We’ve known for a while that The X-Files is making a TV comeback on Fox. However, this morning, the network put out its fall schedule and The X Files unfortunately wasn’t on it. Obviously, that spurred some questions related to the show’s upcoming premiere. As it turns out, we won’t be getting The X-Files until midseason. The show will officially return to the schedule on Sunday, January 24, 2016.
I know, I know, it’s a long time away. In a conference call, Fox wasn’t clear about why The X-Files is being held off until midseason, but if I had to guess, the six-episode order might be the culprit. The network only gets so many tries at bat in the fall, and wasting one on an event series that doesn’t have the potential to move forward in the future seems like a foolish bet. Besides, X-Files fans are so fervent about the show, they are likely to tune in whenever The X-Files returns to the schedule. It’s not as if Fox is just throwing away the event series, either. In fact, the network has chosen to put together a two-night premiere event for the David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson-starrer.
The first big premiere will happen on Sunday, January 24, as noted prior at 10 p.m. ET. The big premiere is set to follow the NFC Championship. However, The X-Files will actually air on Monday nights, so the second part of the event premiere will hit the schedule on Monday, January 25, 2016 at 8 p.m. ET. It’s interesting that the show will be getting a two-night premiere when there are only going to be six episodes in the event series, but it’s smart to highlight The X-Files around the football playoffs, when people are tuning in to watch commercials and awareness for the revitalized series will theoretically be at an all-time high.
There are a lot of shows being revitalized, as well as a lot of movies being made into TV shows for the 2015-2016 TV season, but among these The X-Files is a standout. The show already has a built-in fanbase and has even nabbed new fans over the years thanks to streaming outlets making the series available for bingewatching. In addition, The X-Files has made a splash because Duchovny and Anderson will both be returning, along with creator Chris Carter and other familiar faces.
In addition to the returns of Mulder and Scully, The X-Files will see Mitch Pileggi return to the drama, playing FBI assistant director Walter Skinner. On top of that, William B. Davis will pop up playing C.G.B Spendor, who is more recognizable as “The Cigarette Smoking Man.” Other actors like Robert Patrick are out, thanks to commitments on other projects, like Scorpion. We still have a while to wait before The X-Files makes its (hopefully triumphant) return, but at least Fox has the timeslot locked down for the drama.
