While confirming that Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny will appear in Ryan Coogler’s X-Files reboot, Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files, has given his full blessing for the reboot (which is currently filming for Hulu). However, fans of the sci-fi series will remember that this isn’t the franchise’s first big spin-off. See, back in 1995, two of the show’s top writers actually walked away to start their own thing. Unfortunately, Fox killed Space: Above and Beyond after a single season.
The Show The X-Files Writers Left Home For
Back in the ’90s, Fox trusted producer Chris Carter with The X-Files: a show that would redefine the notion of sci-fi television for decades. From the solid chemistry between David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson to the mesmerizing scripts keeping fans enthralled each episode, there was nothing else quite like The X-Files anywhere else on television. Ironically, the only real competitor to The X-Files‘ domination came from Fox themselves.
In 1995, Season 3 of The X-Files, and its overwhelmingly positive critical reception, convinced Fox that sci-fi was the way to go for mainstream television. Fortunately, Glen Morgan and James Wong, two of The X-Files‘ lead writers, had already penned an idea for a sci-fi series that would surpass Fox’s legendary show. That was Space: Above and Beyond. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite stick the landing.
Better, Bolder, and Built to Outdo The X-Files
Morgan and Wong left The X-Files after the show’s second season exclusively to work on Space: Above and Beyond. A series that was touted as a blend of Starship Troopers (the book, not the awesome film) and The X-Files‘ trademark conspiracy theories.
This gritty space military drama, set in the distant future of 2064, focuses on a group of space marines known as “The Wildcards.” They are humanity’s last hope as they fight the first interstellar war. The showrunners wanted a show that felt like Star Trek with more serious political intrigue – a concept that, as amazing as it sounds now, was a tough sell in the late ’90s.
The showrunners wanted Space: Above and Beyond to run for (at least) five seasons. It only got one. But how and why did such a promising show – one with an incredibly talented team of writers at the helm, no less – get the axe so suddenly? It all boils down to ’90s Fox and its infamous lack of patience.
Fox’s Perfect Formula for Cancellation
Right from the start, Fox never quite understood the Space audience. The show aired on Sundays at 7:00 PM – a slot that was usually destined for family-friendly content; just imagine finding a gritty space opera airing on Fox just before a new episode of The Simpsons. The tonal whiplash (not to mention that it usually had to compete with NFL games) spelled an early death sentence for the ambitious show.
Speaking of ambitious, Space tried to distance itself from the competition by betting heavily on CGI. Unfortunately, that was a luxury in the mid-90s, with every episode costing Fox around $1.5–2 million – an absurd amount for a new show that wasn’t part of an already-successful IP.
One Season, One Impossible Choice
Simply put, Space: Above and Beyond wasn’t making money as quickly as Fox would have wanted. Around mid-season, rumors began to materialize about an increasingly likely cancelation. Morgan and Wong had two choices: they could either end the show on a high note, bringing every plotline and character to their natural conclusion in just one season instead of five – or they could bet it all on a risky cliffhanger that could probably never be resolved. Naturally, they went with option B.
The greatest tragedy of Space: Above and Beyond is that it had the potential to be something truly great, if only Fox (and the showrunners themselves) weren’t as focused on turning the series into an X-Files contender.
Back to The X-Files — and “Home”
Ending the series on a cliffhanger left fans with a bitter taste; Fox clearly wasn’t willing to spend any more on the expensive show, and now, Space sits unfinished. With little hope for a revival or a legacy sequel, this is one of those shows that’s not a must-watch for what it was, but for what could have been. If only it had come out a couple of years later, after the Starship Troopers film hit theaters, perhaps audiences would have been more receptive to Morgan and Wong’s concept. The two writers returned to The X-Files on Season 4, and Space: Above and Beyond was quickly forgotten in the cold vastness of ’90s sci-fi TV series.
Three decades later, the X-Files franchise has a new showrunner: Ryan Coogler. The reboot has now officially wrapped its pilot episode with Danielle Deadwyler and Himesh Patel. Chris Carter has confirmed to The Daily Beast that he has stepped back from the show but also revealed that both Anderson and Duchovny will appear.
If Space: Above and Beyond proved anything, it’s that even The X-Files‘ best writers couldn’t outrun the show’s success — much like fans of Kyle XY are still waiting on closure for a show cancelled without an ending of its own. It will be interesting to see if Coogler can.
Space: Above and Beyond is streaming free (with ads) on Plex.
It wasn’t really a true cliffhanger, but it could have picked up with more story in a second season. A character sacrifices himself to save others, two characters are heavily implied to have died, the main character is reunited with his girlfriend and the survivors quietly contemplate the future and the friends they lost.