The X-Files is Officially BACK!

The X-Files, the landmark paranormal investigation series that defined sci-fi TV in the 90’s, is returning as an “event series” to Fox. Long-simmering rumors of a deal for a “short stack” of episodes were finally confirmed today, with Chris Carter at the helm and Mulder and Scully back in their sharp navy suits where they belong.

Carter referred to the hiatus as a “…13-year commercial break” and said “”The good news is the world has only gotten that much stranger, a perfect time to tell these six stories.”

The nature of the stories is still up in the air. X-Files was one of those rare beasts that is loved both for its mythology and its stand-alone episodes. Its “Monster of the Week” stories remain some of its most memorable and affecting, but there’s also a densely-layered series arc. The original show ended with a lot of unanswered questions back in 2002, and bizarrely, the 2008 movie decided to answer none of them in favor of a larger stand-alone story. Since the days when The X-Files pioneered a lot of the conventions of continuity in television, showrunners have learned from its strengths and weaknesses and come to blend their long-running mysteries and short-term crises a little better, so maybe the new show will take its cues from the people who’ve picked up where they left off 13 years ago.