Paranoid Sci-Fi Classic Returns After a 13-Year Layoff
The truth is out there, and it promises to shake up the Fox prime-time lineup.
The network on Tuesday confirmed rumors that its paranoid, paranormal drama "The X Files" would return at some point during the 2015-16 broadcast campaign, having signed off on a six-episode arc.
Original stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are reprising their roles as FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, and "X Files" creator and executive producer Chris Carter also has booked a return engagement.
Although Fox has not set a premiere date, production on the limited series is set to begin this summer. Further details will be announced at a later date.
"I think of it as a 13-year commercial break," Mr. Carter said. "The good news is the world has only gotten that much stranger, a perfect time to tell these six stories."
After bowing to a modest 12 million viewers and a 7.9 household rating back in September 1993, "The X Files" evolved from a dorm room favorite to a full-on pop culture phenomenon. At its peak in Season 5, the show averaged 19.8 million viewers and was the 10th most-watched scripted series on TV. It also spawned a paranormal cottage industry, giving rise to a pair of films, a short-lived spinoff ("The Lone Gunmen") and a host of videogames, comic books and action figures.
The ninth, and final season of "The X Files" aired on Fox in 2001-02. Over the course of its broadcast run, the show won three Primetime Emmy Awards, five Golden Globes and a Peabody.
The reboot is a joint production of 20th Century Fox Television and Mr. Carter's Ten Thirteen Productions.
