Fox has given a 13-episode order to the animated comedy "King of the Hill," bringing the series back for its 13th season.

The somewhat limited order shouldn't be taken as a bad sign for proud Texans Hank, Peggy and Bobby Hill. Fox has reliably left "King of the Hill" in renewal limbo only to realize the value of it instead, albeit unspectacular, performances on Sunday night for well over a decade.

Fox will hold the 13th season premiere until early 2009 and while the initial order will be for 13 episodes, Fox reportedly has options to extend that order as required.

'Dollhouse' gets a star

"The Sixth Sense" co-star Olivia Williams, below, has been cast in a key role in the Eliza Dushku-centric Joss Whedon series "Dollhouse."

Fox gave a seven-episode order to the 20th Century Fox TV series.

Dushku will play Echo, part of a community of "dolls," young men and women who are imprinted with new identities and false memories to fulfill a variety of sensitive assignments.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Williams will play "ruthless and protective" Adelle DeWitt, who runs The Dollhouse.

Other cast members include Dichen Lachman, Enver Gjokaj, Fran Kranz and Tahmoh Penikett.

On TV tonight

For the viewer who believes there just aren't enough reality shows stuffed with desperate celebrities, we offer "Secret Talents of the Stars." It has 16 participants showing off another side of themselves. Tonight, country singer Clint Black performs standup comedy and figure skater Sasha Cohen makes like a contortionist. 10 p.m., KYW-TV 3.

(See story on Page B2)

The phrase is used to describe the dress code in practically every nightclub in the area. But what does it mean? Some people think they're pretty impressive in raggedy sweatshirts and ripped jeans. But that kind of ensemble won't get you past the bouncer at the door of Atlantic City's hottest nightclubs.

When girls get ready for a night out at the club, they need to find the perfect outfit, the one that will make the bouncer lift the velvet rope and admit them to the world of pulsing lights music. The smallest part of a club outfit could make or break the evening. The shoes. The sexy top. The short skirt.

He did. Bochco, the force behind such television classics as "Hill Street Blues" and "NYPD Blue," pitched a series about a fundamentally flawed, dysfunctional criminal-justice system. Wright said yes almost immediately, and TNT eventually ordered 10 episodes of "Raising the Bar," which Bochco co-wrote with lawyer and author David Feige. The series, to premiere later this year, stars Jane Kaczmarek as a judge and Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Gloria Reuben as attorneys.

Bochco and Robin are part of an unprecedented creative expansion at TNT. Three years ago, the network had two original series in production; now it's developing more than 20 scripts, five of which may air in 2009. Like many cable networks, TNT has snatched up top talent who were either being ignored or were disaffected by management at the broadcast networks.

TNT's ambitious goal is to replace within two years four out of five of its acquired shows - which include the landmark "Law & Order" franchise - on its prime-time schedule Monday through Wednesday with original shows, according to Steve Koonin, senior vice president of content creation for TNT and sister stations TBS and TCM.

"The business model that's been in place for 50 years is changing," he said. Advertisers are aware that over the past three years, news, sports, children's programming and original series all have been moving to cable, he said. "Now is the time, and talent is migrating to us." Instead of growing one or two shows a year, he said, "we decided to make the plunge."

Monday, the network ordered 13 episodes of "Truth in Advertising," a series produced by the Shephard/Robin Co. and the same team behind TNT's biggest hit, "The Closer."

Rather than a knockoff of AMC's popular "Mad Men" - as might be assumed - "Truth" follows two ambitious, funny guys in a modern-day Chicago ad agency, Robin said. Conceived by Wright, the series is written by former ad men Hunt Baldwin and John Coveny ("The Closer").

TNT's new slate also includes a modern-day, urban Robin Hood drama, "Leverage," starring Timothy Hutton and created by Dean Devlin ("Independence Day"). Robert Redford is co-producing a family drama, "Generations," about several generations growing up in the same house. Mark Burnett and Ridley Scott are making reality shows about weddings and famous crimes, respectively.

Wright said the creative expansion was based on a grand design catering to TNT's viewers - the sort of educated Middle Americans who made "The Closer" a hit show. Last year, "The Closer," starring Kyra Sedgwick, became basic cable's most-watched scripted series of all time, with more than 9 million viewers. Its fourth season is scheduled to premiere in July.

"That Middle American sensibility is less a geographical description than a point of view," Wright said. "It's an audience that rejects elitism. They like programming that's accessible but not lowbrow. They know how to buy a ticket to New York or Los Angeles but choose not to."

Koonin already had affixed the "We Know Drama" brand to the network when Wright signed on in 2002. At the time, the network mostly was showing reruns of what it called populist movies by such filmmakers as Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott. "These films have specific appeal to the Everyman in all of us," Wright said.

The network deliberately acquired broadcast shows with a similar tone and later used them to lead into original series. "Law & Order" fans would stay to sample "The Closer," for instance. Live sports (which executives refer to as "male drama") also have been used as a promotional platform.

Wright says he's not concerned with Hollywood hipness. The crime-drama series "Saving Grace" and family comedy "The Bill Engvall Show" (on TBS) are both relatable programs with broad appeal, he said.

Bochco and Robin talked about TNT in a manner reminiscent of the praise that once was reserved for pay cable networks HBO and Showtime.

Because he believes broadcast television has become mired in micromanagement, Bochco said, cable is the only place to find the sort of creative freedom he knew in the 1980s and '90s. He said he was able, for instance, to take a year writing the script with Feige, a first-time screenwriter. Wright, in fact, reminds him of the late NBC executive Brandon Tartikoff, Bochco said. "He's hugely respectful of what we do.

"When you find a guy like that, you don't want to let go."

TNT originals go boom

As if the broadcast networks didn't have enough headaches, now they have to contend with another cable channel muscling in on their turf. A look at TNT's present successes and hopes for the future:

"The
Closer"

Kyra Sedgwick headlines this record-
breaking
ensemble crime drama.

"Saving Grace"

Oscar winner Holly Hunter moved to
television
for last year's freshman hit.

"The
Librarian"

Noah Wyle stars in this
series of movies. The third installment is filming.

"Leverage"

Moby

"Last Night"

(Mute)

Activist. Faithful. Blogger. Vegan.

Let's not forget DJ.

Moby's beliefs may turn off some (he's been called a "Jesus Freak"), but he remains a DJ at heart, and his sixth studio effort, "Last Night," is free of politicizing and serves as a joyous ode to his love affair with the New York club scene. If it is true that "nobody listens to techno" - Moby remains proof that more of us should.