The X-Files is a popular sci-fi show on the FOX network. It is, in fact, insanely popular, perhaps not in sheer number of viewers, but surely in number of completely obsessed viewers.

The show was created by Chris Carter, premiered on September 10, 1993, and as of this revision recently completed its eighth season in the US (the series airs at different rates in other countries). It is widely speculated that the ninth season will be the series's last in production, but that it will continue as a movie franchise, one feature film having already been released in June of 1998. However, that same speculation was made about Seasons Six through Eight, so you never know. Until this point, its main characters have been FBI agents Fox Mulder (played by David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). The start of the series saw Scully- who is almost always addressed by last name- assigned to work with Mulder- who insists on being addressed by last name- on a set of cases he had dug up in the basement of the FBI headquarters. These are the X-files, cases involving alien abductions, paranormal phenomena, and other elements "outside the FBI mainstream". Mulder is generally meant to be the believer in the pair and Scully the skeptic, although their respective views are in actuality more complex. For example, Scully displays more religious beliefs and is more ready to believe in "supernatural" phenomena backed by her Catholic faith than Mulder (who's religious affiliation is very unclear) is.

The series largely revolves around Mulder's, and later Scully's, search for "the Truth", whatever that may be. It seems to involve aliens, an elaborate and convoluted government conspiracy, the disappearance of Mulder's sister Samantha when she was 8 years old, Scully's brief disappearance in the show's second season, black oil, genetically engineered bees, Scully's giving birth to a child six years after all her ova were supposedly removed, and many other indistinct characters and elements.

Matters became further complicated in the eighth season (Note: this paragraph contains spoilers for any X-Files viewer who hasn't seen Season Eight in its entirety). David Duchovny, having spent several years discussing leaving the series, signed a contract to appear in only about half of the season's episodes. This resulted in adding another character to the show: Special Agent John Doggett, played by Robert Patrick, is assigned to investigate Mulder's disappearance, and then to be Scully's partner in the X-Files division. The skeptic/believer dynamic between Mulder and Scully having become highly complex, with Doggett's introduction we were back to a much better defined relationship in that sense, with Doggett as a definite skeptic, albeit a less well-informed one than Scully was when she joined the X-Files. In the ninth season, David Duchovny/Fox Mulder's withdrawl from the series will becom complete - Duchovny is no longer contracted to appear in the series at all. How the character's absence will be explained is a matter of much speculation among fans, as the end of Season Eight did not seem to set up for that event at all.

Besides the series mythology, many X-Files episodes fall into the category of "stand-alone". These generally center on cases Mulder and Scully (and/or Doggett) are assigned to or decide to pursue, and subject matter runs the gammut from aliens to sewer monsters to killer cockroaches to a wide range of "genetic mutants" and so on and so forth.

The X-Files makes use of both the "science" and "fiction" parts of sci-fi quite extensively. Those involved with the show's writing and production seem to pride themselves on leaving viewers with more questions than answers. Whether this is truely done on purpose, or simply because the writers don't know what they're talking about any more than the viewers, occasionally comes into question. In general, the series is acknowledged to be one of the most intelligent on television today.

The X-Files has received many awards and honors, including an Emmy for Best Actress in a Drama Series, several Emmys for production and writing, Golden Globe awards for Best Actress and Actor in a Drama Series and Best Drama Series, and honors from the Screen Actors' Guild, Viewers for Quality Television, and the People's Choice Awards.

X-Files fans, also known as X-Philes or (less commonly) X-Filers, have enough quirks and peculiarities as to deserve an entry unto themselves. A brief treatment appears here:

X-Philes of course cover a wide range, although the casual viewers tend not to adopt the title at all and therefore are not included in this discussion. Many define themselves even more specifically- Scullyist or Mulderist or advocate of another character; Shipper (clip of Relationshipper, one who believes Mulder and Scully should be romantically involved) or Noromo (blend of "No" and clip of "romance", one who does not believe Mulder and Scully should be romantically involved) or Fencesitter (Fencer) or having another stance on the romance issue; and so on. Others prefer the simple, neutral designation of Phile. Those who adopt any of these titles are usually quite devoted to the show, miss few episodes, and enjoy discussing the series. Nitpicking- finding mistakes and inconsistencies in production of, or theories and facts brought up in episodes- is popular, as are extensive theorizing and analysis of and about the show's characters and plotlines, and writing of fanfiction (fanfic).