X-Files (TV series)
"The X-Files" is a television series that premiered in October 1993 on the Fox network, created by Chris Carter. The show follows FBI agents Dana Scully, played by Gillian Anderson, and Fox Mulder, portrayed by David Duchovny, as they investigate unsolved cases known as "X-Files," which often involve paranormal phenomena and government conspiracies. The series blends elements of horror, science fiction, and drama, drawing inspiration from earlier works like "The Twilight Zone" and "Kolchak: The Night Stalker." The dynamic between Mulder, a firm believer in alien abduction due to his own past experiences, and Scully, a scientist and skeptic, drives the narrative and adds layers of intellectual and emotional tension.
Over its original run, "The X-Files" produced 200 episodes and expanded to include feature films released in 1998 and 2008. In 2016, the show was revived for a tenth season, followed by an eleventh season, reflecting its enduring popularity. The series is noted for its cultural impact, encapsulated in memorable slogans like "The Truth Is Out There" and "Trust No One," and has garnered a dedicated fan base known as "X-Philers." It resonates with themes of distrust in government and the quest for truth, making it a significant part of 1990s pop culture and a reflection of contemporary societal concerns.
X-Files (TV series)
Identification Science-fiction television series
Creator Chris Carter (1956- )
Date Aired from September 10, 1993, to May 19, 2002
This science-fiction series won a Peabody and various other awards during its nine-year run. It solidified the Fox network’s reputation for edgy, avant-garde programming and became one of the network’s first and longest-lasting major hits.
Launched in October, 1986, the Fox network initially struggled to lure a significant number of viewers away from the Big Three—the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), and the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). In the early 1990’s, Chris Carter, a marginally successful television writer, was contracted to produce pilot shows for Fox. Carter blended popular beliefs in government conspiracy theory with alien abduction, added horror elements from older science-fiction programs such as The Twilight Zone in the 1950’s and Kolchak: The Night Stalker in the 1970’s, and wrote the pilot episode for The X-Files in 1992.
In the first episode—called simply “The Pilot”—Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) investigate the unsolved deaths of several high school classmates in Oregon. After their first meeting in his basement office (when she knocks on the door, he replies, “Sorry, nobody down here but the FBI’s most unwanted”), their investigation revealed that alien abduction was involved, that some government group knew but covered it up, and that nothing could be proved—or disproved. These premises established the basic template for the two hundred episodes that followed.
The show’s success hinged upon the intellectual (and sexual) tension between the two agents. Mulder was an Oxford-educated psychologist and criminal profiler whose core beliefs stemmed from his conviction that he had witnessed his sister’s abduction by aliens. Scully, a scientist and pathologist yet a devout Roman Catholic, is assigned to keep an eye on “Spooky Mulder.” Deep Throat, one of Mulder’s sources, tells him, “Always keep your friends close. But keep your enemies closer.” It is clear that he wants Mulder, who is obviously on to something, kept under scrutiny, or else Mulder would just be fired. From this beginning, The X-Files (including feature films in 1998 and 2008) continued the government-alien mythology, but added stand-alone episodes, ranging from “monster of the week” to simply bizarre to comedy. When Duchovny opted out of his recurring role in the final two seasons of the original run, Scully became the featured believer.
In 2015, it was announced that Fox would bring The X-Files back for a tenth season with a limited run of six episodes. This season premiered in January 2016 to mixed critical reviews, but good audience ratings; the larger-than-expected viewership convinced Fox to greenlight an eleventh season, this time with ten episodes. Following the end of the eleventh season, Gillian Anderson announced that if the show was renewed, she would not be returning. Fox then said there were no plans for another season.
Impact
With slogans such as “The Truth Is Out There” and “Trust No One” and with a cultlike following by self-styled “X-Philers,” The X-Files was a popular culture icon of the 1990’s. It reflected, yet often parodied, the viewing public’s beliefs and concerns over the trustworthiness of government, the likelihood of extraterrestrial contact and its meaning for humankind, and the desire for and enjoyment of good television entertainment.
Bibliography
Cavelos, Jeanne. The Science of “The X-Files.” New York: Berkley Boulevard Books, 1998.
Kowalski, Dean A., ed. The Philosophy of “The X-Files.” Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2007.
Shapiro, Marc. All Things. The Official Guide to The X-Files. Vol. 6. New York: HarperCollins, 2001.