Transcription
Is your mother? I'm Dana Scully. I've been assigned to work with you. Oh, isn't it nice to be suddenly so highly regarded?
30 years ago, on September 10, 1993, the world was introduced to special agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully of the FBI, tasked with working on paranormal cases known as The X-Files. The show would go on to produce 218 episodes, two films, a spin-off series, video games, comic books, a plethora of merchandise, and kickstart the careers of some young, unknown actors.
Series creator Chris Carter began his career working for Walt Disney Studios. He was hired on under a standard contract with help from his wife and then girlfriend at the time, Dory Pearson. Chris began penning TV movies for Disney, such as *The Brat Patrol* in 1986 and *Meet the Monkeys* in 1988. But this didn't completely satisfy Chris, as he felt his true strength lay in serious dramas.
In 1992, Carter would be hired by Peter Roth, who was head of Fox Television Production, to develop new material for the fledgling network. Carter began work on a series focusing on the paranormal, which he had a keen interest in. He grew up watching shows like *Kolchak: The Night Stalker*, a show about a reporter, Carl Kolchak, who investigates crimes often with a paranormal twist, and *The Twilight Zone*, an anthology science fiction horror show created by Rod Serling.
The main focus of Carter's show, however, would revolve around UFO lore. After discovering the works of Johnny Mack, and especially after reading a report by Mac which stated three percent of Americans claim they have been abducted by aliens, Chris decided his show would focus around a fictional FBI unit. Which a recently released film known as *Silence of the Lambs* would be the inspiration that would investigate paranormal cases. And in early versions of his show, many of the investigations would lead to uncover that they were hoaxes or mistakenly seen as paranormal. Lego, an adult version of Scooby-Doo.
Carter's initial pitch to the studio was rejected, so he had to go back and flesh things out a bit more. Upon returning with his updated script, he was given the green light, and work on the pilot began. The series would revolve around two main characters, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, one being a believer in paranormal phenomena and the other a skeptic. Chris wanted to flip things around, however, and made the male the believer and the female the skeptic, which in most media was often portrayed as the opposite. Fox Mulder's personal story of his sister's abduction would be one of his defining traits.
A search for an actor to play that role was on. In 1993, a young actor named David Duchovny was given the script to the pilot by his manager, Melanie Green. Though he wanted to be a film star, he read the script over and really liked it, so he decided to audition for the role. David auditioned, and Carter felt he was terrific, if not a bit slow in his reading. Carter was told by Fox Studios that he had to offer two actors for consideration, but Carter was very positive they found their Mulder.
Once David was given the role, he didn't think the show would last very long or have much impact on his career. If only he knew just how wrong he would be. For the skeptic Dana Scully, she was largely influenced by Clarice Starling, played by Jodie Foster in *The Silence of the Lambs*. This directly opposed what the network wanted, as they felt the role needed more of a bombshell type. Fox wanted someone taller, leggier, blonder, and breastier, with their main choice being Pamela Anderson. Their hopes were this would lead to a romantic angle down the road between the two leads. However, this led to Chris Carter putting his foot down, insisting Gillian was the only one for the role, and that there would be no romantic interest between the two, period. He did concede a bit in giving Scully a boyfriend named Ethan, but he was ultimately cut because he only seemed to slow down the pacing of the show and was deemed unnecessary.
The first season also introduced a few more mainstays in the series. Mitch Pileggi was cast as Walter Skinner, assistant director of the FBI and the agents' direct superior. Mitch auditioned for many roles prior to landing Skinner, but got the role because when he came into audition, he was in a rather grumpy mood, and this seemed to sway Carter in choosing him for Skinner. The Lone Gunmen were also introduced as a trio of conspiracy buffs that Mulder would occasionally seek help from. Bruce Harwood was cast as John Fitzgerald Byers, Tom Braidwood played Frohike, and Dean Haglund, who was cast as the youngest member, Richard Langley. Jerry Hardin would play Deep Throat, a secret informant from Alder that would leak top-secret information to him in order to expose the truth. And Scully's father and mother, played by Don S. Davis and Sheila Larkin, respectively. William B. Davis was also cast as the Cigarette Smoking Man, but his inclusion in the series would not really be defined until later seasons.
Filming for the first season commenced in March 1993, with the pilot coming out in September that same year. With filming in progress, American composer Mark Snow was brought aboard to provide the music for the series, including its iconic opening theme. Chris Carter dumped a bunch of CDs on Mark's lap, telling him what he liked from each piece and the sound he was looking for for his show. The original composition Mark came up with was liked by Carter, but felt he was too overproduced and needed to be simplified. After a few unsuccessful attempts, Mark rested his arm on his keyboard, which just happened to be hooked up to some kind of echo effect, and it produced a sound that caught his attention. After messing around a bit more with the echo, he created the tune that will forever be associated with The X-Files.
[Music]
The first scene introduces us to our main characters, Mulder and Scully, as they've been assigned to work with one another. Scully has been given the task of documenting everything that happens because, unbeknownst to her, the higher-ups are trying to remove Mulder from the FBI. In their first investigation, they discover kids seemingly taken by alien abductions and a young, comatose teen who may be killing them. Following this, they had to investigate the disappearance of a military test pilot, and Mulder meets Deep Throat, a man who would prove to be invaluable to him.
[ __ ] would later inform Mulder of a downed UFO. Mulder would investigate and meet alien abductee named Max Fenning. Scully would urge Mulder to return to Washington to save his job, but Mulder would disobey, attempting to save Max. Upon his return, he would nearly be fired if not for the saving grace of Deep Throat.
[ __ ] would once again inform Mulder of a downed alien ship, this time secretly being transported in a truck. Ultimately, Deep Throat would mislead Mulder, preventing him from uncovering the truth. After a seemingly normal car chase leads our agents to a scientific lab, they discover a flask which contains alien DNA. After Mulder is kidnapped, Scully is forced to steal an alien embryo and deliver it to Deep Throat, where he is shot, and the X-Files are shut down.
Beyond the alien lore episodes, which become known as the mythology arc, the writers wanted to create standalone episodes that could complement the overall story because they thought simply focusing on aliens would get boring. These episodes would also become known as "Monster of the Week" and provided some of the best the series had to offer. Some highlights included *Squeeze*, which introduced Eugene Victor Tooms, one of the most iconic antagonists in the series; *Ice*, which was seen as a derivative of John Carpenter's *The Thing*; *Beyond the Sea*, which guest-starred Academy Award winner Brad Dourif; and *Darkness Falls*, an episode about creepy-crawly mites.
Ratings for the first season were seen as good, not great, but good. The show ranked 105th out of 128 shows, with the peak being *The Erlenmeyer Flask*, which was viewed by 8.3 million households. The pilot was viewed by 7.4 million. For contrast, the show was considered a cult hit, which was good enough for Fox Studios to renew it for a second season. Review news for the show were mostly positive, with episodes like *Squeeze*, *Ice*, and *Beyond the Sea* receiving high praise, while episodes like *Space* and *The Jersey Devil* being described as silly or just tasteless. The first season would receive two Emmy nominations: one from Mark Snow for his opening theme, and the second nomination and win for the opening title sequence made by Bruce Bryant, James Castle, and Carol Johnson.
