The X-Files entered our world for its original nine-season run on September 10, 1993. Much later, in 2016, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson reprised their roles as FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, but it only lasted two new seasons (giving the show a total of 11 seasons). What can we say? There’s just something about ‘90s TV shows that can’t be beaten. The X-Files is by no means an exception, at least in that regard. But the show did prove exceptional in other ways.
Photo by Moviestore, Shutterstock / Moviestore, Shutterstock / Ken Staniforth, 20th Century Fox Tv, Kobal, Shutterstock
The X-Files became one of the biggest cult shows ever made. The series peaked with 27.34 million viewers in 1997. As remarkable as the numbers were, the goings-on behind the scenes weren’t as smooth. The premise for the show, for one, was a notoriously difficult idea to sell. It had to be pitched to multiple networks (multiple times) before it was finally picked up. And once it was, the drama onscreen bled into the lives of those off-screen.
In line with the dark plotlines, let’s look at some of the stranger facts of The X-Files…