Get caught up before 'X-Files' comes back to Earth

You'd think Gillian Anderson, the star of Netflix fave "The Fall" and the upcoming third season of "Hannibal," would be tired of talking about "The X-Files."

But almost 22 years after the premiere of the supernatural series that made her and David Duchovny pop-culture icons, Anderson was openly campaigning last week on Chris Hardwick's Nerdist podcast for the return of agents Mulder and Scully.

And she just might get her wish.

Fox TV Group chairman Gary Newman confirmed last weekend that the network is hoping to bring "The X-Files" back to TV in some form, no doubt inspired by last summer's 12-episode revival of Jack Bauer in "24: Live Another Day."

The prospect of a new "X-Files" season is exciting, especially if creator Chris Carter is able to once again strike a balance between mind-bending alien conspiracy stories, creepy monster-of-the-week yarns and quirky comedy episodes.

If you feel the urge to revisit or finally start "The X-Files," you can watch all 202 episodes (even the lame, Mulder-free ones from the last two seasons) with a Netflix or Hulu Plus subscription. The show also is available digitally via iTunes, Amazon and vudu, and can be seen on the El Rey network. It's on DVD, too, but I'd stay away from those; the picture quality is much better on the HD digital versions.

Don't want to commit to eight days of "X-Files"? Here are five essential, self-contained episodes to enjoy:

• "Ice," Season 1 - This early shocker apes John Carpenter's "The Thing," but that doesn't mean it isn't terrifying.

• "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose," Season 3 - Peter Boyle ("Everybody Loves Raymond") won an Emmy for his portrayal of the title character, a psychic who helps Mulder and Scully track a serial killer. A perfect blend of scares and laughs.

• "Home," Season 4 - Perhaps the show's most infamous episode is this gruesome tale of an inbred family and their legacy of murder. Not for the squeamish!

• "Bad Blood," Season 5 - Scripted by "Breaking Bad" creator Vince Gilligan, this vampire tale is told from both agents' differing points of view, and both are flat-out hilarious.

• "Triangle," Season 6 - Mulder is transported to a vessel lost in the Bermuda Triangle in 1939, and everybody on board looks eerily familiar. Each segment is presented as one long, unbroken camera shot.

• Sean Stangland is a Daily Herald copy editor and a tireless consumer of pop culture. You can follow him on Twitter at @SeanStanglandDH.