X-Files
Australian Information Kiosk
January 2002

Duchovny Likely to Return for 'X-Files' Finale
LOS ANGELES - "I don't really think we'll be sad until it's the last day," says "X-Files" executive producer Frank Spotnitz, "and we realize that we're not going to see these people we've seen for so long. That doesn't happen often in television, where you work with the same group of people for so many years."

"But, it's scary, slash, exciting, disappointing and the right thing to do all at the same time."

In a two-part episode, set to shoot in early April and air on May 12 and 19 on FOX, "The X-Files" bows out after nine seasons. Some may argue that it was one season too long, but Spotnitz isn't sure what caused the decline.

He is sure, though, that it wasn't competition from ABC's "Alias," starring Jennifer Garner as a secret agent, in the Sunday, 9 p.m. ET time slot.

"That's silly," says Spotnitz. "I've heard many, many theories about the show this year, but I don't think there's anything to that. If you look at the numbers for 'The X-Files' this year, in the very first episode, there was a significant portion of our audience that just didn't come. They just weren't there."

"I could give you six different theories, and I don't know which one it is. Is it because we started in November, and these other shows had weeks on the air to build an audience? Is it because we were up against 'Saving Private Ryan'? Is it because Sept. 11 changed the zeitgeist of the country? Is it because people didn't know we were on because there was so little promotion? Is it because David Duchovny left?"

"At the end of the day, from where we're sitting, we just don't know the answer."

Spotnitz also doesn't see a connection between FOX's pickup of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Whedon's science-fiction series "Firefly," and "X" creator Chris Carter's subsequent announcement that his show was over.

"No, it's just a coincidence, because the decision really was Chris', and the timing of it was Chris'. He came to them. He had thought about it over the Christmas vacation. We delivered two really strong episodes at the beginning of January, and the audience wasn't any bigger. He said, 'Let's get out while we're ahead. We don't want to limp out.'"

"I'm sure they have high hopes for 'Firefly.' Joss Whedon's very talented, and I'm sure their hopes are high, as they should be. But 'X-Files' has been such a strong performer for so long, it's got to be a little scary for them too, even with our ratings this year being lower than before."

As for the rest of the season, Spotnitz promises a resolution to the cliffhanger finale of the short-lived "X" spin-off "The Lone Gunmen." "We are going to clean up their finale, have Michael McKean in a great episode. Burt Reynolds is going to be in an episode written and directed by Chris. That's episode 14, airing in April."

And as for Duchovny returning to play Mulder in the finale, Spotnitz says, "I think it's pretty likely. The irony is, he was going to come back to write and direct an episode before the season got announced."

Asked if questions will be answered, Spotnitz says, "I just want to say right away, we're not going to answer all the questions. Anybody thinking we're going to ... you couldn't possibly answer all the questions, you just couldn't. We'll do as much as we can."

Of course, there is still the question of the second "X-Files" feature film, to which Spotnitz says, "Whatever the movie is, it'll be a new beginning. What we're most concerned about is finishing the series properly. We're not really worried about whether there's something left over for the movie. In all likelihood, the movie's going to be a stand alone Mulder and Scully investigation anyway."

Asked what's next for him, Spotnitz laughs. "Frank doesn't know. I know I'm going to do the next movie with Chris, but I don't know if I'm going to go onto another show, create my own show, write another movie. It's a very exciting, scary, weird time."

Friday, January 25, 2002 07:08 PM PDT, by Kate O'Hare

"X-Files" Gets X-ed Out
by Mark Armstrong Jan 17, 2002, 10:00 AM PT

The truth is out there, and the truth hurts: After nine seasons of sniffing out conspiracies, Fox's The X-Files is packing it in at the end of this season.

Creator Chris Carter told reporters Wednesday that it was time for the long-running series to end, and the finale will air in May.

"It's the ninth inning. We wanted to go out on top," he told Daily Variety. "We wanted to go out as a strong show."

Strong, of course, is all relative: The series has tumbled in the ratings this season, with fans grousing that recent episodes aren't living up to the days of David Duchovny. The X-Files has averaged 8.7 million viewers in its Sunday timeslot, and with costs reaching $4 million per episode, there had already been talk that 20th Century Fox Television was going to end the show's run this year.

Both Carter and star Gillian Anderson have previously voiced their exhaustion with the series, with the actress saying last summer that this would be her last season as Dana Scully so she can focus on being a mom and pursue other projects (she's already adapting the novel Speed of Light for her directorial debut).

Carter, meanwhile, said he wants to end the series with a proper farewell, including a clip show and--for the love of all things holy--some answers.

"I want to be able to wrap things up for the fans who have been there from the beginning and throughout," he told the Hollywood Reporter. "My determination was to go out with a series of very, very strong episodes that are going to pull a lot of threads together from the last nine years."

One thread not yet tied together is whether Duchovny will return for any of the final episodes. Carter said he wanted to enlist Duchovny, but the subject has not yet been discussed.

Since its September 1993 debut, The X-Files went from quirky cult fave to pop-culture phenomenon, turning Fox Mulder (Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Anderson) into sci-fi icons. The series also earned an Emmy nomination for Best Drama Series in 1996 and scored Anderson a Best Actress trophy in 1997.