After the moderate success of season one, season two was filmed and began airing September 16, 1994. During the production of season two, a little problem surfaced which began to peek its head halfway through season one: that being Gillian Anderson's pregnancy. Some of the network executives at the time wanted Chris to recast Scully, but Chris refused to do so. Their producers came up with the idea of Gillian giving birth to an alien baby, but they instead decided to work around her pregnancy by having her abducted and then in a comatose state a few episodes later. Executive producer Frank Spotnitz claimed it was the best thing to ever happen to the series because it would help them craft the mythology that would permeate the rest of the show.
The X-Files were closed at the end of season 1 to help separate Mulder and Scully so they could work around Gillian's pregnancy. They would also use various camera angles or large clothing to hide the fact that she was pregnant. The episodes *Duane Barry* and *Ascension* were written to get her off TV, and she doesn't appear in the episode *3* at all, as she was giving birth at the time. The series premiere, *Little Green Men*, was to be written by Chris Carter. He penned the episode to take place in Russia, which they were even planning on going over to shoot, but in the end, they weren't able to get the proper documents, and the cost of it all was just seen as far too great. Carter's initial script was never completed and would have seen the reopening of the X-Files. Instead, co-executive producers and writing partners James Wong, Glen Morgan, and Howard Gordon wrote the script, which would be the first in the series to actually show an alien.
Much of the cast would be returning, with a few notable newbies joining for season two. Stephen Williams would join as X, after the death of Deep Throat. Mulder would gain a new informant in the episode *The Host*, originally intended to be a woman. Steven would get the role as the chemistry between he and David was just much better on screen. Although X helps Mulder, he's unwilling to expose himself the same way Deep Throat did and is much more ruthless and violent. Nicholas Lea was brought on as Alex Krycek. Even though he appeared in a bit part in the season 1 episode *Gender Bender*, they needed someone from Alder to play off of while he and Scully were apart. Although in future episodes, it's revealed Krycek is working alongside the Cigarette Smoking Man, and he would go on to become one of the series' primary antagonists. Peter Donat was cast as Bill Mulder, Fox's father. He would be a recurring character for the latter half of season 2 and would be revealed to be part of a group known as The Syndicate. Megan Leitch was cast as Samantha Mulder, although we would come to find out she was just one of many alien clones of his sister. Rebecca Toolan will be cast as Fox's mother, Tina Mulder, and would have some dark secrets of her own revealed later on in the series.
During production of the second season, David mentioned to Chris, "Wouldn't it be great if we had like an alien bounty hunter?" Chris liked the idea so much he and Frank Spotnitz created the character, and Brian Thompson was cast in the role because he had a unique look to him, mostly in his face and mouth. Darren McGavin of *Kolchak* fame was nearly cast in the role of Senator Matheson, which went to Raymond J. Barry, but was later given the role of Arthur Dales, the founder of the X-Files, in season five.
Season two is the final season for Glen Morgan and James Wong as regular writers for the series, but Darin Morgan, Glen's younger brother, would join and be responsible for writing some of the series' best episodes. Season 2 continues with the events at the end of season one. Agent Mulder and Scully have been split up and reassigned to more mundane tasks. After Mulder investigates an extraterrestrial case in Puerto Rico, he's given a new partner, Alex Krycek, and meets a new informant named X. Mulder is needed for help in a hostage situation involving ex-FBI Dwayne Barry, who claims he's an alien abductee. Barry eventually kidnaps Scully and takes her to Skyland Mountain, hoping the aliens will take her instead of him. But Mulder reaches Barry, who insists she was taken by aliens. Shortly thereafter, he dies after having been interrogated by Krychek. After Krychek's sudden disappearance, Skinner reopens The X-Files in an attempt to expose those who took Scully. Scully returns in a comatose state, and instead of taking revenge on her captors, Mulder is convinced by her sister Melissa to stay by her bedside, where she eventually recovers.
Back on the job, the agents discover a plot to inject teenagers in a small town with alien DNA and find Deep Throat's killer. When investigating a case involving the murder of identical twin doctors, Mulder and Scully discover a shape-shifting alien bounty hunter responsible for killing alien clones. Mulder's now-grown sister returns, telling Mulder of the bounty hunter's plan and that she can kill him. Scully is kidnapped by the bounty hunter, and Mulder is forced to switch his sister for her. The trade is botched, but it's uncovered that it wasn't his sister and simply another alien clone. Mulder is then sent to a submarine in the Arctic by X. He refines the bounty hunter but nearly dies from exposure to its blood. With the help of Scully, he's able to make a full recovery. After a hacker downloads some sensitive files on aliens, it's given to Mulder, who discovers it's written in Navajo. Scully brings Mulder to a man in New Mexico named Albert Hosteen, a Navajo code talker who can translate the tape. Mulder is then taken to a boxcar filled with the bodies of dead aliens, until the Cigarette Smoking Man tracks him down and orders the boxcar to be burned.
Along with the main arc, there are also many notable standalone episodes like *The Host*, an episode about a half-man, half-worm stalking people from the sewers; *Irresistible*, about a death fetishist, Donnie Pfaster, who collects pieces of the dead; and *Humbug*, where strange deaths are occurring at a freak show carnival act in a small town in Florida.
Season two opened with *Little Green Men*, receiving a Nielsen rating of 10.3 with a 19 share, meaning it was viewed by 9.8 million households, up from the 8.3 million season 1 finale. This season hit a high with the episode *Fresh Bones*, which was viewed by 10.8 million households, and a low with *The Calusari*, which was viewed by 7.9 million. The series, however, had a significant increase compared to the first season, ranking it at number 63 compared to the first season, which ultimately ended up at 111. The second season was met with even more positive reviews, with the *Duane Barry*/*Ascension*/*One Breath* arc being regarded as the best part of the season. Season 2 is also the longest season of the series, with 25 episodes. Because of Gillian's pregnancy, they weren't ready to shoot *One Breath*, so they made the episode *3* as a buffer until she was able to come back, resulting in one extra episode. This season earned seven Emmy nominations and would win its first Golden Globe for Best Television Series Drama. Coinciding with the series, tops Comics also began releasing books based on the series episodes. They intended to release a book for every episode but never made it past season 2. They also produced some one-offs and a four-issue miniseries, but the books would come to an end in 1998.
Season three continued *The X-Files*' upward climb with the episode *The Blessing Way*, which came out on September 22, 1995, followed by the episode *Paper Clip*. The season 2 finale and these two episodes made up a trilogy that would be the driving force this season. Darin Morgan had a small role in the second season playing the Fluke Man and was brought on to help write the episode *Blood*. For season three, he was asked to come back and help contribute more, which he did, writing three episodes himself: those being *Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose*, *Jose Chung's from Outer Space*, and *War of the Coprophages*. He wrote three episodes for this season and would later leave the series because he just couldn't keep up with the demand of the show. He also had a negative view with how his scripts were handled, despite them being well-received. David Duchovny loved working with Darin and said, "What I loved about his scripts was that he seemed to be trying to destroy the show."
New writers were brought in season 3, such as story editor Jeffrey Vlaming, supervising producer Charles Grant Craig, and staff writer John Shiban. New recurring members to the cast are Brendan Beiser as Agent Pendrell. Pendrell helps the agents by providing analytical assistance and has a major crush on Scully, and well, who can blame him? Also new is Don S. Williams, who plays the First Elder, a high-ranking member of The Syndicate, though his position within is unclear. He's often seen as being higher ranking than even the Cigarette Smoking Man.
