![]() For every answer they got, more questions arose. Viewers in the 90s were not watching casually but obsessively, wondering just what the heck was going on and unsure where each episode would take them. Therefore, both he and Gillian Anderson’s Dana Scully (who was originally assigned to the X-Files division to debunk his work, since she is both a scientist and medical doctor) are repeatedly placed in jeopardy. Fox Mulder (David Duchovny), in his quest for the truth and in response to a childhood trauma involving what he believes to be his sister’s abduction by aliens, is targeted by the conspirators as a force able to blow the lid off a decades-old operation of secrets. While an episode of The X-Files does stand alone well, and monster-of-the-week investigation episodes very well (such episodes are among the most beloved), the series also features an overarching mythology involving a shadow government conspiracy and alien life. This was the networks’ goal when choosing programming. Essentially, the casual viewer could tune in and more or less know what is going on and enjoy the action. ![]() Star Trek: The Next Generation(1987-1994), too, had clean episodes, with the crew facing a different dilemma each week. Even shows like Quantum Leap (1989 – 1993) were fairly self-contained episodes. If we look at what comprised the TV landscape in the early 1990s, we find a lot of procedurals and medical dramas, such as LA Law(1986-1994), Law & Order (1990-2010), China Beach (1988-1991), and ER (1994-2009). ![]() The X-Files pioneered a sophisticated approach of episodic storytelling, requiring viewers to follow complex plots and character journeys from week to week. Reason 1: The X-Files is a groundbreaking show that changed the way we watch TV. The answer is a resounding “yes”! The reasons why are many and varied but can be boiled down into four arguments, not including “because it is so awesome and you are missing out if you don’t” – although that is true as well.
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