The truth is out there: The X-Files will not exist without Gillian Anderson. Fox officially announced that it has no plans to pursue a 12th season of the hit sci-fi drama.

The X-Files became an immediate hit back in 1993, when its first episode aired, introducing viewers to the mysteries of the unknown, aliens and monsters of urban myth. It was one of the first science fiction shows to offer up "monster of the week" storytelling, but eventually embraced an overall conspiracy theory storyline worthy of not getting debunked by Snopes. It was so successful it lasted until 2002 and offered up several movies as part of its franchise. Fans continued to believe in the show, though, and kept demanding that it return to TV. Fox listened and brought the series back in 2016 for a short 10th season of six episodes. The response to that launched an 11th season that just recently ended.

TVLine reports that Fox will not air a 12th season of the long-running series. Fox co-chairman and CEO Gary Newman broke the bad news in a conference call, stating that "there are no plans to do another season at the moment." In January, Anderson announced that season 11 would serve as her last in the role of Scully, leaving many fans and critics wondering how this might affect the future of the series.

Although creator Chris Carter once believed continuing X-Files without Anderson was possible, it seems that Fox is not in agreement with that assessment. There were even plans to use Scully's absence as a major plot point for a future season, and Anderson's co-star, David Duchovny, similarly asked fans not to focus on Anderson's exit while watching the 11th season. But it seems that the messy finale that fans got with season 11 will also serve as a series finale, at least for now.

This news probably doesn't come as a huge surprise to fans. Many might even find a sense of relief in the decision not to carry forward with future episodes without Anderson in her pivotal role as Scully. The X-Files without Scully isn't really The X-Files, is it? Considering how long the series has lasted, perhaps it is time to let it go ahead and die, leaving room for more new and original TV shows. Considering the string of recent cancellations by Fox, however, those new shows may not last long on the network.

More: X-Files Creator Defends Season 11 Finale Twist

Source: TV Line