Season 3 picks up where season 2 left off. Mulder is found in the desert after the boxcar was set aflame and nursed back to health by Albert Hosteen. Meanwhile, Scully is investigating the possibility of this smallpox eradication program and its use in human genetic experimentation. She discovers a Nazi scientist who defected after the war and has been splicing human and alien DNA, creating hybrids. Her sister is mistaken for her by some assassins and eventually dies as the result of a gunshot. Meanwhile, Scully meets women who claim to have experienced an abduction just like her and eventually meets a Syndicate member who claims she was placed on a similar train car during her abduction and Japanese scientists experimented on her. A crew of French salvagers are then trying to recover a sunken World War II submarine when they're exposed to large amounts of radiation, except for one who was taken over by an alien black oil, where it is then eventually passed on to Alex Krycek. Alex runs to a missile silo where the parasitic oil leaves his body, boarding an alien craft. Scully, meanwhile, is tracking down the man who shot her sister, Luis Cardinal, a hired assassin.
Other notable episodes to come out of season 3 include *DPO*, which features a virtually unknown Jack Black and Giovanni Ribisi; *Quagmire*, where the agents are investigating a lake monster attacking residents of a small town; and *Pusher*, about a man who was able to bend people to his will simply by talking to them.
The third season of *The X-Files* debuted with a 12.3 Nielsen rating and a 22 share and was viewed by 19.94 million viewers, which would be the highest-rated episode of the Season. *Wetwired* would be the Season's lowest-rated episode with 14.48 million viewers. The show would rank at the 55th spot during the '95-'96 TV season. It had an average increase in viewership around seven percent. It became Fox's top show for the 18 to 49 demographic and would be the last season to air on Fridays before being moved to Sunday. Season three was seen as one of the best in the series, with some of the highlights being Darin's episodes *Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose* and *Jose Chung's from Outer Space* being standouts. Season 3 earned eight Emmy nominations and managed to win five, including Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Drama Series for the episode *Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose*, written by Darin Morgan; Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for Peter Boyle in his appearance in *Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose*; Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Editing for a Series and Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Drama Series, both went to the episode *Nisei*; Outstanding Individual Achievement in Cinematography for a Series went to John S. Bartley for his work on the episode *Grotesque*.
*The X-Files* was also starting to hit pop culture around this time when a small Canadian TV show called *ReBoot* did an episode spoofing this series with their episode called *Trust No One*.
Season 4 would begin October 4, 1996, with the episode *Herrenvolk* and would see some big changes to the show's mythology. In the season opener, Stephen Williams found out he was being written out of the show. He said, "Carter called me up personally and said, 'Got good news, got bad news. The good news is we're going to bring you up for another episode this week. The bad news is you're gonna take a bullet.'" The writers on the show would come up with a new informant for Mulder, that being a woman named Marita Covarrubias, played by Laurie Holden, best known now for Andrea in *The Walking Dead*. Chris Carter thought it would be interesting if Mulder's next informant were a woman, even though X was originally planned to be one. He wanted viewers to be suspicious of a possible romantic angle between her and Mulder. Laurie would also be the only new recurring cast member for season 4. *Herrenvolk* would also go on to introduce the Killer Bees, which would become a much larger aspect of the 1998 film.
The most notable part of the season is it introduces the story arc in which it is revealed that Scully has terminal cancer. The writers discussed giving her mother cancer, but Chris ultimately decided upon Scully because it would give them an opening to discuss things like faith, science, and healthcare, while touching upon the paranormal aspects. Some of the writers felt it was a cheap move, but Frank Spotnitz felt it was only logical, as the women Scully met previously all developed cancer, so it only made sense for it to happen to Scully as well.
Season 4 begins with members of The Syndicate believing someone amongst them is passing information to Mulder and Scully, so they set a trap for that person. X is discovered to be the leaker and is shot by one of the Syndicate's men. Before dying, he passes the name of Marita Covarrubias, who can continue in assisting Mulder. Marita's help is needed when Mulder is held in a Russian gulag while investigating the black oil, where he's used as a test subject for a vaccine against it. He eventually escapes and discovers Krycek has been working with the Russians. As a result of Scully's cancer diagnosis, she's unsure of her future with the FBI. Mulder believes that her cancer is a result of the abduction and is willing to make a deal with The Syndicate in order to find her a cure. Skinner convinces Mulder not to do it. Instead, Skinner takes it upon himself to make the deal. Meanwhile, Mulder is being tracked by an assassin who is responsible for a fake alien body found on top of a mountain. Mulder fakes taking his own life and uses the assassin's body, mutilating his face as a kind of decoy.
Beyond the main arc, other notable episodes for season 4 included *Paper Hearts*, about a serial killer claiming to be responsible for Samantha's disappearance; *Small Potatoes*, about a small town where all the babies are being born with tails; and one of the most controversial episodes, *Home*, about a family of inbred genetic mutants.
Season 4 started with a bang, as *Herrenvolk* pulled the Nielsen rating of 13.2 with a 23 share and was viewed by 21.11 million people, a large increase from the season 3 finale, which had 17.86 million viewers. *Herrenvolk* was at the time the highest-rated episode of the series, that was until the episode *Leonard Betts*. *Leonard Betts* was chosen by Fox to be the lead program after Super Bowl 31 and was viewed by 29.1 million viewers, making it the most viewed episode in the history of the show. The season hit a low with the episodes *Kaddish* and *Unrequited*, which were both watched by 16.56 million viewers, but the season was up overall and wound up ranked in the 12th spot during the 1996-1997 television year. Season 4 widely received positive reception, with some stating that it wasn't quite as good as season 3. The season finale, *Gethsemane*, actually created a bit of a media spectacle, as people speculated if Mulder actually took his own life. *The Wall Street Journal* ran an article about it, and *The New Yorker* had a cartoon about Mulder's death.
Season 4 earned 12 Emmy nominations this go-around and won three. Gillian Anderson won for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. The episode *Memento Mori* won for Outstanding Art Direction for a Series, and the episode *Tempest Fugit* won for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series. Season 4 also won three Golden Globe awards: Best Television Actor in a Drama Series for David, and Best Television Actress in a Drama Series for Gillian, and Best Drama Series. Gillian also took home "Sexiest Woman" by FHM magazine, showing Fox executives that maybe they were wrong when they said they wanted someone more attractive.
The first video game was also released this year, called *X-Files: Unrestricted Access*. It was released for Windows PC and isn't really a video game, but more of an interactive database of facts and information about the first four seasons of the show. It was generally well-received, but most derided it for its use of Internet Explorer to access many of its features. And you know a series has made it when it's been spoofed by *The Simpsons*. Partway through season 4, *The Simpsons* episode *The Springfield Files* debuted, which drops the agents into the world of *The Simpsons* after Homer is convinced he saw an alien. Lots of funny gags and references to the show, including the Cigarette Smoking Man off in the back of one scene.
[Music]
Hello, can I help you? Agent Mulder and Scully, FBI.
Season five commenced on November 2, 1997, and is the first season in the show where the story was pre-planned ahead of time because of *The X-Files* film, which would shoot prior to season five but release after it, so things needed to match up. This season was originally set to be the last in the series as far as television is concerned because from here on out, this series was set to be movies only, but the show was far too lucrative for Fox, so they ordered another two seasons. And season five would be used as a setup for the movie, and season six.
New recurring characters for season 5 included Chris Owens as Jeffrey Spender and Mulder's half-brother; John Neville as the Well-Manicured Man, another higher-ranking member of The Syndicate; Pat Skipper as Bill Scully, one of Dana's brothers; and John Moore as the Third Elder, another member of The Syndicate.
