David Duchovny played FBI special agent Fox Mulder on the hit science-fiction series, The X-Files. Created by Chris Carter, the show originally aired on Fox from 1993 to 2002 for nine seasons, consisting of 202 episodes and two feature films. Despite its initial nine-season run, Duchovny's Mulder disappeared in Season 7.
Charming, witty and determined to uncover the truth no matter the cost, Mulder stood at the heart of The X-Files along with his partner, the skeptical and rational Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). Though they often didn't see eye to eye, there's no denying the respect each agent had for the other or the chemistry between them. Much of the plot, involving alien abductions and strange otherworldly events, directly focused on Mulder and his quest to uncover the mysteries surrounding his sister's disappearance. As such, Duchovny's performance played a huge role in the pop culture impact of The X-Files, so fans were shocked when he departed as a series regular at the end of Season 7.
In the seventh season finale, aliens abduct Mulder. After, The X-Files introduced Robert Patrick's John Doggett as Scully's new partner. The first half of Season 8 follows Scully and Doggett as they try to find Mulder and solve the mystery surrounding his disappearance. After his abduction, Mulder's body mysteriously appears in a forest. Three months later, he is resurrected, and Scully supervises his return to full health. Against orders, Mulder resumes working on the X-Files until he gets fired, though he continues consulting on cases in an unofficial capacity. Mulder goes into hiding at the end of the season after Scully gives birth and doesn't reappear until Season 9's finale.
Duchovny appeared in only half of Season 8. While the season received mostly positive reviews, fans criticized the show for Mulder's reduced role. Patrick's Doggett eventually became popular among fans, though many felt he was simply an imposter to Mulder and couldn't fill the void left by the former agent.
According to Duchovny, he left The X-Files because his contract ended following the seventh season. "As much as I love the show, I think for me this will be the end. I always thought five years was enough. Seven years is definitely enough," he said at the time of his departure.
However, Duchovny also said that 20th Century Fox, the production company behind The X-Files, cheated him out of millions of dollars from the show's profits as it entered syndication on cable television. In 1999, while the series was airing its seventh season, the actor filed suit against 20th Century Fox. He said he was a victim of "corporate synergy," alleging that the company purposefully undersold The X-Files show rights and reruns to cable networks and book publisher HarperCollins, thus cutting Duchovny's profit from royalties. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Duchovny said, "I'm not looking to win the lottery. I've fulfilled my contract, and I want them to fulfill theirs."
Duchovny and Fox settled the case out of court in 2000. The X-Files eventually made its triumphant return in 2016 for Season 10, with both Duchovny and Anderson reprising their roles as Mulder and Scully. The continuation of the series ended in 2018 with the show's eleventh season.
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