Every Season of 'The X-Files,' Ranked (original) (raw)
Every Season of The X-Files, Ranked
Image via Federico Napoli
Published Jun 16, 2024, 6:40 PM EDT
Amy is a third-generation Cajun from Southwest Louisiana with a love for the outdoors and dark interior rooms, respectively. She was a 'drama kid' in high school and competed at the national level. Amy graduated from the University of Mississippi where she double majored in English and Fine Art. She is an artist of many mediums but enjoys working with her hands (see Cajun).
Amy has consistently chosen film and television events (premieres, season finales, etc.) over national holidays and life milestones to her family's continued dismay and befuddlement. She is a Virgo, has too many pets, and was informally educated by an antique television.
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Summary
- The X-Files started strong, inspired by iconic shows, drawing in viewers with Mulder and Scully's paranormal journey.
- The series became a cult classic, racking up Emmy and Golden Globe nominations and wins over its 11 seasons.
- Not all seasons were equal, with some lackluster moments and a mixed reaction to the revival episodes in later seasons.
At its inception, The X-Files lured audiences in, defenseless against the magnetic pull of the show's two leads and their paranormal journey. Creator Chris Carter pulled inspiration from iconic shows like The Twilight Zone and Kolchak: The Night Stalker. In 1993, the sensational sci-fi series premiered on the Fox network as the hypnotic sounds of composer Mark Snow's theme song found their way to curious viewers worldwide. The pilot episode introduces Special Agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny), a lone wolf employee assigned to an unsolved paranormal cases unit at the FBI. Special Agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), a trained medical doctor, is newly assigned to Mulder's department to spy on him.
By the end of the first episode, audiences learn that Mulder is compelled to believe in unexplained phenomena. Conversely, it is understood that Scully is a woman of science and fact-based data, pragmatic by nature. Throughout 11 seasons, viewers follow along as the agents search for The Truth. Their unexpected alliance and subsequent devotion to each other enhanced the series' captivating content. The X-Files has become a television cult classic, nominated for 62 Primetime Emmy Awards and 12 Golden Globe Nominations, winning a combined 21 trophies. Despite its early origins, the show is still beloved and cultivating new fans daily. However, not all seasons were created equally-- some were damn near flawless.
The X-Files
Release Date
1993 - 2018-00-00
Cast
David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Robert Patrick, Annabeth Gish, Mitch Pileggi, Bradley Whitford, Doug Hutchison, Dan Butler, Jayne Atkinson, Steve Railsback, Harriet Sansom Harris, Matthew Bennett, Carl Lumbly, Raymond Cruz, Peter Boyle, Paul McCrane, Luke Wilson, Tony Shalhoub, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Jed Rees, Michael O'Neill, Scott Hylands, Nick Tate, John O'Hurley, Marnie McPhail
Main Genre
Sci-Fi
Seasons
11
11 Season 10 (2016)
Scully and Mulder Meet the Were-Monster After a 14-Year Series Hiatus
Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny question a witness in the episode Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster from The X-Files
image via Fox
Fans of The X-Files anxiously awaited Mulder and Scully's return in 2016 after an unsatisfying Season 9 finale. Unfortunately, the return was more bitter than sweet. The mythology episodes "My Struggle I & II" attempt to bring audiences up to speed. At the same time, conspiracy theorist Tad O'Malley (Joel McHale) warns against a government conspiracy disguised as a global contagion. The forgettable episode "Home Again" features a monster mouthful, the Band-Aid Nose Man, an elusive garbage-related hero of the underdog. Next, "Babylon" begins with a pair of suicide bombers, but the muddied thesis is lost and loses focus. The episode introduces two silly new Mulder and Scully doppelgängers, Agents Einstein (Lauren Ambrose) and Miller (Robbie Amell), accompanied by audible groans from fans worldwide.
The highly anticipated return of the OG cast arrived in what the network initially called "an event series" featuring an abbreviated 6-episode tease. The first episode, "My Struggle," was aptly named and captured how viewers felt as they tuned in. The finale bookend, "My Struggle II," was considerably more of a struggle, with critics referring to the episode as "...a disappointingly sloppy conclusion to The X-Files' long-awaited revival." The lackluster 6-pack has two redeeming installments: "Founders Mutation" and "Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster," respectively. Anderson's wig is distracting (she didn't like it either), and the writing is woefully self-indulgent, but the Monster-of-the-Week episodes were wrapped in hassle-free packaging.
10 Season 11(2018)
"Where are they taking Reggie?"
