David Duchovny reflects on how TV has changed since The X-Files
David Duchovny believes Netflix has wrecked TV "in a way" because viewers have too many options and shows don't remain as popular for so long.
David Duchovny believes Netflix has wrecked TV "in a way".
The 64-year-old actor doesn't believe any programme now could have the longevity or the reach of his former show The X-Files - which ran from 1993 to 2002 and another series in 2016, and also spawned two spin-off films - because there are so many programmes across many streaming platforms, meaning shows just "fade away" as the next big thing comes along.
He told the Telegraph: “Netflix kind of f***** the business in a way. Well, I mean, look at The X-Files, which had a foothold on the culture and then lasted. Now, there’s just so much – things become incandescent for a year or two and then they just fade away.”
Ryan Coogler is developing an X-Files reboot but without the original stars, though David wouldn't be against playing Fox Mulder opposite Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully one more time.
He said: “The X-Files frame is evergreen in terms of generating stories, and especially today.
“So it’s like, well, how would we exist in a way that was different from the way we existed before, but still do interesting work?”
At the height of the X Files popularity, many fans believed David was "privy" to real-life information about extra-terrestrial life.
He said: "[Some fans thought] that I was privy to certain information. But, you know, I’m just an actor. I’m not privy to anything. One of the strengths of the show was that it appeared to be factual to certain people.
“That’s the price of doing business.”
The former Californication star understands the appeal of certain conspiracy theories because he believes a particular human strength is to “weaponise or monetise information."
He added: "When you look at conspiracies, it’s really just people surviving by their wits.”
David himself is interested in ideas around mind control.
He said: “I like any government that takes the expansion of human consciousness, and tries to figure out how to make a better soldier or politician or spy with that kind of information.”
However, the actor isn't impressed by the "ridiculous" claims made by President Donald Trump and his administration.
He said: “It’s like, oh, there’s five new ridiculous things coming out of the White House today. Which am I supposed to focus on? That’s the conspiracy, I guess.
"I think it’s probably the first time in history where the government seems to be deliberately promulgating falsehoods for the purpose of immobilising a people.”
