FoxEverybody say it with us now: I still believe!
The X-Files will return, again, but this time for 10 new episodes shepherded by Chris Carter with Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny back in their iconic roles as Special Agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder, and we definitely have some thoughts and feelings—aside from excitement, of course.
"Iconic characters, rich storytelling, bold creators—these are the hallmarks of great TV shows. And they are some of the reasons why The X-Files has had such a profound impact on millions of fans worldwide," David Madden, president, Fox Broadcasting Company, said in a statement. "Chris' creativity, along with the brilliant work of David and Gillian, continue to propel this pop culture phenomenon, and we can't wait to see what fresh mysteries Mulder and Scully uncover in this next chapter of The X-Files."
A second event series is a welcome happening because Mulder and Scully still have a lot of life left in them, but there are some changes that definitely need to happen to make these 10 new episodes a success.
RESOLUTION
Obviously we need to know what the heck happened to Mulder and Scully after Scully developed the alien cure and lights beamed down on them from a UFO above. How is Mulder?!
"Traditionally, the show ended on a cliffhanger at the end of every season, so [it's] like that tradition and this just happens to be one of the biggest cliffhangers we've ever done," Carter told E! News when the finale aired in February 2016.
Unless Carter knows for sure that by the end of these 10 new episodes there will be more Mulder and Scully, a huge cliffhanger would likely rile fans.
THE SEARCH FOR WILLIAM
This also goes into the resolution column, but we need to know what exactly happened to Mulder and Scully's son and where he falls in the larger picture of The X-Files mythology.
"I think the search for William is certainly something [they] think about in the morning when they wake up and there are big mysteries to be solved and resolved," Carter said. "I think the hunt for their baby is the most personal of their quests."
Speaking of mythology…
MORE SERIALIZED STORIES
The original The X-Files revival felt disjointed with case of the week episodes bouncing all over the place in tone and subject matter. It made the overarching conspiracy seem unimportant. More episodes means more time to tell a cohesive story, hopefully.
"We made our mark by telling a lot of different kinds of stories. It wasn't all mythology," Carter said when asked about doing more serialized storytelling. "You could do that, you could take that kind of approach, even come back and do a series of sequels. There are lots of different things we might do or we could have done, but we took our recipe and we told the kinds of stories that I think people expected us to tell. We explored the genre that we have explored thoroughly and originally in many ways."
NEW VOICES
The X-Files introduced some new characters in the form of Miller (Robbie Amell) and Einstein (Lauren Ambrose), but behind-the-camera were all veterans of the show. A lot has changed since 1993 when the show originally launched. TV viewers are different, savvier. Adding some new voices to the writers room with the veterans could provide new avenues to explore with Mulder and Scully.
What do you want to see when The X-Files returns? Production begins in summer 2017 and new episodes will debut during the 2017-2018 season.