ryan: More North Texas ‘King of the Hill’ references
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North Texas references for ‘King of the Hill’ Season 14 by episode
Dadgum tell ya hwhat man, “King of the Hill” is back for a new season after 15 years, and the show is still as Texas as ever. Here’s a list of all the North Texas references in the show, episode-by-episode.
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Editor’s note: The above video is from 2017.
Animated sitcom “King of the Hill” is back, and it’s got more Texas references than Nolan Ryan has strikeouts — well, almost.
All 10 episodes of season 14 of the Texas-centric show are now available on Hulu. These are the first new episodes of “King of the Hill” since it went off the air in 2010. It originally ran for 13 seasons on FOX from 1997-2009, with one final episode in 2010.
This new season centers around Hank Hill (voiced by show creator Mike Judge) and his wife Peggy (Kathy Najimy) returning home to the fictional DFW-area suburb of Arlen after a stint working in Saudi Arabia selling propane and gas. As they get settled into their new life back home, they start to realize Arlen — and Texas — has changed.
Arlen could be a stand-in for any Texas suburb, but Judge has said he specifically referenced North Texas’ Richardson for the original run of the show. He always made a lot of Texas references that went above and beyond its setting, and season 14 is no different.
Episode 1 featured references to DFW International Airport and SMU, while Episode 2 referenced Texas beer culture and the Kennedy assassination. Episodes 3, 4 and 5 had everything from the George W. Bush Presidential Center to Plano soccer. Episodes 6, 7 and 8 had a ton of Dallas Cowboys jokes and references.
Here’s a breakdown of all the North Texas references we spotted in Episodes 9 and 10 to end Season 14.
‘Dallas Foodie Week’/DFW Restaurant Week
Bobby (Pamela Adlon) is preparing for “Dallas Foodie Week” in episode 9, “No Hank Left Behind.” While there is no official Dallas Foodie Week, there is a DFW Restaurant Week. And it’s technically not a week, it’s a monthlong food event in August featuring meals from all across the Metroplex. Part of the proceeds benefit Lena Pope, a nonprofit that helps Tarrant County families through counseling, education and behavior intervention programs.
The Zapruder film
Again, like I said last time, this is a family newspaper, so I can’t repeat exactly what Dale Gribble (Toby Huss) said he did while watching the Zapruder film in episode 9.
“The Zapruder film” refers to a 26-second, silent color 8mm film clip featuring footage of the Kennedy assassination in Dallas, captured by dressmaker Abraham Zapruder on Nov. 22, 1963. The Zapruder family donated the film to the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza in 2000.
Central Medical in Dallas
Peggy tweaks her knee playing pickleball in episode 9, and has to go to Dallas to get an MRI. She ends up at Central Medical. There is actually a Central Medical Center with locations in Dallas and Irving.
Jonathan Joss as John Redcorn
Episode 10, “A Sounder Investment,” kicks off with John Redcorn (Jonathan Joss) seeking investment in his new business venture: John Redcorn’s Red Corn.
Joss, who voiced Redcorn for the entire run of “King of the Hill,” was shot and killed outside his San Antonio home June 1. He was 59 years old.
Joss’ neighbor Sigfredo Alvarez Ceja, 56, who reportedly had a long-standing feud with Joss, confessed to the shooting and was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, according to the San Antonio Police Department.
Joss’ husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, said in a statement shortly after Joss’ death that he believed Ceja killed Joss because he was “homophobic” and “could not stand the sight of two men loving each other.”
Joss was honored at the end of episode 10 with an “In Loving Memory” photo before the credits, just like Johnny Hardwick in episode 7.
Joss and Harwick aren’t the only “King of the Hill” cast members who have died since the show went off the air. Brittany Murphy, who voiced the Hill’s niece Luanne Platter, died Dec. 20, 2009.
Rock star Tom Petty, who voiced Luanne’s husband, Elroy “Lucky” Kleinschmidt, died Oct. 2, 2017.
Feral Texas hogs
Later in episode 10, Peggy wants to invest her portion of her nest egg in a wild pig-hunting business in order to clear Redcorn’s farm of invasive feral hogs. (There might have even been 30-50 feral hogs, who knows.) In Texas, you can take a helicopter ride to hunt wild hogs.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
The B-plot for episode 10 features Bobby and Connie finally dating as adults. Their first date is at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra at Meyerson Symphony Center in downtown Dallas.
Nolan Ryan
Famous Texas Rangers pitcher, team president and CEO Nolan Ryan shows up and voices himself in episode 10. The Ryan Express made a post-baseball career for himself as a businessman, selling ranch products like Nolan Ryan Beef. He’s also the principal owner of Ryan Sanders Sports and Entertainment, which owns Texas Rangers Triple-A affiliate Round Rock Express.
Other Texas references
- Bobby and Joseph eat Whataburger in episode 10. The popular Texas fast food chain now has a “King of the Hill” meal to celebrate season 14.
- All the trucks that Buck Strickland buys his investors in episode 10 are from Bronco Barry’s car dealership, which fleeced Bobby into buying a horse a few episodes earlier.
Stray observations
“No Hank Left Behind” is the best episode of the season, and this season is a perfect example of how to do a revival series correctly. Fans and Texans should be proud.
Season 15 is already in the works. I’ll be watching, I tell ya hwhat.
This story was originally published August 27, 2025 at 3:33 PM.
