Chris Carter responds to criticisms of the last season of The X-Files

As a life-long fan of The X-Files, I was overjoyed when it was announced that the series would be returning to television. Getting to catch up with Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) once again as they investigated government conspiracies and little green men was absolutely something I could get behind, but the end result was not quite the triumphant return which fans had hoped it would be. There was a certain…stiffness about the proceedings which was hard to ignore, especially as the short run of six-episodes didn't give them enough time to get back into the swing of things before it was already mostly over.

With a new ten-episode season set to debut early next year, The X-Files series creator Chris Carter told TVLine that they'll "in fighting shape now," blaming the mixed reaction to the previous season on having to pick up after a lengthy hiatus.

We [relaunched] from a standing start after not having been on the air for 12 years — there was some reacquainting that had to be achieved. It was like old friends getting back together. We had to shake some of the stiffness out.

The X-Files will begin where last season's cliffhanger left off, but beyond that, we don't know all that much about where the season will take us. One thing we can look forward to is another episode written and directed by Darin Morgan, who helmed the highest-rated episode last season, Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster, and was also responsible for classic episodes such as Humbug and Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose. Chris Carter wouldn't say much about Morgan's new episode, only to say that it's "original, smart, funny… everything you expect," but did tease that "it has a big link to previous X-Files episodes."

The X-Files will return to Fox on January 3, 2018.