Rumours are circulating in America that the popular sci-fi series The X-Files may be about to be given another lease of life. The Fox network are looking into the possibility of bringing the long-running show back to our screens after a gap of seven years, although whether as a new series or another feature film remains unclear.
The show commonly featured the tagline "the truth is out there" as the two main characters, Fox Mulder and Dr Dana Scully as FBI Special Agents, investigated what were labelled as 'X-Files', that is unsolved cases that the bureau assigned to them that commonly involved some form of paranormal phenomena.
It proved to be a massive hit both in America and across the water in Britain, winning a plethora of awards, including 15 Emmy Awards, 5 Golden Globes and 2 BAFTAs. The series originally ran for nine seasons over 202 episodes, with various spin-offs including two films (the latest being in 2008) and the related shows Millennium and The Lone Gunmen. By the end it was the longest-running sci-fi series in Television history in The States.
The show's leading actors, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson also became major stars as a result of the show's success, which is part of the current problem that Fox are having in reuniting the cast for future episodes or films. Indeed all of the show's major protagonists seem to be involved in something of a scheduling nightmare, including Duchovny and Anderson's involvement in other networks' projects.
Unavailability of one or more of the stars is not a new problem for Fox to concern themselves with though, as Duchovny, while maintaining some links with the show throughout its term, did not feature in many of the later episodes. Instead, a raft of alternative characters (cleverly) took centre stage, including Robert Patrick (of the Terminator film franchise fame) as John Doggett and Annabeth Gish as Monica Reyes.
Duchovny's intermittent appearances during that period were also due to a lawsuit that was running at the time. Series creator Chris Carter also seems interested in participating in any new project that they introduce as the brains behind the often complex storylines.
After similar negotiations in recent weeks about further '24' shows, which featured the frantic Jack Bauer character, it seems that Fox are not averse to bringing back shows that have proved ratings winners in the past, but maybe it is also fitting that the latest movie I Want to Believe does not end up being the epitaph for The X-Files.
