The X-Files is an American science fiction drama television series created by Chris Carter. The original television series aired from September 10, 1993 to May 19, 2002 on Fox. The program spanned nine seasons, with 202 episodes. A short tenth season consisting of six episodes premiered on January 24, 2016, and concluded on February 22, 2016. Following the ratings success of this revival, The X-Files returned for an eleventh season of ten episodes, which premiered on January 3, 2018, and concluded on March 21, 2018. In addition to the television series, two feature films have been released: The 1998 film The X-Files, which took place as part of the TV series continuity, and the stand-alone film The X-Files: I Want to Believe, released in 2008, six years after the original television run had ended.

The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny), and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who investigate X-Files: marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder believes in the existence of aliens and the paranormal while Scully, a medical doctor and a skeptic, is assigned to scientifically analyze Mulder's discoveries, offer alternate rational theories to his work, and thus return him to mainstream cases. Early in the series, both agents become pawns in a larger conflict and come to trust only each other and a few select people. The agents also discover an agenda of the government to keep the existence of extraterrestrial life a secret. They develop a close relationship which begins as a platonic friendship, but becomes a romance by the end of the series. In addition to the series-spanning story arc, "monster of the week" episodes form roughly two-thirds of all episodes.

The X-Files was inspired by earlier television series which featured elements of suspense and speculative fiction, including The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, Tales from the Darkside, Twin Peaks, and especially Kolchak: The Night Stalker. When creating the main characters, Carter sought to reverse gender stereotypes by making Mulder a believer and Scully a skeptic. The first seven seasons featured Duchovny and Anderson equally. In the eighth and ninth seasons, Anderson took precedence while Duchovny appeared intermittently. New main characters were introduced: FBI agents John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish). Mulder and Scully's boss, Assistant Director Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi), also became a main character. The first five seasons of The X-Files were filmed and produced in Vancouver, British Columbia, before eventually moving to Los Angeles to accommodate Duchovny. The series later returned to Vancouver to film The X-Files: I Want to Believe as well as the tenth and eleventh seasons of the series.

The X-Files was a hit for the Fox network and received largely positive reviews, although its long-term story arc was criticized near the conclusion. Initially considered a cult series, it turned into a pop culture touchstone that tapped into public mistrust of governments and large institutions and embraced conspiracy theories and spirituality. Both the series itself and lead actors Duchovny and Anderson received multiple awards and nominations, and by its conclusion the show was the longest-running science fiction series in U.S. television history. The series also spawned a franchise which includes Millennium and The Lone Gunmen spin-offs, two theatrical films and accompanying merchandise.

X-files links

For a while I was pretty convinced that independent X-Files fan sites had simply vanished from the living web. Every search was leading me straight to the Wayback Machine. But then, against all odds, I stumbled upon these gems still standing:

• The X-Files Web Archive - Someone actually did it — they went and collected an enormous amount of X-Files fan content from across the web, both archived and still active. Hosted on Neocities of all places. Absolutely essential.
• All ThingX - Running since 2000 and still going. You'll find episode and film summaries, character profiles, and coverage of the games and soundtrack. The person behind it is genuinely welcoming too.
• MR. MIKE'S X-FILES CORNER - A solid archive of photos and interviews, capturing a lot of what made the fandom so alive back in the day.
• The X-Files Timeline - An exhaustive chronological breakdown of the entire series, revival included. Online since 1997. Clearly a years-long personal project by a dedicated fan.
• InsideTheX - Full fan transcripts of the episodes, films, The Lone Gunmen, and even a Simpsons crossover. Some revival content is covered too.
• Al's X-Files Page - Updates seem to have stopped around Season 8, but there's still plenty worth browsing here. It's also a fascinating time capsule of what the fandom was talking about at the time.
• Author Sarah Stegall's X-Files Books Page - Details and purchase links for Stegall's X-Files publications, including season guides and a short story anthology.

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