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Jan
01
2000

TV News Daily: Chris Carter Vents About "Harsh Realm"

??-??-2000
TV News Daily
Chris Carter Vents About “Harsh Realm”
Kate O’Hare

LOS ANGELES: When “Harsh Realm” vanished after just a few episodes on FOX last fall, no one was more startled than Chris Carter. As the creator of the network’s signature sci-fi hit “The X Files,” Carter was expecting more patience from the network. “I was taken by surprise,” says Carter about the axing of his show, “because the regime that’s there had not promoted the show prior to its launch, so people weren’t aware that it was on. They had all kinds of projections about the kind of audience it would bring. I think, based on those projections, they decided not to do any promotion at all.

“They actually came to us, saying as much. They were very sorry, they dropped the ball, as they put it, but they were going to get behind it for the next seven weeks with an unprecedented amount of energy and promotional ideas. That lasted about three weeks, and they decided to pull the plug.”

While Carter can’t dispute the low ratings that caused the show’s demise, he feels that more patience could have been rewarded. “It was an idea that basically required the building of an entire world, and to do that, you can’t do it all in one. You must do it gradually, because it is a complex idea but a perfect storytelling vehicle, because you’ve got these parallel worlds. It was a beautiful idea, in that way.

“It was a very difficult show to do, I have to say. It was an expensive show to do. I think the expense was one of the reasons they decided to pull the plug, not to wait and see whether or not the ratings would pick up, but just to cut their losses.”

What has Carter learned creatively from the experience? “I think I learned the need for a very clear, understandable franchise for a TV series, not necessarily for the audience but for the people who market the show. I learned that the audience is important, but the people who market the show must like it as well, or watch it as well, to get behind it.”

Carter doubts there is any future for “Harsh Realm,” even if it does gangbuster ratings on FX, but he doesn’t rule it out entirely. In the meantime, speculation continues to swirl about whether there will be a season eight for “The X-Files,” as time ticks down to the writing of the last episode of this year.

When will Carter know if season eight’s a go? “I guess by the first day of shooting on year eight, if there is a year eight, the decision will have to be made. In other words, we don’t know.”

But don’t you need to know before writing the season-seven finale, which will air in May? Carter chuckles. “Yeah, that makes logical sense. I don’t know. I wish I could say.”

Definitely in the pipeline, though, is a pilot for an “X-Files” spin-off for Fox featuring the trio of conspiracy geeks known as the Lone Gunmen, pals of Mulder’s (David Duchovny) who have shown up from time to time since “X’s” early seasons (and in the “X-Files” feature film).

They are played by three Canadian performers – actor and stand-up comic Dean Haglund, actor Bruce Harwood and actor/director Tom Braidwood – and the series will be shot in Vancouver, Canada, home to five seasons of “X-Files,” three of “Millennium” and nine episodes of “Harsh Realm.”

The Gunmen have proven to be fan favorites, and since they work so well with Agent Scully (Gillian Anderson), they will be paired with a woman (actress TBA) for whose affections they will compete.

“It’s going to be light and funny,” says Carter. “They are who they are, so it’s going to be funny to play with three geeks who are on a mission.”

Will Terry O’Quinn – who has been in all of Carter’s big-and-small screen projects so far – be in the Gunmen series? “I can’t imagine that he wouldn’t. Terry is a true gentleman. It’s been my experience with Terry that he says, ‘When and where?’ ”

As for a second “X” movie, Carter says it will wait until after the series ends. “It would have to come at least a year after the series happened,” he says. “If the series ends now, it would be two years before we see it.”

Does Carter plan to keep working with Fox network, all things considered? “I’m rooting for Sandy (Grushow) to turn that network around, because it’s been my home, and I plan to do more work here. Contractually I’m not obligated to Fox. I have a loyalty to them, which was, I think, taxed a bit with the ‘Harsh Realm’ decision. My job is to make good TV shows, and I need a partner to do that. With so much competition right now for audiences, you need a partner who will work with you rather than against you.”

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Dec
07
1999

The X-Files Magazine: Harsh Decision

Dec-07-1999
The X-Files Magazine [US, #12, Winter 1999]: Harsh Decision

It was news that shocked everyone. After only three weeks, Chris Carter’s fledgling series Harsh Realm was cancelled.

The initial episodes of the high-concept sci-fi/action show adapted from Andrew Paquette and James Hudnall’s comic book of the same name had received critical praise for its ambition but low ratings. Fox executives concerned about how their fall line-up would fare against that of other networks abruptly cancelled the series, explains executive producer Frank Spotnitz.

