**SEASON PREMIERE, PART ONE**-- "THE X-FILES" - (10:00-11:00 PM ET/7:00-8:00 PM PT) CC-AD-HDTV 720p-Dolby Digital 5.1

THE X-FILES HAVE BEEN RE-OPENED ON PART ONE OF THE TWO-NIGHT SEASON PREMIERE OF "THE X-FILES" SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, ON FOX

Joel McHale ("Community") and Annett Mahendru ("The Americans") Guest-Star

Thirteen years after the original series run, the next mind-bending chapter of the thrilling series THE X-FILES is here. FOX MULDER (David Duchovny) and DANA SCULLY (Gillian Anderson) have been approached by TAD O'MALLEY (guest star Joel McHale), a popular conspiracy theorist web-TV show host, who believes he has uncovered a significant government conspiracy. With the assistance of FBI Asst. Dir. WALTER SKINNER (Mitch Pileggi), O'Malley seeks to enlist the help of former X-Files agents Mulder and Scully, who have since severed ties with the FBI. Through O'Malley, they are introduced to SVETA (guest star Annett Mahendru), a possible alien abductee who shares shocking information with them that will challenge everything that Mulder has ever believed about the existence of aliens and the government's role in covering them up in the all-new "My Struggle" season premiere, part one, episode of THE X-FILES airing Sunday, Jan. 24 (10:00-11:00 PM ET/7:00-8:00 PM PT) on FOX. (XF-1001) (TV-14 L, V)

Cast: Gillian Anderson as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully, David Duchovny as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder and Mitch Pileggi as FBI Asst. Dir. Walter Skinner

Guest Cast: Joel McHale as Tad O'Malley and Annett Mahendru as Sveta

Instead, "The X-Files" returns with such a dire first episode that it almost feels designed to make fans question their love for the series to begin with. The next two installments are better, but the premiere, written and directed by Carter, digs a hole deep enough to run from Area 51 to the other side of the world.

The premiere's a disaster on almost every level, other than maybe the obvious pleasure Anderson takes in stepping back into character as Scully. Duchovny seems as bored as he was for most of the later seasons, but it's hard to blame him for not investing in a script this clunky. It does no favors for any of the actors

Honestly, the premiere is so bad that I'd advise you to skip it altogether and jump straight to the second episode (airing, like the rest of the miniseries, Monday at 8).

The X-Files
Season 1 Episode 1: “My Struggle”
Directed by Chris Clark
Written by Chris Clark
Created by Chris Clark
Starring David Duchnovy, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, Robbie Amell, Joel McHale, Lauren Ambrose.
FOX
Air Date: Sunday, January 24th, 2016, 10:00pm

In full disclosure, I might be biased in my reviewing but I LOVED The X-Files as a kid and I’m crazy stoked for it’s return. When it debuted in 1993, I was a mere 11-years old and everything about it was cool and awesome! The main character’s name was Fox, there were government conspiracies, aliens, monsters, mysterious smoking men… and the music in the credits!!! It made my baby sister run out of the room in terror. The X-Files, created by Chris Carter, was must park-in-front-of-theTV viewing for my parents and me, long before the days of DVR. While the conspiracy episodes and storylines tended to bog down over time, the crazy one-off episodes featuring conjoined sideshow twins, leech-men, and neon green bugs were our favorites. After 9 seasons, and 2 full length films (the last one in 2008), The X-Files returns to television this weekend with the first of a 2-part, 2-day premiere!

Spoilers below.


“My name is Fox Mulder.” For those either brand new to The X-Files or who have trouble remembering over a decade ago, the sweet voice of David Duchovny brings us up to speed with an opening narration, as we watch the UFO crash at Roswell. Not going to lie, legit goosebumps during the original opening credits. Scully (Gillian Anderson) has returned to the medical field, and Mulder is off the grid. She gets a call to contact him about meeting a conservative TV host, Tad O’Malley (Joel McHale). Why would Mulder be interested in this Limbaugh type? Well he blames everything from 9-11, to the liberal media on the Roswell UFO landing.

O’Malley picks them up in a bulletproof limo and drives them far out of the city to meet Sveta (Annet Mahendru). She’s a multiple time abductee claiming to have been impregnated by the aliens, and swearing to have alien DNA. Luckily they have a trained medical doctor to run the tests. Meanwhile Mulder is shown a secret lab holding an ARV (Alien Replica Vehicle) running on free energy with the ability to disappear. The pieces quickly fall into place for Mulder with O’Malley’s and Sveta’s help. The answer to all the questions and conspiracies… Aliens aren’t the problem, we are!

I won’t spoil the complexities of the conspiracy laid out by Mulder and O’Malley, but suffice to say, it is scarily believable and horrifying. Scully though, is not a true believer. When O’Malley wants to broadcast their truth on his show, she accuses him of “fear mongering, isolationist, techno-paranoia… that it borders on treason.” Everything happens quickly at the end, but it’s all set-up for the second part, where The X-Files get reopened thanks to FBI Assistant Director Skinner (Mitch Pileggi). And yep… there’s an old enemy; still smoking cigarettes after all these years.

I AM HOOKED! The X-Files was exactly what fans will remember, frenzied paranoia, crazy conspiracies, the disconcerting sense of truth behind the lunacy. The opening credits always end with the message “The Truth is Out There.” I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but it’s easy to fall headfirst into the fray with Mulder. The best part is their chemistry, still there after years apart. Anderson and Duchovny are excellent actors, their IMDB profiles are filled with successful roles, but to an entire generation they are simply Scully and Mulder, the skeptic scientist and the true believer. This episode had me generally happy to be with them again, but then worked on me plot wise and actually got me believing in the schemes and theories. There also seems to be a legitimately new story arc that I can’t wait to see get fully fleshed out. But I also hope they leave room for some of the wacky individual episodes my family and I loved back in the 90s. For every three aliens, we need one leech-man.

The X-Files returns Sunday night, January 24th at 10:00pm ET after playoff football on FOX.