It seems that Hank Hill will live long after all. Following FOX's announcement that it was canceling King of the Hill after next season, other networks are apparently looking into acquiring the two-time Emmy Award-winning animated series. One of which is ABC, a network reportedly interested in bringing Mike Judge's show over its slate.  However, fans should not get their hopes up just yet since discussions are still in early stages at the moment, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

King of the Hill is expected to wrap up production after 13 years, for the most part in the shadow of its primetime companion, The Simpsons.  But if ABC decides to throw a lifeline, it will likely be paired with another Mike Judge animated midseason cartoon, The Goode Family.  On the other hand, that's still a long way to go since the final episodes King of the Hill won't air until the spring on FOX.  Furthermore, it takes about nine months to produce new episodes of King of the Hill due to its animation production so it probably wouldn't make it on time for the premiere of The Goode Family in March 2009.

Following its debut on January 12, 1997 on FOX, King of the Hill became an early hit with eventual syndications all over the world.  The network has actually pulled the plug on King of the Hill in the past only to turn around and pick up more episodes later on so a complete finality is never certain when it comes to FOX animation.  But then again, series exec producer John Altschuler seems to be at peace with the decision that the show is concluding after 13 years and nearly 260 episodes.

At present, King of the Hill is averaging 7.5 million viewers a week.  It had its best performance of the season on Sunday, November 2, drawing 8.6 million viewers and a 4.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

Fans can still catch the remaining episodes of King of the Hill every Sunday at 8:30pm on FOX.


-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
(Image courtesy of FOX)