While Gillian Anderson was a pivotal part of the success of The X-Files, the star didn’t address her decision to move on from the show until a few years after the revival was cancelled. It is no exaggeration to say that The X-Files was one of the most influential TV shows of the last four decades. Not only did the show pioneer a blend of police procedural formatting and supernatural story elements that went on to shape Evil, Supernatural, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Fringe, but its broader contributions to TV storytelling can’t be overstated.
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Alongside the earlier ABC hit Twin Peaks and the later phenomenon Lost, The X-Files helped popularise the Mystery Box storytelling style. This got viewers used to the idea of watching each episode closely and treating TV shows as extra-long movies, with overarching stories told throughout their seasons. While this paved the way for thoughtful sci-fi shows like Devs, Raised by Wolves, Foundation, Altered Carbon, and Silo, The X-Files itself let down its heroine when her character arc came to a disappointing conclusion.
Gillian Anderson Left The X-Files Because She Was Unhappy With Scully’s Character Arc
The X-Files began its original run in 1993 and lasted until 2002, releasing a theatrical feature film spinoff, The X-Files: Fight for the Future, during this era. 2008’s sequel, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, brought Mulder and Scully back to the theatres and, in 2016, the series returned for a two-season revival. However, Gillian Anderson left the series after the revival’s second season and told Variety in 2022 that she has no interest in returning to the role anytime soon.
Per Anderson, “It just feels like such an old idea. I’ve done it; I did it for so many years, and it also ended on such an unfortunate note.” Although the star didn’t elaborate on this comment, it is clear that it was a reference to Scully’s pregnancy and the fallout from this misjudged plot line. The X-Files revival had some fun monster-of-the-week episodes, but its overarching story revealed that Scully’s child, William, wasn’t Mulder’s son, but rather the product of a lab experiment, in what was arguably the show’s worst twist.
Gillian Anderson Would Only Return To The X-Files On One Condition
This tasteless twist subjected Anderson’s character to some nightmarish trauma, but that wasn’t all that viewers disliked about it. The storyline also robbed Scully of a lot of her agency, making her more of a victim of the Cigarette Smoking Man than the tenacious agent in search of the truth that she played in the show’s original run.
As such, Anderson’s lone demand to facilitate another season makes a lot of sense. Per the same interview, “there would need to be a whole new set of writers and the baton would need to be handed on for it to feel like it was new and progressive,” according to Anderson. The Sex Education star clarified that she had no interest in making more episodes unless the show’s creative team underwent a total overhaul.
That is not beyond the realm of possibility now, since Black Panther director Ryan Coogler’s upcoming The X-Files reboot involves an entirely fresh, new creative team. However, only time will tell whether this new version of the series brings back The X-Files heroine from the original show.
