The X-Files poster

TV series

The X-Files

1993TV-1411 seasons8.4 / 10

The truth is out there.

The exploits of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully who investigate X-Files: marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder believes in the existence of aliens and the paranormal while Scully, a skeptic, is assigned to make scientific analyses of Mulder's discoveries that debunk Mulder's work and thus return him to mainstream cases.

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Where to watch in United States

Checked Jul 22, 2026

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Synopsis

The exploits of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully who investigate X-Files: marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder believes in the existence of aliens and the paranormal while Scully, a skeptic, is assigned to make scientific analyses of Mulder's discoveries that debunk Mulder's work and thus return him to mainstream cases.

Cast, crew and production details

About The X-Files

Cast

David DuchovnyFox Mulder
Gillian AndersonDana Scully
Robert PatrickJohn Doggett
Annabeth GishMonica Reyes
Mitch PileggiWalter Skinner
Cary ElwesBrad Follmer
John FinnMichael Kritschgau
William B. DavisCigarette Smoking Man

Credits

Created by
Chris Carter

Production details

Status
Ended
Series type
Scripted
Episodes
218
Original language
English

Networks & production

  • FOXUnited States
  • Ten Thirteen ProductionsUnited States
  • 20th Century Fox TelevisionUnited States

Themes

alienamerican folkloreconspiracyfbifbi agentgovernment cover-upinvestigationparanormal investigationparanormal phenomenaphenomenonsupernaturalsupernatural powerufo

Season 9 episodes

Watch options above are for the show and may vary by season or episode.

← Season 8

Episode 1

Nothing Important Happened Today (1)

45m6.5 / 10

Agent Doggett investigates the death of an EPA official after his car is forced off a bridge by a woman he picked up. He asks for assistance on the case from Scully, who has returned to her teaching position at the FBI Academy in Quantico.

Directed by Kim MannersWritten by Chris Carter, Frank SpotnitzGuest stars Mitch Pileggi, Cary Elwes, Lucy Lawless, Jane Yamamoto, John Casino, James Riker, Ashley Knutson, Travis Riker

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Episode 2

Nothing Important Happened Today II (2)

45m6.9 / 10

Doggett catches up with Shannon McMahon, the woman who the EPA official picked up. She claims to be a super soldier and that the people she has killed were poisoning the water supply, and she wants Doggett to expose the truth.

Directed by Tony WharmbyWritten by Chris Carter, Frank SpotnitzGuest stars Mitch Pileggi, Cary Elwes, Lucy Lawless, Adam Baldwin, James Riker, Ryan Cutrona, Ben Reed, Travis Riker

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Episode 3

Dæmonicus

45m6.7 / 10

Doggett and Reyes investigate the murder of a couple in West Virginia that has all the signs of a satanic ritual killing. They link the murder to a doctor who is incarcerated in a mental institute, and Doggett becomes convinced that the doctor is orchestrating the crimes from within the hospital.

Directed by Frank SpotnitzWritten by Frank SpotnitzGuest stars James Remar, Andi Chapman, Sarah Benoit, Tim Halligan, Lou Richards, Troy Mittleider, James Rekart, Rueben Grundy

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Episode 4

4-D

45m7.4 / 10

During a stakeout of murderer Irwin Lukesh, Doggett sees Reyes attacked by Lukesh, but then we see Reyes and Doggett in her apartment, apparently both fine. Elsewhere at the same time, Doggett is shot and Lukesh identifies Reyes as the shooter. While Reyes is asked for her badge and gun by A.D. Follmer, and Doggett lies in hospital near death, the conflicting circumstances of the stakeout and Doggett's shooting do not add up and it becomes clear that Lukesh possesses the power to switch between parallel universes and alter the events in each.

Directed by Tony WharmbyWritten by Steven MaedaGuest stars Cary Elwes, Gil Colon, Angela Paton, Ming Lo, Dylan Haggerty

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Episode 5

Lord of the Flies

45m6.8 / 10

When a stunt on a local cable reality show goes horribly wrong resulting in a man's death, Doggett and Reyes investigate. But when flies pour out of the victims eye sockets, they find themselves relying on Scully's expertise and ask her to join the investigation.

