A trend exists in the film and television industry right now, which is that a project with an already built-in predisposed audience is more likely to have financial success. Originality is lacking because film and television have a high turnover rate and one bad move could mean the end of their career.
The countless sequels and reboots in film are mostly successful, but television sometimes strikes out with taking classic films and serializing them.
But occasionally, they rightfully bring back a show we all want because that craving for nostalgia drums up anticipation in our minds while the filmmakers slave over it for the next year-plus. And that’s certainly the case here, because it was just announced they’re bringing a hit Sci-Fi television classic back again for a 10-episode installment.
ComingSoon.net reported:
FOX has some exciting news today with the announcement that The X-Files returns to the network later this year!
The all-new, 10-episode installment once again will be executive produced by X-Files creator Chris Carter, with stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson returning as FBI Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.
The event series will air during the 2017-2018 season with production set to begin this summer.
‘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,” said David Madden, President, Fox Broadcasting Company.
“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’.”
In 2016, The X-Filesreturn drew an average Multi-Platform audience of nearly 16 million viewers and was last season’s No. 2 broadcast drama.
It also was the season’s most talked-about event series on Twitter.
The X-Files originally premiered in September 1993. Over the course of its nine-season run, the influential series went from breakout sci-fi favorite to massive global hit, and became one of the most successful television dramas of all time.”
The X-Files has one of the most brilliant formats and structures because episodes could be the serialized arch that stretches over the entire show – the “truth is out there” episodes – and then there were stand-alone episodes, which could feature anything between serial killers and monsters to sadistic cults and supernatural voodoo curses.
The hit show – widely regarded as one of the greatest television shows ever – was predominantly categorized as suspense, thriller and horror, but occasionally they would shake it up with satirical comedic gems like “Bad Blood” and “Jose Chung’s from Outer Space.” Even in the same episode, they would mash-up comedy and suspense like in “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose.”
But when Fox brought The X-Files back in 2016 for a short 6-episode miniseries revival, it was met with mixed reviews. Quite frankly, like the original show’s run, it had its ups and downs.
Particularly, the comedic episode “Mulder & Scully Meet the Were-Monster” was widely regarded as the best of the short run and it’s the only one that carries a 100% review rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The rest of the episodes were a mixed bag.
The series critics’ consensus on Rotten Tomatoes for the 2016 run was,
“Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny’s chemistry remains intact, but overall, The X-Files revival lacks the creative spark necessary to sustain the initial rush of nostalgia.”
And while it’s great to have the show make another comeback, let’s hope that Chris Carter and his team knock it out of the park this time.