Most people start off a new year with lofty plans for big projects—new resolutions, new hobbies to get into, and so on and so forth. But if one of your plans includes wanting to either revisit or experience a sci-fi classic for the first time as we enter 2026, then we’ve got good news for you: the very convenient truth is out there.
This morning PlutoTV announced that every episode of X-Files will be streaming for free on its services from January 1, 2026. And they mean every one: 218 episodes, totalled from both the 11 seasons of the classic showand the, uh, occasionally less classic ones from the 2016 revival will be included.
As well as being able to stream every episode on demand, TheX-Files will also receive its own 24/7 linear channel from Pluto, also kicking off on January 1 with a chronological broadcast of the whole series, before pivoting to marathons of beloved arcs, themed packages around whatever creepy threats Mulder and Scully could face, and spotlights on major turning points in the show’s vast and intricate mythology.
While it’s not the first time it’s been easy to access all of X-Files through streaming, the new year’s timing is the perfect excuse to revisit the series and see what made it such an enduring icon of its time. Even as we prepare for a January 2026 that is jam-packed with new and returning shows to watch, it’s nice to have a familiar face to fall back on.
Tatiana Maslany and Tim Heidecker are teaming up for a new dystopian satire series. Matt Duffer says not to expect Eddie Munson back in Stranger Things‘ final season. Plus, Ryan Coogler discusses who he’s really rebooting The X-Files for. Spoilers get!
The Comedy Hour
Deadline reports Tatiana Maslany and Tim Heidecker are attached to star in The Comedy Hour, a “late-night-themed dystopian satire” from director Colby Day. Set “five minutes into the future when modern America is on the brink of collapse,” the story will see Heidecker as Jimmy, “a late-night talk show host forced to produce his show through famine, fire, and plague. When the network assigns him a robot to be his co-host and help boost ratings, everyone in America loves the robot more than him. Maslany will play Priya, a corporate climber and Jimmy’s long-time producer.”
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
During his recent appearance on the Phase Hero podcast, Charlie Cox suggested he’s not in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, after all.
I know they all think I’m in Spider-Man because I’m filming something in London, which I’m not, I’m not in Spider-Man.
It Follows 2
According to Maika Monroe, the script for It Follows 2 is “incredible” and “very different from the original,” and filming could begin next year.
I was sent the script and I thought it was incredible. It’s also very different from the original. I feel like the original, it’s like a little more heightened and dramatic, and this…I think it’s really quite grounded and just sort of follows the story of these two women who are mentally dealing with a lot. I thought it was a really interesting take on it.
Maika Monroe tells us that ‘IT FOLLOWS 2’ has an incredible script that will make fans very happy.
A “tech-obsessed music producer” forces a struggling singer-songwriter to help her create “the perfect AI music algorithm” in the trailer for Decibel, a sci-fi/horror film coming to Apple TV and Fandango this November 7.
Gobblefoot
Elsewhere, a “professor of New England folklore” attributes a string of mutilation murders to “a mythical creature, half turkey, half Bigfoot” in the trailer for Gobblefoot.
Stranger Things
Speaking to Empire, Matt Duffer also suggested Joseph Quinn does not return as the late Eddie Munson in season 5, despite recent comments from the actor.
I love that Joe Quinn is toying with people! But no, he’s dead. Joe is so busy, anyway, that everyone should know he’s not coming back. He’s shot like five movies since! When the hell has he got time to come and shoot Stranger Things? No, sadly, RIP. He’s fully under that ground.
The X-Files
Ryan Coogler would “neither confirm nor deny” casting Danielle Deadwyler in his upcoming X-Files reboot, but told Variety that he’s making the reboot for his mom.
Like my relationship with Rocky with my dad, The X-Files is one of those things with my mom. My mom means the world to me—she’s actually here tonight—so this is a big one for me. I want to do right by her and the fans. My mom has read some of the stuff I wrote for it. She’s fired up.
Crystal Lake
Filming has wrapped on Crystal Lake, according to showrunner Brad Caleb Kane on Instagram.
Ghosts
Spoiler TV has images from “Halloween 5: The Mummy,” this year’s Ghosts Halloween special airing October 30. Click through to see the rest.
There was a mic drop moment at the end of an event in New York City celebrating 30 years of “The X-Files” when series creator Chris Carter reignited the debate around Dana Scully’s pregnancy.
