David Duchovny is taking a light-hearted approach to reviving The X-Files, joking that it will be about teaching "an old dog new tricks".
Fox revealed at the Upfronts this week that Duchovny, Gillian Anderson and Mitch Pileggi will return for a six-episode miniseries on January 24, 2016.
There has already been a lot of discussion about the format of those six episodes, and Duchovny is now offering a bit of clarity on what fans can expect.
"I know there are only six [episodes] so there's going to be a mixture of standalones - what we always called monster of the week episodes - and the mythology," he told Entertainment Weekly Radio. "[It's] basically what this series always was, which is a mix of those things, and even in this limited version there's going to be that mix.
"How many mythology shows? I don't know. I imagine two or three, but I'm really just speculating - I don't know.
"I think we are going to continue on with the mythology as it was, but obviously this is new and we're going to try and teach an old dog new tricks too so we'll see. I'm the old dog."
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Duchovny also reflected on his now 22-year connection with The X-Files.
The X-Files stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson duet on stage together... and kiss
"I think when I left a long time ago I would have said never again because I had had enough, and the nature of network television was you had to do 22 episodes. It was your life," he explained.
"It was your career if you do a show like that. So I would have predicted there is no way I'll do it on television again like that.
"And also there was a certain amount of 'I'll show that I'm not just this guy' or whatever - a certain type of fear of being typecast or whatever, or other people's voices in my head [going] 'Is this all you can do?'
"But now I don't feel that way anymore. I'm satisfied with what've done since. And all I have left is really just love and appreciation and respect for the show and for the people - for Gillian and [creator] Chris [Carter]."
Chris Carter has already expressed interest in bringing back characters from the past, possibly including the later seasons' Agent John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Agent Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish).
The X-Files originally aired on Fox between 1993 and 2002.
Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
