THE X-FILES' Return To Television Doubles Viewership of Original Pilot

The X-Files returned to television last night on Fox and pulled in nearly double the viewership it had when it premiered in 1993. Last night, Forbes reports an estimated 13.5 million watched the show according to early estimates, and many believe that's a conservative estimate — meaning the official numbers will be higher when all has been taken into account. (Only 7.9 million tuned in to the series premiere over twenty years ago.) The super impressive part is that with delayed viewings, last night's viewership could match the ticket sales of the 1998 X-Files movie, which ran near the show's height of popularity!

It's super good news to hear, but I'm not convinced the hype will last. I read the original reviews citing immense boredom in the show's opening, and heard my in-laws mutter the same complaint about halfway through last night's premiere. They'll stick with it probably, but I can't imagine everyone will.