"The X-Files" is officially returning to television with a special six-episode run currently in development for FOX. A new report from IGN now reveals that the revival series will start off with a two-night premiere that begins on Jan. 24 and continues on Jan. 25, 2016. Four more episodes will follow suit.
"The X-Files" ran for a total of nine seasons and was finally ended in 2002, over a decade ago, 13 years to be exact. Two feature films were released since then, but both have received poor critical acclaim and achieved poor box office results as well.
The revival series will see only six episodes in total, which is relatively short even for a limited run. The revival series for "24" received an order of 12 episodes and the revival series for "Full House" appears like it will have at least 10 episodes in total.
Schedules for the new "The X-Files" series was officially announced by FOX along with the schedules for some of its newest shows such as the "Minority Report" series which is based on the film starring Tom Cruise. This also makes Monday a crowded night for television fans because it is also the timeslot for "Gotham."
One of the biggest problems with bringing the series back, even for a short limited run, is the scheduling conflicts of the two main leads, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, who play occult specialists and FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, respectively. Duchovny is currently working on a new series for NBC titled "Aquarius" while Anderson can be seen as a series regular for both "The Fall" and "Hannibal." While it took some time, both actors are now primed to portray the roles once more and it has also gotten series creator Chris Carter excited.
"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," Carter stated back in March, as cited by IGN, when the revival series was officially green lit.
With a release date already set, production for the six episodes will commence in summer.
