I'll always have a special place in my heart for The X-Files. When it came out, I was about 13 and it acted as a nice transition from kid-friendly TV to more adult stuff.
Sure, it had monsters, aliens, and crazy goings-on every week, but it was also written with surprising intelligence. These days, it's normal for sci-fi to take itself seriously (Lost, Battlestar Galactica), but it was quite unique in the early-90s. I mean, someone had managed to combine a gritty FBI procedural with flying saucers!
And what about the show's mythology about a government conspiracy involving aliens? Yes, recurring stories like this are commonplace in 2007, but back in the 80s/90s sci-fi shows were very episodic (Star Trek, Quantum Leap). Having supporting characters and plot-strands that resurfaced every so often was a new concept to me.
Oh, and how could I forget the famous chemistry between David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as Agents Mulder and Scully? The believer and the skeptic, with a will-they?/won't-they? relationship.
Another teenage memory was of Anderson jump-starting the whole "celeb appears semi-naked in a magazine to cross-promote their work" marketing ploy, with her iconic photoshoot in FHM.
Up until season 3, The X-Files was simply wonderful. In season 4 and 5, it was still pretty damn great. Then season 6 was just... okay. And as for seasons 7, 8 and 9? Ouch. Pretty bad.
Yes, The X-Files juggernaut just didn't know when to quit...
The first speed bump hit when writers Glen Morgan and James Wong left the series -- having created many of the beloved supporting characters (The Lone Gunmen, Skinner, etc), its most unforgettable villain (bendy liver-eating psycho Tooms), and were the ones who first began taking risks with the show's format and style.
The second upset happened when production moved from chilly Vancouver in British Columbia to sunny Los Angeles, California. It was a smoother transition than many had feared, but it still tugged the heart out of the show's distinctive look...
But the third jolt proved most fatal: David Duchovny left the series. With The X-Files now bereft of its signature flashlight-wielding duo, Gillian Anderson was partnered with a string of replacement characters, with Duchovny only returning for the odd episode. After a few years, The X-Files ultimately devolved into a silly ensemble and its laborious conspiracy storyline become impenetrable.
I abandoned the show somewhere in season 7. And, believe me, it's rare that I ever stop watching a show that I've invested so much time and passion in. I wasn't alone, either.
But, the show limped on and finally concluded without much fanfare, as even die-hard fans knew the golden age of Mulder and Scully has long since passed and the last 5 years had seen a dead show walking.
But I still love the concept and get a kick from remembering the early years that shook the TV firmament and gave rise to countless imitators (remember Dark Skies?) The X-Files made sci-fi cool in the 90s, and still holds up today if you catch a repeat, or buy the DVD box-set.
It's part of our pop-culture and will never go away... particularly now a second film is in production, slated for a summer 2008 release. Yes, that's right, Duchovny and Anderson are back together as the intrepid agents, for a new story (i.e., not tied to that labyrinthine alien conspiracy) set during the show's heyday. A big-budget "missing episode", basically...
Creator Chris Carter is writing and directing The X-Files 2, as he clearly needs something to do these days. His standing as TVs "golden boy" has long since passed, after a string of failed attempts to capture The X-Files' magic, with underperforming Millennium, quickly-axed Harsh Realm and one-season-wonder Lone Gunmen.
So we can guess why Carter needs this film to work (an eye on a new career as a Hollywood director...), but why are Anderson and Duchovny returning? Anderson's managed to carve out a decent acting career post-Scully, and Duchovny's hit pay-dirt recently as sex-addict Hank Moody in Californication.
Whatever the reasons, the early casting decisions are very interesting. Predictably, Lance Henriksen has inferred he might have a role (possibly reprising his character from Millennium), but now word reaches us that rapper Xzibit and Studio 60 hottie Amanda Peet as FBI Agents and comedian Billy Connelly!
Okay, I can see Peet in a plucky agent role. She's a perfect fit for X-Files and would probably have been involved in the show if it were still being made today... but Pimp My Ride's Xzibit? Seriously? And Billy Connelly? Isn't he movie poison, unless it's a period film and Judi Dench is around? Hopefully he just has a minor supporting role...
