While Fox may have had to cancel a slew of TV shows this spring (RIP Grinder), the network did have a number of success stories throughout the year. This includes the revival of The X-Files, which hit the schedule at midseason this year. The show did simply stunning numbers, and ever since it aired many have wondered whether or not new X-Files episodes could be on the way. During a conference call, Fox’s Dana Walden confirmed that we will probably be getting more episodes of The X-Files. They just may not be coming as soon as we might wish. Here’s what she had to say:
Yeah we’ve had conversations with Chris Carter and David [Duchovny] and Gillian [Anderson]. I believe everyone is on board to do another installment of a show. Right now, as I think we’ve talked about before, it’s a little bit difficult. The three of them are working in different places around the world. It’s trying to coordinate schedules. Hopefully, that will come together this season so that this time next year we will have something exciting to announce on The X-Files front.
That’s the very definition of taking some good news with some bad news. A couple of months ago, we learned that Fox was very keen to add at least a few more installments of The X-Files to the schedule. Scheduling has always been an issue for the main players, but the network has clearly gotten together with showrunner Chris Carter and the show’s two leads to try and figure out when new episodes could come together. Those talks led to positivity from those involved with the shows, but since they are all very busy people, the Fox series has been put on the back burner for now. Walden said we should look for more X-Files to be announced for the 2017-2018 TV season, and her comments were echoed later in the call, as well.
The X-Files did a lot for Fox this winter. Not only did it pull in incredible ratings, it also helped the network to launch Lucifer, the fun, comic book-based TV series following Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis) as he runs a nightclub in Los Angeles. In the Fox version, he helps policewoman Chloe Decker (Lauren German) to solve crimes. Yes, it’s a campy series, but it’s also a fun one, and it initially was able to see a slew of additional eyeballs tune in thanks to airing after The X-Files.
During the 2016-2017 TV season, Fox won’t have quite as many big shows that will help to launch other shows. Empire and Bones are still staples, of course, and the network has event series like Prison Break and TV series based on movies like Lethal Weapon that will bring name recognition to the new lineup. In addition, Fox is using the post Super Bowl timeslot to launch 24: Legacy, the new 24 that won't star Kiefer Sutherland. It should be an interesting lineup to keep an eye on.
We'll let you know if and when more X-Files is in the works. In the meantime, you can check out what Fox and the other networks have coming up this summer with our summer TV premiere schedule.
