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X-treme sci-fi: Fox orders another season of 'The X-Files'

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Author: 
Andrew Warren / TV Media
David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson star in "The X-Files"

David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson star in "The X-Files"

X-treme sci-fi: Keep your eyes to the skies and trust no one: Fox's revived sci-fi favorite is coming back for a second event series. "The X-Files" has received an order for another season after the success of 2016's six-episode revival and the enduring popularity of the '90s science fiction hit, with a premiere date planned for sometime in the 2017-18 TV season.

"Iconic characters, rich storytelling, bold creators -- these are the hallmarks of great TV shows. And they are some of the reasons why 'The X-Files' has had such a profound impact on millions of fans worldwide," said Fox Broadcasting Company president David Madden in a statement announcing the exciting 11th season.

Original series stars David Duchovny ("Aquarius") and Gillian Anderson ("The Fall") are slated to return as Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, a pair of FBI agents who explore the agency's cases that involve the paranormal, the unexplained and everything not of this world -- otherwise known as the X-files.

"The X-Files" premiered in 1993 and ran for nine seasons, with its creepy extraterrestrial plots quickly becoming watercooler discussion fodder in workplaces around the globe. In 1998, "The X-Files" film brought Mulder and Scully to movie theaters, and even after the show's cancelation in 2002, its fans kept believing. A second major motion picture, 2008's "The X-Files: I Want to Believe," proved that the old show still had life in it.

During its original television run, the sci-fi drama quickly grew into a global phenomenon, garnering five Golden Globes, 16 Emmys and the adoration of legions of fans. Its ominous-yet-hopeful tagline, "The truth is out there," even entered the popular lexicon. And while last season met with mixed reviews from critics, it drew in an average of 9.5 million viewers -- enough to not only warrant an 11th season, but one with four more episodes than the last one.

After 10 seasons and two major motion pictures, the truth, it seems, is still out there. The new event series of "The X-Files" is set to premiere during the 2017-18 TV season.

 

Towering above: Trivia game shows are always great -- witness the enduring popularity of "Jeopardy" -- but it can be a struggle for new ones to stand out from the crowd. 

Enter "The Wall," NBC's flashy hit that returns Thursday, June 22. Premiering late in the twilight days of 2016, the trivia game show quickly grew into a bona fide hit, resulting in NBC issuing a massive order for 20 more episodes after only a few weeks on the tube.

Of course, every good game show needs a great host, and "The Wall" isn't lacking there. Chris Hardwick is a man of many talents: he's a comedian, a popular podcaster, a musician, a TV host and a CEO. How he finds the time to also host a popular game show is anyone's guess, but his quick wit, irreverent style and boyish good looks all conspire to give him a powerful on-screen presence.

But what is "The Wall," anyways? Well, the show's name is actually pretty literal: on stage is a massive, four-story-tall wall that towers over Hardwick and the show's contestants. It has pegs all the way down its height, and at its base are 15 slots with dollar amounts listed on them. The contestants answer trivia questions, balls are dropped from the wall's height, and the contestants earn (or lose!) the dollar amounts listed on whichever slots the balls tumble into.

If that sounds familiar, it's because it isn't so different from Plinko, one of the games played in "The Price Is Right." "The Wall," though, is its own unique, towering beast with its own exhilarating energy. "The Wall" returns to Thursday nights starting June 22, on NBC.

 

Sticking around: Disney Channel's latest hit isn't going anywhere: "Andi Mack," which premiered earlier this year, has received an order for a second season, with production beginning next month in Salt Lake City.

The teen-oriented series stars Peyton Elizabeth Lee ("Shameless") as the title character, a 13-year-old girl with what seems to be a pretty typical life: she goes to school, she has a crush on a cute boy (Asher Angel, "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders") and she has two best friends, played by Joshua Rush ("Mr. Peabody & Sherman," 2014) and Sofia Wylie ("Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn").

It's when her older sister, Bex (Lilan Bowden, "Parks and Recreation"), returns home after a long absence, though, that Andi's life gets turned upside down. The revelation that her mother (Lauren Tom, "Pretty Little Liars") is actually her grandmother, and that her "sister" Bex is really her mom, understandably sends shockwaves reverberating through the young teenager's life.

With a second season on order, "Andi Mack" is here to stay. Production on season 2 begins next month.