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by Cathy Richey
Cast:
The X-Files is a Peabody, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning American science fiction television series created by Chris Carter, which first aired on September 10, 1993, and ended on May 19, 2002. The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its main characters and slogans (e.g., "The Truth Is Out There", "Trust No One", "I Want to Believe") became pop culture touchstones. The X-Files is seen as a defining series of the 1990's, coinciding with the era's widespread mistrust of governments, interest in conspiracy theories and spirituality, and the belief in the existence of extraterrestrial life. In the series, FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovney) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are tasked with investigating the "X-Files": marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder plays the role of the "believer", having faith in the existence of aliens and the paranormal, while Scully is a skeptic, initially assigned by her departmental superiors to debunk Mulder's unconventional work. As the show progressed, both agents were caught up in a larger conflict, termed "the mythology" or "mytharc" by the show's creators, and developed a close relationship which was often seen as romantic rather than platonic. The complex and more romantic side was explored further in subsequent films years after the series ended. The X-Files also featured stand-alone episodes ranging in tone from horror to comdey, in which Mulder and Scully investigated uniquely bizarre cases without long-term implications on the storyline. These so-called "monster of the week" episodes made up roughly two-thirds of the series. The show's popularity peaked in the mid-to-late 1990s, leading to a first feature film in 1998, followed by a post-series sequel in 2008. In the last two seasons, Anderson became the star as Duchovny appeared rarely, and new central characters were introduced: FBI Agents John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish). At the time of its final episode, The X-Files was the longest running sci-fi show ever on American television. The show was declared by TV Guide to be the second greatest cult television show (Star Trek being number one) and the 37th best television show of all time. In 2007, Time magazine included it on a list of the "100 Best TV Shows of All Time." In 2008, Entertainment Weekly named it the fourth best piece of science fiction media and the fourth best TV show in the last 25 years. For many X-Files fans, a first taste of this strange, compelling show has led to addiction. Always scary, often creepy and sometimes just plain mysterious, The X-Files has grown since its 1993 debut from a cult favorite into a mainstream phenomenon. The series was Fox's top-rated program the week of its Sept. 22 premiere, kicking off a third season with its largest audience yet (30 million). Like Star Trek, X-Files has spawned novels, comic books, T-shirts (emblazoned with the show's motto, The Truth Is Out There), coffee mugs, conventions and Internet bulletin boards. Online fans call themselves X-Philes. The entire series is currently available on DVD by season. Also available are "mythology" sets which were compilations of episodes that related to its storyline. Forty-eight episodes, selected to represent the best of the show's first four seasons, were also made available on VHS. Video game titles include The X-Files: The Game, The X-Files: Unrestricted Access and The X-Files: Resist or Serve, which expand on the show's storyline The X-files has won three Golden Globe Awards for Best Dramatic Series as well as Golden Globe Awards for David Duchovny for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Drama Series and Gillian Anderson for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Drama Series. It has garnered a total of 61 Emmy Award nominations since its inception, and has won numerous Emmy Awards including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Anderson, Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series, Outstanding Art Direction for a Series, Outstanding Makeup for a Drama Series, Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing and Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series. The X-files also has received the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcasting.
Episode Guide:
Season One:
Pilot
Season Two:
Little Green Men
Season Three:
The Blessing Way
Season Four:
Herronvolk
Season Five:
Redux
The Beginning
Season Seven:
6th Extinction (2/3)
Season Eight:
Within (1/1)
Nothing Important Happened Today
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