The six episode revival of The X-Files was one of 2016’s most anticipated TV events. However, the cliffhanger ending left fans extremely upset about the lack of closure, especially since a new round of episodes was far from guaranteed. And while the all-out alien invasion is unlikely to go forward on that show, The X-Files may yet return for an 11th season.
According to TV Guide, Fox told reporters at the TCA Press Tour that negotiations with series creator Chris Carter and series stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are still ongoing. Fox Entertainment President David Madden characterized the negotiations as “significant talks” without offering a potential time table for its return. Since the Fall 2016 and Spring 2017 schedules are already set for Fox, the earliest that the show could come back would be in either Fall 2017, or early 2018.
Related: ‘The X-Files’ Creator Says The Series Will Return To Fox
Needless to say, more episodes won’t happen without all three of the show’s primary players. And the schedules of Anderson and Duchovny were blamed for the revival’s short, six-episode run. While Fox stopped short of saying future seasons would have more episodes, CEO Dana Walden assured fans that “going forward there won’t be the same obligation to reset the series.” She explained that “the show was off the air for a very long time…they had the challenge of filling in the mythology.”
One of the primary complaints with the revival is that it seemed ignore most of the series’ mythology as it attempted to make The X-Files relevant again. In particular, Duchovny’s Fox Mulder seemed to embrace the idea that the alien conspiracy was actually “a conspiracy of men” as opposed to something extraterrestrial in origin.
What did you think about The X-files revival? And do you want to see more episodes? Let us know in the comment section below!
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The X-Files Revival Miniseries Ranked From Worst to Best
The X-Files Revival Miniseries | From Worst To Best
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6. My Struggle II
The finale of The X-Files miniseries was disappointing on several levels. Instead of wrapping up the event with any sense of closure, Carter ended with a cliffhanger that was more of a "WTF?!" moment than a riveting conclusion.
Where to start on the rest? The complete failure to execute the scope of the story? The return of the CWish doppelganger agents? The complete betrayal of Monica Reyes' character? The shitty writing? The dull and lifeless direction?
The sad part is that Carter seems to be pretty satisfied with the finale. But he couldn't be more wrong.
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5. Babylon
"Babylon" actually had some intriguing ideas about human communication and other levels of reality. But in execution, it failed badly.
The biggest problem was the way that "Babylon" kept jumping in tone from a comedy episode to a heavy handed drama. The Lone Gunmen's cameo was a waste, and the Mulder and Scully clones, Miller and Einstein acted like they escaped from the CW. And one of them did!
This felt like Carter's attempt to do a Darin Morgan style comedic episode. But perhaps he should leave the comedy to Morgan. Or better yet, leave everything to Morgan.
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4. My Struggle I
As the first episode of The X-Files revival, "My Struggle I" had a lot of audience good will, especially when it brought Mulder and Scully back together.
However, the new mythology introduced in this episode managed to be even more convoluted than the original series when it tried to claim that "a conspiracy of men" had displaced the alien colonists from the original series. Mulder even seemed to think that aliens had never been a part of the conspiracy!
"My Struggle I" had its moments, but it's the least worst episode written by Carter in the revival.
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3. Founder's Mutation
In any regular season of The X-Files, Founder's Mutation probably would have been one of the worst episodes of the year. It's not even really a bad episode, but it did get boring at times.
The problem with jumping from the mythology episodes back to "monster-of-the-week" is that it robbed the new story arc of any sense of urgency. Plus the mutated kids were surprisingly dull.
The strongest aspects of this episode came when Scully had to deal with her lingering guilt about giving up William, the son she had with Mulder.
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2. Home Again
While "the Trash Man" will likely never be anyone's favorite X-Files creation, "Home Again" featured terrific performances by Anderson and Duchovny as they dealt with the sudden coma and death of Scully's mother and the guilt of letting their son go years before.
Those raw emotions gave "Home Again" more heart than the rest of the miniseries combined.
Photo Credit: Fox
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1. Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster
Surprisingly, there are X-Files fans who hate "Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster" with a passion. But it's easily the best episode of the revival, and by far the funniest.
Darin Morgan reportedly reworked this episode from an unproduced episode of The Night Stalker revival series. Somehow, I doubt that it would have been as good as it was with Mulder and Scully.
Rhys Darby was also terrific as Guy Mann, the monster cursed to be man who inadvertently reawakened Mulder's passion for the unexplained phenomena that make up The X-Files. This was an instant classic, and one of the few episodes this year to live up to the original series.
Photo Credit: Fox