Directed by Kim MannersWritten by Thomas SchnauzGuest stars Branden Williams, Erick Avari, Samaire Armstrong, Aaron Paul, Jane Lynch, Hank Harris, Michael Wiseman, Aeryk Egan

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Episode 6

Trust No 1

45m6.8 / 10

Scully is approached by a couple who claim their baby has the same abilities as William and have information about the super soldier program; however, they will only talk to Mulder, believing him the only person who can make the connections and uncover the truth. Scully is forced into an awkward situation when she has to decide whether to put Mulder's life in more danger even though she desperately wants to see him.

Directed by Tony WharmbyWritten by Chris Carter, Frank SpotnitzGuest stars Allison Smith, Steven Flynn, Kathryn Joosten, Brianne Prather, Fitz Houston, James Riker, Travis Riker, Terry O'Quinn

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Episode 7

John Doe

45m6.7 / 10

Scully and Reyes join forces to try and find Doggett when he goes missing. Doggett has his own problems, having woken up in jail in Mexico suffering from amnesia. With no knowledge of who he is, Doggett is befriended by a local who soon has him working smuggling illegal immigrants across the border.

Directed by Michelle MacLarenWritten by Vince GilliganGuest stars Mitch Pileggi, Ramón Franco, Frank Roman, Rene Rivera, Zitto Kazann, Eduardo Antonio Garcia, F.J. Rio, Jacob Handy

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Episode 8

Hellbound

45m6.6 / 10

Agent Reyes takes the lead while investigating an X-file case, surrounding a man found skinned alive after having visions of seeing other people appearing skinned alive. Reyes calls on Scully's expertise to help on the investigation, which pays off when Scully finds a link to a case from 1960.

Directed by Kim MannersWritten by David AmannGuest stars Don Swayze, George D. Wallace, Cyril O'Reilly, James McDonnell, Katy Boyer, Robert Beckwith, David Figlioli, Kari Whitman

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Episode 9

Provenance (1)

45m6.6 / 10

When pieces of the spaceship beached in Africa resurface, the conspiracy within the FBI attempts to hide the information from the X-Files, especially the one person for whom the pieces have a special significance - Scully. When Doggett and Reyes discover that Scully and her child have been put in great danger, they race to protect her and William from the evil forces pursuing him, and Scully is forced to take drastic measures to protect her child.

Directed by Kim MannersWritten by Chris Carter, Frank SpotnitzGuest stars Mitch Pileggi, Cary Elwes, Denis Forest, Neal McDonough, James Riker, Travis Riker, James Parks, McNally Sagal

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Episode 10

Providence (2)

44m6.7 / 10

Scully is anxious to recover William from his kidnappers and takes matters into her own hands when the FBI's attempts to assist in the investigation are less than helpful. With the help of the Lone Gunmen, Scully discovers terrifying information about her child's captors, and is once again forced to confront the mystery regarding the sinister interest in her son.

Directed by Chris CarterWritten by Chris Carter, Frank SpotnitzGuest stars Mitch Pileggi, Cary Elwes, Denis Forest, Neal McDonough, James Riker, Travis Riker, Kerrie Keane, McNally Sagal

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Episode 11

Audrey Pauley

45m7.0 / 10

After a car accident, Reyes finds herself in a very gray area, while Doggett desperately denies doctors' diagnoses about his partner, who witnesses a strange disappearance.

Directed by Kim MannersWritten by Steven MaedaGuest stars Stan Shaw, Jack Blessing, Del Zamora, Michele Harrell, Vernee Watson, Cynthena Sanders, Esther Mercado, Ana Maria Lagasca

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Episode 12

Underneath

45m6.6 / 10

Scully, Doggett and Reyes investigate an old case that Doggett worked on as a cop in Brooklyn, dubbed "The Screwdriver Killer". They try to determine whether the man who was convicted and has just been released from prison was actually the man responsible for the murders.

Directed by John ShibanWritten by John ShibanGuest stars W. Earl Brown, Lisa Darr, Aaron D. Spears, Robert Curtis Brown, Arthur J. Nascarella, Paul Vincent O'Connor, Mary-Margaret Lewis, Alan Davidson

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Episode 13

Improbable

45m6.7 / 10

When Reyes uses numerology to connect the murders of several women to an obsessed serial killer, she and Scully become trapped with a mysterious checker-playing man who may or may not be the killer.

