ABC considering 'King of the Hill' pick-up

Does Hank want to take a run at Homer’s record? Now that Fox has decided not to order any more episodes of King of the Hill — TV’s second-longest-running animated comedy, behind only The Simpsons –  ABC is considering whether to pick up the 13-year-old animated show instead. A source close to the series confirmed the news about ABC, which already has an animated show in the works for midseason from Hill exec producer Mike Judge called The Goode Family. King could make a good companion to Goode, a comedy about a family hellbent on doing good — though with unintended circumstances.

King of the Hill is still far from ending its run on Fox: episodes from the 13th season aren’t expected to air until February, and there could still be leftovers for the ’09-10 season. Fox may change its mind; it has canceled Hill in the past only to regroup and order more episodes. And if Hill does wind up at ABC, there’s no guarantee that it will continue for many more years on the new network. One source close to the show cautions that there are hurdles to overcome — namely the show’s budget and new license fee. "There is still every chance that ABC will ultimately opt against taking the series, but it is under serious consideration," says the source.