Joel McHale's character will help to place Mulder and Scully on a direct path to answers (and then more questions)
Joel McHale's character, a conservative web-series host named Tad O'Malley, will have great influence on Mulder and Scully. In fact, he will help them discover that they have been chasing the wrong enemy all these years.
"It takes a big right turn for the mythology of the show and it puts it into a contemporary context that you couldn’t have gotten to without the 12 to 13 years in between the time we went off the air and now," Carter told Business Insider after the TCA panel. "It’s of its time and obviously you couldn’t have done this in 2003."
The story relies heavily on conspiracy theories.
Chris Carter feels we're living in the scariest time of our lives and used that feeling to write this season.
“We’re living in a time where there’s a tremendous amount of distrust toward authority, the government, even the media,” he noted. “I’ve cherry-picked some of the things that are frightening to me and if even one of them comes true, it’ll be a very bad thing for America… It’s an interesting time to be shining lights into the darkness.”
The Lone Gunmen will be back (kind of).
The Lone Gunmen, which was the basis of a failed "X-Files" spinoff, will make a cameo 0n the upcoming season -- even though they died on the show's ninth season.
"The way that you see them return will explain itself. We don't just bring them back as live characters. They are back in a completely different way. They are actually back in a fantasy," Carter revealed.
Mulder and Scully's child becomes central to this season.
William, the child Mulder and Scully gave up for adoption for his own safety, will become a through-line story of the new season.
"It’s really an emotional journey for them," Carter said. "I think there is still a question of William’s whereabouts, and his importance to them both emotionally as their child. And as we move into the sixth episode, the role he may play in their life going forward is important."
The series will take a close look at terrorism.
Carter risked his own level of security to give the show a good examination of terrorism.
"Episode 5 is about terrorism," Carter revealed. "I researched ISIS propaganda. I’m sure I was on some algorithm and I'm sure the NSA would’ve been aware of my investigation."
Look out for the were-lizard!
Known for their monsters-of-the-week, "The X-Files" will introduce four new ones on the upcoming season. We don't have any clue what they'll be – except for one.
During the TCA panel, the stars and producers kept joking about the "were-lizard." They didn't explain what it is, but our curiosity has definitely been piqued.
"The X-Files" returns Sunday, January 24 at 10 p.m. on Fox.
Watch the show's newest trailer below:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/Qi_9YuMynW0
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Read more live coverage from the Television Critics Association press tour.