Watching Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully on “The X-Files” during its original run, I was always a fan of her cool acting style. But I never thought of her as more than a weekly network TV performer who’d maybe move on to play another strong, independent cop on a “CSI” franchise or something.

I was so wrong, and I’m so happy to say that. Since her early years on “The X-Files” (can we pretend the revival never happened?), Anderson has put in a decade and a half of extraordinary work. I’m thinking about her because right now:

1. She is starring in Netflix’s “Sex Education,” a teen sex comedy in which she offers precision wit as a sex therapist blind to her own emotional needs. It’s a must-watch show, the best of the new year, if you like your sex comedies wise and witty.