The X-Files creator now says series could continue without Gillian Anderson
Can The X-Files creator Chris Carter make up his mind when it comes to whether or not the series could continue without Gillian Anderson? When CarterMatt last heard him speak about it earlier this year, he seemed to suggest that without one of his two leads, there would be no point in continuing.
However, now it seems as though Carter is changing course, telling Digital Spy the following about the long-term future of the series:
“I think that certainly The X-Files has more life in it, there are more stories to tell, with Gillian or without.”
Wait … what? Which one is it? The regrettable thing here is that in most universes, money talks — it doesn’t take experts like Mulder and Scully to figure that out. If there are opportunities for the producers to make more money doing The X-Files, there is a reasonably good chance that they are going to do that regardless of if it upsets people within the fandom (spoiler alert — it will).
Yet, the irony here is that we’re actually not sure there is that much more money to be made here, regardless of whether or not Anderson is on the show. This past episode of The X-Files, (despite a huge reveal when it comes to William) ended up posting one of the worst ratings for the series ever. That raises plenty of questions about whether or not doing two separate reveals was ill-conceived — we certainly think that the twist at the start of this season revolving William was, and that may have convinced some viewers to stop watching.
What CarterMatt would suggest instead
Just create a new show with new leads and a new mythology to unlock. Without Mulder and Scully, it’s not The X-Files and the chances don’t seem altogether great that viewers will watch. There may be some exceptions here and there of shows succeeding after one of the main stars departs, but the track record really isn’t all that great. Heck, just look at what happened with Castle when it appeared as though Stana Katic would be leaving — it never even got to the point when the show was renewed and the backlash was intense to say the least.
Sorry, X-Files — we don’t see losing Scully as a twist anyone will get behind.
What do you think: Is there any reason to keep The X-Files going without Anderson? Share below.