“It goes without saying, I think it was a terrible decision made by people who were panicked,” Spotnitz says. “I think if these people had been in charge when The X-Files launched, X-Files would have been cancelled. It came out of left field for us because all we’d been hearing from the network for the first three weeks was mia culpas — that they had botched the launch of the show and that they were aware that no one knew the show was on the air. We’re deeply disappointed. Our best episodes were about to be broadcast. We feel bad for us, and we feel bad for our crew and all the wonderful actors we’d assembled. It’s a shame.”

Spotnitz cites the network’s sporadic promotion of the series as key to its quick demise; when compared to Fox’s other new series, he says, Harsh Realm suffered from a lack of publicity. “I think the fact that it was underpromoted created vulnerability for us because the ratings were low and that led to the panic that drove the Fox executives to cancel the show,” he says. “If you look at the fall schedule for the Fox network, its understandable why they would be desperate, but I think they really just made their situation worse.”

The announcement came not only as a surprise to Carter’s fans but to Carter himself. The network had signed a 13-episode commitment with Ten Thirteen Productions, which the cancellation violated. “Aside from how poor the decision was, the way it was handled was equally poor,” Spotnitz says. “We found out the same day everybody else found out. I even heard from TV critics who had not given the pilot a good review that they certainly didn’t think it was going to get cancelled after three weeks and they were willing to stick with it and see where it went. It’s nice to hear words of support from all quarters but frustrating that what we felt very strongly was a great show didn’t get a chance to find itself.”

With only eight episodes completed, production wrapped on Harsh Realm at the end of October, leaving the cast and crew to go their separate ways. Whether or not the remaining five episodes will be shown is unclear. “There are eight complete episodes and where they will turn up and when I don’t know,” Spotnitz says. “We are finishing up those eight episodes. I would think they would see the light of day somewhere, sometime, but I don’t know.

“I think everybody believed in the show and felt so good about the work we were doing and was just as shocked as we were that the network made a decision like this,” he continues. “It’s one thing when you’re on a show and you can feel you’re struggling and you don’t have confidence in the material, but that wasn’t the case here. Everyone from the lead actors to the grips really felt like they were working on something they could be proud of. It’s a particularly hard decision to swallow.”

Spotnitz says the possibility of the series returning or being picked up by another network is remote at best. “Since the show was cancelled, not put on hiatus, they’ve created a situation where you’d have to rehire everyone,” he says. “If they’d done anything else other than what they did, that would have been possible. But they didn’t put the show on hiatus, they didn’t ask for a pause. They put an end to it.”

The move comes at a critical juncture in the relationship between Carter and Fox, as speculation about a possible eighth season of The X-Files builds and talks surrounding the follow-up to 1998’s feature film get underway. Could the network’s decision to end Harsh Realm affect Carter’s other projects? “I don’t know,” Spotnitz says. “I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

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Dec
07
1999

The X-Files Magazine: Unsolved Mysteries

Dec-07-1999
The X-Files Magazine [US, #12, Winter 1999]
Unsolved Mysteries
Steve Hockensmith

[Typed by Gayle]

Is this the last season for Mulder and Scully? When will they return to the big screen?

Chris Carter advises fans to stay tuned.

Chris Carter has – and always has had – a grand master plan for The X-Files. He had – and unfortunately never got the chance to fully implement – a grand master plan for Harsh Realm.

So what doesn’t Carter have a grand master plan for? His life.

“There is no grand plan,” admits the 43-year-old writer/director/producer. What Carter does have is a dream. The man behind the paranoid conspiracies of The X-Files, the brooding mysteries of Millennium and the twisted virtual reality of Harsh Realm has a decidedly sunny vision of tomorrow. In it, he sees himself on a remote beach with a surf board under his arm. There are no scripts to write, no dailies to watch, no deadline pressures of any kind.

It’s just Carter, the sea and the search for a perfect wave. “That’s my dream,” sighs the television visionary.

That dream came true this past summer . . . for a few precious days. While The X-Files was on hiatus after the end of its sixth season, Carter got a whopping two weeks off, much of which he spent in Mexico hanging 10.

“Surfing is a very demanding sport that has a lot to do with timing and technique,” says Carter, whose background as a California surfer dude is well known to X-Philes. “All these things get rusty out of the water, ironically.”

