The King of the Hill revival won't air on Fox. Created by Beavis and Butthead's Mike Judge, King of the Hill premiered on Fox in 1997 and ran for 13 seasons, concluding in 2010. The animated series follows the Hill family, consisting of Everyman father Hank, his wife Peggy, son Bobby, and niece Luanne, as they live their lives in the fictional Arlen, Texas.
King of the Hill was a well-regarded series when it was on the air, and a staple of Fox's Sunday night programming alongside other adult animated programs like The Simpsons and Family Guy. Ever since the show concluded, there have been rumblings about a possible revival, with talk first gaining traction in 2017. Early in 2022, Judge confirmed he was developing a King of the Hill revival, which would feature a time jump.
Related: Why King Of The Hill's Revival Will Be Different For Original Fans
While King of the Hill will return, it will not be to its original home on Fox, as the network has passed on the project. According to THR, Fox's decision is due to the network wanting to put the emphasis on new shows they have a controlling interest in, and total ownership of. Fox Entertainment president Michael Thorn acknowledges the series' legacy at Fox, but also wants to find new programming. Read his full comments below:
That's not going to be with Fox. We love that team, and we love that show. It's obviously part of our animation legacy. But we're we're really focusing on animation is launching the kind of the next wave of our signature animated series, while still having our great legacy shows. We're really focused on what are the new shows that we believe can creatively break out, that we also have a significant ownership stake in, and if not outright own 100 percent of it and on a show like King of the Hill, which we love, there's really no opportunity for us to have an ownership stake in that show. It's not a move that we can make as we grow out our next wave of animation, where ownership is so, so crucial to the long-running success of these series.
King of the Hill, like many other Fox-produced programs, was acquired by Disney in 2019. However, while the House of Mouse acquired many of the properties and assets, like 20th Century Fox Pictures and FX, they did not acquire Fox Broadcasting, Fox Sports, or Fox News, which remained under the New Fox company. This was partially due to Disney already owning a major network in ABC. While Fox still does air series like The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Bob's Burgers, they have lately been acquiring new programming from a variety of different production companies, as they are now the only major network not connected to a movie studio.
The most likely home for King of the Hill now appears to be Hulu. All 13 seasons of King of the Hill are currently streaming on Hulu, and Disney acquired controlling interest in the streamer in 2019 with its purchase of 20th Century Fox, and will gain full control in 2024 when Comcast sells its remaining stock. Futurama, another former Fox animated series, is also getting a revival on Hulu, which makes for a natural pairing with King of the Hill for a grand return.
Source: THR