"King of the Hill" could be renewed at ABC

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Canceled animated series "King of the Hill" could be renewed at ABC. The network is thinking about having "King of the Hill" as a companion for its next animated comedy "The Goode Family" (that comes from the same "King" co-creator Mike Judge).

While a possible pairing of "King" and "Goode" would make a lot of sense for ABC, creating such an animated block would be difficult logistically.

It takes nine months to produce new "King" episodes. So while "Goode" is slated for midseason, "King" won't be ready until next fall. If ABC orders "King" and "Goode" flops, it's left with an expensive cartoon next fall with no partner.

Another option for "Hill" is to move to cable. But between the animation and voice talent, "King" is considered pricey and probably too rich for a cable network, such as Adult Swim.

If ABC were to pick up the show, it would mark the second series to change broadcast networks in the past year -- the first being "Scrubs'" move from NBC to ABC. ABC also expressed interest in CBS' "The New Adventures of Old Christine" when the show was on the bubble last year. All three titles are half-hour shows, a format the network has had some difficulty programing.