Fox to Air New Episodes of X-Files

Agents Scully and Mulder will be back on TV for six new episodes of The X-Files. Fox has agreed to the short run, which will reunite stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, along with creator Chris Carter, reports the Wrap. “I think of it as a 13-year commercial break,” says Carter. “The good news is the world has only gotten that much stranger, a perfect time to tell these six stories.” Production is supposed to begin this summer, but there's no word yet on when the new episodes will air.

What's behind the move? Fans can tell themselves it's about their clamoring for more shows, and perhaps a satisfying ending, but this is really about the lucrative new world of streaming rights, says Merrill Barr at Forbes. "Fox doesn’t actually care that people want a new season of The X-Files, but they do care that Netflix would pay big money to stream the show exclusively in order to allow people the chance to catch-up beforehand," he writes. Those old shows suddenly have more worth, and the six new ones will surely make for a rich payday, too. For Fox, it's "found money." (More The X-Files stories.)