Oh well, these are strange casting choices, but stranger things have happened in the world of X-Files. Remember that flukeworm dude in the sewers...? Ewwww.
Sure, it had monsters, aliens, and crazy goings-on every week, but it was also written with surprising intelligence. These days, it's normal for sci-fi to take itself seriously (Lost, Battlestar Galactica), but it was quite unique in the early-90s. I mean, someone had managed to combine a gritty FBI procedural with flying saucers!
And what about the show's mythology about a government conspiracy involving aliens? Yes, recurring stories like this are commonplace in 2007, but back in the 80s/90s sci-fi shows were very episodic (Star Trek, Quantum Leap). Having supporting characters and plot-strands that resurfaced every so often was a new concept to me.
Oh, and how could I forget the famous chemistry between David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as Agents Mulder and Scully? The believer and the skeptic, with a will-they?/won't-they? relationship.
Another teenage memory was of Anderson jump-starting the whole "celeb appears semi-naked in a magazine to cross-promote their work" marketing ploy, with her iconic photoshoot in FHM.
Up until season 3, The X-Files was simply wonderful. In season 4 and 5, it was still pretty damn great. Then season 6 was just... okay. And as for seasons 7, 8 and 9? Ouch. Pretty bad.
Yes, The X-Files juggernaut just didn't know when to quit...
The first speed bump hit when writers Glen Morgan and James Wong left the series -- having created many of the beloved supporting characters (The Lone Gunmen, Skinner, etc), its most unforgettable villain (bendy liver-eating psycho Tooms), and were the ones who first began taking risks with the show's format and style.
The second upset happened when production moved from chilly Vancouver in British Columbia to sunny Los Angeles, California. It was a smoother transition than many had feared, but it still tugged the heart out of the show's distinctive look...
But the third jolt proved most fatal: David Duchovny left the series. With The X-Files now bereft of its signature flashlight-wielding duo, Gillian Anderson was partnered with a string of replacement characters, with Duchovny only returning for the odd episode. After a few years, The X-Files ultimately devolved into a silly ensemble and its laborious conspiracy storyline become impenetrable.
I abandoned the show somewhere in season 7. And, believe me, it's rare that I ever stop watching a show that I've invested so much time and passion in. I wasn't alone, either.
But, the show limped on and finally concluded without much fanfare, as even die-hard fans knew the golden age of Mulder and Scully has long since passed and the last 5 years had seen a dead show walking.
But I still love the concept and get a kick from remembering the early years that shook the TV firmament and gave rise to countless imitators (remember Dark Skies?) The X-Files made sci-fi cool in the 90s, and still holds up today if you catch a repeat, or buy the DVD box-set.
It's part of our pop-culture and will never go away... particularly now a second film is in production, slated for a summer 2008 release. Yes, that's right, Duchovny and Anderson are back together as the intrepid agents, for a new story (i.e., not tied to that labyrinthine alien conspiracy) set during the show's heyday. A big-budget "missing episode", basically...
Creator Chris Carter is writing and directing The X-Files 2, as he clearly needs something to do these days. His standing as TVs "golden boy" has long since passed, after a string of failed attempts to capture The X-Files' magic, with underperforming Millennium, quickly-axed Harsh Realm and one-season-wonder Lone Gunmen.
So we can guess why Carter needs this film to work (an eye on a new career as a Hollywood director...), but why are Anderson and Duchovny returning? Anderson's managed to carve out a decent acting career post-Scully, and Duchovny's hit pay-dirt recently as sex-addict Hank Moody in Californication.
Whatever the reasons, the early casting decisions are very interesting. Predictably, Lance Henriksen has inferred he might have a role (possibly reprising his character from Millennium), but now word reaches us that rapper Xzibit and Studio 60 hottie Amanda Peet as FBI Agents and comedian Billy Connelly!
Okay, I can see Peet in a plucky agent role. She's a perfect fit for X-Files and would probably have been involved in the show if it were still being made today... but Pimp My Ride's Xzibit? Seriously? And Billy Connelly? Isn't he movie poison, unless it's a period film and Judi Dench is around? Hopefully he just has a minor supporting role...
Oh well, these are strange casting choices, but stranger things have happened in the world of X-Files. Remember that flukeworm dude in the sewers...? Ewwww.