Towards the end of “My Struggle IV,” the series finale episode in Season 11, Scully (Gillian Anderson) informs Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) that William (Miles Robbins) is not their son. He was an “experiment,” an “idea born in a laboratory” that she bore, Scully says. Mulder tries to come to terms with this revelation and says: “What am I now if I’m not a father?” Scully replies: “You are a father.” When Mulder asks: “What are you talking about?,” Scully places his hand on her stomach. “That’s impossible,” Mulder says and Scully replies, “I know, it’s more than impossible.”
The reveal led to a raging debate among X-philes and in a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Carter said: “I will confirm it is their child. But I will also confirm Scully has alien DNA.”
At the event, held at SVA Theatre, Carter was in conversation with actor and comedian Joel McHale, who played Tad O’Malley in the show and is himself a passionate X-phile. At the end of the Q&A, Carter said: “We speak about immortality several times in the show. And it played into the series finale in a way that is very important. And as I’m sure most people know, Scully admits or tells Mulder about her pregnancy in the final episode. And that became very controversial.”
“Gillian got very angry at me. And it’s like, I wasn’t sure why that was. But I actually welcomed the controversy, I thought that it was a good thing,” Carter added. “But it follows Scully’s maternity, if you will, with Emily [Scully’s daughter], and with William, and why does anyone think that this pregnancy is anything other than science fiction? This is the science fiction show that pregnancy is spelled out actually at the beginning of the episode where the truth is out there is something else and it is what I had in mind. So I just want to go on record to say, it’s not necessarily Mulder and Scully’s child.”
“The X-Files” celebration was the inaugural The Action Station show, a series of live events designed to showcase the best of film, TV and the art of visual storytelling, organized by Julian Alcantara and Ron Fogelman, the team behind the London Action Festival. During the event, Carter was presented the festival’s Moving Target award for his outstanding contribution to visual storytelling throughout his career with surprise video tributes from key collaborators of his, including “The X-Files” producers Howard Gordon, Frank Spotnitz and Vince Gilligan.
In addition, filmmakers Lauren Krattiger and Carly Blake screened their work-in-progress documentary “X Fan Retrospective” at the event.
When we watch a TV show we love, it’s normal to feel emotionally invested in the characters. When something major happens to them — they find love, they experience loss, they have a moment of growth — we’re experiencing that with them. That’s why it’s such a big deal when a TV character dies. Even though we know that it’s just an actor playing a part on the screen, it’s still possible to feel totally devastated.
Of course, in the world of television, things are not always what they seem. Sometimes, a character is only presumed dead, but they’re actually still alive. Unless a character actually has a proper sendoff on camera — where you, as the viewer, can actually confirm they are dead — there’s always a chance that they’ll come back. Depending on the show, this can either be a wild, exciting plot twist, or a completely unrealistic turn of events.
It’s pretty obvious to tell when a character has been (temporarily) killed off for shock value. In some cases, a series just needs a good ratings boost — and nothing drives viewers to the screen like the potential of a fan-favorite character biting the dust. But if the character who dies also happens to be the show’s namesake — for example, Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer — you really shouldn’t be surprised when they return unscathed.
Below, you’ll find 10 of the least convincing death fake-outs in TV history. All of these shows have been out for at least a year, so you shouldn’t have to worry too much about spoilers — unless you’re just now getting around to binge-watching Game of Thrones.
The 10 Least Convincing Fake TV Deaths
Did these “shocking” TV deaths actually fool anyone?
10 TV Actors Who Were Replaced For Controversial Reasons
These actors were replaced from hit shows under clouds of controversy.
When it comes to television, there seems to be the philosophy that a good thing must be kept going by all means necessary. If a show proves to be successful, it must run until it’s completely lost steam — whether that happens as the result of lower ratings or a lack of funding.
Nowadays, in the era of the limited series and streaming services, that isn’t the only option anymore. It is possible for a show to end on its own terms, without any external factors influencing its overall arc. But back in the days of cable, the mentality was to keep a show running, as long as it was proving to be popular with viewers. Some shows even warranted the rare second chance — the revival. Why revive a show that’s long-since gone off the air?
Sometimes, a network sees an opportunity to market a show to a new demographic of viewers, so the show is brought back on the air. Other times, a streaming service will pick up a cult favorite series that couldn’t survive on cable. Either way, launching a TV revival is always a risk — can a show recapture what fans loved about the original series, while also introducing something fresh and original? While there are plenty of reboots that get it right (think The Office, The Twilight Zone, and Doctor Who) there are more than a few that get it very, very wrong.
Here are 10 TV revivals that were so bad, they actually threatened to ruin the legacy of their original series.
10 TV Revivals That Were So Bad They Ruined Their Original Shows
TV Spinoffs That Are Better Than Their Original Shows
These 10 TV spinoffs from successful shows actually found a way to be better than the series that were based on.