Of course, those skills will get a little rustier before Carter ends up with the months of uninterrupted beach-time he’ll need to become a master surfer one again. After all, he’s got a television series – a television legend, really – that he might have to guide to a graceful denouement in the months ahead.

As all in-the-know X-Philes are well aware, the seventh season of The X-Files could be its last. That means Carter might have a lot of loose ends to tie up by next May. As of early October, a full quarter of the season already had been mapped out, with a number of scripts ready for the cameras. But though Carter says he knows exactly what the series’ final episode will be like – “I’ve had that in my head for years,” he reveals – it’s unclear if it will come at the end of the seventh season or at the end of a possible eight season.

“The writing is not on the wall.” Carter says. “There are many things that could happen, but because I’ve been given no formal word otherwise, I’ve got to play this as if it were the last year. But I know [soon] I might be having talks about the possibility of keeping the show on [for another season]. For the moment, I have no contract for The X-Files for next year, so I don’t want to speak out of turn.”

Carter’s not the only one without a contract for a possible eight season: David Duchovny is also free to leave the series by the end of Season Seven. Obviously, a lot of complicated negotiating is going to have to go on before the future of The X-Files is finally made clear.

But Carter’s certainly not the type to leave things to chance. Even though an eighth season is little more than a remote possibility at the moment, he says he’s already thought up some potential storylines for it.

“What I haven’t had a chance to do are sequels to episodes that I really liked,” he says. “Next year, if the show were to go on, I would hope that there might be a way to reinvestigate some of those cases that were left [open-ended].”

Of course, Mulder and Scully got that chance this season in “Orison,” the episode that brought back murderous necrophiliac Donnie Pfaster (played by actor Nick Chinlund) – and also brought back veteran X-Files director Rob Bowman, who had only recently announced his departure from the series to pursue a feature film career. So just which other episodes would Carter like to give the sequel treatment to in Season Eight?

“I’ll keep that a secret right now,” Carter replies. Speaking of sequels – and secrets – there’s another X-Files follow-up to consider: the second film. Not surprisingly, there are some important decisions that have to be made before that project can start gathering steam. Whether or not there will be an eight season, for instance.

“One thing definitely has an effect on the next,” Carter acknowledges. “We talk about [the next film] all the time. It’s just a matter of finding the opportune time to do it.”

Just when that “opportune time” will arrive is anyone’s guess. But one thing’s for sure: the perpetually busy Carter has a little more time on his hands these days thanks to the fox network’s sudden – and somewhat puzzling – decision to cancel Harsh Realm. The critically praised series was yanked after just three weeks on the air in a move that took viewers and industry insiders alike by surprise. After all, The X-Files wasn’t a big ratings winner right out of the gate: It was only after a couple of years of critical kudos and cult status that it finally broke out and became a mainstream sensation. What could have happened if Harsh Realm had been given time to grow?

We’ll never know. And Carter, for one, isn’t too happy about that. He says the series’ best, most interesting episodes were still ahead of it when Fox pulled the plug.

“You always have big plans for how stories might work and characters might evolve, but it’s not until you get into those things that you really see what works and what doesn’t and you learn how the story-telling rhythms [develop],” he says. “You’ve got to get some of the mythology out of the way [early so] you can get into your stand-alone episodes, which are always refreshing because you know the characters, what their predicament is, what their history is. So you’re trying to accomplish many things at once in the beginning, and it’s nice when you finally get onto flat ground [with the stand-alones] and you’re able to really build up speed.”

Though he was going to get some help from ace X-Files scripters Frank Spotnitz, Vince Gilligan and John Shiban, Carter expected to write “the lion’s share” of Harsh Realm’s first season: He was slated to script or co-script 10 to 12 HR episodes and equal number of X-Files episodes. That commitment was cut in half with Harsh Realm’s cancellation, but that doesn’t mean the well-known workaholic has any plans to start sleeping in late and scooting out of the office at 5 p.m. on the dot. Carter says he’s up at the crack of dawn every day, and the work usually doesn’t stop until late into the night. But at least he’s not toiling alone.

“We’ll all keep a very disciplined and rigorous work schedule,” Carter says of his X-files cast and crew. “Your personal life really disappears, particularly when you lose your momentum that you’ve gained from June [because episodes begin airing]. When it catches up to you [in the fall] when you really have a very labor-intensive few months to Christmas, where you get two weeks where the phones don’t ring but you’re usually writing or rewriting during that time. That’s been the cadence and rhythm of our lives for the last seven years.”

