'Hill' gets surprise pickup, 'Simpsons' earns two more years

LOS ANGELES -- FOX is keeping its commitment to the two longest-running comedies currently on television, picking up "The Simpsons" for two more years and, in a bit of a surprise, "King of the Hill" for one more year.

The two additional seasons for "The Simpsons" will take the show through 2007-08, adding to its long list of TV records: longest-running prime-time animated series ever, longest-running current show and show with the most guest stars (the latter being a Guinness-certified mark). It will pass the 400-episode mark in May 2007.

The bigger news, though, may be the resurrection of "King of the Hill." It was expected that this season, the show's 10th, would be its last after FOX let a renewal deadline slide by last year. But it's shown some life in the ratings this season -- it's averaging a shade under 6 million viewers per week, up from 4.8 million last season -- and 20th Century Fox TV, which produces the show, recently secured new deals with co-creator/star Mike Judge and showrunners John Altschuler and David Krinsky.

Because of the long production cycle for an animated show, "King of the Hill" probably won't begin its 11th season before next January. That's not a big concern for the network, though, as the show is frequently pre-empted in the fall for late-ending NFL games.

Other than "The Simpsons," it's the longest-running comedy currently on broadcast television; it will hit 200 episodes later this year.