In 2000, Duchovny gradually bowed out of the series to work on a film career, and Carter brought aboard several new cast members to join Anderson, including Robert Patrick, Annabeth Gish and Cary Elwes.

Despite Wednesday's announcement, this probably won't be the last we see of Scully and company. Carter has previously indicated plans to make a sequel to the 1998 big-screen version of The X-Files, starring Anderson and Duchovny.

• From Australian magazine Who Weekly online, Daily section:

  The end is out there
  
  After nine seasons and 201 episodes, the Emmy-winning The X-Files is retiring its agents come May. "I look at it as the ninth-inning situation," series creator Chris Carter, 44, told The Hollywood Reporter late Wednesday. "I'd rather go out now and celebrate rather than have to make an announcement in the summer."
  
  Part of the reason for the demise of the show about investigations into the paranormal, according to industry observers, is the departure of original star David Duchovny. With the show's Nielsen ratings slide and its production costs approaching $US4 million per episode, it was anticipated that the series would end its run this year.
  
  Carter told Variety that, although he had yet to broach the subject with the actor, he hoped Duchovny, 41, would return as special agent Fox Mulder for the two-part series finale opposite agent Dana Scully, played by Gillian Anderson, 33.
  
  Both Duchovny and Anderson, whose mutual off-screen antipathy was widely reported, are on board for a sequel to the 1998 X-Files feature film, Carter told The Hollywood Reporter. "I want to be able to wrap things up for the fans who have been there from the beginning and throughout," the producer said. "My determination was to go out with a series of very, very strong episodes that are going to pull a lot of threads together from the last nine years."

• From TV Week online:

  X Files is x’ed!
  
  The X Files, the supernatural series that made starred Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny as FBI agents Scully and Mulder, is no more. The series creator, Chris Carter, has decided to end the show, saying ‘We wanted to go out on top. We wanted to go out as a strong show.’ Now in its ninth series, The X Files has been suffering from declining ratings, especially after David left the show. The X Files will finish with a two-part finale which Chris promises will resolve the show’s mythology. Maybe the truth is out there after all...

• There is a photo of Tea Leoni in the latest issue of Who Weekly.
• There is a photo of David Duchovny with daughter Madelaine in the January 15 issue of Hello magazine.
• From the latest issue of In Style magazine:
  On Proposals:
  "David [Duchovny] asked me while I was picking out shoes in the closet. It wasn't a special occassion. He just asked, 'Will you marry me?'" - Téa Leoni
• There was a House of Mirth video review in last Thursday's Courier Mail.
• In the January issue of What DVD there is a 2 page article on Evolution, a review of Return To Me, a competition to win 1 of 5 Evolution prize packs, while Jurassic Park 3 (Téa Leoni) is also reviewed and there is a brief paragraph on House Of Mirth.
• There is also a House of Mirth video review in the March issue of Inside Soap.
• Last week's Brisbane Sunday Mail TV Scene had a photo of Gillian Anderson along with the following paragraph (reprinted from the US TV Guide):

  As Agent Scully of Fox's The X-Files, Gillian Anderson has spent nearly nine seasons obsessing about nonhuman lifeforms. In real life, it's no different. Working with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, she just fired off a letter to Turkey's prime minister, saying she was "shocked to learn that animals in Turkey have absolutely no legal protection from cruelty and abuse." She cited examples of dogs, camels, bears and roosters suffering immensely and lobbied the country to pass the Animal Protection Law, making it a crime to abuse her furry and feathery friends. "I respectfully urge you to do everything in your power to ensure that such a law is enacted," Anderson wrote.

• Finally the following appeared in the Sunday Telegraph on January 13 which pre-empted the US announcement 4 days later:

  The Truth Is Out
  Is The X-Files about to get a giant X stamped on it? The Fox drama has crashed in the ratings, with viewing figures down about 30 per cent after just 5 episodes of the new season.X-Files writers are trying to establish Agent John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Agent Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) on the show, but with little success.

• Season 4 of The X-Files will be released in Australia on DVD on March 27.
  ThanX Luke and Lucy.
  In the US, season 5 will be released on May 7.
• Ratings for season 9 in he US haven't been good with fans abandoning the Mulderless show in the millions, ratings down a massive 29% after five episodes. Still no official news when season 9 will begin airing in Australia.
• Gillian Anderson made the Blackwell list of worst dressed celebrities for 2001, coming it an number 10 and described as "a grunge plunge...resembling an escape from a Bohemian barbecue."
• There is a photo of Lucy Lawless in TV Week and two photos of Tea Leoni in Woman's Day this week. Also Xpose 63 has arrived at comic shops and Gillian Anderson is on the cover with a 5 page article inside.
  ThanX Lucy.
• Bad news for Aussie fans ... House of Mirth will not be released for sale but will be available for rental only. This from Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment via Gem:
  The movie House of Mirth is unlikely to make it to sell through on VHS or DVD. The best thing would be for you to purchase an ex-rental copy of the movie. Video stores will be able to sell their copies of House Of Mirth from the 12th of March.