FOX is reopening The X-Files once again for a second event series next year. Both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are set to reprise their iconic roles as Agents Mulder and Scully, probably picking up where they left off at the cliffhanger of the previous season. Chris Carter is once again on board to spearhead the next chapter as showrunner for the series.

The announcement for this second event series — which fans will undoubtedly dub season 11 — came late last month, with FOX announcing an expanded 10 episode order over the first event series' six episodes. It was pretty unsurprising that the show would get a follow-up as the first X-Files event series did extremely well despite some mixed critical reviews.

Now we have a better idea of when The X-Files will return to the small screen. In a press release from the network, The X-Files is set to return mid-season of 2018. Here's the relevant information:

In 2018, additional new series and events joining the schedule include dramas 9-1-1 and THE RESIDENT; comedy LA TO VEGAS; and an all-new installment of event series THE X-FILES.

The next chapter of THE X-FILES, a thrilling, 10-episode second installment of the event series, once again will be executive-produced by creator Chris Carter, with stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson returning in their roles as iconic FBI Agents FOX MULDER and DANA SCULLY. In 2016, THE X-FILES drew an average multi-platform audience of nearly 16 million viewers and was the season’s No. 2 broadcast drama, as well as the most talked-about event series on Twitter.

X-Files-Mulder-And-Scully

Although no date was specifically given for the return of the series, the 2018 release for it seems to indicate that FOX is planning on premiering second event series in the same time-slot as the first. Fans should expect the new event series to land on or around January 28th or 29th, 2018 depending on whether the series will once again premiere on a Sunday followed by its regular Monday time-slot.

The expanded 10 episode order is also a welcome change for those who thought the previous season was too short — which includes star David Duchovny. With only six episodes to play around with the first time, creator Chris Carter and his team decided to bookend the season 10 with two mythology episodes leaving the four episodes in the middle as standalones. With the second event series, fans should probably expect a more even split of four or five mythology episodes. Considering past X-Files seasons, we should expect a few of those mythology episodes to land somewhere in the middle of the season, with a seemingly standalone episode that leads into a mythology episode.

Two years is still a long wait between seasons and if a third event series is commissioned, it likely won't hit the small screen until January 2020 at this rate. Chris Carter has previously said there are no plans for a spinoff series but one has to wonder if FOX feels there is room for the X-Files franchise to expand now that it has been revived.

NEXT: TV Show Cancelations & Renewals of 2017

The X-Files looks to return in January of 2018.

Source: FOX