Good news sci-fi, conspiracy theory and Gillian Anderson fans; X-Files is coming back. Again. Recent news confirms that X more episodes of curiously (That's the Roman numeral of 10, not one third of porno) cult TV sci-fi series X-Files are to be shot this summer and aired for the 2017-2018 season. They'll also be executive-produced by the shows alliteratively named creator Chris Carter, who goes by the name of CC to his friends... maybe... perhaps.
The show, now in its 11th season, has been a cult favourite for sci-fans and teenage boys (often the same thing) since it first aired on September 10, 1993, in no small part to the on-screen dynamic between agents Mulder and Scully, played by David Duchovny and Anderson, a duo later immortalised in the hit single Mulder & Scully by Welsh rockers Catatonia.
Since its inception, the show has centred on the agents' search for alien life on earth, with Anderson's Dana Scully led by the belief that whatever strange goings on can be explained through rational inquiry, logic and science. Think of her as a scientist. Mulder, meanwhile, lives in the certainty that whatever the case, something supernatural or ethereal is afoot. Despite being proven wrong in each episode, he continues in his search for supernatural life with undiminished fervour. Think of him as a lovable, deluded moron. With nice hair.
Credit: Fox / The X Files
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Watching the show back, it's hard to pin down The X-Files' enduring appeal, and yet enduring appeal it has had to the power of X.
The dialogue is clunky, the effects less plausible than James Nesbitt's hair in Lucky Man and it's essentially the same episode over and over again, and yet there's something undeniably charming (and clever) about The X-Files. It's a bit like your bawdy, unmarried uncle who makes awful, off-colour jokes but also the occasional lip-curler you just can't help enjoy. It's bad. But it's oh so very good, too.
While much of the show's charm lies in the dynamic between Duchovny and Anderson, its exploration of conspiracy theories (and how people are drawn into them), spirituality and metaphysics proved a winner to tellybox fans sick of straight up, paint by numbers sitcoms (we're talking Friends) and crappy investigative crime 'dramas (we're talking most of Eighties television).
Credit: X Files / FOX
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LADbible spoke to someone who actually knows their shit inside out (if you'll excuse the expression) when it comes to TV. James Rampton, a noted UK TV critic had this to say.
"I think The X-Files has remained so popular for so long for a couple of reasons," he told us. "First, viewers adore the relationship between Mulder and Scully. For a start, the performances are terrific. But beyond that, the characters' contrasting personalities and the constant sparks that fly between them ensure our continuing interest. I mean, how many other detective duos have inspired a hit pop song? [see?]
"The other factor is that TV sci-fi and fantasy have, if anything, become even more popular since The X-Files began. The two biggest TV shows in the world are The Walking Dead (killer zombies) and Game of Thrones (killer dragons). Perhaps because the real world is in such turmoil, audiences enjoy the escapism of these series. They like to lose themselves in the realm of fantasy."
So, there you go. The world is fucked, people like onscreen chemistry and the X-Files comeback couldn't have been better timed. X-Fracking awesome.
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Words: Ronan O'Shea
Featured Image Credit: FOX / The X Files; Look at that hair