This summer, that rhythm was beating faster and more furious than ever thanks to the ambitious Harsh Realm. While The X-Files was gearing up for its seventh season down in Los Angeles, the new series was building up steam in Vancouver, leading to a lot of frequent flyer miles – and a heck of a lot of work – for Carter and company.

“There [was] never a logical sequencing of work or events or problem solving,” Carter says of the X-Files/Harsh Realm juggling act. “It just [came] at you fast and furious. You [had] to do everything at once is what it really came down to.”

So how long will Carter have just one huge, back-breaking job to keep him busy? Probably not too long. Not only does he have a hush-hush television project in development, he’s also considering a return to the multiplexes: Just because the second X-Files film might be on hold for the moment, that doesn’t mean Ten Thirteen Productions isn’t working on a few movie deals. According to Carter, company president Frank Spotnitz is developing several motion picture projects.

“There are some really exciting things that he’s brought to me and the company” Carter reveals. “One of them is a movie about a contemporary rock band. The band approached us. I can’t tell you who they are right now, but the film would be something like [the dark media satire] Network.”

If that project gets off the ground, Carter would likely serve as a producer and, if schedules permit, screenwriter.

But X-Philes shouldn’t fret just yet. Carter insists that he has no plans to run off and abandon the franchise he created in favor of the big screen – or surfing.

“I have contractual obligations to Fox and to the show. And of course I feel that I have a personal obligation to the actors,” he says. “As long as they’re here keeping the work good, I’ll be here keeping the work good for them.”

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Nov
25
1999

Tribune: Kiss and Tell

Nov-25-1999
Tribune
Kiss and Tell
Allan Johnson

Sorry, `X-Files’ fans, the producer promises the latest Mulder-Scully lip-lock is just a tease

In a way, it’s too bad Sunday’s episode of Fox’s “The X-Files” is getting more attention for what happens near the end than it does for its plot.

The paranormal series is giving a final send-off to its sort-of-sister “Millennium,” producer Chris Carter’s moody, dark show about visionary ex-FBI profiler Frank Black’s (Lance Henriksen) battle against a shadowy organization near the end of the century.

Airing at 8 p.m. on WFLD-Ch. 32, the episode ties up loose ends from the 1996-99 series, which was canceled in May. One of those is the fate of Black, whom Carter likens to the typical “hero with the weight of the world on his shoulders.” The episode also features a former member of the nefarious Millennium Group’s plot to raise the dead and use them to wreak havoc in the new century.

But more attention has been focused on one of the most anticipated moments in “X-Files” history: a kiss between special FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson).

The actors have kissed on-screen before. Once a shape-shifter posed as Mulder got Scully drunk and put the smackdown on her. Another time it was a Scully-lookalike from 1939 from whom a time-traveling Mulder stole a smooch. And in the “X-Files” movie, the couple’s lips brushed slightly before Scully got stung by a virus-carrying bee.

But never have Scully and Mulder done the lips-on-lips thing as themselves. And before fans of the show think they should be especially thankful this weekend because of the kiss, listen up. “X-Files” creator Carter says there will be no romantic entanglement mixed in with alien- and-mutant investigations.

“I’ve resisted any temptation (of romance) because I don’t think it’s right for the characters,” says Carter. “For me, the passion and the protectiveness of one towards the other is something that we all admire and envy because that kind of trust and caring happens so infrequently in life. When it does, it is transcendent.”

Carter says the relationship between Mulder and Scully has never been about sex or romance. It is the closeness between partners that most law enforcement types share that is at the center of their bond. It is also the closeness of two best friends, which in many cases can be as special and deep as a love affair

“Sometimes (viewers) don’t realize how protective Mulder is of Scully, and how noble and masculine and good that is,” Carter says. “They see it as two people who kid each other and are playful and protect each other in the most common senses of the word. But he’s very protective of her as a woman.” Carter adds that Scully is just as protective of Mulder.

Carter, the 43-year-old California surf bum/surfing writer who was brought into the Disney family 13 years ago to work on television movies, also was protective about his other series, “Harsh Realm.” But that didn’t stop Fox from canceling the show about soldiers fighting in a virtual reality war after only a couple of episodes.

Carter says Fox entertainment chief Doug Herzog didn’t “get” the concept behind “Realm,” and might not get “The X-Files’ ” mandate of monsters, mutants and government coverups. Herzog, on the other hand, has said he loves having Carter as part of the Fox family.