Gillian Anderson flashes her badge while standing beside her partner David Duchovny from The X-Files
image via Fox
Scully experiences a series of medical events preceding futuristic visions involving her son, William/Jackson (Miles Robbins), and the fate of the human race. The Cigarette Smoking Man/CSM (William B. Davis), aka "The Human Cockroach," has returned via miracle after explosive events in the Season 9 finale. CSM has recruited Agent Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) and irritated A.D. Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) with unsettling revelations. After several unremarkable stand-alone episodes, The X-Files is officially back with "The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat." Additionally, fans are thrown a Skinner backstory bone in "Kitten," technology fights back in "Rm9sbG93ZXJz," and "Familiar" creeps with nostalgic Monster-of-the-Week flair.
Though the first attempt at a revival garnered a below-_X-File_-average critical score of 6/10, the seriesreturned for an additional 10-episode run. Carter decided viewers hadn't sufficiently struggled through "My Struggle I & II," so Season 11 opened and closed with the equally panned mythology episodes "My Struggle III & IV." While the season fared better than its 6-episode predecessor in 2016, it often felt too forced. The new seasons did little to wrap up loose ends from Season 9, nor did it clarify glaring potholes in Mulder and Scully's relationship following the often debated second feature film, I Want To Believe. Like any devoted fan base, X-Philes dutifully tuned in for Season 11. They want to believe Mulder and Scully could still return...
9 Season 9 (2001–2002)
Fully-Loaded Season with Agents Doggett and Reyes, Hold the Mulder.
Annabeth Gish walks behind Robert Patrick on the phone in The X-Files
Image via Fox
Scully takes a position teaching at Quantico, and Agents Reyes and Doggett (Robert Patrick) take the paranormal wheel in a disjointed Season 9. Unfortunately for Carter and Co., lackluster ratings following the opening double feature, "Nothing Important Happened Today I & II," continued. Save a few Monster-of-the-Week episodes (which barely resembled "monsters"), including "Audrey Pauley," "Improbable," and "Sunshine Days," The X-Files wasa shell casing of the hot speeding bullet it once was. Mythology episodes "Provenance," "William," and the series finale, "The Truth I & II," were mere scraps for fans looking for a satisfying last supper.
By Season 9, Carter and Anderson were hanging on by a thin contractual thread. With Mulder in hiding, Doggett and Reyes are promoted to lead investigators in the X-Files department, occasionally requiring Scully's expertise. Three's a crowd, and no one likes a backseat driver, thus creating an assortment of episodes with viewers frequently scratching their heads. The appearance of guest stars, including Burt Reynolds, Lucy Lawless, and Michael McKean, reprising his role as Morris Fletcher, served as hopeful life preservers aboard a sinking vessel to no avail. News of Duchovny's return for the series finale was a dangled carrot fans couldn't resist. However, they showed up to learn "The Truth" and walked away with unanswered questions and a vacant longing for what could have been.
8 Season 7 (1999–2000)
For Behind-the-Scenes Implosion, Don't Look Any Further
Scully fights back in the episode "Orison" from 'The X-Files.'
image via Fox Network
Following "Biogenesis," the Season 6 finale, the two-part mythology continuation, "The Sixth Extinction I & II: Amor Fati," divided fans and critics. A fast food employee with a penchant for human brains was "Hungry" in the season's first Monster-of-the-Week, followed by a fond farewell to Millennium friend Frank Black (Lance Henriksen). Season 2 super creep, lady bather Donnie Pfaster (Nick Chinlund) returns, and Scully makes him wish he never had in "Orison." Mulder finally gets "Closure" with his sister Samantha, and Anderson captains the existential Scully-centric episode, "All Things." Duchovny reciprocates in kind, implementing a mix of Hollywood magic in a self-aware X-Files favorite episode starring the late comedy legend Garry Shandling.
Uncertainty loomed large for Season 7: Duchvony had run out of roads to explore with Mulder and decided to leave the show. In light of this development, several episodes were dedicated to tying up loose ends, which Duchovny accomplished with practiced skill. Interspersed between classic X-Files vibes were unremarkable installments like "Chimera," "Brand X," and "Fight Club." In the brutal yet beautiful episodes "Sein und Zeit" and "Closure," goodbyes aren't limited to Mulder's sister, and any fan with a pulse had tissues on standby. Duchovny's questionable return for Season 8 informed the direction of the Season 7 finale, "Requiem," which became a full-circle moment for Mulder and Scully and a crossroads for longtime fans and ratings.
