When ‘The X-Files’ became A-List: An oral history of Fox’s out-there success story

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The Hollywood Reporter:

The X-Files’ complicated mythology, both real and scripted, makes its history the source of endless pop-culture autopsies. But as Fox readies a six-episode revival (starting Jan. 24), the people most responsible for the enduring franchise sound off — for the first time in the same place — about how the show came to be. And be again.

I’ve always been a huge fan of this show (and was even an extra on a few episodes). When it was good (and it wasn’t in the last couple of years on air), it was the best show on TV and I’m really looking forward to seeing the new episodes.



26 thoughts on “When ‘The X-Files’ became A-List: An oral history of Fox’s out-there success story”

  1. A great series that suffered from an artificially-prolonged lifespan. And perhaps less-complete resolution-planning than we all counted on from Carter.

    Vince Gilligan learned his lessons well from working on this show.

    Didn’t realize you’d been an extra on this series, Shawn. Any specific episode we might spot you in a crowd?

  2. “Didn’t realize you’d been an extra on this series, Shawn. Any specific episode we might spot you in a crowd?”

    I’ve seen all the episodes and would love to know too. Screenshots?

  3. I gave up on the X-Files a few seasons after they left Vancouver. I know they tried, but rainy Vancouver was too much of the personality of the series to be moved to LA without impacting the quality.

  6. I was one of the extras they used for military stuff. We had full face coverage so they could use us on multiple shows. So even if I told you what episodes I was on, you couldn’t spot me. 🙂

  8. Never a fan of the show. One of the two episodes I (partially) watched featured a scary fast-moving alien you never saw, with a little boy who was apparently somehow safe from the monster. Corny.

    The other episode I (partially) watched had Lucy Lawless with blonde hair. Cool. Turns out she’s a natural blonde anyway.

  11. If nothing else, it made the show look and feel more like a conventional tv series. We lost some familiar, recurring locations, like that narrow road in the middle of a forest they kept using for years.

    But we also gained, especially for stuff like the terrific “Cops” crossover.

  12. Think about your personal-favorite tv series, then imagine only ever having seen its least-interesting episode as an introduction. Now give that show a serialized story arc.

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  16. Alas, like “twin Peaks” , “The X-files” spent its last years solving the “Case of the Missing Plot”.

  17. Also, I was just thinking about possibly never having been a Star Trek fan because all I bothered seeing of it was ten minutes from “Turnabout Intruder.” 😉

  19. Thank god you hung in there for City on the Edge of Forever or Space seed or or or or…..

  20. I didn’t see them in any order. It was early-1970s NYC station WPIX-TV stripping them throughout the week in random rotation. The first image I can absolutely recall seeing on our shitty Zenith black-and-white set is 1701 struggling to gain altitude in Act I of “Tomorrow is Yesterday.” But even then, I was already sold on the show.

    It was quite a few years before I saw them all. Eventually, new ones felt like a late birthday present.

    And I hate the idea of having missed out on such good storytelling, just because I’d briefly sampled a moment from a show’s weakest season.

  21. I didn’t watch them in order either. I was too young or not born yet, right on the cusp, and way more interested in HR Puffingstuff.
    I think the first Star Trek episode I saw was Spectre of the Gun. Another good episode.
    I remember that feeling of seeing an episode for the first time. Now I’d just be happy if someone could come out with a great or even good new Star Trek series. I even watched all The Star Trek: Enterprise series!

  22. Die-hards take what we can get. Some of us make excuses for crap. Others get pilloried for pointing it out. Just like in the 1970s.

  23. For me what Star Trek has always repredented to me is what humans can be, what we can aspire to be. Working towards the goal of bettering humanity. Not seeing each other as different but rather reveling in those differences. Our motivation being one to learn and aspire. I still remember Captain Picard saying “you see, money doesn’t exist in the 24th century” “we work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity”.
    I know… I know… Naive. What can I say. : )

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  25. I kept a lot of that optimism at arm’s length after having heard Roddenberry wax poetical on his college tour one too many times. I often think The X-Files (at its best) is a better indicator of how far humanity still needs to go.

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