In a somewhat surprising move, the FOX network has decided to cancel one of the staples of its Sunday night line-up. On the eve of Halloween, the King of the Hill TV show has been cancelled after 13 seasons on the air.
King of the Hill follows the animated adventures of the Hill family from the small town of Arlen, Texas. The family’s patriarch, Hank (Mike Judge), is a propane salesman who’s obsessed with his lawn and the Dallas Cowboys. His well-meaning wife Peggy (Kathy Najimy) holds several part-time jobs and together, they raise their husky teenage son, Bobby (Pamela Adlon). Other characters include niece Luanne (Brittany Murphy), neighbor Bill (Stephen Root), and conspiracy-lover Dale (Johnny Hardwick).
The series debuted on January 12, 1997 on FOX and quickly became a staple of the network’s animation line-up. Having survived to produce over 240 episodes, King has become the second longest-running animated series, following The Simpsons. It’s become very popular in syndication, both in the US and internationally.
In recent years, King has been on the verge of cancellation several times. Earlier this month, Gary Newman, the co-chair of 20th Century Fox TV, hinted to TV Week that it may be time to pull the plug. He said, “I don’t know if the network will be ordering more seasons or not. That show has had its last rites read to it several times, and keeps rearing its head again.”
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This season, King has been averaging seven million viewers and a 3.4/8 rating/share in the 18-49 demographic, a far cry from the series’ heyday. Simpsons and Family Guy, the shows that air before and after, both attract better numbers.
Back in early April, FOX ordered 13 episodes for the show’s 13th season. Production is nearly completed on those and the network has decided that they will be the series’ last. The episodes that are currently airing are actually from the show’s 12th season. FOX won’t begin showing King’s final batch of episodes until February 2009 which means that, though cancelled, the series could end up on the network’s 2009-10 schedule.
King isn’t scheduled to have any kind of series-closing finale. Executive producer John Altschuler says that this is by design. If there’d been a series finale when the show ceased production in the past, it would have been difficult to revive it.
If this is truly the end of King, Altschuler feels good about the run but ultimately isn’t totally convinced it’s over. He told Variety, We’ve been here before… When it’s time for King of the Hill to go, it will go. But I think with the ratings this good, and with quality that doesn’t seem to be diminishing, it would be very odd for King of the Hill not to keep going.”
Influencing the network’s decision to cancel King, aside from the declining ratings, is the fact that FOX is hot to introduce two new animated series in midseason; Sit Down, Shut Up, from Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz, and The Cleveland Show, a spin-off of Family Guy. Stay tuned!
Image courtesy FOX.
First off, King of the Hill is one of the best American made animated series still on TV. From its lesson-to-be-learned style, character driven, middle american appeal to the fact that its downright hilarious at times brings to question ‘Why would FOX cancel a show rated in the top 100 TV shows of all time?’ All I have to say is FOX is always making bad decisions about what shows to keep and what shows to ditch. I mean if you look at the trend or FOX canceling shows it would be almost like watching a VH1 special on guitarists… Read more »
Hell I’ll Buy the rights and keep it going if i had the money
Now This is cancelled i feel like running in front of fast moving traffic, seriously!
Are they serious!!!! Let me get this straight, basic that asinine new show Sit Down Shut Up is going in place of King of the hill. I wonder is this the same idiot that canceled futurama and Family Guy too. Guess Ill be watching KOTH on the cartoon network with the other good cartoons.
I’ve had my up and downs with KOTH. I do enjoy it and it’s been around for awhile so if it does end I want closure with the show with a proper ending. It’s definetly not a let’s rush home to watch it kind of show but it had wit and made fun of realism which is hard to find with anything that’s on these days and that includes other shows that aren’t cartoons. I’m glad there was a cartoon that wasn’t as vulgar as family guy or American dad which at times (for me borders)lately borders on stupid smut.… Read more »
i am very disapointed that you homos cancelled king of the hill becuz i really like their story plots as well their funny jokes. i would say that king of the hill is up there with family guy and the simpsons. i will try to look for a new cartoon since you guys cancelled this one. you jerks! i would like to see it at least on adult swim or hopefully you guys come out with a new season on dvd or something. i am really pissed man! whoever cacelled it can burn in hillbilly hell. i love the red… Read more »
FOX would be foolish to cancel KOTH !! With the show in syndication in Cartoon Networks Adult Swim and is doing great. Let us not forget that is how Family Guy got back on FOX after the network suits had canceled that.show. Secondly, Sit down shut up sucks so hard, no way it is a replacement , the change in it’s time back to 7:00 shows that. It couldn’t hang in primetime for two weeks. Bottom Line FOX executives are morons of the highest caliber!
FINALLY!!!
WTBFD?????, I never understood why people even watch this and enjoyed it. I tried several times to watch it and for some reason i get depress when watching it. I don’t give a care in the world if the series gets cancelled, LET IT!. Always hated this series from the beginning and always thought maybe it was due to the maybe one of the exec. producers liked the series so much that they decided to keep giving episodes. FOR BLOODY SAKES ….CANCEL THIS CRAPPY SHOW WITH DRY AND DULL YES THATS RIGHT I SAID IT DULL HUMOR.
i like American Dad now….. didnt at first. I do think it is a travesty that KOTH is being cancelled for the likes of dribble such as Sit Down Shut Up – why don’t they save us all some grief and cancel that show and renew KOTH?
I love the show …… Why cant they just get rid of American Dad?Because that show sucks, King of the Hill is wayy better.
i can’t believe king of the hill is being cancelled. It’s humor hasn’t dropped at all after all of these years. It’s just as good or better now than when it was new. Hopefully, FOX network will come around and give it a few more years. It and it’s viewers deserve it.
I can’t believe King of the Hill is in it’s last season. I really hope they don’t expect “Sit Down, Shut Up” to replace it. That show is horrible, and they switched times tonight because it got nothing but negative responses in KOTH’s spot after the Simpsons last week.
King of the Hill is fantastic and unlike the Simpsons (which is not the same show anymore) its only been getting better! Fantastic writing and great characters!! I really hope its not the end. That “Sit Down Shut up” was pretty awful….no replacement for KOTH.
King of the Hill is awfull. Its about time. Bring Back Futurama in its place.