7 Season 8 (2000–2001)
Two Men Enter, One Man Leaves
David Duchovny shakes Robert Patricks hand in the basement office of The X-Files
image via Fox
Mulder is finally among "Little Green Men" following one of the best episodes of the previous season, "Requiem." Scully and Skinner bond after sharing personal admissions in the aforementioned season finale, and Season 8 newcomer Agent Doggett quickly learns that trust is elusive and not a foregone conclusion. Mythology episodes are more substantial than stand-alone Monster-of-the-Week offerings, except "Roadrunners" and "Red Rum," respectively. In need of an ally and assistance finding Mulder, Agent Doggett introduces Agent Reyes to an unimpressed Scully. Mulder returns (rather impossibly) in "Deadalive" after visiting Scully via flashbacks in "Per Manum" and a non-speaking appearance in "This is Not Happening." Mulder meets Agents Doggett and Reyes and finds the X-Files department too crowded.
Scully has been tested bodily, spiritually, and mentally during her tenure at the FBI, but her languid anguish throughout Season 8 is visceral. Audiences experience Mulder's absence alongside Scully, and her desperation to find him is Anderson at her best. "Per Manum" and "This is Not Happening" are unnecessary acts of violence against Scully-- Seriously, enough already. However, the mythology episodes serve as a rapport-building exercise between the old and new guard while presenting a compelling case to audiences. During its initial run, the introduction of Agents Doggett and Reyes was like whiplash for fans, but a critical retroactive re-watch revealed favorable reconsideration. The series maintained a ratings spiral, but Season 8 provided cohesion that eluded Season 7.
6 Season 1 (1993–1994)
A Song of Ice and Fire
Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny talk with scientists at a research lab in episode Ice from The X-Files.
Image via FOX
The pilot episode stuck the landing by introducing new partners, Mulder and Scully while providing foundational information about the series' ongoing mythology arc. The success of the first Monster-of-the-Week installment, "Squeeze," proved to series creator Carter that his show didn't have to be contained or relegated to alien content. Other notable episodes in Season 1 include "Ice," "Eve," "Beyond the Sea," "Darkness Falls," and the pivotal season finale, "The Erlenmeyer Flask." Additionally, audiences are introduced to the series' apex shadowy villain, The Cigarette Smoking Man/CSM, and Assistant Director Skinner suits up and joins the party in "Tooms."
Season 1 of the fledgling sci-fi series nearly overwhelmed audiences with information and plausible government conspiracies previously uncharted on network television. Nearly. Instead, viewership expanded, and the show continued to urge viewers to question everything and Trust No One. Producing 24 flawless episodes is a tall order for any series, and there were a few less-than-stellar entries, but by the finale, viewers had become fans. Critics also enjoyed the show, referring to its inaugural season as "the most paranoid, subversive show on TV," in a good way.
5 Season 5 (1997-1998)
Put Some Money in the Magic Fingers and Wave Goodbye to Vancouver
Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny grin sheepishly standing next to each other in The X-Files.
Image via Fox
Season 5 resumed where Season 4 left off: knee-deep in conspiracy, insubordination, and doubt. After the moody mythology episodes "Redux I & II," there's a tonal shift involving the Lone Gunmen's origin story in "The Unusual Suspects." Episodes switch gears as the agents ditch an FBI conference, opting for a woodsy jaunt in "Detour." Everything is black or white in "The Post-Modern Prometheus," and Scully can't catch a break (not even on Christmas!) in "Christmas Carol" and "Emily," two separate installments of willful brutality against Scully. "Pusher" returns, Stephen King guest writes, and the episode "Bad Blood" brought comedy into the morgue (at last!). Veronica Cartwright splendidly guest stars, and Mulder is pushed to his extraterrestrial belief limit while Scully's beliefs expand anew.
The fifth season garnered a series record of 16 Primetime Emmy Nominations and won a Golden Globe for Best Television Series Drama. It had been tentatively decided that the show would conclude with the fifth season and transition into feature films. Still, after the release of Fight the Future in 1998, everyone wanted to continue. "Redux I & II" has lost some of its original-run luster, but the shine (or Cher) hasn't worn from "The Post-Modern Prometheus." In a blaze of CSM glory, he sets fire to the X-Files department in the season finale, aptly titled "The End." For some fans, it was the beginning of the end. Production packed up and crossed the border into America, a catalyst that ignited a perpetual slow leak of viewers.
