X-Files is Cancelled (1 Viewer)

[David Paymer]

X-Files finally coming to an end, huh? Well, I think this is merciful and right. It was one of my favorite shows for years though and it pretty much ruled Sunday nights in the 90's. It's got a place in TV history, it was original, yadda yadda yadda. Hope the movie doesn't suck.

 

[Brad Porter]

Wow. I miss one episode out of the entire run (TiVo didn't execute a channel change properly last week) and they cancel the series! I didn't know they tracked my viewership that closely. Actually, if they did track me that closely, they never would have cancelled The Lone Gunmen.
I feel the same as most of you. I'm only buying the series on DVD through season 5, because that finale gives the best closure to the series that I've seen. After that, it's hit or miss all the way through. This season I've found myself surfing the net while watching the show - the first sign that a show has lost my interest.
I just hope that the legacy of the series is quality production values and interesting characters, rather than paranormal content and alien visitation. I watched the show with dedication because I felt that the finished product was greater than the sum of its parts.
Brad

 

[David Lambert]

.

 

[Jerry AZ]

"It's the ninth inning. We want to go out on top," the trade paper quoted Carter as saying. "We wanted to go out as a strong show."

Too late. Should have ended it last season. Was always my favorite show. Sad to see it gone. :frowning: Hopefully we'll get one or two big screen movies though.

 

[Michael St. Clair]

To compare Duchovny's film choices to his choice to leave 'The X-Files' is ludicrous.
Lots and lots of actors make bad film choices. It doesn't mean they have terrible judgement; it's a lot harder to judge something based on a script and a director and producers; good film projects go bad all the time and it is a lot harder to predict how a new project will turn out based on the script and the people involved. With 'The X-Files', David knew the people involved and where the story and the episode plots and dialogue was going compared to where it had been. And like many of us on the outside, he knew crap when he saw it.
Yes, 'The X-Files' might have turned out decent if it had focused on Doggett and Reyes without all the baggage, but they did not do that. And even then, it does not appear that it would have compared with the original series at it's best. And why would it be called 'The X-Files'? They might as well have called it 'Season 3 of Millenium'.
Hell, this season would have likely been better if they would have simply ditched the mythos and had Skinner and Scully solving freaky crimes. But, instead, they built up new characters a year ago and tried to go a new direction while carrying the baggage of the past. Why carry the baggage? To preserve the franchise (films!). Why new characters? To try to keep the show going for at least a couple of more years.
Be assured that cutting off the show this season this year was not the plan. The plan was to keep it going with new characters. And this plan blew up in Carter's and FoxTV's face like so much flaming front-porch dog shit on a shoe from decades ago.
They failed. They fucked up. They blew it.
Yet, the production cost of the show is reasonable for the ratings on a smaller network, especially once you subract Anderson's salary out next year. It could be a 'contender' compared the the ratings wasteland that is FoxTV (where they kill great shows like 'The Tick' and 'Undeclared' in hopes of some future savior that never materializes). So why did they kill it? Because they realized they were killing the franchise. A couple of years of this crap and there would be no more movies, because nobody would give a crap any more. But, sadly, it may be too little too late; they already diluted the franchise over the last couple of years.
Plan on seeing some crappy saturday morning animated series if the next movie blows up.
They killed it to try to save the franchise, but they should have killed it a couple of years ago if they really wanted a shot.
Maybe they can have Morgan and Wong do the next movie; that could possibly salvage something from this mess.
So, while Carter spin-doctors the failure of this season, and the Duchovny-blamers keep spouting the same-old-same-old, step back, and try to get some perspective. Duchovny may not be the great film actor of the decade, but like so many people, he knows crap when he sees it.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

The problem isn't quantity, it is talent and vision, neither of which Rick Berman or most of his associates ever had.

Too true. They left Ira Behr alone and he made DS9 soar, even though no one noticed. :frowning:

 

[Steve Clark]

There are only two network shows I have regularly watched over the past decade: X-Files and ER. These two shows at times have had the best combination of acting, direction, story/scripts, and production values of any TV shows ever.

That said, when the show was good it was the best on TV!

