Fox Television is kicking off the new year with season 11 of The X-Files, with a premiere date a few weeks earlier than originally anticipated. It's been a long wait, but nearly two years after FBI Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) got back on the case for a six-episode X-Files revival in 2016, the dynamic duo is getting ready to search for the truth again with a 10-episode 11th season.
Duchovny and Anderson began shooting in August on the series, which includes the the return of Mitch Pileggi (as FBI assistant director Walter Skinner) and William B. Davis (Cigarette Smoking Man), as well as Tom Braidwood, Bruce Harwood and Dean Haglund as the quirky conspiracy theory group The Lone Gunmen. Annabeth Gish, who starred in seasons 8 and 9, is also reprising her role as FBI Agent Monica Reyes in the upcoming season, which also marks the return of Robbie Amell and Lauren Ambrose, who are reprising their season 10 roles of FBI Special Agents Miller and Einstein.
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While Fox previously indicated that season 11 would premiere midseason 2018, which would had pegged it for a late January release (season 10, the revival season, kicked off Jan. 24, 2016), the network dropped an early surprise Wednesday. According to Variety, Fox says the new season will begin Jan. 3, with the show airing in the 8 p.m. ET/PT time slot. Additionally, Fox unveiled a new poster for season 11; check it out below:
Fans, of course, got their first peek at The X-Files season 11 with the trailer debut at New York Comic Con. And while the trailer indicates that part of the season will concentrate on the search for Mulder and Scully's long-lost son, William, fans shouldn't expect that quest to encompass the entire season. Instead, the series will employ a “simpler mythology” with more standalone episodes, unlike the expansive storyline of season 10.
Fox's willingness to air season 11 of The X-Files no doubt signals huge confidence in the upcoming episodes, otherwise they would have taken the time to tinker with the show as long as time allowed. The network certainly allowed itself enough wiggle-room to make fixes, given its earlier announcement of a mid-season premiere.
With the two-year turnaround for season 11, it will be interesting to see the direction The X-Files takes from here, including the prospect of a 12th season. While Fox called Anderson's comments premature, the actress in a roundtable interview with Screen Rant and other media outlets at New York Comic Con in October indicated that she may be through with The X-Files after this season, saying, "I think this will be it for me."
NEXT: The X-Files Season 11 Trailer: The Search for William Is On
Source: Variety