Fox’s upcoming X-Files revival will be packed with familiar faces, from Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) to the Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis), but it will also feature a fair share of series newcomers. Today, it was announced that The Flash‘s Robbie Amell and Six Feet Under‘s Lauren Ambrose would be taking on pivotal parts in the six-episode series.
Amell is said to be playing the “smart, smooth” Agent Miller, while Ambrose will take on the “sharp, confident” Agent Einstein. In typical X-Files fashion, not much more than that is known about either character.
Mitch Pileggi is also returning for the new string of episodes as Skinner, while other fresh faces include Joel McHale (of Community and The Soup fame) as a conservative talk show host who allies himself with Mulder under unexpected circumstances, and Annet Mehendru, Flight of the Conchords‘ Rhys Darby and Silicon Valley‘s Kumail Nanjiani in unknown roles.
“I think of it as a 13-year commercial break,” series creator Chris Carter said in a statement when Fox first revealed that it was bringing back The X-Files. “The good news is the world has only gotten that much stranger, a perfect time to tell these six stories.”
The series’ return comes during a period of extensive series revivals across major networks. 24: Live Another Day proved a hit for Fox, which is also readying a return for Prison Break; meanwhile, rumors swirl about a Xena: Warrior Princess return on NBC, which is already bringing Heroes Reborn later this year. Also in the cards: returns for Roots, Twin Peaks, Coach and Full House. Luckily for Fox, fans of The X-Files have been atypically vocal about wanting more outings with Mulder and Scully, so this revival will seem like less of a gimmick than some others.
The X-Files returns to airwaves Sunday, Jan. 24 at 10 p.m. ET on Fox.