The X Files season 11
Mulder and Scully in The X-Files series Fox

The X-Files returns with a much anticipated season 11 this Wednesday, 3 January at 8pm EST on FOX Network. The show will pick up with FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully searching for their estranged son, William, with the fate of the world resting on their outcome.

The premiere episode is titled, My Struggle III and the official synopsis reads as follows:

Mulder and Scully learn they aren't the only ones desperately searching for their long-lost son, William; the fate of the world may ride on the outcome.

Click here to watch the episode via live stream on Fox Now. You can also watch the episode online by clicking here.

In the season 10 finale that aired in February 2017, Mulder was near death following a widespread contagion that threatened humankind. The chapter ended with a mysterious UFO appearing in the middle of a highway with a spotlight pointed directly at agent Scully.

Actor David Duchovny, who plays Mulder, spoke to Comicbook.com about returning for season 11. He explained, "The writers last time around had six episodes to bring a show back that had been off the air for ten years, so there was a lot of exposition to cover. We don't have to do that this time around, so I think it's much more relaxed, it's freer, it's more flexible. I think it's closer to what we used to do."

Meanwhile, Gillian Anderson, who brought the character of medical doctor Sully to life for 11 seasons, has confirmed that she is leaving the show after this six-episode series. The Fall actress told TV Insider, "I've said from the beginning, this is it for me. I was a bit surprised by people's [shocked] reaction to my announcement... because my understanding was that this was a single season."

"Given the importance The X-Files had in people's lives, it's great to have one more opportunity to end on a high," she added of her departure.

In the same interview, the Hannibal actress and Duchovny also spoke about William's storyline in the upcoming season, which will complicate matters between Mulder and Scully. "The way they introduce him as a three-dimensional character is a good story — there is so much emotion and grief in the choices Scully's made," Anderson said.

Teasing a complicated romantic relationship between the FBI agents, the Californication actor added, "So much of their relationship is unspoken. What's so vital and strong about the show is the partnership between the two of them, beyond the labels. Whether they're physically together or not, they are always together in some sense."

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