There were many episodes the first four years that were much better than many of the movies playing in the theatres at that time. The worst move Fox made for me was moving the series from Friday night to Sunday night. I grew up accustomed to watching horror TV on late Friday and Saturday nights. Sunday nights I am busy with family viewing and other events and missed the show often.

 

[Brad Grenz]

Maybe they can have Morgan and Wong do the next movie; that could possibly salvage something from this mess.

Get them to direct and produce and see if they can get Darin to write the sucker! But after three years of Carter fucking everything up, I'm not sure even those miracle workers could save the X-Files. Maybe they could just say the last three seasons were all a bad dream...

Hmm, while they're cleaning house maybe Fox'll ax Dark Angel. That'd be another step in the right direction.

 

[Josh_Hill]

I knew about this a while back, but its okay. Ive loved every episode. Goodbye X-Files.

 

[TheoGB]

I hope the stars from CROSSING JORDAN, SCRUBS,SOPRANOS don't have any hit movies anytime soon or they'll be leaving their shows.

You just trolling, Bill? If people (like Clooney) are good enough to take on the big screen let them. It seems you're saying your hour of entertainment a week is more important than them having an interesting an fulfilling career...

IMO TV shows need to end and they need to end sooner rather than later. 5 series is a good number. Hell, Buffy could easily have ended at 3 and I still enjoy it.

Keep 'em wanting more.

 

[Stacy Huff]

In the CNN article it talks about Anderson and Duchovny and says:

"Both actors, whose mutual off-screen antipathy was well documented, are on board for a sequel to the 1998 "X-Files" feature."

Well, I guess it wasn't well-documented enough for me, because I never heard that. Could somebody fill me in? If they really didn't like each other, then it makes me think that they are both far better actors than I originally thought.

 

[David Lambert]

My concern is that any feature film will somehow try to incorporate Doggett and Reyes into it. Maybe even the Cary Elwes character as well as Deputy Director Kersh.

Perhaps as cameos, nothing more.

On the other hand, let's say you just put Mulder and Sculley (and child) and even Skinner as the primary characters in a film. That's great. Heck, even resurrect Cancer Man (again) and throw in the Lone Gunmen.

Then what? What's the plot?

It better be good. Otherwise, what's the point? The franchise is still dead!

 

[TheoGB]

Dave, who is the guy on the far left of your TV show montage signature?
It's kinda crazy but I always think that must be what you look like but I presume its from some TV show.

 

[Jon Mercer]

TheoGB,

I believe that is Ted Bundy from Married... with Children.

 

[Rob Robinson]

HBO killed the X-files, IMHO.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Jon:
That would be Al Bundy, the shoe salesman, not Ted Bundy, the serial killer.
Rob:

HBO killed the X-Files

?????
Would you care to elaborate?
Regards,
Joe

 

[David Lambert]

It IS Al Bundy from Married With Children. I don't look unlike him these days, but shorter and with more signs of Dunlap Disease. Oh, and I never played High School football, but I *was* on the calculator team.
If you want to see what I look like (or looked like a few years ago), just click on my profile. I got a pic in there. Something's wrong with my nose, though...
Getting back on-topic, as another thread points out the NY Post says Duchovny will return for the series finale.

 

[Alex Spindler]

I have permanently associated you with Al Bundy, so much that your posts in the bargain forum are read aloud by Al himself
The worst part about all this is that if they announced a cancellation two seasons ago, this thread would have been 10 pages long by now. In the state the series is at now, I think a two pager is about appropriate.
As for future feature films, I would rather they not put an extra effort into incorporating Doggett and Reyes in outside of a cameo. I think the heart and soul of the X-Files is Mulder and Scully, and always will be. I would hope that future movies will just be well written episodes, even if they aren't conspiracy/mythology based (which I think has lost it's way from the Season 5 heydays).

 

[Chad R]

X-Files is Cancelled

That language is a little harsh. It's not necessarily cancelled, it's a mutual decision to stop production. Cancelled would be if the producers wanted to go further but the network didn't. That's not the case here.

And I just have to ask; is anyone upset over this? Even those of us who still watch it weekly like Pavlov's dogs?

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

...Even those of us who still watch it weekly like Pavlov's dogs?

How did you know I drool every time a bell rings on the show? Am I not the only one?
Regards,