The X-Files

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. 1996 saw the premiere of a second series set in the same universe but covering a storyline independent of the X-Files mythology, titled Millennium. 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 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.