It’s interesting to point out that the show’s creator chose to cast Joel McHale after his roast of Barack Obama at the 2014 White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Cast of The X-Files:
David Duchovny plays Fox Mulder, an FBI special agent previously assigned to the X-Files. Much like the original series, he remains a firm believer in the existence of aliens and the paranormal.
Gillian Anderson returns as Dana Scully, a medical doctor and FBI special agent previously assigned to the X-Files to overlook the validity of the cases. Although initially a skeptic, after Mulder’s abduction, she becomes a firm believer in the paranormal and the existence of extraterrestrial life.
Mitch Pileggi returns as Walter Skinner, an assistant director at the FBI and personal friend of Mulder and Scully.
Here are the recurring cast members:
- William B. Davis as The Smoking Man, a government official who tries to cover up the X-Files.
- Annabeth Gish as Monica Reyes, an FBI special agent and friend to Mulder and Scully who was previously assigned to the X-Files division within the FBI.
- Bruce Harwood as John Fitzgerald Byers, a member of The Lone Gunmen.
- Tom Braidwood as Melvin Frohike, a member of The Lone Gunmen.
- Dean Haglund as Richard Langly, a member of The Lone Gunmen.
- Sheila Larken as Margaret Scully, Scully’s mother
The X-Files has also added a ton of new cast members:
- Joel McHale known for the now cancelled series Community plays Tad O’Malley, an Internet news anchor and conspiracy enthusiast.
- Annet Mahendru as Sveta, a victim of alien abduction.
- Rhys Darby as Guy Mann
- Kumail Nanjiani as Pasha
- Robbie Amell as Agent Miller
- Lauren Ambrose as Agent Einstein
The creator of The X-Files confirmed that he would direct the show in addition to writing and working as the executive producer. Carter would later confirm that the show’s original writers would return to work on the show. In addition, former X-Files writer Vince Gilligan noted that he would have enjoyed returning to the series, but his busy work schedule did not allow it; he later said, “I’ll be watching every episode and rooting them on”.
How The X-Files prepared for the miniseries reboot…
Prior to filming, Carter explained that he had “ideas for every [character]” and that the show would attempt to tell new stories in a “very new political environment“. He explained that, since the conclusion of the series, he had been collecting noteworthy news stories for future use. In fact, scientist and biology professor Anne Simon, who first consulted on the series’ first season finale episode “The Erlenmeyer Flask”, and for the rest of the original series run, returned as a biology science advisor.
REVIEWS: The X-Files is getting mixed reviews…
The X-Files reboot has received mixed reviews from critics. The review website Metacritic gave the series 58 out 100 based on 27 reviews. In addition, Rotten Tomatoes gave the reboot a 51% approval rating based on 35 reviews. The site’s consensus reads, “Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny’s chemistry remains intact, but overall, The X-Files revival lacks the creative spark necessary to sustain the initial rush of nostalgia.”
“If we do well in the ratings, I can’t imagine we wouldn’t be asked to do more.”
Is Fox going to give The X-Files another Season?
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Duchovny stated that if the miniseries is a hit, he would be interested in another season, stating “I would be open to doing another cycle. I don’t know that I could do a 20-episode version of this show at this point in my life, and I don’t know that Gillian could. But I think everybody is open ended on what happens after this. Certainly, we didn’t bring it back with the idea of ending it.”At the 2016 Television Critics Association panel for the miniseries, Carter stated, “If we do well in the ratings, I can’t imagine we wouldn’t be asked to do more.”
