Gillian Anderson contemplates three more years of The X-Files.

An eighth season is a 'major priority' says network exec.

November 24, 1999

Fox definitely wants The X-Files back for an eighth season. Sandy Grushow, an important executive at Fox Television Entertainment, told the Los Angeles Times that getting The X-Files back is "a major priority, and it will continue to be one until we've secured another season."

Grushow may have his work cut out for him, though, as co-stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson have both basically said they're pretty much sick and tired of doing the show.

"Physically, psychologically, I don't think I could do another season. I'm just spent," Anderson told Access Hollywood earlier this year.

Likewise, Duchovny: "Seven years is a long time to do one show, and I have other things to do," he told the Toronto Sun earlier this fall. And Duchovny's hardly the most popular actor on the Fox payroll, considering his much publicized lawsuit against the network. Rumors that he'd be replaced by anyone from Stephen Rea to a talking sports car have been making the rounds all summer.

Then there's also Chris Carter, who has to be bitter about having his most recent project, Harsh Realm, lame-ducked into a brutal Friday night slot then axed after three episodes. Heck, even Millennium was allowed to limp long for a couple of seasons. Further evidence that Carter may be sick of Fox: he's rumored to be involved with J. Michael Straczynski in a new CBS sci-fi series.

Still, Carter does seem to want to do another season of The X-Files, telling the L.A. Times earlier this year he wants to keep the show going, assuming Duchovny, Anderson, and other "key principals" were on board.

And the bottom line is that Fox doesn't want to lose the X-Files. The show's a bona fide moneymaker, consistently delivering great ratings and anchoring the network's solid Sunday night line-up.

Theoretically, Fox could do the show without any of the stars, even without Chris Carter, since it holds all the rights. But Fox has to know that hardcore fans don't want a show without Mulder and Scully. So what's a network to do?

There's the tried-and-trued spin-off route, such as the rumored "Lone Gunmen" series. And since this is Fox we're talking about, home World's Bloodiest Animal Manglings, why not give the Cigarette-Smoking Man a team of three bikini models to due his evil bidding? It worked for Charlie's Angels.

Plan B might be to just break out the checkbook, like they did for Krusty the Clown: "They drove a dump truck full of money up to my house! I'm not made of stone!"

Earlier X-Files News Stories

• Chris Carter Talks X-Files: November 3rd, 1999.
• Carter Cryptic About X-Files Future: October 7th, 1999.
• Scully Calls it Quits: October 6th, 1999.
• Mulder is Dead?: September 24th, 1999.
• Mulder's New Conspiracy: August 18th, 1999.
• Mulder Moves On: July 23rd, 1999.

Will Fox throw enough money around to get Carter, Anderson, and Duchovny on board for another year? Would an eighth season be a good thing? Let us know what you think, then be sure to check in later for the responses!

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