Season 5 picks up with Mulder using the distraction caused with the assassin's body to infiltrate the Pentagon and search for a cure for Scully. Scully, meanwhile, uncovers a connection between The Syndicate and the FBI. Michael Kritschgau stops Mulder and gives him some information that causes him to lose his belief in the existence of aliens. Later, a rebel alien begins attacking groups of previous alien abductees, and they meet a woman, Cassandra Spender, the mother of Jeffrey Spender. Scully is then put under hypnosis to find out just what happened to her, and Cassandra goes missing while her son Jeffrey tries to make his way up in the FBI at any cost. The Syndicate starts becoming desperate and hastens their research in developing a vaccine against the black oil. Later, Mulder and Scully investigate the murder of a chess grandmaster, which leads them to discover the real target: a young telepathic boy named Gibson Praise.
Complementing the main story, this season are some real gems, like the episode *Bad Blood*, where Mulder and Scully try and get their story straight after Mulder mistakenly kills a boy he thought was a vampire; *The Uncles Suspects*, an origin story about The Lone Gunmen and how Mulder came to befriend them; and *Folie à Deux*, where Mulder and Scully find a man who believes his boss may be some kind of monster.
The season 5 opener, *Redux I*, earned a Nielsen rating of 16.1 with a 22 share and was viewed by 27.34 million people, a considerable jump from the season 4 finale, which had 19.85 million viewers. But ratings would drop from here, with a season low of 13.44 million viewers for the episode *All Souls*. The season 5 finale would even see a 5.5 drop in viewership when compared to the season 4 finale. *The X-Files* still managed to rank in the 11th spot of most-watched television programs during the '97-'98 television year, and with an average of 19.8 million viewers, it was the most-watched season yet. Reviews were still mostly high at this point, but criticism seemed to rear its head with derision for episodes like *Chinga* and the worst-rated *Schizogeny*.
Season 5 would end with a record 16 Emmy nominations, which would be a series high, and they won two awards: Outstanding Art Direction for a Series for *The Post-Modern Prometheus* and Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Series for *Kill Switch*. The show also won its third and final Golden Globe for Best Drama Television Series. Season five would end up being the last season of the series to be shot in Vancouver, and instead, filming would be moved to LA. Part of the reason for the move was because David wanted to be closer to his wife at the time, Taya Leanne. This shift was upsetting for the Vancouver crew, who over the span of five years became something of a family. The fans at the chess match were all locals and was seen as a thank you for letting them shoot there all these years. It was shot at Rogers Arena, which at the time was known as GM Place. Producers expected around 5,000 people to show up; when 12,000 did. The crowd were given instructions over large screens covering the scoreboards. Music and concession stands were available to all who attended, and Gillian and David even did a little Q&A.
*The X-Files* also got an actual video game called *The X-Files Game*. It was developed by Hyperbole Studios and published by Fox Interactive. The game was released for Windows PC and the Sony PlayStation. It's a point-and-click adventure game, placing you in the shoes of a young agent named Craig Wilmore. You're assigned by Skinner to find the whereabouts of Mulder and Scully, who were last seen somewhere in the Everett, Washington area. The game's story takes place sometime during season three and has most of the cast reprising their roles from the show. The actors filmed their appearances in the game just before entering into production on the movie. The game would go on to sell roughly 1 million copies worldwide, but reception was fairly middling.
After five successful Seasons, Chris Carter wanted to take *The X-Files* to the big screen, and on June 19, 1998, *The X-Files: Fight the Future* released. Filmed on a budget of $66 million, it would end up taking in $189.2 million, making it a fairly successful outing. It received mixed reviews from critics but was seen a little more positively by the fan base. The difficulty in creating a movie around the show is how do you create something that non-fans can enjoy without excluding the existing fan base and vice versa? The end result is something of a mixed bag, but the movie really shouldn't be looked at as a movie and more of a two-hour-long episode.
After five years in Vancouver, *The X-Files* moved to Los Angeles and began filming the season six episode *The Beginning*. Because of the move, they had to hire an entirely new film crew. The crew spent five weeks just unpacking and cataloging all the equipment from their Vancouver counterparts. A large portion of the fan base felt like they were being left behind, like the show was becoming too Hollywood. The sixth season has a cleaner look to it, and there were a notable amount of bigger-name guest stars. The plots also seemed to be much simpler, with broader audience appeal, but lacked what made the show so special. On top of this, the cost to produce the show also seemed to double, if not triple, overnight. The producers didn't seem to take into account the exchange rate from American to Canadian dollars, and because of the sudden price hike, they wouldn't be able to do some of the expensive special effects they could in earlier seasons. The show simultaneously became more expensive to produce and cheapened the overall quality.
A few more notable recurring characters for the series included James Pickens Jr. as Assistant Director Alvin Kirsch; Mimi Rogers as Diana Fowley, an old fling of Mulder's; and Michael McKean as Morris Fletcher.
Season six begins in Washington D.C. as Mulder faces an FBI panel for the events that transpired in the movie. Mulder and Scully are denied reassignment to The X-Files, and when Mulder goes down to his office, he finds Jeffrey Spender and Diana Fowley have been assigned instead. Mulder and Scully defy orders and instead begin tracking down an alien in Phoenix, Arizona, while the Cigarette Smoking Man is hot on their trail. They soon realize the Cigarette Smoking Man is using telepathic Gibson Praise as a means to find the alien. Scully brings the young boy to the hospital, where she discovers he has the alien virus in his blood. Later, Skinner is infected with nanobot technology by a rogue Alex Krycek, using Skinner to achieve his goals. Mulder and Scully learn of alien rebels who are burning anyone that worked on Cassandra Spender. Skinner brings Spender to the agents, where she tells them the aliens are here to destroy every living thing on Earth. She claims a group of rebel aliens are trying to fight back against the black oil by mutilating their faces. Later, Cassandra escapes from the hospital, begging Mulder to kill her, as she is the result of the Syndicate's years of work and will be used to trigger the colonization of Earth if the aliens ever learn of her existence. Fowley takes Mulder, Scully, and Cassandra by force to a CDC facility, where Mulder runs into Marita, who claims she's been used by The Syndicate for their black oil vaccine tests. Meanwhile, The Syndicate all gathered to be taken away by the colonizing aliens, only to be burned alive by the rebels, except for the Cigarette Smoking Man and Diana, who managed to escape. Cigarette Smoking Man then seemingly kills Jeffrey Spender.
Months later, a metallic artifact is uncovered on a beach in Côte d'Ivoire, Africa. Mulder begins suffering from headaches after examining rubbings taken from the artifact. Mulder's condition continues to worsen, and he gains telepathic abilities. The symbols on the artifacts are revealed to be Navajo, and Mulder slips into a more delusional state where he's sent to the hospital and placed under observation. Scully travels to Côte d'Ivoire and finds buried under the beach a large wreck of a spacecraft.
