Could King of the Hill Reign at ABC?
King of the Hill
King of the Hill may no longer have a future at Fox, but that doesn't mean the animated series can't rule elsewhere on TV.
Variety reports that ABC may be interested in picking up the recently-cancelled King to pair with its upcoming animated comedy The Goode Family, which just so happens to come from King of the Hill's executive producers Mike Judge, John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky.
ABC likely hopes an established animated hit like King would bring eyeballs to their new series, as well as provide a full hour of animated programming. (Mixing animation with live-action has often proved unsuccessful in the past.)
Cable networks like Comedy Central, FX and Cartoon Network could also be potential homes for the show, but the price tag on a show with a 13-year history appears to be too high for those netlets.
Meanwhile, King celebrated its highest ratings in more than a year Sunday. Even so, insiders say Fox will most likely not change its mind on the show, as the network remains focused on freshening up its "Animation Domination" lineup with new programs like The Cleveland Show.
If the show moves to ABC, the series could air on two networks at the same time. (Fox still has a stockpile of original episodes that the network could run into next fall.) The more likely scenario involves ABC letting the show finish its run on Fox before airing new episodes. Purchasing the leftover episodes from Fox is also a possibility.
Even if a deal is struck, it's unlikely that episodes would be seen on ABC until late 2009 or early 2010. Are you glad to hear there's still hope for King of the Hill?
