Fox Is Developing An Animated Comedy Spin-Off Of 'The X-Files'

Despite its legacy as a sci-fi, horror, and mystery show, “The X-Files” always knew how to find the humor in its supernatural cases better than plenty of actual TV comedies from the early ’90s. While we haven’t heard anything of a season 12 for the live-action show following a two-season revival run in 2016, it seems that Fox once again wants to believe that the truth is out there, as they’re developing an animated comedy spin-off titled “The X-Files: Albuquerque.”

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The news comes from TVLine, with a report stating that series creator Chris Carter will executive produce the new spin-off, but apparently won’t be showrunning or writing it. The series hasn’t been greenlit just yet, but Fox gave it “a script and presentation commitment.” Rather than following new cases with Mulder and Scully, the series would center on “an office full of misfit agents who investigate X-Files cases too wacky, ridiculous or downright dopey for Mulder and Scully to bother with,” the report describes the animated show as “essentially the X-Files’ B-team.”

A couple of years ago, this idea would have sounded ridiculous, but then CBS All Access premiered “Star Trek: Lower Decks,” a similar animated comedy spin-off of a beloved property, and it didn’t turn out that bad. This isn’t even the first time “The X-Files” has been animated, in a way, Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny reprising their roles as Dana Scully and Fox Mulder in a 1997 episode of “The Simpsons” titled “The Springfield Files.”

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According to the report, Rocky Russo and Jeremy Sosenko from Netflix‘s “Paradise PD” will write the pilot and executive produce the show with Chris Carter and former “X-Files” writer, Gabe Rotter. The animation will be provided courtesy of Bento Box, the studio behind “Bob’s Burgers.” Now we only need Kumail Nanjiani to be involved in some way or form…