Age of the Geek

Re-opening Old Files
  
If you were to ask me which landmark genre television show produced by Fox and aired on Friday nights deserved another shot on TV after more than a decade off the air, I would have an answer for you.
     That answer would not be “The X-Files,” but here we are.
     Yep, the truth must still be out there because Fox has decided to reunite David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson for a six-episode mini-series about the continuing adventures of Mulder and Scully. And yeah, I’m excited for it, but I can’t help but feel there may be a more appropriate franchise worthy of a revival. Something involving a little spaceship and a crew of misfits perhaps.
     I want more “Firefly,” gorram it!
     Besides, “The X-Files” had its shot. It was on the air for nine seasons, which is two or three more than it actually needed. It’s pretty safe to say that Chris Carter ran out of gas on the series long before it actually ended. Unlike “Firefly,” “The X-Files didn’t get canceled before its time. It was given a mercy killing.
     The franchise has even already had its attempt at a movie comeback with 2008’s “X-Files: I Want To Believe.” Unfortunately, the movie squandered the opportunity for a proper revival by using its big movie budget to film what was basically a 104-minute stand alone episode.
     The second X-Files movie wasn’t even one of the good stand alone episodes like “X-Cops” or that one with the house full of inbred mutants. It was like one of those mediocre episodes that you forget as soon as the credits roll. The ones where you say, “OK, I can go make dinner while this is playing. I’m not going to miss anything,” when you’re marathoning the series.
     If that’s what they did with a movie, what shot does a six-episode mini-series have?
     Now I don’t want to give the impression that I’m against getting more of “The X-Files,” but I’ve been burned before. The sad reality is that “The X-Files” is 15 years past its prime. Sure, I could be pleasantly surprised and maybe this will be the start of a glorious new era for the franchise. But that’s being incredibly optimistic. The best one can reasonably hope for is that this mini-series is charming and entertaining enough to remind us all why “The X-Files” was so great in the first place before gracefully returning to our nostalgia filled memories.
     And even then, can modern audiences really appreciate “The X-Files” in this day and age?
     The world has changed a lot since the 1990s. Back then shadowy government agencies that saw and knew everything about you and operate above and beyond the law were fictional bad guys.
     Today we know those kind of agencies aren’t just real, they are our heroes. In hindsight, it seems oddly appropriate that “24” rose to prominence just as “The X-Files” was wrapping up.
     Of course, that in and of itself means there’s an interesting hook for “The X-Files” to latch on to. How does Fox Mulder react to a world with The Patriot Act, giant servers collecting e-mails and phone records, and drones flying around?
     There is plenty of potential there and I do think there’s a lot to be gained from reviving “The X-Files.”
     The question is will we get it, or is this an easy cash grab by Fox, looking to exploit Nineties nostalgia? With the Eighties all but tapped out, it’s time for the popular shows from the Nineties to make their nostalgia fueled comebacks.
     “Boy Meets World” already has a sequel series. Apparently Craig T. Nelson’s “Coach” is making a comeback. What’s next? A revival of “Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman” set in the 1890s? Will we see Chuck Norris put his kicking boots back on for another round of “Walker: Texas Ranger?” Can we prove once and for all that Adrian Paul actually is immortal with a new “Highlander” series?
     Actually, scratch that... let’s bring “Highlander” back. I’m all for that one.
     Anyway, before the point gets away from me any more than it already has, as much as I’d like to be like Mulder, when it comes to revisiting “The X-Files,” I’m as skeptical as Scully.
 
     Travis Fischer is a news writer for Mid-America Publishing and wants to believe.