Carter says if he does another series (he has a pilot idea he would like work on in the spring), “I certainly want to do it at a place where they’re going to support it. They’re going to nurture it and they’re going to make sure that they’ve done everything they can to get it to its audience. And I believe that was just not the case with `Harsh Realm.’ ”

He also says Fox has approached him about another season of “The X-Files,” but Carter says some “hurdles . . . I’ll quote them,” have to be cleared up. Probably the largest hurdle–in addition to Herzog getting a clue about the show–is his and Duchovny’s contracts are up at the end of this season.

(Carter adds he is enjoying a healthy working relationship with Duchovny, the tired-of-the-show actor who is suing Fox for selling repeats of the show to its FX cable network rather than putting the show on the block to the highest bidder.)

Also a consideration is Anderson, whose contract runs for another season. She, too, is “tired” of working on the show, Carter says, and has said this will be her last season as well.

This season Carter and his producers are “telling just good, scary stories again” and not doing as many lighthearted shows as they did last season. They have enough material to either end the series this May or go another season, plus the game plan calls for another “X-Files” movie in 2001.

Meanwhile, FX is airing a nine-hour “Millennium” marathon Sunday with host Lance Henriksen and featuring episodes that closely relate to and lead up to the “X-Files/Millennium” crossover at 8 p.m. The “Millennium” marathon starts at 11 a.m. And the cable channel airs its 14-hour “X-Files” marathon at 11 a.m. Thanksgiving Day, with fan-selected episodes in 11 categories, including “Best Mulder/Scully Chemistry,” “Best Scully Episode” and “Best Mulder Episode.”

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Nov
05
1999

New York Post: 'Harsh' words for network boss

Nov-05-1999
New York Post
‘Harsh’ words for network boss
Don Kaplan

“X-FILES” creator Chris Carter is fuming that Fox TV chief Doug Herzog canned his new sci-fi show “Harsh Realm” after only a few episodes.

Now, the conflict has clouded the already uncertain future of the “X-Files.”

“I don’t think that the man who is running the network now got the show or even watched it,” Carter told The Post yesterday. “Someone over there made the decision [to yank it]. [Herzog] was the one that delivered the message – so I blame the messenger.”

“Harsh Realm,” a military-themed series set in a virtual reality world, struggled to find viewers since its debut on Oct. 8.

The bad situation was the result of Fox not heavily promoting “Realm,” Carter claims – not its murky storyline that some TV critics labeled as confusing.

“The ratings weren’t great,” Carter admitted, “but ‘Harsh Realm’ was never considered on any other merit.”

Fox “decided to put all their eggs into other baskets,” Carter said. “The viewer awareness, which had been very high early in the summer, had slipped to a pathetically low number – people just didn’t know the show was on.

“I guess [canceling it] was a quick way of trying to stop the bleeding of a much larger wound,” Carter said.

“I have enormous respect for Chris Carter’s work, and I regret as much as he does the failure of ‘Harsh Realm,'” Herzog responded to Carter’s accusations. “But I do believe our ongoing discussions with Chris are best conducted in private, not in the press.”

Meanwhile, the seventh – and what may very well be the final – season of the “X-Files” kicks off Sunday night, picking up where last season left off: FBI agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) has gone crazy and is locked away in a padded cell, while his partner, Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), is in Africa looking at what appears to be a spaceship hidden underwater near a beach.

But the series’ season premier is overshadowed by a slew of behind-the-scenes problems. Both Carter’s and Duchovny’s contracts expire this year – Anderson has one more year on hers – and Duchovny is suing Fox and Carter for allegedly selling the “X-Files” syndication rights to other Fox-owned stations at bargain-basement prices.

“We just haven’t spoken about business,” Carter said, pointing out that despite their differences, the two successfully collaborated on writing an upcoming episode.

“A lawsuit creates its own environment; it’s just a little different,” Carter said.

Also, neither Carter nor anyone else on the show has been told yet if it will return next year.

“We know where we’re headed,” Carter said. “We’re talking about a pivotal two-part episode arc that would air in February that would lead us to the end.”

The scope and meaning of the arc will depend on Fox’s decision on keeping the show on the air, Carter said.

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Nov
04
1999

Newsday: Is the Future Out There?

Nov-04-1999
Newsday
Is the Future Out There?
Verne Gay

(The Long Island daily newspaper)

“The X-Files” has become the X factor for a struggling Fox.

