With the recent news that another revival is in development (link for anyone who hasn’t heard: https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/sinners-ryan-coogler-x-files-reboot-1236373137/), I wanted to create a thread for people to discuss my other favourite TV show, The X-Files. While I often see Star Trek described as Doctor Who’s American equivalent, I personally think the X-Files fits far better for a variety of reasons (including the horror elements, the smaller main cast and the more grounded focus), and I actually started watching it as I was looking for other shows that are similar to Doctor Who. While it is very much its own thing, it is inextricably bound up with Doctor Who in my mind due to the reason I started watching it, and the fact the format is a bit of a progenitor to New Who in some respects.
I’d love to hear from fans of the show or anyone who wants to get into it - in spite of the fact it is now over 30 years old, I think it holds up really well for the most part. If anyone has any favourite episodes, memories associated with the show, stray observations, or hopes, predictions or concerns for the new version, please feel free to share them here
My first season of this was the first series of the revival which I really enjoyed, few years later I went on and watched the first two seasons but god they were so long I still need to continue someday!
Wow, that must have made for quite an interesting viewing experience! I personally really enjoyed the two revival seasons (while the main arc was pretty weak, there were some absolutely cracking standalone episodes - Mulder and Scully meet the Were-Monster is an all-time classic!), I think they generally aren’t regarded that well amongst the fanbase.
Seasons 1 and 2 are classics, but you’re absolutely right that there is a lot of them! When I was first watching the show, I would take breaks after each season, to avoid getting tired of it. Another thing that helped me was reading retrospectives after each episode - it helped me to consider fresh perspectives on each episode afterwards. Robert Shearman (he of Dalek, Chimes of Midnight and Jubilee fame) wrote a cracking book with his reviews of each episode, Wanting to Believe, which I read whilst I was making my way through the series, and I enjoyed reading it almost as much as the episodes themselves.
Do you have any particular favourite episodes of those you’ve watched? Do you plan to get back into the series someday?
Ooft I can’t remember if I’m being honest I’d need to look! I struggle with long seasons that you get from American shows, generally if theres more than 13 and theyre not like Abbott Elementary length (25 mins) I avoid like the plague.
I think Star Trek is semi-decent comparison to Doctor Who in that Star Trek is a more hopeful outlook. Whereas X-Files is more analogous with Torchwood, which leans into the more darker themes, has more open-ended conclusions, and is less child-friendly.
That’s fair - there are quite a few filler episodes in each season, so it’s absolutely fine to skip some if it’s too much. When I was trying to get a friend into the show, I ended up creating a viewing guide with a list of all the main arc and good standalone episodes - I’ll try and track it down, in case I can post it here for those who might be interested.
I would definitely recommend giving the show another chance, if you’re up for it - season 3 is usually regarded as the best season, so very worth a watch!
Squeeze is an absolute classic, and probably another great illustration of the Doctor Who comparison for me - despite the effects being a little wonky, the horror is sufficiently grounded and “everyday” that it overcomes the limitations of the time, and I think it really works even today.
The next couple of episodes are a bit up and down - the show is very much in the “finding itself” stage through most of season 1. A bit like the Hinchcliffe years of Doctor Who, there is quite a lot of ripping off of other horror tropes, with varying degrees of success. Episodes 8 and 13 are absolute classics off the top of my head though.
I have a pretty big soft spot for season 1 - it is extremely 90s, which I love, and it’s great to see the show evolve into the juggernaut it eventually becomes. Please continue to share your thoughts as you go through, I’d love to read them!
A new revival… why… I love the original run of X Files, though I must say I find it all a little bittersweet these days because I no longer really speak to the friends I used to love watching it with
That said, the first few seasons are absolutely fantastic, I really ought to rewatch it all soon
That’s fair. I haven’t seen Torchwood, but the X-Files reminds me quite strongly tonally of the Hinchcliffe years of Doctor Who, which are a particular favourite of mine. Listen is another episode which I think checks all the X-Files boxes (mature tone, open-ended conclusion, very spooky), and is a big favourite for me
I’ll be very interested to see if this new revival ends up happening, and how closely (or not) it hews to the classic seasons. Unlike the last revival, Chris Carter doesn’t seem to be involved, and it seems there will be a new lead cast. I’m cautiously optimistic - I think there are a lot of exciting things that could be done with a new iteration of the show, but an equal number of ways to go wrong.
I watched this religiously in the 90s but never clicked when the new agents turned up and I don’t think I properly watched the final season or so.
My controversial opinion (possibly, who knows, I’m not part of the fandom) is that the ‘arc’ episodes were the boring ones and I always preferred the ‘monster of the week’ stuff by far.
That is very much an uncontroversial opinion these days I think - the monster of the week episodes tend to be regarded as the classics now. While the arc episodes are intriguing to begin with, I think it becomes quite clear by around season 4 that they never really go anywhere.
The first season with the new agents (season 8) is actually pretty solid in my opinion - season 9 is weaker, but there are still a few classics amongst them.
If it is controversial, well, you’re right. The ‘arc’ is so daft in this show… I did like Rayes and Doggett though, I thought they brought in a change that was a bit needed.
I’m not sure if that makes me feel better or worse. The revival as is, is absolutely dreadful so I guess it can’t be worse than that, but if it’s not Mulder and Scully and it’s not under Carter’s influence, you might as well just write a new show altogether, right?
I really enjoy Doggett and Reyes, and I think they are very clever spins on Mulder and Scully’s “believer/sceptic” dynamic (specifically, Doggett as a very down to earth, pragmatic ex-cop sceptic, and Reyes as a kind of new age, more spiritual believer). It’s a shame that they weren’t more positively received at the time - as you say, they brought a new feel to the show, and there are several great episodes which build on their characters and dynamics.
I enjoyed the standalone episodes from the revival seasons, but I agree the arc left a lot to be desired. Following Doggett and Reyes’ example, I think you can do a version of the X-Files without Mulder and Scully, but it needs to be very carefully considered, and strike that “X-Files tone” that the original show did.
Yes, I can imagine Doggett and Reyes were unloved at the time, but I was happy to have them. And I do realise I’m being somewhat of a hypocrite by saying ‘I liked the change they brought’ and ‘X Files isn’t X Files without Mulder and Scully’. I contain multitudes, I guess. I think basically I’m tired of living in remakes world so I don’t think I see much point in all new cast and plot X Files.
I also agree that it was a perfect 90s moment and I guess that would make a modern take interesting to compare. Though it would probably suffer for constant comparison. I think I’m talking myself in loops here!
I think it’s perfectly fair both to accept that a rebooted version of a show could work, but also not to be particularly keen on it actually happening - reboot fatigue is a real thing For me, the X-Files falls into that Doctor Who category where I’ll watch any new episodes they make regardless because I love the concept of it, but as you say, a big part of its original success was how much it captured the zeitgeist at the time it first released.
You definitely aren’t talking in loops, there just isn’t a lot to go on with the new version right now! If it actually goes ahead, hopefully there will be some more concrete things we can discuss
Thanks - I heard about this in another thread the other day as well. I was planning to make a start on Torchwood this weekend, but didn’t get around to doing it. When I do, I’ll pop into the TV club threads!
I still need to continue someday!
For me, the X-Files falls into that Doctor Who category where I’ll watch any new episodes they make regardless because I love the concept of it, but as you say, a big part of its original success was how much it captured the zeitgeist at the time it first released.