The X-Files is an American science fiction–thriller media franchise created by Chris Carter. The franchise generally focused on paranormal or unexplained happenings. The first franchise release—simply titled The X-Files—debuted in September 1993 and ended in May 2002. The show was a hit for Fox, and its characters and slogans (e.g., "The Truth Is Out There", "Trust No One", "I Want to Believe") became pop culture touchstones in the 1990s. Millennium, a second series set in the same universe but covering a storyline independent of the X-Files mythology, premiered in 1996. In 1998, the first X-Files feature film titled The X-Files was released, eventually grossing over $180 million. A spin-off—The Lone Gunmen—was released in 2001 and abruptly canceled. Six years after the initial television series was canceled, another film—The X-Files: I Want to Believe—was released. In January 2016, a tenth season of The X-Files aired, featuring Carter as executive producer and writer, and starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. An eleventh season premiered in January 2018. In addition to film and television, The X-Files franchise has expanded into other media, including books, video games, and comic books. These supplements to the film and television series have resulted in significant development of the show's fictional universe and mythology. By May 2002, the franchise generated $1 billion in total revenue, $500 million of which is revenue from the television show.
Television series The X-Files, starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, first aired on September 10, 1993. Originally following the work of Special Agent Fox Mulder, an FBI investigator assigned to the X-Files, a division tasked with the solving of cases for which there are no explanation. Special Agent Dana Scully, a shrewd medical doctor, is assigned to debunk Mulder's work, though as the two continue to investigate the unexplained and the paranormal, her own faith is also tested. Scully later works alongside both John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish). The X-Files is generally divided into two classes of episodes, the first, "monster-of-the-week", or stand-alone episodes, and the second, X-Files mythology, which follows a government conspiracy to hide the truth about the existence of extraterrestrial life. The series also stars Mitch Pileggi as Assistant Director Walter Skinner, William B. Davis as The Smoking Man and John Neville as Well-Manicured Man. Millennium, aired from 1996 to 1999, stars Lance Henriksen as Frank Black, a skilled criminal psychologist who could predict the actions of murderers and serial killers. Investigating the horrific crimes, Black eventually became a consultant for the Millennium Group, which believed that the world as we know it would come to an end at the beginning of the new millennium; a job which eventually leads to the demise of his wife, Catherine (Megan Gallagher). In the third season, Black turns on the group and rejoins the FBI as a special agent, working alongside Special Agent Emma Hollis (Klea Scott) to solve brutal crimes within the FBI's jurisdiction. Terry O'Quinn appears often in the series as Peter Watts. The Lone Gunmen, the third series in the X-Files franchise, follows the established characters of Richard Langly, Melvin Frohike and John Fitzgerald Byers (Dean Haglund, Tom Braidwood, and Bruce Harwood, respectively), in their attempts to compile conspiracy-theorist magazine. Far more light-hearted than its predecessors, this series also stars Stephen Snedden as Jimmy Bond, and Zuleikha Robinson as Yves Harlow. The X-Files has crossed over with Millennium, The Lone Gunmen, and Law & Order, as well as The Simpsons (in the season 8 episode "The Springfield Files").
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Feature films The first feature film, The X-Files, was released in 1998 in between the fifth and sixth season. It was intended to be a continuation of the season five finale "The End", but also be able to stand on its own. Season six opener "The Beginning" picked up where the film left off. The majority of the film was shot in the break between the series' fourth and fifth seasons. The film follows the actions of Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) after their dismissal from the X-Files division. Unlike the first film, the plot of The X-Files: I Want to Believe does not focus on the series' ongoing extraterrestrial-based "mytharc" and instead works as a standalone thriller–horror story. The film details ex-agents Mulder and Scully's search for a missing FBI agent. While Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) makes a notable appearance, John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) are absent from the film. During a July 2013 panel discussion at San Diego Comic-Con hosted by TV Guide, both Anderson and Duchovny expressed willingness to do a third feature film, but Carter was more reserved at the idea, stating, "You need a reason to get excited about going on and doing it again." In June 2025, Carter announced that he is working on a director's cut of The X-Files: I Want to Believe which will restore the original horror elements which were cut from the theatrical release due to studio and censor demands.
Characters The X-Files stars David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, and Mitch Pileggi, alongside Blythe Danner, Martin Landau, and William B. Davis. The X-Files: I Want to Believe stars Duchovny, Anderson, and Pileggi, alongside Amanda Peet, Xzibit, and Billy Connolly.
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