The X-Files (2016)
Starring:Gillian Anderson (16 episodes), David Duchovny (16 episodes), Mitch Pileggi (10 episodes), William B. Davis (6 episodes), Joel McHale (4 episodes), Annabeth Gish (3 episodes), Barbara Hershey (3 episodes), Lauren Ambrose (3 episodes), Robbie Amell (3 episodes), Miles Robbins (3 episodes), James Pickens Jr. (2 episodes), Dean Haglund (2 episodes), Madeleine Arthur (2 episodes), Sarah Jeffrey (2 episodes), Tom Braidwood (1 episode), Bruce Harwood (1 episode), Sheila Larken (1 episode), Chris Owens (1 episode), Haley Joel Osment (1 episode), Rhys Darby (1 episode), Kumail Nanjiani (1 episode)
Directed by: Chris Carter (5 episodes), James Wong (3 episodes), Glen Morgan (3 episodes), Darin Morgan (2 episodes), Kevin Hooks (1 episode)
Rating: TV-14
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Science Fiction, Horror
2016-2018
Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1 - 2
Summary: FBI Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) return to investigate more unexplained phenomenon.
Review:
Tim: "The X-Files" remains one of my all-time favorite television series and certainly one of the most influential of my life. So, I was ecstatic when Fox decided to bring the show back in 2016, 14 years after it left the air. At first, Fox called it an Event Series, then started referring to it as Season Ten. I disagree with that sentiment. I'm treating this like its own series. It's a revival of the original "X-Files". I just don't agree with the philosophy of picking up a show where it left off after so long laying dormant. So, I'm treating this as a separate but connected show.
My enthusiasm about seeing Mulder and Scully together once again was somewhat tempered by the six episodes of the first season. It was so good to see them again and the nostalgia factor was off the charts. I was so happy to have more X-Files on television. However, I can't claim what I watched was nearly as good as the original series. It was fine, it was entertaining, but it wasn't the same. That is to be expected, but I was hoping for something better than we got. The second season did make an improvement. Going to ten episodes allowed for more "monster of the week" episodes, and many of the strongest episodes of this revival were those. We did get some decent mythology episodes, but the whole thing was a little uneven. I did enjoy the second season more, which felt like the "X-Files" I remembered. It wasn't perfect, but there were some legitimately solid episodes.
Despite wishing for the quality to be better, it was still so fun to see David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson reprise their iconic roles. Mulder and Scully remain one of my all-time favorite pairings and I felt so unbelievably thankful that I got to see them again. My enthusiasm for seeing them paired together again hadn't waned in the decade plus since they were last on television. I also loved getting to see Mitch Pileggi, James Pickens Jr., William B. Davis, and Annabeth Gish back. It was wonderful revisiting those characters again. I like Joel McHale, but he was only a decent addition to the cast. His character was never as important as I wished he was. Robbie Amell and Lauren Ambrose seemed like an attempt to do a soft reboot with younger actors, but neither seemed to catch on. Positioning them in the way the show did felt like a weak attempt.
I can't claim to have loved how the series ended. It was probably the right call focusing on William, but the execution of the last few episodes left something to be desired. It was fine, but it wasn't the powerful conclusion that fans wanted. After the second season ended, Gillian Anderson said she was done with the show for good and while that's somewhat disappointing, I don't blame her. I'm pretty pleased we got these two seasons, bringing the total to 11. It certainly doesn't mean this series is dead forever, so it wouldn't surprise me if we see another revival at some point in the future. All the signs are pointing to that not happening anytime soon, so I'm going to assume the show has concluded at this point. "The X-Files" is still one of my favorite shows and while these two seasons weren't amazing, they are still better than much of the television out there. I'm leaving this series feeling thankful I got to revisit these characters again.
Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A
If You Enjoyed This Series, We Recommend: The X-Files (1993), Lost, Fringe