Accompanying the main story are some great standout standalone episodes like *Dreamland*, where Mulder's body gets swapped with Morris Fletcher; *Drive*, about a man who must continue heading west, otherwise his head may explode; and *Triangle*, where Mulder goes in search of a ship seen to have been lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
The season 6 debut episode, *The Beginning*, garnered a Nielsen rating of 11.9 with a 17 share and was viewed by 20.34 million viewers, which is a staggering drop from the season 5 debut episode, which had 27.34 million viewers. Ratings would continue to drop throughout the season, with the last episode to reach over 20 million viewers being *Rain King* at 21.24. *Milagro* would prove to be The Season's worst-performing episode with 15.2 million viewers, but as a whole, season 6 had a 22 drop for its premiere and a 15.5 percent drop for its finale. Season 6 still managed to rank as the 12th most-watched TV series during the 1998-1999 television season. The show received mostly positive reviews, but fans felt alienated by the change of location and overall tone of the show. Episodes were less "Monster of the Week" and more silly or romantic, like *Rain King* and *Dreamland*. Fans on the internet would start calling these episodes "X-Files Lite." The episodes *Alpha* and *Trevor* were both significantly derided for feeling generic and dull. Season 6 was nominated for eight Emmys, for which it would only come away with one: Outstanding Makeup for a Series for the episodes *Two Fathers* and *One Son*. This would also be the final season of the show and any of its cast would be nominated for a Golden Globe, with no wins.
After the end of season 6, the downward trend the series had been experiencing would only continue. Before the season even aired, it was met with controversy from its star, David Duchovny. David simultaneously sued Fox and announced he was leaving the show. In his lawsuit, David claimed that Fox had undersold the rights of the show to its own affiliates, which had cost him large amounts of money. David was eligible for roughly five percent, which was in his contract, but claimed he had only seen a fraction of the money. The lawsuit was eventually settled out of court for $20 million, but the entire experience put a strain on David's relationship with not just Fox, but Chris Carter as well. An anonymous source claims Chris knew Fox was screwing David but chose not to say anything about it, showing where his loyalty lied. David wasn't contracted to work beyond the seventh season, but Fox began negotiations to bring him aboard. David expressed his intentions to leave, as he wanted to spread his wings and try new things, mostly big-budget movies, which is what he always wanted to do. He would eventually be brought back for season 8, but in a diminished role.
While filming the seventh season, there was a feeling amongst the crew that this would be the final season of the show. Frank Spotnitz would later explain, "There was a pretty strong sentiment inside and outside the show that it was time to call it a day," because the show's producers felt the series was coming to an end. Many story arcs were ended throughout the season. Lance Henriksen would reprise his role for *Millennium* one last time, and in the 11th episode, *Closure*, Mulder would finally discover what happened to his sister. The idea to end this arc wasn't warmly received by all, but they felt it was time to move on from the Samantha storyline because it had been seven years, and they felt it was about time to wrap it up.
After the end of season 6, Walter Skinner and Michael Kritschgau attempt to uncover the truth behind the alien artifact. Meanwhile, Mulder is still trapped inside his own brain. Skinner and Scully are unaware that Diana is playing them, working for both the Cigarette Smoking Man while pretending to be on their side. Scully then travels to Africa to investigate the craft and learns life on Earth may have started elsewhere and all religions are based on the contact that Navajo had with aliens. Scully returns to Washington and discovers Mulder is nowhere to be found. Diana helps Scully find Mulder, which ultimately leads to her death at the hands of the Cigarette Smoking Man. Mulder begins investigating the strange disappearance of a young girl from her home, while Scully fears he is getting too emotionally attached because of his sister. Mulder's mother also takes her own life, but Mulder refuses to accept that as fact, but eventually has to come to terms with the fact that she did indeed end things herself. Mulder meets a man whose son had went missing years earlier, which leads Mulder to believe the man's son and his sister may have been taken by walk-ins, spirits that save the souls of those who are doomed to live horrible lives. Mulder uncovers evidence that proves Samantha was taken by the Cigarette Smoking Man and forced to live on an air base until eventually it's revealed that Samantha has now too become a walk-in. Mulder and Scully return to Oregon to investigate the same site worked on in the pilot. Billy Miles contacts Mulder and Scully after a series of abductions have taken place. Scully becomes ill during the investigation and returns to Washington. Meanwhile, the Cigarette Smoking Man attempts to restart the conspiracy by contacting Alex Krycek and Marita. With Marita refusing and Krychek for revenge, Mulder and Skinner return to Oregon, where Mulder becomes trapped in some kind of alien device and is ultimately abducted by the alien bounty hunter. Skinner returns to Washington, where he has to tell Scully of Mulder's abduction, and he's met by the revelation that Scully is pregnant, but she hides the fact that Mulder is the father.
Season 7 debuted with *The Sixth Extinction* and earned a Nielsen rating of 10.6 with a 16 share and was viewed by 17.82 million viewers. As the season continued, it would continue to drop and hit a low of 10.81 million viewers with the episode *Brand X*. The season started to lose its foothold with viewers, and as a result, dropped in the ranking to number 29 most-watched television program during the 1999-2000 TV season. During this time, companies were willing to fork out $225,000 for every 30-second spot that would air during *The X-Files*. Many IT and tech companies would buy spots because they believed the fan base largely consisted of IT and coder geeks.
Reviews for season 7 were marginally positive, but criticism was being thrown about much more frequently. Many felt that season 7 was easily the weakest of the entire series, and the show seemed to be lacking the magic that it used to have. One reviewer even claimed the series had become self-parody, and the only decent episodes were the ones where they poked fun at the show. It doesn't help that season 7 is saddled with some of the worst episodes of the series, including *First Person Shooter* and *Fight Club*.
Season 7 surprisingly got six Emmy nominations with three wins: Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Series and Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series, both went to the episode *First Person Shooter*, and Outstanding Makeup for a Series went to the episode *Thief*.
Season 7 was seen as the end of a chapter, a closure for many of the series' loose plot threads and characters. Mulder's mother and the Cigarette Smoking Man were both written out of the show, and Mulder's search for his sister was wrapped up, along with David's contract disputes. They were uncertain if an eighth season would even happen. Many felt that with David gone, the show had reached its natural endpoint. Without Mulder or the driving force behind him, what reason was there to continue? However, at the 11th hour, David struck a deal with Fox and would see him return, but in a reduced capacity. Instead of appearing in all 21 episodes, he instead would only appear in 12.
Producers and writers found it difficult to figure out ways of writing Mulder out of episodes, so they came up with the idea of having him abducted. With Mulder's absence, a new character would need to come in and fill in for him, a character by the name of John Doggett. Well over 100 actors had auditioned for the role of Doggett, but of the 100, only 10 were considered. Lou Diamond Phillips and hard Bockner were both considered for the role, including B-movie legend Bruce Campbell. Even though he appeared in the season 6 episode *Tithonus*, *The X-Files* isn't above using an actor for multiple roles. The role would eventually go to actor Robert Patrick, most known for playing the T-1000 in *Terminator 2: Judgment Day*, and this wasn't by accident. Producers were hoping that by adding in Robert Patrick, it would help bring in some of the audience that enjoyed his performance in that film. Another notable casting was Annabeth Gish as Monica Reyes. She would become a more prominent character in season 9 and the partner of Doggett.
With the new casting, the opening credits of the show were changed to fit in the new character, Doggett. The series had been using the same opening since the first season, but a decision was made to update it. The new opening showed updated photos from Alder and Scully. Would Doggett be added to the lineup? They also showed images referencing Scully's pregnancy and Mulder falling into an eye, which, according to Frank Spotnitz, was meant to be an abstract explanation for Mulder's absence. With David missing for a good part of the first half of the season, Chris made the decision to focus it more on Doggett than anyone else. This frustrated Gillian because she felt like she was being pushed to the side to make way for this new character, while David was unhappy because he felt like they left his abduction unexplored. David wrote an episode that would look at his abduction more closely, but Chris ultimately nixed the idea because it wasn't about Doggett. Frank Spotnitz and Chris Carter were excited with their new toys and the stories they could create with these new characters that you just couldn't do with Mulder and Scully.
