With the revival of The X-Files creeping up on the calendar, FOX is hoping fans will get the celebration started early with a marathon of the critically acclaimed paranormal drama leading up to the debut of the new, six-episode limited series. And in a brief video encouraging the marathon-viewing of The X-Files, the network offered up the first look at FBI Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully back in action.
The new footage begins late in the promotional video (around the :28 mark), with David Duchovny putting a fresh spin on his character’s catchphrase by stating, “The truth is in there.” The teaser ends with a brief shot of Mulder (Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) bursting into a room with guns drawn — which also happens to be a recurring theme of sorts in the series.
With around 200 days until the limited series premieres, FOX is encouraging fans to watch one episode each day until January 24, 2016, when the new series kicks off. While the preferred method of viewing for FOX appears to be the DVD sets, the series is available on Netflix and other streaming services, so there’s ample opportunity to jump into the marathon at any point.
It’s worth noting that the network’s promotional campaign indicates that if fans began the marathon by watching the 1993 pilot episode of The X-Files yesterday, July 7, a one-a-day viewing pace over the following 200 days would bring them right to the limited series’ premiere date. However, the recurring mention of a 201-day marathon is actually one shy of the series’ actual number of episodes. Over the course of nine seasons, 202 episodes of The X-Files aired on FOX, but one episode — the 1996 episode “Home” in Season Four — was eventually deemed too controversial to ever air again and was subsequently “retired” from syndication.
That means that if you start your one-a-day viewing marathon today, you’ll actually be two episodes behind, not one.
With much of the original cast reprising their roles and the series’ original creative team — and creator Chris Carter — all on board, the upcoming revival of The X-Files kicks off January 24 on FOX.
