The X-Files

FOX, Premieres Sunday, January 24 at 10 Eastern/7 Pacific, Then Airs Mondays 8/7 Central

Jan 22, 2016 By Cody Ray Shafer Issue # 56 - Best of 2015 - Father John Misty and Wolf Alice

The new mantra of the decade is that everyone gets a second chance. Mr. Show, Twin Peaks, and even Full House are returning after years off the air, so naturally FOX finally gave Chris Carter the green light to bring back his hit sci-fi series about a rogue FBI agent obsessed with paranormal activity (David Duchovny as Fox Mulder) and his partner, the skeptic and stoic professional (Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully). After nine seasons on the air, The X-Files was arguably one of the most influential pop culture phenomena of the '90s.

It's very early on to judge exactly where this is going, but from the early episodes it looks like The X-Files is making some very strange narrative decisions. The show is simultaneously exploiting expectations for alien footage, while also dismissing the series' entire mythology. It's bold, and shows potential. But its penchant for paranoia was less reactionary in the '90s, compared to the Obama/FOX News fear era, when conspiracy theories are a little too mainstream. That aside, seeing Mulder and Scully back together is enough to maintain interest, even if The X-Files starts diving into political themes that are a little unnerving. (www.fox.com/the-x-files)

Author rating: 6.5/10