Season 8 picks up where seven left off. Mulder has been abducted, and Scully is met by Agent Doggett, who's been assigned to spearhead a task force to search for Mulder. The search fails, and Doggett is assigned to The X-Files to work with Agent Scully. Eventually, Scully learns that women who have been abducted were impregnated with alien babies, and she starts to second-guess her own pregnancy. Doggett introduces Scully to an FBI agent who specializes in ritualistic crime named Monica Reyes. Shortly after, the deceased body of Fox Mulder is found. Billy Miles, who was also abducted along with Mulder, is found dead, but his body is somehow resurrected and brought back to perfect health. Mulder also somehow returns from the dead, while Scully watches over him. Mulder helps investigate several X-Files until he's fired, leaving Doggett on his own, while Mulder continues to help but in an unofficial capacity. After accepting Krychek's help, Mulder, Skinner, and Doggett are all informed of an alien virus created in secret that has replaced Billy Miles and a few other high-ranking FBI officials as super soldiers. Krychek informs them their unstoppable aliens that are here to make sure.
The human race doesn't survive the coming colonization. These super soldiers have learned of Scully's baby and are afraid it may be greater than even them.
Billy Miles arrives at FBI headquarters where all the agents, along with Krycek, help Scully escape. Skinner kills Krycek and, shortly after, Scully gives birth to a seemingly normal son. With super soldiers surrounding that, without explanation, leave once Mulder arrives on the scene. Afterwards, Dogged and Reyes report back to FBI headquarters, while Mulder takes both Scully and their son, William, back to her place.
The plan to cast Robert Patrick in the role of Doggett seemed to work, as the 18 to 35 male demographic increased by 10 percent. But this wasn't enough to stop the show's downward trend. Season 8 would reach its peak with the episode "This is Not Happening," garnering 16.9 million viewers, but everything after seemed to just drop. The nine episodes that did not feature Mulder only had an average of 13 million viewers, while the 12 that did had an average of 13.93 million viewers. But this was an overall loss of viewership when compared to season seven.
The season received mixed to positive reviews, with many feeling the addition of Doggett and the search for Mulder briefly revitalized the series. With many reviewers claiming the mythology-based episodes to be the weakest of the bunch. Robert Patrick would go on to win a Saturn Award for Best Television Actor, and this series would receive its final Emmy nomination and win before season 9 would debut.
A spin-off series featuring three of The X-Files' most beloved characters would come out called "The Lone Gunman." Originally debuting March 4th, 2001, "The Lone Gunman" would follow Byers, Langley, and Frohickie as they run their magazine, "The Lone Gunman," in an attempt to expose the CD underbelly of corporate crime, surveillance states, and government-sponsored terrorism, except done in a light tone with some slapstick humor. The show does have an eerie connection to the tragedy of 9/11, as the very first episode of the series focused on a plot to remotely hijack an airliner heading to Boston and crash it into the World Trade Center. The series mostly gained favorable reviews; they're just unfortunately wasn't an audience for it, and it got canceled after just 13 episodes. The series ended on a cliffhanger but would pick up with the season 9 X-Files episode "Jump the Shark," and that name couldn't be more fitting for season 9.
Both David and Gillian's roles were significantly reduced, with Mulder only appearing in the very last two episodes and Scully being pushed to the back so Doggett and Reyes could take over as the new show's leads. The opening was changed once again to add in Reyes and now Walter Skinner, who was pushed up to a main cast member. Chris Carter felt the show could continue on and changed the opening credits to match the new starring cast. After the completion of season 8, DaCosta announced he would be permanently leaving the show, and because of this, the show's future was up in the air. Chris Carter no longer had a contract with Fox and was going to let the series continue on without him until he started hearing some of the ideas the crew were coming up with, which reignited his excitement, causing him to sign a new contract. Gillian Anderson also signed on at the last moment but made it clear that this season would be her last. Frank Spotnitz was hoping the show could go on for a 10th and 11th season, but with the dwindling audience, the show was eventually canceled.
With news that the show was coming to an end, it was a mad dash to wrap up loose plot threads. The Lone Gunman's final appearance in the episode "Jump the Shark," in which the three characters are killed off, is is one of the dumbest decisions ever made by the producers. Frank Spotnitz fought to get this episode made because, reportedly, the studio told him that Fox hated the characters and did not want them to make a return at all. For similar reasons, Doggett was given closure for his son with the episode "Release." New characters were introduced for season 9. Carrie Gorsuch was cast as Brad Fulmer, an assistant director of the FBI, and a new recurring character. A new leader for the Syndicate was found in New Zealand actor Alan Dale, named the Toothpick Man. Lucy Lawless was cast as a would-be recurring character named Shannon McMahon but had to drop out after the first episode when she found out she was pregnant with a high-risk pregnancy.
After David left the show, fans and critics turned on it because the heart of the show was Scully and Mulder's relationship. You couldn't just slap any two characters in those roles and act like everything was the same. Realizing just how important David was to the show, Chris managed to open up negotiations with him, with the hopes he could at least get David back for the finale. David would eventually sign on and make his one and only real appearance in the entire season.
After the conclusion of season 8, Mulder has gone off into hiding. Scully is reassigned, teaching back at the Academy, and Reyes and Doggett are now in charge of The X-Files. Doug investigates the death of an EPA official, which leads him to a reclamation plant where he discovers the woman who killed him was a former Marine associate of his and now has become a super soldier. This leads Doggett to a naval ship where they discover experiments are being performed which may have some connection to Scully's baby. Scully begins to miss Mulder, and a shadowy man offers his services to locate him. Unbeknownst to her, however, the man is a super soldier bent on killing her and Mulder. After a chase through a quarry, the man is killed after being exposed to magnetite. Later, Doggett and Scully find a UFO cult that found a craft similar to the one Scully found years prior. Unable to trust the FBI, Scully enlists the help of The Lone Gunman to protect and hide her son from the cult, but the cult is ultimately successful in taking her son. Meanwhile, Doggett is hit by a car, and the Transformer and the Toothpick Man try to uncover the plans of the three agents. Afterwards, Scully and Reyes leave Washington to try and find William. Doggett finds a disfigured man believed to be Mulder, who sticks William with a needle, which is revealed to be a cure for William's powers. The disfigured man is eventually shown to be Mulder's half-brother, Jeffrey Spender.
In the series finale, Mulder returns and breaks into an army base looking for classified information. He's caught but somehow manages to kill one of these super soldiers. Mulder is put on Military Tribunal but is ultimately broken out. Mulder and Scully leave to New Mexico, where they find an old wise man who turns out to be the Cigarette Smoking Man. He explains to the agents that on December 22nd, 2012, the aliens will begin colonization. The Cigarette Smoking Man is killed by a missile fired by the man Mulder was on trial for killing. Mulder and Scully run, becoming fugitives of the FBI, and wind up in a motel, mirroring how they spent their first case together nine years ago.