4 Season 2 (1994–1995)
This Season Proved the Hit Show Wasn't Just a Fluke
The Fluke Man submerged in water from the episode The-Host in The X-Files
image via Fox
After the thrilling conclusion of Season 1, the X-Files department is closed, and Agents Mulder and Scully are independently reassigned. Mulder customarily ghosts his desk posting in episode 1, "Little Green Men," and contemplates leaving the FBI in the next episode, "The Host." The host with the most is a fan-favorite monster, the "Flukeman," whose discovery coincides with a promising new informant for Mulder. Monster-of-the-Week installments mostly take a seat so that the mythology arc episodes can stand. Highlights of Season 2 include "Irresistible," "Die Hand Die Verletzt," "Humbug," and the mythology trifecta, "Duane Barry," "Ascension," and "One Breath."
Audiences began to unravel the multidimensional tapestry of Mulder and Scully's characters in Season 1, but mythology episodes in Season 2 revealed their strengthening bond and familial history. In addition to the agents' rapport building, Scully is either abducted, kidnapped, or Mulder nearly killed in a dizzying number of episodes. Sandwiched between alien bounty hunters, demonic possessions, and a cannibalistic cult, "Humbug" offers glimpses of much-needed levity (Scully eats a bug!). The cliffhanger season finale, "Anasazi," was equally engaging and suspenseful, leaving fans in suspended apprehension through the summer of 95. Season 2 of The X-Files continued to gain momentum, and the show received its first Primetime Emmy Award Nomination for Outstanding Drama Series and primed viewers for an epic third season.
3 Season 6 (1998–1999)
A Monster-of-the-Week Hit Parade
David Duchovny teaches Gillian Anderson how to play baseball from the episode The Unnatural in The X-Files
image via Fox
The agents return in Season 6 to discover they have been invited to leave the department of the X-Files. They are replaced by Agent Jeffrey Spender (Chris Owens) and Mulder's former flame, Agent Diana Fowley (Mimi Rogers), and are reassigned under Assistant Director Kersh (James Pickens Jr.). Chess prodigy and telepathic alien hybrid Gibson Praise (Jeff Gulka) remains a hot commodity, then Bryan Cranston requires roadside assistance, so Mulder and Scully go rogue and oblige. Time travel in the Bermuda Triangle has never been so elegantly printed on film, and Mulder gets into body-swapping in "Dreamland I & II." Veronica Cartwright reprises her Emmy-nominated guest role as Cassandra Spender, then Mulder and Scully play house, baseball, and hallucinate.
The X-Files created a fan frenzy after uprooting the series' longtime home of Vancouver and setting up shop in Los Angeles. Avid watchers accused the show of trading hard-boiled for over-easy, often referring to episodes post-Season five as "X-Files Light." Regardless of their claims, it's impossible to deny how gratifying it is to witness playful Mulder and Scully after five years of isolation, hospitalizations, near-death experiences, loss, and lateral progress. The show's move to California had a noticeable effect but resulted in memorable guest appearances and series favorite Monster-of-the-Week episodes. Season 6 didn't satisfy everyone, but it was fun and ended with a stunning seaside discovery that introduced a new mythology angle fans were eager to explore in Season 7.
2 Season 4 (1996–1997)
The Truth Is In Scully
Scully and Mulder embrace in a hospital in the episode "Memento Mori" from 'The X-Files'.
Image via FOX
Beginning with a cruel cloning trick, the fourth season hamstrings Mulder first through dashed hopes of a sibling reunion in "Herrenvolk." Next, the agents are summoned "Home" in an episode so risqué it was pulled from syndication rotation. Mulder dabbles in past lives, Scully is kidnapped by a serial killer (again), and "Sanguinarium" could medal in the grossest X-Files Olympics. Mulder and Krycek trade barbs but become Russian travel companions in a mythology double feature. Meanwhile, Scully has something EMT "Leonard Betts" needs. Late-night tattoos, revelations, and infants born with adorable wagging tails are highlights. Skinner deals with the devil to save Scully, and audiences are bowled over by her (eventual) vulnerability in "Elegy."
Anderson's nominations and subsequent SAG, Primetime Emmy, and Golden Globe wins for her work as Scully in the fourth season were no shock to anyone who's seen The X-Files. Duchovny's turns in "Paper Hearts" and "Small Potatoes" were stand-out Mulder moments, and a Primetime Emmy nod and Golden Globe win for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series echoed that sentiment. Season 4 was exceptional for many reasons, but "Memento Mori" was undeniably one of the best episodes in the series and a beloved fan favorite. Both Mulder and Scully faced complex personal crises, which (finally) allowed them to admit their bond was critical to their survival. The finale, "Gethsemane," surreptitiously imbued itself into the tonal fabric of the emotionally charged season, making the wait for Season 5 infinitely more excruciating.