Directed by Chris CarterWritten by Chris CarterGuest stars Ellen Greene, John Kapelos, Burt Reynolds, Ray McKinnon, Larry Udy, Benito Prezia, Ernesto Gasco, Beth Watson

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Episode 14

Scary Monsters

43m6.9 / 10

Agent Harrison talks Doggett and Reyes into investigating a boy's claim that monsters killed his mother, who was officially determined to have stabbed herself repeatedly.

Directed by Dwight H. LittleWritten by Thomas SchnauzGuest stars Gavin Fink, Brian Poth, Jolie Jenkins, Scott Paulin, Steve Ryan, Robert Beckwith

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Episode 15

Jump the Shark

45m6.7 / 10

The agents ask the Lone Gunmen to help find their friendly foe Yves Adele Harlow after former Area 51 Man-In-Black Morris Fletcher claims she is one of the super-soldiers.

Directed by Cliff BoleWritten by Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, Frank SpotnitzGuest stars Zuleikha Robinson, Michael McKean, Stephen Snedden, Pamela Paulshock, Marcus Giamatti, Timothy Landfield, Jim Fyfe, Bruce Harwood

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Episode 16

William

45m6.8 / 10

Doggett catches someone in the X-files office trying to steal documents pertaining to Mulder's sister. The intruder is a severely scarred man who blames his disfigurement on Government conspirators. He claims the source of that information - and, in fact, the one who helped him gain entry - is Mulder. Although he refuses to divulge the missing agent's whereabouts, the mystery man has enough knowledge of the X-files and its history to lead Doggett to suspect that he just might be Mulder himself. Scully's fears for the safety of her son are elevated when he is injected with an unknown substance. With the mystery surrounding William becoming even darker, Scully must allow herself to send him away for his own safety.

Directed by David DuchovnyWritten by Chris CarterGuest stars Dan Shor, Annie Abbott, Adam Nelson, Chris Owens

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Episode 17

Release

45m7.2 / 10

When an FBI cadet with amazing profiling skills approaches Doggett, Reyes, and Scully with a lead on a suspect in a series of recent murders, he claims the same killer is responsible for the death of Doggett's son. The agents find themselves wondering if his knowledge of the deaths is because of his obsession with the cases he has studied at Quantico, or if he is in some way involved in the murders.

Directed by Kim MannersWritten by John Shiban, David AmannGuest stars Cary Elwes, Jared Poe, Sal Landi

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Episode 18

Sunshine Days

45m7.1 / 10

Doggett and Reyes investigate a murder outside the house that the original Brady Bunch series was filmed in. The house is owned by a man named Oliver who is obsessed with the show and has rigged the house into a series of traps and changing appearances to look like the Brady house.

Directed by Vince GilliganWritten by Vince GilliganGuest stars David Faustino, John Aylward, Danielle Savre, Michael Emerson

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Episode 19

The Truth (1)

45m7.3 / 10

After not knowing Fox Mulder's whereabouts for the last year, A.D. Skinner and Agent Scully learn he's being held for the murder of a military man he couldn't possibly have killed: Knowle Rohrer, one of the government's secret super-soldiers. With Skinner acting as Mulder's defense, people who Mulder has dealt with during his last nine years as an FBI agent testify on his behalf. But the military tribunal isn't interested in the truth.

Directed by Kim MannersWritten by Chris CarterGuest stars Mitch Pileggi, William B. Davis, William Devane, Laurie Holden, Adam Baldwin, Matthew Glave, Alan Dale, Patrick St. Esprit

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Episode 20

The Truth (2)

45m6.2 / 10Finale

When an unexpected person comes to Mulder's rescue, Mulder refuses to slip north over the border to safety. Instead, he heads southwest to the Anasazi ruins of New Mexico seeking a mysterious wise man who the Indians call "The Keeper of the Truth".

Directed by Kim MannersWritten by Chris Carter

Where to watch The X-Files

Episode information updated Jul 22, 2026