The ratings for season 9 were pretty bad when compared to what came before. The audience had all but left once Mulder and Scully were pushed to the wayside. The final episode of the series would be seen by 13.25 million viewers and would be the highest-rated episode of the season. The finale was mixed to say the least. The show would become so convoluted and confusing, it was nearly impossible to piece together just what exactly was happening. It was a sad demise for a show with so much character and so much excitement. The worst part is the ending only left more questions to be answered: What's going to happen to William? What about the plan for colonization? What happens to Mulder and Scully now that they're on the run? Many fans at this point in the series were just happy to see it end, not because they wanted it to, but just because it had become a hollow husk of what it once was. Critics blamed the cancellation of the show on an increasingly incoherent storyline and casting. Crew thought the reason for the decline in viewership was due to the 9/11 terror attacks and people not wanting to distrust their government anymore. While a country mourned, while The X-Files TV show was canceled, the series wasn't done just yet. Our agents would return, but this time in video game form.
"The X-Files: Resist or Serve" came out in 2004 for the Sony PlayStation 2. It was developed by Black Ops Entertainment and published by Vivendi Universal. The video game is set during the events of season 7 and is presented as three lost episodes: Renaissance, Resonance, and Reckoning. Taking place following the events of season 7 episode "The Sixth Extinction II," each episode would act as a different level of the game, with each one even beginning with The X-Files opening credit sequence. "X-Files: Resist or Serve" is a third-person survival horror game in the vein of the Resident Evil franchise. You choose either Mulder or Scully, both of which are voiced by their respective actors, going through much of the same locations with slight variations in gameplay when choosing either character. When the game came out, it got mixed reviews, with many citing it being a rip-off of Resident Evil, while others did applaud it for managing to capture the feel of the show. The game has seen more of a positive reception over the years as people go back and replay it, and if you would like to as well, just be prepared to spend a decent amount because it's somewhat of a hard-to-find game.
Things went quiet once again after the release of the game, that is until 2007 when rumors of a second movie started popping up. On July 15th, 2007, Reuters wrote a report stating that a second film was indeed in development. When David Duchovny was asked about the project, he said, "I'm supposed to see a script next week." There was a rumor going around prior to this that Gillian wouldn't return and was going to be replaced by Julianne Moore, but this was never true. It did lead fans bickering online about who was sexier and how Gillian's career was dead. Though things started picking up steam when in December 2007, Amanda Peet and Billy Connolly were cast alongside rapper Xzibit for the new film. Fans waited with bated breath, and on May 12th, 2008, the trailer for the film released. Reactions for the trailer were mixed to say the least. "Not an X-Files fan, but I might check it out." "So excited!" "Was that a split-second lead into a Scully-Mulder kiss I saw too?" "So when the hell is this about? Just a girl dying, not about aliens." "Looks way better than I thought it would." "Is that the guy from Pimp My Ride in those scenes as the officer?" "The Dark Knight will murder this in its second week. It looks [ __ ] [ __ ] that trail didn't say [ __ ] other than there was another movie coming. It's been so long I don't even really care what the plot is about as long as they make Scully hot and Mulder stops being such a hoe and taps it, then I'll call it a winner."
"The X-Files: I Want to Believe" would release on July 25th, 2008, budgeted at $30 million. The film would take in $68.4 million worldwide and was seen as a moderate financial success. All the film stars claimed that Juggernaut that was "The Dark Knight," which released the week after, was a big reason for the movie's disappointing box office. Comparatively, it was a steep drop-off from the previous film, which managed to take in $189 million at the end of its theatrical run. Reviews were mixed to average. Manohla Dargis of The New York Times called it "baggy, draggy, oddly timed and strangely off the mark." Roger Ebert gave it a positive review, saying it "involved actual questions of morality. Just as The Dark Knight, it does. It's not simply about good and evil, but about choices." The biggest problem with the movie is it just felt like a generic "monster of the week" episode. It didn't continue where we left off with our agents, who were both supposed to be fugitives from the FBI, while Mulder was. But Scully was now working at a Catholic hospital. It felt more like an episode like "Miracle Man" or the season 5 episode "All Souls." Any of the questions fans had at the end of the series were still present, and what we were left with was a mediocre episode of the show, only twice as long.
With the mediocre success of the second film, talk of a sequel picked up, with Chris Carter saying a third film would indeed happen and shift focus back to the mythology arc and the upcoming colonization of the Earth in 2012. Over the years, talk would spring up every now and then about the possibility of a third film, but it ultimately just never came to be. Poor performance for the second film was likely the main culprit, with Frank Spotnitz blaming the fact the film wasn't about aliens is what really hurt it. Speaking with Empire in 2013, Chris Carter was still hopeful a third film could happen and that it would not ignore the 2012 colonization date.
Things were quiet for a few years after the film's release, but in 2013, a season 10 was announced, except in comic book form. Publishing company IDW would release a 25-issue season 10 comic book that would pick up where the show left off and continue the mythology arc, along with having "monster of the week" stories and even bringing back the Fluke Man, as he was never really killed off. The issues were written by comic book writer Joe Harris, who had to get approval from both IDW and Fox for his stories. He eventually convinced Chris Carter to become executive producer for the comics, and he would keep things in line to make sure the stories were in line with the existing canon. The comics even brought back The Lone Gunmen, who were revealed to have faked their deaths. The comic was successful enough that a season 11 was produced in 2015, but only consisting of eight main books and one special. Some of the stories from the books were also adapted into audio dramas that David, Gillian, and other cast members would voice, such as "The X-Files: Cold Cases" and "The X-Files: Stolen Lives."
In 2015, Fox Television Group Chairman and CEO Gary Newman announced that The X-Files would be returning, but not as a third movie. No, instead, it would be coming back as a six-episode mini-event. He also assured that all the key players in the original series would be returning to their iconic roles. Both David and Gillian were excited at the prospect of returning to Mulder and Scully, with Gillian saying she would be [ __ ] overjoyed if The X-Files were indeed brought back. Anderson did have some reservations, though, because she assumed the series would be getting a full 24-episode season, which she really didn't want to commit to. But once she found out the shorter episode run, she was ecstatic. While she wasn't ecstatic about was the fact that she would only be getting paid half of what David was, and considering she's equally as important to the success of the series, she renegotiated and was paid the same amount.
On a March 31st, 2015, appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman," David let it slip that both Mitch Pileggi and William B. Davis would be returning to their iconic roles. Robert Patrick turned down an offer to return, but it was confirmed that Annabeth Gish would come back for at least one episode. Joel McHale was also cast in a guest-starring role as Tad O'Malley, a news anchor and ally of Mulder's. Lauren Ambrose was hired as Agent Liz Einstein, a medical doctor and skeptic. Robbie Amell was hired on as Agent Kid Miller, partner of Einstein and believer in the paranormal. These two sound awfully familiar to me. Both were cast in the hopes of the show's success and would eventually take over as the new agents investigating The X-Files. Chris Carter would be returning to helm the series, with Darren Morgan and James Wong returning to write, while Glen Morgan would return as a producer. Longtime producer Vince Gilligan wanted to return but he was too busy with his spin-off series "Better Call Saul." Mark Snow was brought back to the series for the show's music and said, "There are some new musical elements I brought in for certain moments in the episodes." Chris Carter said that he had a lot of ideas that he had been compiling since 2002 and that in this very new political environment, it was going to be difficult to pull off. The show would consist of six episodes, with two being mythology and the other four being standalone "monster of the week" types. Filming for the series would commence on June 8th, 2015, and finish September 3rd.