Poor, poor Fox. Imagine the painful musings that are now going through executives’ heads: “No one is watching us … no one is watching us.” The mantra has picked up in recent days. No matter what we do, what we put on (with the exception of “Ally McBeal’s” premiere) the song remains the same. No one is watching Fox.

And no one knows exactly why.

The numbers tell a particularly brutal tale. Last week – with the World Series airing Tuesday and Wednesday – virtually all Fox’ shows drew under a 10 percent audience share. The exception was Sunday, when an NFL overrun dragged some football fans into the prime-time schedule. So far this season, Fox’ regular shows are tracking more than half a rating point behind last year’s performance.

Fox has already canceled two shows (Harsh Realm, Ryan Caulfield: Year One), shelved two others (Family Guy, Action) and pulled one (Manchester Prep) even before a single episode aired. The network is now airing movies on Friday, throwing “trash” specials into other holes, and praying hard – that the new Chuck Woolery game show, “Greed,” which premiers tonight will not sink into the muck that has become its new season.

Executives don’t really want to talk about the fall and for good reason: They have no answers. There have been rumors – all unsubstantiated – that new boss Doug Herzog is about to take a bullet for the merging fiasco. That’s unlikely to happen, just yet. Herzog’s not to blame. He’s a newcomer (from cable’s Comedy Central) with some good ideas (Action) and some bad luck, who is saddled with a scheduling strategy sanctioned by Rupert Murdoch. But then no one is going to fire Rupert, are they?

So what gives? First off, “The X-Files” premieres Sunday, and Fox without “Files” is like NBC without “ER.” The premiere is a good and appropriately creepy continuation of last year’s season-ender, and the episode should do a big number.

Also, Fox typically has a poor October. Last year at this time, a bunch of new shows were canceled and another entertainment president (Peter Roth), took an early vacation. Then the rest of the season turned around – even though that was accomplished mostly by sensational “shock TV” specials.

Veteran TV observer Paul Schulman, president of Schulman/Advanswers NY (a media buying firm), says that “the biggest problem that Fox has is that they started the season late, and when you start “Files” in November, the hour version of “Ally” and “Party of Five” in October, you are, in effect, losing the promotional platform for your new shows.” He adds, “it also hurts that those who did tune to their new shows rejected them.”

Yes, indeed. But others just might argue that Fox’ biggest problem has to do with Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, the two guys who produce the network’s biggest show. Most people now assume that “The X-Files” will end this season; both David Duchovny (who is suing Fox for back-end profits) and Gillian Anderson have indicated they want out.

But in the strange netherworld that is Hollywood, the following could also happen: Fox, desperate to keep “Files” for an eighth season, could settle Duchovny’s suit and pay the producers and “ER”-size ransom to return.

Will they want to? Both Carter and Spotnitz were stunned when their “Harsh Realm” was dumped after just three airings. In an interview, Spotnitz says that “it seemed like a panicked, irrational decision. They came to us before the show debuted and said, ‘we blew it by not promoting the show. It’s just terrible and we’re going to try and make it up …’ And then, suddenly, it was canceled without any warning whatsoever. There was no discussion, we were not even privy to their line of thinking. So we were shocked.”

Now ask yourself this: If you were president of Fox, would you throw a cream pie in the face of your most important producers? Of course you wouldn’t. But sources say Fox execs were shocked themselves after they learned that the Oct 22 episode of “Realm” was nearly beaten by the WB’s “Steve Harvey Show.” Given that a founder of Fox (Jamie Kellner) now runs the WB, the humiliation was apparently too great to endure.

Spotnitz adds that “obviously we were very unhappy with the way they treated “Harsh Realm” but we love “Files” and we want to keep a firewall between the issues.”

But is the end out there? “You know, it may be, but I don’t know. But from where I stand, not knowing the answer, I’ll act as if it is. I don’t want to find out that it’s too late and [we] haven’t done anything about it. So we’re treating it creatively as if this is the last season. We don’t want to miss any opportunities that last year might give us.”

And those would be: a kiss between Mulder and Scully; an episode starring the magician, Ricky Jay; the return of Lance Henriksen’s character, Frank Black, to complete the storyline for the canceled “Millennium”; and the return of an evil serial killer from an early season who had kidnaped Scully. And may we humbly suggest another idea? An episode about how an entire nation of Fox viewers were abducted by aliens.

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