The X-Files

Starring: Gillian Anderson (201 episodes), David Duchovny (178 episodes), Mitch Pileggi (81 episodes), Robert Patrick (40 episodes), Tom Braidwood (39 episodes), William B. Davis (38 episodes), Bruce Harwood (36 episodes), Dean Haglund (35 episodes), Nicholas Lea (24 episodes), Annabeth Gish (23 episodes), James Pickens Jr. (19 episodes), Steven Williams (15 episodes), Laurie Holden (10 episodes), Mimi Rogers (7 episodes), Cary Elwes (6 episodes), Adam Baldwin (5 episodes), Michael McKean (4 episodes), Terry O'Quinn (3 episodes), Neal McDonough (2 episodes), Eddie Kaye Thomas (2 episodes), Lucy Lawless (2 episodes), Bradley Whitford (1 episode), Peter Boyle (1 episode), Giovanni Ribisi (1 episode), Tony Shalhoub (1 episode), Lily Tomlin (1 episode), John Hawkes (1 episode), Felicity Huffman (1 episode), Donal Logue (1 episode), Jack Black (1 episode), Dean Norris (1 episode), Lucy Liu (1 episode), Jodie Foster (1 episode), Luke Wilson (1 episode), Bruce Campbell (1 episode), Lance Henriksen (1 episode), Garry Shandling (1 episode), Seth Green (1 episode), Titus Welliver (1 episode), Tobin Bell (1 episode), Tea Leoni (1 episode), James Remar (1 episode), Michael Emerson (1 episode), Shia LaBeouf (1 episode), J.T. Walsh (1 episode), Ryan Reynolds (1 episode), M. Emmet Walsh (1 episode), Octavia Spencer (1 episode), Bryan Cranston (1 episode), Kathy Griffin (1 episode), Danny Trejo (1 episode), James Franco (1 episode), M.C. Gainey (1 episode), Aaron Paul (1 episode), Burt Reynolds (1 episode),
Directed by: Kim Manners (52 episodes), Rob Bowman (33 episodes), David Nutter (15 episodes), Chris Carter (10 episodes), David Duchovny (3 episodes), Vince Gilligan (2 episodes), Gillian Anderson (1 episode)
Rating: TV-14
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Science Fiction, Horror
1993-2002

Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9

Summary: FBI Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) investigate strange and unexplainable cases.

Review:
Tim: For almost 14 years, I fought against the idea of including television series in The Movie Files website. It says it right there in the title, Movie. However, it's been pretty obvious that the lines between television and the silver screen are blurring. More "movie stars" are doing television and the quality of television often rivals or surpasses what's happening in the movies. Based on all of that, I finally relented and decided to include television series. The very first one I reviewed? You're reading it. "The X-Files" is the definitive television series of my formative years. I was way too young to start watching it when I did and I would often go to bed and suffer from nightmares based on what I saw. The next week, you can bet I was there for the opening credits once again. I love "The X-Files" in a way that I never loved anything else on TV (until "Lost" arrived). This is one of the greatest television shows of all time.

The duo of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully is one of the best ever conceived for TV. I just love these two characters so much- they are hands-down my favorite TV duo of all time. I love that they are very different, opposite people, and yet, they work exceptionally well together. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson were truly remarkable in their roles. No one else could have brought these characters to life as effectively. Their on-screen chemistry is undeniable. They are great fun watching together and remain the single best aspect of this entire television series.

I love that "The X-Files" was unlike anything else on television when it debuted. The idea that people would watch an hour-long show in prime time about FBI Agents investigating unexplainable events, mixing horror and science fiction together must have seemed pretty crazy. And yet, it works. It was refreshingly unique and changed the landscape of television forever. I'm not a TV expert, but this is obviously one of the most influential television series of the last few decades.

Now, I could go on and on about how much I love this show. I could break it down to specifics, but much has been said about this show already. I do want to point out the biggest frustration I have with the show. That was the departure of David Duchovny. While he popped in now and again, the lack of Mulder on screen absolutely butchered the last couple of seasons. It's very sad to see such a great show fall on hard times towards the end. This is an example of a show that probably went on a few seasons too long. I hate to say that, but this classic series is a cautionary tale about not going on too long.

Now, no series is perfect, but "The X-Files" did things that no one had ever done before. It's a trailblazer, it's a iconic, classic series. Watching this series over 9 years (and I've seen most seasons twice) has been one of the biggest pleasures of my television watching life.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Series, We Recommend: Lost, The X-Files movie, The X-Files: I Want to Believe