( CNN ) Smoking Man , time to light another cigarette . Fox announced Tuesday that `` The X-Files , '' the series about the paranormal that ran for nine seasons in the '90s and early '00s , is returning for a special six-episode `` event . '' Stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are both back to play Fox Mulder and Dana Scully , those FBI agents who always got a little too close to the truth. `` 'The X-Files ' was not only a seminal show for both the studio and the network , it was a worldwide phenomenon that shaped pop culture -- yet remained a true gem for the legions of fans who embraced it from the beginning . We 're ecstatic to give them the next thrilling chapter of Mulder and Scully they 've been waiting for , '' Fox executives Dana Walden and Gary Newman said in a statement . Anderson wasted no time in tweeting the news . `` The X-Files '' concerned Mulder , an FBI agent who believes in paranormal phenomena , and Scully , who served as a check on his impulses . The series produced some memorable characters -- particularly the Smoking Man , a key focal point of the series ' various conspiracy theories -- and resulted in two movies . Vince Gilligan , who later created `` Breaking Bad , '' got his start on `` The X-Files '' and occasionally paid tribute to the show on his later series . Show creator Chris Carter , who will also oversee the new series , said he thought of the hiatus between 2002 , when the `` X-Files '' went off the air , and this year as `` a 13-year commercial break . '' But the timing is perfect , he added in a statement . `` The good news is the world has only gotten that much stranger , a perfect time to tell these six stories , '' he said . No premiere date was announced .
The rumors are true : `` X-Files '' is returning . David Duchovny , Gillian Anderson and producer Chris Carter are all back . Carter : `` The world has only gotten that much stranger '' since the show went off the air in 2002 .