Much to the delight of X-Files fans everywhere, Fox announced today that after 13 years there will be a a six episode “event” series which will begin filming this summer. Even better news: both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are reprising their roles of Fox Mulder and Dana Skully. Before my current obsession with the tv show Supernatural, (which I may have mentioned once or twice) for nine seasons I was an X-Files fanatic. I not only attended my first and only fan convention, but I had a Barbie & Ken doll set that had them dressed as the two FBI agents:
I know. This is slightly disturbing. But look! They have their FBI badges and credentials! How cute is that? Ahem. Sorry, I digress. So what was it about this science-fiction series which aired from 1993-2002 that drew so many people in? Well, for those of you who haven’t watched it, the series revolved around Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Skully who investigated unsolved cases involving paranormal activity. Mulder believes in aliens and the paranormal, while Scully, who begins as a sceptic, is really there to debunk his work. During the first season, it soon became obvious that both of them were pawns in a much larger conspiracy and they came to trust only each other. While paying homage to such tv classics as Kolchak: The Nightstalker, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and The Twilight Zone, Chris Carter’s The X-Files was completely unique for it’s time. It tapped into people’s mistrust of government institutions and not only featured conspiracy theories, but also spirituality as well. The chemistry between Duchovny and Anderson was off the charts, and characters such as The Cigarette Smoking Man, and The Lone Gunmen, became household names. During it’s nine seasons it won numerous awards including 16 Emmy Awards, 5 Golden Globes, and a Peabody Award. So, given everything that’s happened since the show took it’s final bow, creator Chris Carter has this to say: “I think of it as a 13-year commercial break. The good news is that the world has gotten that much stranger, a perfect time to tell these six stories.” I’m half excited and half dreading this revival of my beloved show. What if it’s a total flop? I still haven’t gotten over the rather dismal last two seasons. Well, for right now I’m going to let Mulder’s poster speak for me:
