The X-Files: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

83% Tomatometer 35 Reviews 96% Audience Score 250+ Ratings

In one of the longest-running science fiction series in network TV history, FBI special agents investigate unexplained, mind-bending cases known as "X-Files." Though the government is convinced that the outlandish reports are false, conspiracy theorist Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and realist Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), for most of the series, stop at nothing to prove that "the truth is out there." Series creator Chris Carter also serves as executive producer of the thrilling pop-culture phenomenon. Read More Read Less

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The X-Files — Season 1

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The X-Files — Season 1

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Critics Consensus

A serious approach to its premise helps establish The X-Files as a sci-fi procedural with a genuinely creepy twist -- and a thrilling drama that avoids devolving into pure camp.

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Critics Reviews

View All (35) Critics Reviews
The X-Files: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Brian Courtis The Age (Australia) It's diverting nonsense and, as you may gather, about as cerebral as peppermint chewing gum. Feb 2, 2021 Full Review The X-Files: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Ross Warneke The Age (Australia) The X-Files is one of those whacko shows that really grabs your attention. It is all highly unlikely. The acting is hammy, and the plot too frenetic. The relationship between Mulder and Scully lacks subtlety. But it is a ripping yarn, well told. Feb 2, 2021 Full Review The X-Files: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Nancy Banks-Smith Guardian The X-Files, you feel, were exposed to the dangerous rays of Twin Peaks at an impressionable age. Feb 2, 2021 Full Review The X-Files: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Kathleen Shea Philadelphia Daily News Well, as the show's motto has it, "The Truth Is Out There" somewhere, probably in the same place as the writers who might make this discount bag of goods something special. Feb 2, 2021 Full Review The X-Files: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Richard Johnson Observer (UK) Not as schmoozy as Moonlighting, but every bit as watchable. Feb 2, 2021 Full Review The X-Files: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Alan Pergament Buffalo News Series leads David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson have good chemistry, the murder-mystery in the pilot is suspenseful and there always is a fascination with the supernatural. Feb 2, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (34) audience reviews

Marios C The truth is out there, even though you are unlikely to find it by watching Mulder and Scully flirting with each other while dealing with aliens, conspiracies and monsters.How can you not love it?It's like a day's work for me. Flirting and monsters. Haven't watched any other TV series since.It wouldn't be the same. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/20/24 Full Review sean G I loved this show from day one . Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/23/24 Full Review IAN c B Me and my late partner Jayne loved this seriesWe even purchased the first 7 seasons on dvd in 2005 so we could watch when ever we liked.Mulder and Scully were both great charaters and the one offs were our favourite episodes. Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/03/24 Full Review G M Season 1 of The X-Files marks the inception of a television phenomenon that masterfully blends paranormal intrigue with investigative drama. Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny shine as FBI agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder, their compelling performances anchoring the series. The season navigates a delicate balance between standalone episodes and an overarching conspiracy, providing viewers with an engaging mix of paranormal mysteries and government intrigue. While some early episodes may feel episodic, the show's ability to create a pervasive atmosphere of suspense and its commitment to character development contribute to its overall success. With its groundbreaking narrative and memorable characters, The X-Files Season 1 remains a cornerstone in the science fiction genre. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/03/23 Full Review R W Season 1 is the start of a beautiful thing! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/26/23 Full Review andrew w An excellent start to this amazing series Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The X-Files — Season 1

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Cast & Crew

David Duchovny FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder Gillian Anderson FBI Special Agent Dana Scully Jerry Hardin Deep Throat Charles Cioffi Section Chief Scott Blevins Doug Hutchison Eugene Victor Tooms Scott Bairstow Samuel Hartley
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Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Sep 10, 1993 Pilot Mulder and Scully investigate the strange deaths of members of a high-school graduating class in the Pacific Northwest. Details Episode 2 Aired Sep 17, 1993 Deep Throat Mulder and Scully investigate a report that some Army test pilots are disappearing after completing their missions. Details Episode 3 Aired Sep 24, 1993 Squeeze Scully and Mulder discover a mysterious serial killer when they find that their current investigation is similar to an unsolved case from 1903. Details Episode 4 Aired Oct 1, 1993 Conduit Mulder faces his feelings about the disappearance of his sister after a girl in Iowa mysteriously vanishes. Details Episode 5 Aired Oct 8, 1993 The Jersey Devil Scully and Mulder search for a murderer who is half-man and half-beast with an appetite for human flesh. Details Episode 6 Aired Oct 22, 1993 Shadows Mulder and Scully (David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson) investigate reports of an unseen force believed to be protecting a young woman. Details Episode 7 Aired Oct 29, 1993 Ghost in the Machine Mulder and Scully (David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson) must outwit a killer computer plaguing a high-rise office building. Details Episode 8 Aired Nov 5, 1993 Ice Mulder and Scully (David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson) investigate the bizarre deaths of a scientific research team in the Arctic. Details Episode 9 Aired Nov 12, 1993 Space Scully and Mulder rush to uncover the culprit in a series of sabotage efforts in the space shuttle program. Details Episode 10 Aired Nov 19, 1993 Fallen Angel Mulder researches a possible UFO crash after learning the government may start its own investigation. Details Episode 11 Aired Dec 10, 1993 Eve Mulder suspects supernatural involvement when identical murders occur at the same time on opposite sides of the country. Details Episode 12 Aired Dec 17, 1993 Fire Mulder and Scully guard a member of the British Parliament after mysterious fires kill several top officials. Details Episode 13 Aired Jan 7, 1994 Beyond the Sea A condemned murderer claiming to have psychic powers helps the agents find collegians kidnapped by a serial killer. Details Episode 14 Aired Jan 21, 1994 Genderbender Mulder and Scully question an isolated sect of people while searching for an androgynous killer who finds victims in singles bars. Details Episode 15 Aired Feb 4, 1994 Lazarus Scully seeks Mulder's help after a fellow agent's personality begins to resemble that of a criminal her colleague killed in a bank robbery. Details Episode 16 Aired Feb 11, 1994 Young at Heart When a supposedly dead convict resurfaces, Mulder and Scully (David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson) uncover an anti-aging experiment. Details Episode 17 Aired Feb 18, 1994 E.B.E. Scully and Mulder race to find a ship they suspect contains an extraterrestrial before the government can destroy it. Details Episode 18 Aired Mar 18, 1994 Miracle Man Mulder and Scully travel to Tennessee to investigate the deaths of people who were treated by a young faith healer. Details Episode 19 Aired Apr 1, 1994 Shapes Mulder and Scully travel to a Montana reservation to investigate the death of a young American Indian shot by ranchers. Details Episode 20 Aired Apr 15, 1994 Darkness Falls Authorities attribute Washington loggers' disappearances to ecoterrorists; the agents suspect a glowing biological mass. Details Episode 21 Aired Apr 22, 1994 Squeeze II Mulder is angered when a man who was accused of killing four people and eating their livers is released because of insufficient evidence. Details Episode 22 Aired Apr 29, 1994 Born Again The murders of two policemen are linked to an 8-year-old girl, the reincarnated spirit of a corrupt officer seeking revenge. Details Episode 23 Aired May 6, 1994 Roland Mulder and Scully are puzzled by the level of knowledge displayed by a mentally impaired janitor suspected in the murders of two rocket scientists. Details Episode 24 Aired May 13, 1994 The Erlenmeyer Flask Mulder and Scully discover a government conspiracy while on the trail of a killer with superhuman powers. Details

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The X-Files — Season 1

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Director
Harry Longstreet, Joe Napolitano, Daniel Sackheim, William Graham, Robert Mandel, David Nutter, Michael Lange, Jerrold Freedman, Larry Shaw, Fred Gerber, Rob Bowman

Screenwriter
Chris Carter, Alex Gansa, Marilyn Osborn, Scott Kaufer, Glen Morgan, Howard Gordon, Paul Barber, Ken Biller, James Wong

Network
Fox

Rating
TV-14 (V)

Genre
Drama, Sci-Fi

Original Language
English

Release Date
Sep 10, 1993
The X-Files: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

FAQs

What is the most controversial X-Files episode? ›

"Home" was the only episode of The X-Files to carry a TV-MA rating upon broadcast and the first to receive a viewer discretion warning for graphic content if the system had been present at the time, with the opening scene being cited in particular due to its gruesomeness and its similarity to "stock horror film ...

What is the darkest episode of The X-Files? ›

Season 4 Episode 2 – “Home”

“Home” is notorious as one of the scariest, grossest, most unnerving episodes of The X-Files. The only episode to air with a viewer warning, and the only episode to only air once on Fox before being banned. I describe it as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre if it were directed by David Lynch.

What does Scully whisper to Mulder? ›

That's my choice.” She paused, looked around at the empty church, before whispering her hope for her future in his ear. “That's not my 4-year-old self looking for a miracle,” she said. “That's my leap of faith forward. And I'd like to do it together.”

Why was Burt Reynolds in The X-Files? ›

"Improbable" features Burt Reynolds playing God. Reynolds was chosen after he expressed his desire to appear in an episode of The X-Files to Robert Patrick. Carter approved the idea, and Patrick later said that Reynolds enjoyed filming the episode.

Which X-Files episode got banned? ›

"Home," an episode from the fourth season of The X-Files, shocked viewers with its graphic content including incest and infanticide. The episode was barred from airing on television for three years and became the first in the series to receive a TV-MA rating.

What is the scariest episode of X Files Season 1? ›

Mulder and Scully search for a humanoid killer whose savage murder spree reoccurs every 30 years. Squeeze is without a doubt, the scariest episode in the series. Mulder and Scully investigate three murders in Maryland. In each case, the victim's liver has been removed from their body and seemingly stolen.

Who was the father of Scully's baby? ›

Over the course of season 11, Scully and Mulder search for William. Skinner learns from the Smoking Man that the Smoking Man, who is Mulder's father, also artificially impregnated Scully, thus is William's father, as well. In the third episode of the 11th season, "Plus One," Scully and Mulder are intimate again.

Who is the man Mulder always talks to? ›

Deep Throat is a fictional character on the American science fiction television series The X-Files. He serves as an informant, leaking information to FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder to aid Mulder's investigation of paranormal cases, dubbed X-Files.

Did Scully and Mulder like each other in real life? ›

Despite Anderson and Duchovny's past feelings towards each other, the success of The X-Files was largely attributed to the on-screen chemistry between Scully and Mulder. After reconciling, rumors spread that the actors were romantically involved, which they denied.

Why did David Duchovny sue The X-Files? ›

Seven years is definitely enough." While season 7 was being aired in 1999, Duchovny sued Fox, as he claimed that the network had misled him about accounting processes and that this had cost him millions of dollars in royalties from syndication deals and The X-Files reruns that he was legally entitled to.

What was the spin off of X-Files? ›

In its own way, The Lone Gunmen, released in 2001, was ahead of its time – in the early 2000s, audiences were not yet ready for spin-offs, and the original The X-Files was still quite successful on TV at the time; viewers simply opted for the more serious and predictable Mulder and Scully.

Why did Gillian Anderson leave The X-Files? ›

When The X-Files ended in 2002, she moved back to London for a change of pace and the opportunity to return to the stage.

What is the highest rated X Files episodes? ›

The 30 Best X-Files Episodes, Ranked
  • "Paper Hearts" (Season 4, Episode 10) ...
  • "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas" (Season 6, Episode 6) ...
  • "Ice" (Season 1, Episode 8) ...
  • "Never Again" (Season 4, Episode 13) ...
  • "Pusher" (Season 3, Episode 17) ...
  • "Bad Blood" (Season 5, Episode 12) ...
  • "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" (Season 3, Episode 4)
Sep 10, 2023

What is the most watched X Files episode? ›

The season's twelfth episode, "Leonard Betts", was chosen as the Fox lead-out program following Super Bowl XXXI, and was viewed by 29.1 million viewers, making it the highest-rated episode in the series' run.

Which X-Files episode is rated 18? ›

"The Calusari" is the only episode of the series to have received an explicit rating of "18" in the United Kingdom by the BBFC for "occasional strong horror" and themes involving "demonic possession".

Why did The X-Files get cancelled? ›

The X-Files, a successful sci-fi TV show, ended after season 9 due to ratings decline and fan dissatisfaction. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson reprised their roles as Mulder and Scully in a 2008 film and a revival on Fox.

References

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