The new limited season would air on January 24th, 2016, with the episode "My Struggle." Fourteen years after The X-Files were closed for good, Walter Skinner has Scully contact Mulder to have him meet with an online journalist named Tad O'Malley. Scully and Mulder are reunited and picked up by O'Malley, who brings them to a young woman named Sveta, who claims to have memories of her fetuses being stolen during alien abductions. O'Malley brings Mulder to a secret location which is housing alien technology, and Mulder now believes the colonization plan to have been a hoax from the beginning. Mulder now believes it was men using alien technology and not aliens that have been abducting people. O'Malley tries to go public with the claims but is shut down. Military comes to destroy the craft and all the scientists inside, while a UFO abducts Sveta while she's in her car. Scully conducts a test revealing the boss, Sveta, and herself have alien DNA. Mulder believes Sveta is the key to exposing everything, and both Mulder and Scully are requested by Skinner to come meet them. The Cigarette Smoking Man, still somehow alive after taking a missile to the face, receives a report that The X-Files have been reopened.
Six weeks later, Mulder has disappeared. Scully informs Skinner and Agent Liz Einstein of his disappearance. When a visibly sick Mulder attempts to leave Washington, O'Malley tells Scully every American citizen has been injected with alien DNA in order to spread the Spartan virus, which will destroy their immune systems. Scully and Einstein notice more and more people being admitted into the hospitals, while Agent Miller finds Mulder's position with a phone tracking app. Scully receives a call from Agent Reyes that they need to meet, where she reveals to Scully that the Cigarette Smoking Man has offered both of them survival in the coming end times. Scully attempts to create a vaccine using her DNA, which seems to be protected from the virus. Mulder finds the Cigarette Smoking Man and is offered survival, which Mulder refuses. He's found by Agent Miller, who brings him back to Washington, hoping for some kind of cure. Scully finds Mulder and Miller on the 14th Street Bridge, and Scully tells them Mulder can live with a stem cell transplant from their son, William. The virus starts to take Mulder when a beam of light shines on him. A triangle-shaped craft hovers above Scully as she looks up, and the episode ends.
The show opened with a bang, pulling in 16.9 million viewers, and when taking into account DVR, was seen by 21.4 million. There was a steady drop-off, with the next episode only pulling 14.38 million, and the lowest being "Battle on" with 10.9. Reviews for the season were very mixed. Both mythology episodes were seen as just so-so or even negatively, where the standalone episodes were given a more positive reception. The most well-received episode by both critics and fans seemed to be the Darren Morgan-written episode "Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster."
The fate of The X-Files was once again up in the air. David said if the season was a success, he would do another, but he was too old to be doing a 20-episode run. Chris Carter said, "If we do well in the ratings, I can't imagine we wouldn't be asked to do more." Everyone seemed to be ready and willing to do another season, and on April 20th, 2017, Fox announced that an 11th season would be happening, with the episode count increasing to 10. Filming for season 11 began in August 2017, back in Vancouver, where the first five seasons of the show were filmed. The writers for this season would use index cards to get their ideas across to the producers. They spread out their ideas on a board with all of these cards, and everyone would pull off what they did or didn't like about the idea, building it up and making changes until it was much stronger than when it started. Again, season 11 will be bookended by mythology episodes, and Chris Carter said that he was the one that created the series, and he'd be the one to put an end to it all. The usual cast members would return for season 11, with Gillian expressing that once this season was over, she was officially finished with The X-Files. Chris Carter would also say that he wouldn't do any more X-Files without her, saying, "For me, The X-Files is Mulder and Scully. I think if it were without Scully, I wouldn't do it. That's not my X-Files."
In February 2018, Chris Carter talked back this statement, saying that he could see the show continuing without Gillian. The writers were also interested in bringing back Doggett for this season, but scheduling conflicts prevented Robert Patrick from being able to film. Newcomer Miles Robbins would be cast in the role of Jackson Vande Camp, or William Scully, continuing where season 10 left off. Things are retconned as the final episode left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. Now, instead, Scully awakes in bed after seeing a vision of what could happen if they aren't able to prevent it. Mulder listens to what she has to say and proceeds to investigate. Jeffrey Spender arrives and tells Scully someone is looking for her son. He doesn't tell her where he is but gives her the name of the family that adopted him: the Vande Camps. Mulder trails a man who he believes will bring him to the Cigarette Smoking Man, instead bringing him to the two new conspirators. The attempt to make an offer to Mulder for his son, but he simply won't do it. Walter tries to meet with Scully but instead finds himself confronted by the Cigarette Smoking Man and Reyes. Scully attempts to leave the hospital, but a seizure prevents her from doing so. Agents Einstein and Miller rescue her and bring her back to the hospital and then are never seen again.
An assassin attempts to kill Scully, only for Mulder to arrive, slicing the man's neck. Skinner arrives, and Mulder confronts him as he smells like smoke. Flashing back to Skinner being in the car with the Cigarette Smoking Man, it's revealed that he, not Mulder, is William's father through artificial means. Scully awakes in a dark room in a strange house, and Mulder believes she experienced sleep paralysis in her memory of the event. She finds a snow globe with a boat inside it. Mulder and Scully head to a nearby dock, where they meet Detective Costa. Scully's attention is grabbed as she notices a man watching them from a walkway. Costa tells them the victims asked if they found Ghoulie. When Scully turns back, the man is gone. They ask the teens about the incident and are told about their boyfriend, Jackson Vande Camp. The agents arrive at the house in Scully's dream, which is the Vande Camp home. Gunshots are heard, and Scully finds Jackson upstairs shot. After they leave, Jackson sits up and leaves. Mulder meets with Skinner, telling him to drop the investigation. Mulder then confirms that Scully and Jackson share the same DNA. Jackson's at the hospital, explaining to his girlfriend that Ghoulie doesn't exist and there are people after him. After the death of some DOD members, Jackson escapes the hospital. Over the course of the season, the agents continue to search for William.
In the season finale, William is shot by the Cigarette Smoking Man, thinking he is Mulder. The real Mulder appears, shooting the Cigarette Smoking Man. Scully reveals William was not their son but an experiment implanted by the Cigarette Smoking Man. Mulder's struggles with this until Scully reveals to him that she's pregnant with his child, something that should have been an impossibility. William then resurfaces in the water, still alive and conscious.
Season 11 struggled to gain any viewers after the disastrous season 10 drove most of them away. 5.15 million viewers would watch the season premiere, which would be the high point of the season, with ratings going as low as just 3 million viewers with the episode "Nothing Lasts Forever." Despite the season as a whole being more positively received, the nostalgia of The X-Files returning had worn off after the disappointing season 10 and 11. Talk of any return had seemingly dissipated. David would occasionally hint that he may be up for returning, but Gillian herself was done.
In the past few years, a few more X-Files projects have been discussed. A spin-off animated show called "X-Files Albuquerque" was announced and would follow an X-Files B-team of misfits who would tackle cases too silly or ridiculous for Mulder and Scully, but it was taken off the table when Chris Carter mentioned there was a reboot in the works as well, with "Black Panther" director Ryan Coogler attached. The rebooted show would not feature the two main stars and would instead focus on a new cast. The X-Files already tried to replace its two leads two separate times, and both were outright rejected by the fan base, so I have doubts that this reboot will actually happen, and if it does, I highly doubt it'll be any good.
The X-Files was one of the most influential shows of the 90s. It helped create household names in David and Gillian and became a blueprint for series in the future, like "Breaking Bad." Though it had a rough second half, you can't deny the cultural impact the show has had, and some 30 years later, it still has fans. Cap activated, because the truth will always be out there. My private dick who's a sex machine with all the chicks. Chef, I did not. [Music]