As David Duchovny puts it, Fox Mulder is "kissin' and
runnin'." The actor says he won't return to The X-Files next
season--not even for a cameo.

After a year of occasional (and usually brief) appearances,
Duchovny says he's through with the Fox sci-fi series,
despite the fact that his G-man character smooched
longtime partner Dana Scully during the season finale, and
that he is likely the father of her baby.

So much for being a stay-at-home dad.

"Yeah, I'm done with the TV show," Duchovny told
reporters Sunday, during interviews for his new sci-fi
comedy, Evolution. "I don't think it's fair to me or the fans"
to do more cameos.

"It's hard to walk away," he added. "I not only miss Mulder,
but I miss the show. I miss having my own show. It's fun
having your own show."

Duchovny's role on Fox's long-running series has diminished
significantly since last year, when the 40-year-old actor
signed a deal to continue his role on the show--but only for
a handful of episodes. Since then, Scully's been joined by a
new partner, Agent John Doggett (Robert Patrick), and
Annabeth Gish has had a recurring role as Agent Monica
Reyes.

But with the new cast comes new storylines, and Duchovny
said the show has changed.

"I think the consciousness of the show is this quest of
Mulder's and the core of the show is Mulder and Scully," he
said. "When I came back at the end of this year--by
necessity, by my choice of not being on the show
full-time--other ideas, other stories, had come to the
center stage. When I came back, I felt somewhat
peripheral. Mulder's story was one of three or four
stories...and it didn't feel like the same show to me."

While fans initially rejoiced that Duchovny agreed to appear
in episodes last season, he says that to continue the
cameos "feels cheap," and that it wouldn't be fair to the
show's rabid followers.

"I think to bring back Mulder's character peripherally is not
fair to the character that I feel a lot of affinity for. I feel
like the fans respect Mulder as the center consciousness of
the show. And to have him come back like Superman's dad
or whatever--it just feels cheap to me."

Duchovny said his limited involvement last season on The
X-Files "made it weirder. It was almost like a stepdad was in
the house...and I still have my stuff in the house."

But it wasn't weird on the set. "I loved working with
Robert," he said. "I had a great time. In fact, for years I
was saying we needed more characters. Gillian and I were
tired. And I would say there was no other show in the
history of television that had the schedule we had, because
we were doing a special-effects TV show with two
people--an hour a week."

Duchovny's comments seem to answer, once and for all,
continued speculation over whether he'd play a small role
next season, especially considering the questions raised by
the season finale. But Duchovny didn't rule out the
possibility of appearing in another X-Files movie, saying he'd
consider it "if they ask me."

Meanwhile, Duchovny can be seen alongside Orlando Jones,
Julianne Moore and Seann William Scott in Evolution, Ivan
Reitman's new comedy that hits theaters Friday.

As for Mulder and Scully's season-ending kiss--and whether
he's the proud papa of her child--Duchovny says he's
looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

"I don't know about the baby, but I will be interested to
see, like anyone who's a fan of the show [how it's
resolved]," he said, and then joked, "They'll have to resolve
me while I'm not there, so I hope they don't say, 'Oh yeah,
Mulder's gone, what an asshole. He had a baby with me, he
kissed me and then he left.' "