X-Files Watch Order: The Complete Guide Including Movies

X-Files is one of the best and longest-running sci-fi shows of all time. With so many episodes, seasons and a few movies, it is not hard to see why are people interested in the best way to watch X-Files show in order. This is where our article comes in handy because we are bringing you the complete X-Files watch order, including every season and all movies.

The series explores secret information about extraterrestrial visits to Earth, paranormal experiences – in fact, anything undesirable for the public according to the FBI. Secret Agent Mulder investigates these cases, and Agent Scully is assigned to help him. David Duchovny was chosen for the role of Mulder quite quickly, but the search for the actress who will represent Scully took much longer.

Since its American premiere in 1993, “The X-Files” has been continuously met with positive reviews and captivated viewers around the world. Winner of multiple awards, including the Golden Globe for Outstanding Television Series, this series follows the adventures of FBI agents Dana Scully and John Doggett (who replaced Agent Fox Mulder), whose task it is to investigate unsolved and bizarre cases. In their search for the truth, they are constantly faced with the same question: are their discoveries possible? However, they cannot ask the Government for proof, because it does not want anyone to know what is in the X files.

Let’s begin with our X-Files watch order and find out how many seasons and movies the X-Files franchise has.

How many seasons and movies does the X-Files have?

X-Files had a run of 11 seasons, and have two feature-length movies. The show started in 1993 and become an instant hit, and it run continuously for five seasons until 1998. That year, the first movie come out, X-Files: Fight the Future. After that, it continued for additional five seasons until 2003.

Then, unfortunately, for a long time, there was nothing, until 2008, when its second movie, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, came out. Then, again, eight years of nothing, and after that in 2016 its tenth season, and in 2018, the last and final eleventh season.

There was also a short spin-off show, The Lone Gunmen, and we will let you know more about it below.

X-Files watch order at a glance

Let’s see in short what the complete X-Files watch order looks like.

• The X-Files Season 1 (1993)
• The X-Files Season 2 (1994)
• The X-Files Season 3 (1995)
• The X-Files Season 4 (1996)
• The X-Files Season 5 (1997)
• The X-Files Fight the Future (1998)
• The X-Files Season 6 (1998)
• The X-Files Season 7 (1999)
• The X-Files Season 8 (2000)
  • The Lone Gunmen (2001)
• The X-Files Season 9 (2001)
• The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008)
• The X-Files Season 10 (2016)
• The X-Files Season 11 (2018)

Let us know let you know what are the X-Files seasons and movies about in our watch order, so you can know what is waiting for you.

X-Files watch order

Let us now see the complete X-Files watch order, breakdown with descriptions of every season and movie. There is a lot to cover, so keep with us along the way.

X-Files Season 1 (1993–94)

The first season introduced the main characters of the series, including Fox Mulder and Dana Scully who were portrayed by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, respectively, and recurring characters Deep Throat, Walter Skinner, and Cigarette Smoking Man. The season introduced the series’ main concept, revolving around the investigation of paranormal or supernatural cases, known as X-Files, by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; it also began to lay the groundwork for the series’ overarching mythology.

Initially influenced by Kolchak: The Night Stalker and The Twilight Zone, series creator Chris Carter pitched the idea for the series to Fox twice before it was accepted for production. The season saw the series quickly gaining popularity, with ratings rising steadily throughout its run; and garnered generally positive reviews from critics and the media. It helped to make stars of its two lead roles, and several of its taglines and catchphrases have since become cultural staples.

X-Files Season 2 (1994–95)

The second season of The X-Files takes place after the closure of the department following the events of the first season finale. In addition to stand-alone “Monster-of-the-Week” episodes, several episodes also furthered the alien conspiracy mythology that had begun to form. Season two introduced several recurring characters—X (Steven Williams), an informant to Mulder; Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea), Mulder’s partner-turned-enemy; and the Alien Bounty Hunter (Brian Thompson), a shape-shifting assassin.

The storylines were widely affected by the pregnancy of actress Gillian Anderson; it was decided that Scully would be kidnapped and abducted by aliens, explaining her absence and allowing her to appear comatose two episodes later, which ultimately added more intricacies to the mythology. The season earned seven Primetime Emmy Award nominations. The premiere “Little Green Men”, debuted with a Nielsen household rating of 10.3 and was viewed by 9.8 million households, marking a noticeable increase in viewership since the previous year. The series rose from number 111 to number 63 for the 1994–95 television year. In addition, the show’s second season has generally received positive reviews from television critics.

