Memo to The X-Files Team: Women Are Out There!
Debi Moore
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Some rather interesting information has come out over the past couple of days with regard to the upcoming 11th season of “The X-Files.” Whereas, back in early 2016 exec producer Ryan Murphy (“American Horror Story,” “American Crime Story”) formed a foundation called Half to ensure that women, people of color, and/or members of the LGBTQ community occupy at least 50 percent of the directing slots on his various series with a mandate that every department head on every show he makes hire at least 50 percent women when they can, it seems the folks who are spearheading the upcoming 11th season of “The X-Files” fall on the other side of the fence.
Earlier this week TVLine revealed the list of writers for the new “X-Files” episodes, and it’s a virtual sausage fest: Creator Chris Carter will reunite with former producers Glen Morgan, Darin Morgan, and James Wong (each of whom were responsible for writing and directing one of Season 10’s six episodes); and they are being joined by Gabe Rotter (who served as a writers assistant on Season 9), Benjamin Van Allen (a writers assistant on Season 10), and Brad Follmer (Carter’s personal assistant during Seasons 8 and 9). At press time it wasn’t clear how many episodes each of the seven writers will be responsible for, but it’s likely that Carter will, per usual, write both the season premiere and the finale.
Interestingly, co-star Gillian Anderson is one of only six women who have written for the show (and one of only two who have directed), and she seemed none too pleased by this news, tweeting the following comment in response to the Washington Post:
“The X-Files” writers room reportedly has hired only men. How does this still happen? https://t.co/xNfuFPCYvF
— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 28, 2017
And 2 out of 207 eps directed by women. I too look forward to the day when the numbers are different. #TheFutureisFemale https://t.co/38SVdTfCR1
— Gillian Anderson (@GillianA) June 29, 2017
Now, we’re not suggesting that women be hired solely on the basis of their gender; but surely out of all the female writers who are working on television series these days, you’d think at least one of them might have caught Carter’s eye.
In any event, the upcoming 11th season of the popular series will consist of 10 episodes with production beginning this summer.
About “The X-Files” Season 11:
FOX has ordered a second chapter of “THE X-FILES” event series. The all-new 10-episode installment once again will be executive-produced by creator Chris Carter, with stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson returning in their roles as iconic FBI Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. The event series will air during the 2017-2018 season.
“THE X-FILES” originally premiered in September 1993. Over the course of its nine-season run, the influential series went from breakout sci-fi favorite to massive global hit and became one of the most successful television dramas of all time. The show, which earned 16 Emmy Awards, five Golden Globes, and a Peabody Award, follows FBI special agents Scully (Anderson) and Mulder (Duchovny) as they investigate unexplained cases – “X-Files” – for which the only answers involve paranormal phenomena.
Produced by 20th Century Fox Television and Ten Thirteen Productions, “THE X-FILES” is created and executive-produced by Chris Carter.
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