'The X-Files' could return to Vancouver for more seasons

Buoyed by strong ratings and fan interest, the network that owns The X-Files is looking to produce more seasons of the acclaimed sci-fi drama.

The series’ 10th season, dubbed the ‘Revival’ season by some, concluded its six-episode run on Monday by leaving viewers with a cliff hanger filmed on downtown Vancouver’s Georgia Viaducts, set as a bridge that runs over the Potomac River in Washington D.C.

On January 24, the series kicked off its comeback season with 16.19 million viewers in the United States, making it the eighth highest-rated episode of The X-Files. The season finale clocked 7.6 million viewers, closing the entire season with an impressive average of 12.8 million viewers per episode.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Fox Broadcasting Company intends to create more episodes of the series given its successful run, but it is a matter of when.

“They’re going to ask for more. The ratings were very good,” Chris Carter, the creator of The X-Files, told the Hollywood Reporter. “They were happy with the show. I talked to Dana Walden today. She said they’d very much like more, but nothing’s being negotiated yet.”

It apparently took five months to negotiate the revival season, which had a length that is a small fraction of a typical season. Negotiations for further seasons will likely take longer.

On the subject of whether David Duchovny (Mulder) and Gillian Anderson (Scully) would be interested in returning to Vancouver to continue the production of the show, Carter says there is interest.

“I have been speaking with David pretty regularly. I think he’s game,” he said. “I have spoken to Gillian less frequently, but I believe she would be game. So I’m just working around their busy schedules. They both have families. It’s another practical matter.”

The X-Files’ Revival season was announced in March 2015 and filming commenced in June.

The series’ first consecutive run lasted for nine seasons from 1993 to 2002 and attained a cult following, to the extent that it became a part of pop culture. The first five seasons of the series were filmed in Vancouver, before production moved to Los Angeles for the final seasons.