X-Files Season 3 (1995–96)

The season features the conclusion of several plot lines introduced in season two, while also introducing several new plot elements. Major plot arcs include an elaborate conspiracy being discovered when an alien autopsy video is acquired by Mulder, Scully’s search for the killer of her sister, and the mystery surrounding X (Steven Williams). Pivotal characters such as the First Elder (Don S. Williams) and the alien virus black oil were first introduced in this season. In addition, the season features a wide variety of “Monster-of-the-Week” episodes, stand-alone stories not of influence to the wider mythology of the series.

The season attained higher ratings than season two, the highest viewing audience the series had yet achieved. Season premiere “The Blessing Way” debuted with a Nielsen household rating of 19.94, which more than doubled the premiere of the last season. The ratings consistently stayed above 15.0, making it one of the most watched series of the 1995–96 television line-up. The season received generally positive reviews from television critics, winning five Primetime Emmy Awards. Many of the episodes written by writer Darin Morgan received critical acclaim, including the episodes “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose” and “Jose Chung’s From Outer Space” which are often cited as some of the best of the series. Morgan left the series following this season, due to an inability to keep up with the fast-paced nature of the show.

X-Files Season 4 (1996–97)

The fourth season of the series focuses heavily on FBI federal agents Fox Mulder’s (David Duchovny) and his partner Dana Scully’s (Gillian Anderson) investigation of an alien conspiracy, which is protected by the mysterious Syndicate. Midway through the season, Scully is diagnosed with terminal cancer, a result of her previous abduction, and Mulder begins to lose his faith in the idea of extraterrestrials.

Debuting with high viewing figures and ranking as the twentieth most watched television series during the 1996–97 television year in the United States, the season was a success, with figures averaging around 20 million viewers an episode. This made it, at the time, the highest-rated season of The X-Files to air. 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. Critical reception from television critics was mostly positive.

X-Files Season 5 (1997–98)

The fifth season of the series focused heavily on FBI federal agents Fox Mulder’s (David Duchovny) loss of faith in the existence of extraterrestrials and his partner, Dana Scully’s (Gillian Anderson), the resurgence of health following her bout with cancer. New characters were also introduced, including agents Jeffrey Spender (Chris Owens) and Diana Fowley (Mimi Rogers) and the psychic Gibson Praise (Jeff Gulka). The finale, “The End”, led up to both the 1998 film and the sixth season premiere “The Beginning”.

Debuting with high viewing figures and ranking as the eleventh most watched television series during the 1997–98 television year in the United States, the season was a success, with figures averaging around 20 million viewers an episode. This made it the year’s highest-rated Fox program as well as the highest-rated season of The X-Files to air. Critical reception from television critics was generally positive.

The X-Files Fight the Future (1998)

The film takes place between seasons 5 and 6. The X-Files have been shut down, and Mulder and Scully are dealing with a terrorist threat. However, when a government building is destroyed, Mulder is approached by a mysterious doctor who reveals that there was more to the bomb than meets the eye. Mulder and Scully’s investigations lead to the discovery of several secret installations and the true nature of the relationship between the alien colonists and the Syndicate.

X-Files Season 6 (1998–99)

The season was the first to be filmed in Los Angeles, after production was moved from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This move was done largely at the behest of Duchovny, who wished to be closer to his wife, Téa Leoni. Series creator Chris Carter opposed the move, although series director Kim Manners and Anderson approved of it, although to a less-vocal degree than Duchovny. The first half of the season also saw Mimi Rogers and Chris Owens’ characters—Diana Fowley and Jeffrey Spender, respectively—become recurring characters.

Despite debuting with high viewing figures and ranking as the twelfth most watched television series during the 1998–99 television year, the season saw a slight decrease in ratings from the previous one, a trend that would continue until its final year. The season received mixed to positive reviews from television critics; some critics and fans were alienated by the show, due to the different tone taken by most standalone episodes after the move to Los Angeles. Rather than adhering to the previous style of “monsters of the week”, they were often romantic, humorous, or a combination of both.

X-Files Season 7 (1999–2000)

Before the broadcasting for the season began, Duchovny sued Fox and eventually announced his decision to leave the show. As a result, the season would be the last to feature Duchovny in a full-time capacity until the show’s tenth season (which aired in 2016), although he would return in seasons 8 and 9 as an intermittent main character. Due to this eventual character change, this season would be the last to feature the original opening sequence for the series, as the two later years updated the intro in an attempt to renew and revive the series.

The seventh-season premiere “The Sixth Extinction”, debuted with a Nielsen rating of 10.6 and was viewed by 17.82 million viewers, marking a noticeable drop in viewership since the sixth season. The series fell from number 12 to number 29 for the 1999–2000 television year. Critically, the show’s seventh season received mixed to positive reviews; many reviewers felt that the show still produced good episodes, but that it was the weakest of the Duchovny and Anderson seasons of the show.

