Robert Patrick Shared A Sweet X-Files Throwback On Social Media, And It Reminds Me Of One Of My Biggest Issues With The Last Revival

Most people likely remember The X-Files as the sci-fi conspiracy showcase where they first fell in love with Gillian Anderson as Agent Scully and/or David Duchovny as Agent Mulder. Some might even tell you that Mitch Pileggi’s Assistant Director Skinner was their favorite, or that The Lone Gunmen deserved more than one season’s worth of a spinoff. But on this day in the 2025 TV schedule, and as an avid viewer of Fox’s iconic series myself, I want to highlight 1923 star Robert Patrick and why his character of Special Agent John Doggett deserves another shot.

Robert Patrick’s Warm Memories Of The X-Files Are Contagious

Are you ready for a flashback and a half? Then you need to take a look at the photos Mr. Patrick put up on his personal Instagram. Ranging from what looks like a promotional shot from Season 9 to behind the scenes laughs with David Duchovny himself, the images presented are a window into another time.

So let’s step back to when you really needed to be in front of the TV, or have the VCR going, to stay in the know:

I think the fact that Robert Patrick admits that John Doggett is his “favorite role to this day” is what I like most about this whole package. Considering I grew up fearing this man as the T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, seeing him pop up as The X-Files’ replacement for the departed Fox Mulder in the last two seasons of the original Fox run helped expose me to one of the current stars on Reacher as an equally awesome hero.

I’d like to think many other sci-fi fans would agree with that chain of thought, as well as the one big problem I’m about to share from Fox’s short-lived X-Files revival. And no matter what Robert Patrick’s Schwarzenegger v. Ritchson comparison makes you think, I think there’s a missed opportunity that could be corrected in the future.

Robert Patrick in The X-Files' "Within"

(Image credit: Fox)

I’m Still Bummed Special Agent John Doggett Never Got To Return For The Revival

Taking over as The X-Files‘ new male lead following the departure of David Duchovny was no small task, and he did just that in Season 8 before being joined full-time in Season 9 by Annabeth Gish as Agent Monica Reyes when Gillian Anderson stepped back from the action, although Anderson remained a series regular. Duchovny returned in the Season 9 finale for Mulder and Scully to ride off into the pre-I Want to Believe sunset, leaving Doggett and Reyes behind to run The X-Files.

Of course, Fox cancelled the show after its ninth season in 2002 and only brought Duchovny, Anderson, and to a lesser extent Mitch Pileggi back for the 2016-2018 revival. If there were two characters that needed to be in that revival, they were Special Agents Doggett and Reyes. (You can stream all nine original seasons and the two revival seasons with a Hulu subscription now.)

While Ms. Reyes was eventually brought back in The X-Files’ grand return to Fox, Robert Patrick’s lawman was not. The reason why was shared in a 2017 interview between TVLine and series creator Chris Carter. Even though it’s understandable and drama-free, I don’t have to like it:

I actually wrote him into a [Season 11] episode. But then I found out he wasn’t going to be available to us [because of Scorpion] so I had to write him out of the episode… Scorpion is his first priority. That’s not to say you won’t see him this season…

Guess what? We never did see Robert Patrick return to The X-Files, and what’s more, after Gillian Anderson’s decision to leave after Season 11, we didn’t even see the series return. Depending on who you talk to, Ms. Anderson’s decision made a lot of sense after the revival left some fans scratching their heads.

However, the bigger takeaway here is that Robert Patrick has such fondness for this property. While I know that Ryan Coogler’s proposed X-Files reboot is still on the table, I find it hard to shake wanting to see Special Agent Doggett reunite with Monica Reyes in a Halloween (2018) style revival.

Forgetting those last two revival seasons, putting the team back together to search for “The Truth” still appeals to me after so many years. I know that might be crazy, but looking at all of the cases Mulder, Scully, and the rest of the X-Files gang investigated through out the series’ run, is what I’m saying really that out there?

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