What’s it? King of the Hill is an Emmy-winning American animated television series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels. It is a soft-satirical parody of “Middle American” lifestyle, epitomised by its titular family, the Hills, a suburban Methodist family proud of their Texas heritage. Unlike a typical animated sitcom that features unusual or impossible events, the series is realistic, often featuring Americans with average IQs, and seeking humour in the otherwise conventional.

The story so far? Over the years, King of the Hill has risen to become one of Fox’s longest-running series, and the second longest-running American animated series and sitcom, behind The Simpsons. So, if the latter is America’s first family, the Hills are like Obama and Hillary battling each other. The pilot episode takes the classic American situational dilemma—how child support often gets it wrong by focusing on details than the larger picture—and weaves in themes of control, father-son relationships and of course, how never to let your friends fix your car.

What’s hot? Judge and Daniels conceived the series after a successful run with Beavis and Butthead on MTV. Hank Hill and his family and much of their town, Arlen, is a smooth, stylised transition of the Beavis and Butthead characters. Minimalism is still the mantra and some of the movements that Hank is capable of—like crossing his feet and sticking his fingers in his pockets while admitting, uncomfortably, to his chubby 13-year-old son that he loves him—are visually delightful. The director’s efforts at slowing down the pace while every subsequent animated sitcom has speeded up action— watch Family Guy for splendid break-neck sequences—is admirable, though it doesn’t always work.

What’s not? The Hills have been on American television for 12 seasons now; we have some catching up to do. Like the Simpsons, this Texan family doesn’t shirk controversy and has its eyes firmly on the ball—Tears of an Inflatable Clown (Bobby gets mixed up with racial intolerance at Tom Landry Middle School), The Accidental Terrorist and Trans-Fascism have their finger on the pulse of American society. Unlike The Simpsons however, King of the Hill will not have mass appeal simply because of its Middle American leaning. It’s too American for Indian tastes.

Should you be watching it? We wouldn’t actively seek out an episode of the Hills but their typically southern American quirkiness is charming in the same way a French woman’s English accent is. A lot of the in-jokes on the community will be lost on the average viewer whose world-view is, ironically, as microscopic as the animated individuals being parodied. Nevertheless, sticking with the family might be rewarding in the long-term, like sticking with your therapist—wait, do you have one?