X-Files Season 8 (2000–01)

For this season, Duchovny elected to return only as an intermittent main character, appearing in only half of the episodes. Actor Robert Patrick was hired as a replacement for Mulder, playing John Doggett. The season also marked the first appearance of Annabeth Gish as Monica Reyes, who would become a main character in the ninth season. In addition to the cast change, series creator Chris Carter updated the opening credits, which had remained unchanged since the first season.

Season eight was received well by critics but was less warmly received by fans, many of whom were unhappy that Duchovny reduced his role and that Patrick took over as co-lead alongside Anderson. Ratings for the season were initially strong, but it eventually averaged a total of 13.53 million viewers, down from the seventh season’s 14.2 million. Concurrent with the airing of this season, Carter and The X-Files production team created and aired a short-lived spinoff titled The Lone Gunmen.

The Lone Gunmen (2001)

The Lone Gunmen is an American conspiracy fiction thriller drama television series created by Chris Carter, Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, and Frank Spotnitz. The program originally aired from March 4, 2001, to June 1, 2001, on Fox. It is a spin-off of Carter’s science fiction television series The X-Files and as such is part of The X-Files franchise, starring several of the show’s characters. Despite positive reviews, its ratings dropped, and the show was canceled after thirteen episodes. The last episode ended on a cliffhanger which was partially resolved in a ninth season episode of The X-Files entitled “Jump the Shark”.

The series revolves around the titular trio The Lone Gunmen: Melvin Frohike, John Fitzgerald Byers, and Richard Langly, private investigators who run a conspiracy theory magazine. They had often helped FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder on The X-Files.

X-Files Season 9 (2001–02)

For this season, former series’ leads Duchovny and Anderson scaled back their involvement with the show, with Duchovny only starring in the two episodes that formed the season finale, “The Truth”. Doggett and Reyes became the show’s central characters, and former recurring character Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) became the main character. Series creator Chris Carter had hopes that the show could continue on with new leads, and the opening credits were accordingly redesigned again.

Season nine received mixed reviews from critics and garnered negative reactions from many long-time fans and viewers, partially because Duchovny did not make regular appearances on the show, after fulfilling his contract in the previous season. During this year, ratings for the season fell dramatically. Critics blamed it on what they considered an increasingly incoherent story arc, whilst the cast and crew ascribed the drop in viewership to the September 11 attacks. Regardless, Fox eventually decided to cancel the series.

During the airing of season eight, Carter and The X-Files production team created and aired a spinoff titled The Lone Gunmen. The show was unsuccessful and was canceled before any story arcs were resolved, but The X-Files episode “Jump the Shark” was written to give closure to the series.

The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008)

Mulder and Scully have both left the FBI, but when an FBI agent is mysteriously kidnapped, and a former priest who has been convicted of being a child molester claims to be experiencing psychic visions of the endangered agent, they reluctantly accept the FBI’s request for their paranormal expertise.

X-Files Season 10 (2016)

The season, which takes place fourteen years after the ninth season (2001–02) and seven years after the film The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008), follows newly re-instated Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) as they learn more about the existence of extraterrestrials and their relationship with the government.

Ever since The X-Files: I Want to Believe debuted in theaters, there was talk of a third X-Files movie to wrap up the series’ remaining storylines. However, for years these talks never resulted in action until on March 24, 2015, Fox announced that the series would return as a short-format event series with six episodes. After the season aired, it received largely mixed reviews from critics. The second, third, and fourth episodes were met with mostly positive comments, with “Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster” receiving overwhelmingly positive comments. Conversely, the first, fifth, and sixth episodes were largely derided by critics. The mythology episodes, in particular, were poorly received.

X-Files Season 11 (2018)

The eleventh season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files premiered on January 3, 2018, on Fox. The season consists of ten episodes and concluded on March 21, 2018. It follows newly re-instated Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). The season’s storyline picks up directly after last season’s finale and the search for Mulder and Scully’s son William is the main story arc of the season.

Do you need to watch X-Files in order?

You should watch the X-Files in order, except maybe you can skip the spin-off show The Lone Gunmen, as it is not that important. Still, if you are a big X-Files fan, you should watch it. Every season of the show is connected as are movies, so skipping some would not be a great idea.

Will there be more X-Files in the future?

It is hard to tell. There is nothing officially announced currently, but the show creator, Chris Carter, said he would like to continue with the franchise. Also, the eleventh, and for now, the last season, had an open ending. We do see it currently as a possibility, but then again, there are a lot of new shows coming out every day, and it would be hard to justify making more of the show that had multiple endings in its run.