TMC
08-11-2022, 09:05 PM
https://www.looper.com/961615/the-real-reason-king-of-the-hill-was-canceled/
There are several possible reasons King of the Hill was cancelled
While still doing comparatively well with audiences into its final season, a long-running series like "King of the Hill" inevitably experiences ups and downs ratings-wise. In spite of off-years, the series still attracted some 6 million viewers in its last year. This placed "King of the Hill" ahead of another rising Fox animated comedy: Seth MacFarlane (https://www.looper.com/921065/the-untold-truth-of-seth-macfarlane/)'s "American Dad! (https://www.looper.com/81093/untold-truth-american-dad/)" The newer animated series tallied 5.9 million viewers, but, unlike the Hill family, "American Dad" received a renewal order (via CBR (https://www.cbr.com/why-fox-ended-king-of-the-hill-canceled/)). So, ratings couldn't have been the only factor deciding the cancelation of "King of the Hill."
As it turns out, a very specific TV scheduling element seems to have also played into the fate of "King of the Hill." At the time, Fox was deciding where to place another newly commissioned show in its Animation Domination line up. Spun off from MacFarlane's hit "Family Guy (https://www.looper.com/200568/the-untold-truth-of-family-guy/)," and created by MacFarlane, Richard Appel, and Mike Henry, "The Cleveland Show" would take over the time slot "King of the Hill" once held.
So, once the cancellation was finally dropped on "King of the Hill," how did Mike Judge himself take the death of the series? Speaking to The Chicago Tribune (https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2009-09-08-0909070169-story.html) about it in 2009, Judge reveals that he's at ease with the end of the show, saying, "I think it's a good time to stop. I'd rather stop when it's still decent, rather than run it to the ground."
There are several possible reasons King of the Hill was cancelled
While still doing comparatively well with audiences into its final season, a long-running series like "King of the Hill" inevitably experiences ups and downs ratings-wise. In spite of off-years, the series still attracted some 6 million viewers in its last year. This placed "King of the Hill" ahead of another rising Fox animated comedy: Seth MacFarlane (https://www.looper.com/921065/the-untold-truth-of-seth-macfarlane/)'s "American Dad! (https://www.looper.com/81093/untold-truth-american-dad/)" The newer animated series tallied 5.9 million viewers, but, unlike the Hill family, "American Dad" received a renewal order (via CBR (https://www.cbr.com/why-fox-ended-king-of-the-hill-canceled/)). So, ratings couldn't have been the only factor deciding the cancelation of "King of the Hill."
As it turns out, a very specific TV scheduling element seems to have also played into the fate of "King of the Hill." At the time, Fox was deciding where to place another newly commissioned show in its Animation Domination line up. Spun off from MacFarlane's hit "Family Guy (https://www.looper.com/200568/the-untold-truth-of-family-guy/)," and created by MacFarlane, Richard Appel, and Mike Henry, "The Cleveland Show" would take over the time slot "King of the Hill" once held.
So, once the cancellation was finally dropped on "King of the Hill," how did Mike Judge himself take the death of the series? Speaking to The Chicago Tribune (https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2009-09-08-0909070169-story.html) about it in 2009, Judge reveals that he's at ease with the end of the show, saying, "I think it's a good time to stop. I'd rather stop when it's still decent, rather than run it to the ground."