Here's how Fox's 'X-Files' revival plans to please diehard fans

Fox has revealed its plans for its limited series revival of "The X-Files."

It will premiere with a two-night event starting Sunday, Jan. 24 at 10 p.m. following the NFC Championship Game and then continue on Monday, Jan. 24 at 10 p.m. After that, it will air on Mondays through the sixth and final episode.

Starting production in June, "The X-Files" revival reunites creator Chris Carter and stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in the roles of FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, respectively.

"We're very excited about this," Fox's co-CEO and co-chairman Dana Walden said on a press call Monday. "It's going to be a huge reward for fans of this legendary show. It's taken us a very long time to get these three back together."

Walden laid out the format for the upcoming episodes and promised that longtime fans of the series won't be disappointed, although she admitted that she has been somewhat kept in the dark by the show's creator, as well.

"Have you ever met Chris Carter? Because he doesn't tell us a lot," Walden joked. "I think you will see a combination of episodes that if you were a loyal fan and became familiar with the process of mixing standalone and deeper mythology episodes. Everyone will be happy with what he's got planned."

One reporter asked why Fox decided to use the slot after the football game on "The X-Files" and airing it on two days rather than using that Sunday slot on a show that didn't come with its own fanbase.

"We thought a lot about how to event-ize bringing this show back from a scheduling perspective," she said. "We've got a lot going on midseason on our schedule and it felt like the best way to capitalize on all the opportunities with something like 'The X-Files,' which is so timely and anticipated that fans have been literally clamoring for a decade."

The decision came down to a desire to maximize opportunities to watch "The X-Files," as well as use it on Mondays to launch its upcoming DC Comics-inspired drama "Lucifer," which stars Tom Ellis as the original fallen angel who grows bored and unhappy in Hell and takes refuge in Los Angeles, where he uses his gift of persuasion to punish bad guys.

"It felt like a win any way you looked at it," Walden said.

"The X-Files" originally aired from 1993-2002 on Fox, spanning nine seasons and 202 episodes. It also lived on in two feature films in 1998 and 2008.