The X-Files Is Not Going To Reboot Favorite Plots After All

When The X-Files returns to Fox (and millions of ecstatic fans) next year, the limited revival series will bring back many of the things that fans love about the franchise, including its two lead characters and a conspiratorial sense of the paranormal. But we sadly won’t be getting that rumored follow-up to one of the series’ most fantastic episodes, at least in TV form. It looks like creator Chris Carter is only interested in taking his stories in new directions.

While speaking to EW recently about what audiences can expect to see when the show makes its return to TV for the first time in 13 years, Carter was actually a little more clear about what we won’t be seeing: namely a sequel installment to the horrifying Season 4 episode “Home.” Here’s how he put it.

We’re not going to reboot any of the old favorites, although it was something we all thought about. These are all brand new stories. We hope to scare you in brand new ways.

I guess there’s a more literal meaning behind the second episode title “Home Again” than what we expected. Still, if Carter and his writing team can somehow evoke the same kinds of reactions that the incestuous lineage of the Peacock family did, then viewers should be as pleased with The X-Files as with any other series revival in TV history.

There is a silver lining here hidden beneath the bed, though, so those who hold “Home” dear to their hearts can still be excited. The story will get a continuation in issue #2 of the comic series The X-Files: Season 11, which got a description via Facebook from writer Joe Harris and artist Brian Miller, as seen below.

The X-Files: Season 11 #2Joe Harris (w) • Matthew Dow Smith (a) • menton3 (c)"Home Again," Part 1 of 2: Despite his...Posted by Joe Harris on Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Not quite as haunting as a new TV episode, but still pretty awesome. When it comes to the TV show itself, we can expect to see new stories involving aliens (or at least alienish things), a Carter-esque take on the current political climate of the U.S., and Mulder and Scully at a dark place in their respective lives. Nothing sounds better.

You can find the X-Files limited series when it premieres on Fox on January 24, 2016. Please watch it, so that there may be more in the future.

Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.