![]() ![]() The genre-defined by shorter seasons using different actors, tied together by a common mythos-has seen a resurgence with the likes of True Detective, Fargo and American Horror Story.Ī key strength of the anthology series, Donnar notes, is that it entices stars onto television projects precisely because it won't take up their entire career. Donnar sees the move as linked to the rise of anthology series television. The X-Files revival's relatively short season-six episodes-is worth noting. 'It makes us all a fan, much more easily, but without us having to do the "detective work".' 'What fans used to have to seek out, what was a sign of obsession, is now quite mainstream-and it's exactly this type of fan marginalia that allows for a more organic promotion through social media. 'We now get a steady drip-feed of promotional materials beforehand,' Donnar says. For fans, Carter's role as executive producer of this revival miniseries (he has directed and written a number of the episodes) adds to its authenticity and credibility. In addition, television networks around the globe have been running a re-cap season of key episodes curated by Chris Carter, the original creator of The X-Files. And YouTube reaction videos have also played a role in the revival’s promotion.' 'Glimpses of this new season were revealed at ComicCon in New York in October. The canny selection of a cult favourite like The X-Files, Donnar argues, points to the network's deep understanding of the burgeoning nature of TV fan culture.ĭonnar describes Fox's marketing around the show as strategic and 'fan-driven', where hardcore enthusiasts are encouraged to generate hype. It's a strategy that's worked for Fox before: last year, a miniseries revival of the Kiefer Sutherland-fronted 24 gave the network confidence in the success of the mini-revival strategy. 'One reason for the show's revival is that the Fox cable network wants to maximise the value of its old property, and piggyback on the nostalgia associated with it.' ![]() The rise of streaming video-on-demand services must have been central to the decision to revive The X-Files, Donnar says. This revived series, Donnar says, is premiering in a 'multi-channel and multi-platform, "post-TV" world'. Technologically speaking, the TV landscape has fundamentally changed since the original run of The X-Files. 'The intensified rhetoric of mistrust in government is most loudly expressed by Fox News and always suggests are illegitimate, whether because of behaviour or birthplace-we can see that with both Clinton and Obama.' 'It's interesting,' Donnar says, 'that it is being revived at the tail end of another Democrat presidency. The current election year in the US provides fertile ground for the series return. It solidified after the Second World War, through events such as the JFK assassination and the Roswell UFO incident. Paranoia has become something of a 'root mythology' in American culture, especially in the internet age. ![]() That the show's original run (1993-2002) on television almost perfectly mirrors the Clinton presidency-from 1993 to 2001-is no mere coincidence.ĭonnar says a general mistrust in government-of any political leaning-springs from a deep well. The X-Files has previously been successful in 'tapping into a cultural zeitgeist of low trust in government seen during Democrat presidencies,' Donnar says, drawing on Pew Research figures. Here's why:Īs the Obama presidency enters its final stages, the mood is ripe for a reinvestigation of old paranoiac themes. Most of the original cast and showrunner are along for the ride, and the timing couldn't be better according to Dr Glenn Donnar from RMIT's School of Media and Communication. More than a decade after its ninth season aired on broadcast television, The X-Files is set to be revived in a six-part miniseries, premiering in the US on 24 January and six days later in Australia on Network Ten. TV Club breaks out the tinfoil to find out why. ( Getty Images) More than just the latest in a series of resurrected nostalgia properties, the paranormal series is a natural fit for a changed technological, cultural and political landscape. The cast of the X-Files miniseries on stage, with showrunner Chris Carter. ![]()
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