What goes together better than paranormal drama and football? Fox is bringing back the iconic sci-fi seriesThe X-Filesin just over a week, with this six-episodeevent seriesdebuting Sunday, January 24, directly following the NFC Championship game. During the network’s TCA winter tour panel earlier today, Fox showcased a sizzle reel, which features new footage of a UFO crash, an alien running through a field, and a shot that teases the return of another character from the original series.
The footage features a shot of a character speaking on the phone, telling the unknown caller that they have a “problem,” since theX-Fileshave been reopened. While we don’t see this mystery man’s face, his unmistakable voice is a dead giveaway that this is theCigarette Smoking Man(William B. Davis). Directly after this brief scene, we also see a quick shot of a deformed man, who very well could be the Cigarette Smoking Man’s son, Jeffrey Spender (Chris Owens). While we don’t have exact confirmation of who this unknown person is, Jeffrey Spender was deformed after being subjected to military experiments by his own father, in the original series.
This event series marks the momentous return of the Emmy- and Golden Globe Award-winningpop culture phenomenon, which remains one of the longest-running sci-fi series in network television history.The X-Filesdebuts with a special two-night event beginning Sunday, Jul 27, 2025 (10:00-11:00 PM ET/7:00-8:00 PM PT), following the NFC Championship Game, and continuing with its time period premiere on Monday, Jan. 25 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT). The series will only run six episodes, but starDavid Duchovnyhas said in the past that he would be open to returning for another short season like this one in the future.
The premiere episode follows Mulder and Scully as they take on a case of a possiblealien abductee. The all-new episodes will feature appearances by guest starsAnnabeth Gishas Monica Reyes,William B. Davisas “Cigarette Smoking Man” and the computer hackers known as The Lone Gunmen, Ringo Langly (Dean Haglund), Frohike (Tom Braidwood) and Byers (Bruce Harwood). The all-new episodes will feature appearances by guest stars, includingJoel McHale(Community),Robbie Amell(The Flash),Lauren Ambrose(Dig, Six Feet Under),Annabeth Gish(The Bridge), Annet Mahendru (The Americans),Rhys Darby(Flight of the Conchords),Kumail Nanjiani(Silicon Valley).
Three of the episodes are written and directed byChris Carter, with the remaining new episodes written and directed by original series veterans Glen Morgan, Darin Morgan andJames Wong. Do you think this show will be bigger than ever when it comes back in just a few short weeks? Take a look at this new sizzle reel, and stay tuned for more fromThe X-Files.
