X-Files fans the world over were overjoyed when they learned that the series was coming back after so many years away from TV. That joy was, ever so slightly, put in check when it turned out there would only be six precious episodes. Fox has even referred to the return as an “event,” and it made it sound like this might be a one-time only opportunity. However, it turns out that may not necessarily the case as star David Duchovny is not against doing more X-Files after the first half dozen are finished.
Speaking with EW, Duchovny says he would absolutely be interested in doing more after this cycle is done:
I would be open to doing another cycle...I don’t know that I could do a 20-episode version of this show at this point in my life, and I don’t know that Gillian could. But I think everybody is open ended on what happens after this. Certainly, we didn’t bring it back with the idea of ending it.
So, it looks like the end of the series may not be these six episodes. Often when a show gets a short episode order it's because they're looking to wrap it up, but obviously The X-Files is a bit of a different case, since it's a revitalization of a popular older series. Certainly if the cast is open to what happens next, then more episodes will likely just come down to questions of ratings. The possibility of a regular, if limited, return of The X-Files again down the road seems like something that might actually be in the cards.
You can’t blame Duchovny too much for not wanting to get involved in a 22-episode network TV season. He was 33 years-old when the X-Files began in 1993. He will be 55 this year. Gillian Anderson is 46. We're not even going to talk about the Cigarette Smoking Man. Cable TV has shown us that you don’t need a 20+ episode season to be successful and while networks have had less success with limited series, nothing has had the existing following that The X-Files will have going into this new season. Duchovny himself has said that he prefers the shorter run series. The fact that he left the original run of X-Files is well known to fans. (Though they don't like to discuss it.)
If fans respond to the show’s return the way Duchovny has, then we may very well be seeing more of this show in the future. An attempt to bring the show back has been an ongoing effort for the last couple of years and apparently getting the script for Episode 1 was an emotional experience. He says he “started crying reading the first page.” No doubt some die hard fans will be doing the same when the show makes its return.
