Top 10 Sci-Fi Shows: Number 9 - The X-Files
Category: Opinion, Science Fiction, Television
published November 23rd, 2005
Table of contents for top-10-sci-fi-shows
- My Top 10 Sci-Fi TV Shows
- Top 10 Sci-Fi Shows: Number 10 - Star Trek: The Next Generation
- Top 10 Sci-Fi Shows: Number 9 - The X-Files
- Top 10 Sci-Fi Shows: Number 8 - Stargate SG-1
- Top 10 Sci-Fi Shows: Number 7 - Battlestar Galactica
- Top 10 Sci-Fi Shows: Number 6 - The Avengers
- Top 10 Sci-Fi Shows: Number 5 - Buffy The Vampire Slayer
- Top 10 Sci-Fi Shows: Number 4 - Sapphire and Steel
- Top 10 Sci-Fi Shows: Number 3 - Blake's Seven
- Top 10 Sci-Fi Shows: Number 2 - Babylon 5
- Top 10 Sci-Fi Shows: Number 1 - Doctor Who
The X-Files signaled a sea-change in the nature of US sci-fi programming (not to mention a whole host of imitators). Up to this point television science fiction in the US had been unquestionably dominated by the legacy of Star Trek. Science fiction had spaceship, was set in the future and used expensive special effects.
The X-Files certainly wasn't a cheap show, but by setting it on present day earth and emphasizing mood and mystery over technology the producers were able to attract a whole new group of fans into the science fiction fold.
The concept is simple and brilliant, but also hard to pull off effectively. As a result the quality of X-Files episodes tends to vary dramatically. However the first season offered enough classic episodes (including an effective remake of The Thing) to firmly hook an audience and make me a fan.
The X-File's 9 year run was exceptional for science fiction television in the US, but unfortunately it also stretched the series own mythology to breaking point. While many fans loved the continuing story elements, I personally felt that the strongest episodes were usually the stand-alone ones as the mythology simply became too convoluted and inconsistent to take seriously.
In the end The X-Files (as many series do) probably overstayed it's welcome. But in the earlier seasons it was compelling and unmissable tv for me and it's influence can still be seen on many current US sci-fi shows.
« Top 10 Sci-Fi Shows: Number 10 - Star Trek: The Next Generation - Top 10 Sci-Fi Shows: Number 8 - Stargate SG-1 » Eoghann Irving is amongst other things the creator and Editor of Solar Flare. He has a life long interest in all forms of science fiction and fantasy and a pressing need to share this interest with anyone who will listen. Find out more at his his website eoghann.com.| 2.9 |
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November 24th, 2005 -
It’s interesting to note the X-Files’ legacy to non-SF shows. The X-Files was one of the most accessible sci-fi shows for about two decades, bringing in vast audiences that many non-SF shows aspired to. As a result, you began seeing X-Files trademark filming techniques in other mainstream shows. CSI and Law & Order are the first two that spring to my mind; use of torchlight to add mood, teleprinter location/timeframe subtitles, the male/female pairing (which had previously been male good cop / male bad cop).
The technique which most people overlook, however, is the use of the mobile phone (UKUS: cellphone) as a plot device. It’s easy to forget that the X-Files was one of the first shows to use mobile phones to allow characters to communicate plot points quickly without slowing down the pace. In other similar cop shows prior to the X-Files, there were always several “back to the office” scenes where major plot developments were tediously summarised; the detectives who had split up to do seperate field work, had to be shown to be exchanging information. The X-Files did away with those, which gave them precious extra minutes to take their plots further. The irony is, of course, that police radios had allowed both uniformed and plain clothes investigators to communicate in the field for decades; however police radios were generally unfamiliar to the audience and therefore not often used as a plot device. The X-Files grew up just as the audience was becoming personally familiar with mobile phones, and with this plot device, plus the teleprinter location/timeframe subtitles, created fast paced stories with virtually no let-up that ensured the audience remained glued to the screen.
I admit that this increase in pace compared to other shows may have been more apparent to me watching it on the commercial-free BBC, though. It would be interesting to hear from someone who grew up with the X-Files on a commercial channel to hear whether they also thought that the show’s plot development was noticably faster than other prior shows.