One of the most common critiques of The X-Files season 10 was that the show's creative team tried cramming too much plot into too few episodes — and series star David Duchovny couldn't agree more.
“I think there were too few episodes,” Duchovny told TV Insider in an interview to promote the new season of his Manson Family drama Aquarius. “Twenty-two is far too many, but six is too few, so we”ve got to figure out something right in between.”
Judging from recent interviews with the show's core creative team, the decision to produce an abbreviated season 10 appears to have sprung from extended contract negotiations with the two lead actors, particularly Gillian Anderson; in an interview with Variety in January, the actress noted that the shorter time commitment was a major factor in getting her on board:
“It was only at the point that we were having conversations about six or eight (episodes of 'X-Files') that I would even, or could even, consider it,” she says. “I don”t think it took that much convincing once that became a reality.”
Back in May, Fox chairman and CEO Dana Walden told reporters that Anderson, Duchovny and X-Files creator Chris Carter were “on board” for another season, and it seems Duchovny, at least, is willing to sign on for more than the six episodes he committed to the last time around. It remains to be seen whether Anderson is open to doing the same, but getting her on board may take a little more persuading. As she told the Guardian prior to the season 10 premiere: “When we used to do the series, I had no life, and I didn”t want to experience that again with three kids. That was the bottom line really.”