Fanboys Anonymous

It's been rumored for a long time now, but last week Fox finally confirmed that The X-Files will be returning for a 6-episode new season! Even though we know nothing about this other than that production will start this summer, it's still big news.


Sure, the series may have lost its way a bit in the later seasons, and The X-Files: I Want to Believe wasn't exactly the sequel film most fans were hoping for, there is still a lot of potential here. The fact that series creator Chris Carter and stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are all returning is really all I need to know to be on board. That being said, here are five things I'll be hoping for in the new season.

1. An appearance from Doggett and Reyes

The forgotten agents.

I'm getting what may be my most controversial point out of the way first. Let me be clear: I would like to see these characters again, but by no means should they overshadow Mulder and Scully. Like it or not, these characters were a huge part of the series in the last 2 seasons, and I thought the actors did a good job considering the state the series was in by season 8. With David Duchovny basically gone, I had a lot of sympathy for Robert Patrick in particular. I liked John Doggett, but I can understand why a lot of fans weren't crazy about him: he wasn't Mulder. Because I liked his character, I was disappointed that he and Reyes weren't even mentioned in I Want to Believe. Hopefully we can check in with the two of them just to know they're okay after they stuck their necks out to help free Mulder in the series finale, and then after that we'll stay solely with Mulder and Scully.

2. Mark Snow's Musical Score


I'm a sucker for musical scores, and The X-Files always had a great one. Mark Snow's theme was iconic, and he did a lot of excellent work throughout the series. Hopefully Fox springs for a full orchestra to bring that music to life, especially since the orchestral score was one of my favorite things in I Want to Believe. I would also be excited to hear how the score differs in the series now compared to the way it sounded 20 years (!) ago. The possibilities are endless.

3. A Revamped Mythology

I know the truth is out there, but things started getting a bit too out there.

Speaking of endless possibilities, the show's mythology is another area that could really shine in this new season. I love the series to death, but even I have to admit that one of its biggest flaws is how convoluted the mythology became in the last few seasons. Back in 2002 the series ended with the news that the final alien colonization would happen on December 22, 2012. Yes, in this universe the Mayans were right! Obviously we're a few years past that date, so this is where things could get interesting. The new episodes could pick up in 2012 and depict events leading up to the final colonization, or the show could resume in 2015 either after the colonization occurred or in a world in which the colonization didn't happen. These are just a few ideas, but I'm personally hoping that whatever happens, the show picks up in real time, 13 years after the series finale and 7 years after I Want to Believe.

3. "Monster of the Week" Episodes

Still one of the most unsettling episodes.

The new mythology will hopefully be great, but for me, where The X-Files really excelled was with its standalone episodes. So many other sci-fi shows have since used the format of an overarching plot with standalone episodes scattered throughout that it's easy to forget how unique it was at the time. Considering how much the world has changed since the series originally ended, there could be some excellent "Monster of the Week" ideas that wouldn't have worked during the original run. If Chris Carter and his writers choose to focus on the mythology, it would be difficult to also have many Monster of the Week episodes in a 6-episode run, but I'm really hoping for a nice balance between the two.

5. A Fitting Story for These Characters

I want to believe that this story will be handled well.

Let's be realistic. Mulder and Scully will have aged significantly since the original series finale. This could (and should) affect how the characters go about doing things. With how much the Internet and technology have grown since 2002, I'd love to see elements of the story showing how Mulder and Scully are adjusting to or have adjusted to these changes. I Want to Believe ended in such a way that Mulder and Scully could feasibly end up working for (or at least with) the FBI again, so things would definitely be different for them from an FBI perspective. Again, the possibilities are endless, but since this could be the last X-Files content we ever get to see, I'm just hoping that the story suits the characters and leaves them in a good place. I do not want a cliffhanger for that very reason. It would be much more satisfying for the ending to feel like an ending to this new story with the possibility for more stories to be told in the future.

So there you have it. Those are some of the things I'd like to see from these new episodes. What do you guys think? Are you excited that The X-Files is coming back, or are you dreading it? What would you like to see in these six episodes? Let us know in the comments!