Skip to main content

The X-Files is coming back to television

The X-Files is coming back to television

Share this story

As if we needed any more proof that the 1990s are alive and well, The Wrap is reporting that The X-Files will be coming back to Fox as a six-episode limited series. While such a landmark show returning in one form or another is almost expected at this point, the big news is that the entire team is on board: David Duchovny will be returning as Agent Fox Mulder, Gillian Anderson as Agent Dana Scully, and creator and executive producer Chris Carter will be overseeing it all.

The X-Files originally ran for nine seasons and spawned two theatrical films; its network run ended in 2002. "I think of it as a 13-year commercial break," Carter said in a statement. "The good news is the world has only gotten that much stranger, a perfect time to tell these six stories."

Following in the footsteps of '24: Live Another Day'

After a long hiatus from the medium, Carter has tried to work his way back into television over the last few years, with mixed results. He created a new show called The After for Amazon, and while the company ordered it to series the show was subsequently cancelled. He's also been working on a show about Area 51 for AMC, but that has yet to move forward either.

Fox previously brought back a beloved franchise under the "limited series" moniker — essentially a mini-season's worth of episodes — with 24: Live Another Day. That did quite well for the network , and as Variety points out, it also renewed interest in previous seasons, leading to a lucrative new 24 streaming deal with Amazon. That is no doubt just one of several factors behind the return of The X-Files, but for fans only one thing matters: Mulder and Scully are back.