
David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in the 2008 film “The X-Files: I Want to Believe.”
Sometimes you get lucky. We’d arranged to meet with the actor David Duchovny this week in Santa Monica, Calif., to discuss his new series ”Aquarius,” a period crime drama coming to NBC on May 28, for a coming article. Then something else came up.
On Tuesday Fox announced that it was bringing back “The X-Files,” which starred Mr. Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as F.B.I. agents investigating alien-related conspiracies and bizarre, often paranormal, crimes. (The Internet noticed.)
The series began as an oddity in 1993 but became a phenomenon, running until 2002 and proving that the audience was out there for smart science fiction, horror and other genre fare. (There were movies in 1998 and 2008.) “The X-Files” became, for a time, Fox’s highest rated show, topping out as the 11th most watched series on television in its 1997-98 season. It also won 16 Emmy Awards, five Golden Globes and a Peabody Award.
“They call it a cult show but it wasn’t really a cult show. It was actually a big hit,” Mr. Duchovny said. “People call it a cult show because of the subject matter.”
The show’s metaphysical themes and (admittedly muddled) mythology would influence later densely metatextual, serialized narratives in shows like “Lost” and “Fringe.” Created by Chris Carter, “The X-Files” also served as a training ground for writers like Vince Gilligan (“Breaking Bad”) and Howard Gordon (“24,” “Homeland”) who would go on to run their own acclaimed shows.
Mr. Duchovny discussed the legacy of “The X-Files” and why Fox Mulder was the worst F.B.I. agent in history. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
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