Fans of the original TV drama series The X-Files can rejoice. Mulder and Scully are back!
The original TV drama/sci-fi hit, The X-Files ended its successful run thirteen years ago in its ninth season to the dismay of many fans.
As die hard fans know, The X-Files followed FBI special agents Scully (Anderson) and Mulder (Duchovny) as they investigated unexplained cases – “X-Files” – for which the only answers involve paranormal phenomena.
The show ratings soared when it premiered in 1993 and went on to become a pop culture phenom and a global hit. The X-Files, one of the longest sci-fi series ever on TV, also became a rare genre awards darling, winning 16 Emmys during its run.
The X-Files Reboot Event
The reboot of The X-Files series will include a six-episode event with production starting this summer. The bonus is that the series creator/executive producer Chris Carter will be returning with stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson who are set to reprise their roles as FBI Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. Production is set to start this summer.
Chris Carter said, “I think of it as a 13-year commercial break. The good news is the world has only gotten that much stranger, a perfect time to tell these six stories.” The plot for the rebooted series is not being revealed so stay tuned for updates.
There is no word yet if any of the original writing team, which includes former exec producers Frank Spotnitz, Howard Gordon and my personal favorite, Vince Gilligan, will be back to pen an episode.
Carter’s Ten Thirteen Prods, which produced the original series, is back for the event series along with 20th Century Fox TV.
Fox TV Group chairmen Dana Walden and Gary Newman both stated, “We had the privilege of working with Chris on all nine seasons of The X-Files – one of the most rewarding creative experiences of our careers. The X-Files was not only a seminal show for both the studio and the network, it was a worldwide phenomenon that shaped pop culture – yet remained a true gem for the legions of fans who embraced it from the beginning.”
The original TV series spawned two X-Files theatrical movies, the second of which, The X-Files: I Want To Believe, came out in 2008. There has been a fan campaign to extend the X Files movie franchise with a third feature. The X-Files is the latest cult TV series to be resurrected as an event/limited series, joining 24, Twin Peaks on Showtime, Heroes on NBC and Arrested Development on Netflix.
It is great to see these old favorites back but it begs the question — are the powers that be simply playing it safe by rebooting former series rather than taking a chance on something new and original? Stating it another way — Will betting on a sure thing hamper creativity?
