When Fox Television ran the “reboot” of the X-Files this winter I will confess that I was completely enthralled. Yes, I was a fan boy. I loved the original series, even in the seasons when Duchovny had grown sick of his job and disappeared for extended periods, ostensibly having been abducted by aliens. (Sorry for the spoilers to any of you tuning in after emerging from a time machine.) I even liked the movies. And the six part mini-series (now known as “Season 10”) back in January and Februrary was a great trip down memory lane which they clearly pumped a lot of resources and effort into. At least one of the non-canonical, Monster of the Week entries was a bit on the hokey side, but I still enjoyed it. (I don’t hold it against Allahpundit that he has no taste in television entertainment.)

Given the awful cliffhanger at the conclusion and the killer ratings they were bringing in, there was immediate speculation that this might not be the end and that Fox would take another run at it. Those rumors have heated up as we get into the summer, but there are still nagging questions about whether or not the show would include Fox Mulder next time around. (Australian Network News)

Fox has yet to confirm if they are going to make a follow-up season. However, according to ComicBook.com, one of the show’s original stars, David Duchovny, is “a bit more hesitant” about shooting more episodes. Will this mean Gillian Anderson will get a new on-screen partner if they make another season?

The two stars returned on screen this year as Dana Scully and Fox Mulder. Although hesitant, Duchovny did not exactly say no when asked if he was willing to return for another “X-Files” installment. In an interview with Deadline.com, the actor admitted he was a bit apprehensive at first when he was asked to take on his “X-Files” role again after nearly 15 years. But seeing the episodes they completed this year made him more confident to move forward with it. “It is a joy to play, as difficult as it can be,” he explained. “I guess what we found with this season was that it’s possible to still get it. It doesn’t not work…But now it’s like, now what? How do we make this interesting again for all of us?”

Pardon me if that doesn’t exactly sound like a resoundingly enthusiastic response from Duchovny. I’m also immediately inclined to suspect his commitment to the project given his history. David was the reason that Anderson’s character was flying solo so much of the time in the later seasons of the original run. It wasn’t just a plot device. He’s gone on record many times as saying that he thought the show had gone as far as it could and he was ready to move on to other things.

So what about the question of Scully getting a new partner in the linked article? Spare me, please. The first concern that I had upon watching season 10 came with the introduction of Lauren Ambrose and Robbie Amell as Agents Einstein and Miller. She’s a red headed skeptic and medical doctor while he’s the gentle, wonder-filled believer in paranormal activity. These doppelgangers were a cute plot device and the actors did a fine job, but I was immediately filled with dread that we might have been given a glimpse of the replacement agents for a complete reboot of the series. Sorry, folks, but Anderson and Duchovny made that series and I can’t imagine it being more than a hollow shell designed to dredge in a few extra advertising bucks if you tried it.

But what if we still had Scully without Mulder? I’m more on the fence about that. Gillian Anderson still looks fantastic and her work in Season 10 showed that she’s still got the chops for it. But I really wasn’t all that wild about the episodes in seasons 8 and 9 where John Doggett was Scully’s partner in place of the absent Fox Mulder. They were good, but it lacked the same authenticity and feel that we came to expect from the original duo in the first five seasons especially.

Frankly, as much as I’d like to see it, if they can’t talk Duchovny into showing up and putting his all into it, I think I’d prefer to let the X-files retain their place in television history as is. If they wound up doing an entire season that flopped it would be a sad end to a great franchise.