FoxIf you're a network head and you've got the No. 1 event series of the television season, the no-brainer move is to pick that baby back up for another installment, right?
That's exactly the thinking going on in the executive offices at Fox following the highly successful return of the beloved series The X-Files for a six-episode run earlier this year. As the network announced the schedule for the 2016-2017 season on Monday morning, further episodes of the David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson-starring series were notably absent from the mix, but as Fox's Chairmen and CEOs Dana Walden and Gary Newman assured reporters during a conference call following the announcement, that doesn't mean it's the end of the road.
"We've had conversations with Chris [Carter, The X-Files creator] and David and Gillian," Walden admitted. "I believe everybody is on board to do another installment of the show." Naturally, the busy schedules of the series' top talent are a major factor in the outcome of those conversations, but the Fox boss felt confident that we'd have news on its future in due time. "Hopefully that will come together this season so that this time next year, we'll have something exciting to announce," she said.
Newman elaborated on the content of talks being had with all three, telling reporters, "We've had conversations with all of them that have included discussion about what kind of episodic order makes sense…Conversations are on-going and I can tell you that Chris and David and Gillian all would like to do more of these." That said, if you're hoping to get new episodes soon, you might find yourself a bit disappointed. "As Dana said, it shouldn't be anything you anticipate before the 17-18 season," Newman reiterated.
In other Fox news...
Grease Live!: As for plans to capitalize on the success of Grease Live! with another live musical experience, Newman didn't have any concrete news to share, but did admit that the network would likely be announcing something soon. "Grease Live! was just an enormous event for Fox. It really energized our schedule," he said. "In terms of the future, we're very interested in staying in this space. We have nothing to announce today, but we're working on some projects." He added that they were "hoping in the next few months" to have something in place.
Sleepy Hollow: To say that the decision to kill off Nicole Beharie's Abbie Mills in the season three finale rubbed some fans the wrong way would be an understatement, making the show's renewal for a fourth season somewhat of a shock. But could it be a fourth and final season? "We're not announcing that it's the final season," Walden said. "Frankly, we're not sure if it's the final season or not." As for Beharie's departure, she admitted that "there were a variety of factors that led to the end of the season this year. It was not a decision we wanted to make, initially." That said, she was optimistic about the show continuing on with Tom Mison's Ichabod Crane front and center, admitting, "We don't feel like it has to be the end of the life of the show."
Empire: Much of Fox's message boiled down to one phrase: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Empire, like many returning shows next season, will remain on the same night and time as it's been, despite the obvious opportunity to use TV's No. 1 series as a lead-in launching pad for freshman series. Throughout the call, Newman reiterated the desire to keep Empire right where viewers have come to expect it, while using its time slot to launch Lee Daniels' next musical drama Star during the former's winter hiatus.
Fox's Fall 2016-2017 Schedule
Monday
8 p.m.: Gotham
9 p.m.: Lucifer
Tuesday
8 p.m.: Brooklyn Nine-Nine
8:30 p.m.: New Girl
9 p.m.: Scream Queens
Wednesday
8 p.m.: Lethal Weapon
9 p.m.: Empire
Thursday
8 p.m.: Rosewood
9 p.m.: Bones
Friday
8 p.m.: Hell's Kitchen
9 p.m.: The Exorcist
Sunday
7:30 p.m.: Bob's Burgers
8 p.m.: The Simpsons
8:30 p.m.: Son of Zorn
9 p.m.: Family Guy
9:30 p.m.: The Last Man on Earth
Premiering midseason are: 24: Legacy, APB, The Mic, Kicking & Screaming, Pitch, Shots Fired, Star, Prison Break, and Making History.
Be sure to stick with E! News for more scoop on all the new shows.