When did the X Files start?
The X Files was first aired on September 10th, 1993 on the Fox Network.

What are X philes?
The fans of the series are called X philes.

Was it an immediate hit?
No, at first it was hardly noticed. It was slated for the Fox Friday night lineup and was to be aired after The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., a series that Fox had much hope for but that went nowhere. The X Files slowly caught on especially during the summer rerun season. It became a cult hit slowly developing a following. It became a mainstream hit after America got introduced to the Internet. In the meantime it had picked up the Golden Globe for best drama series.

What role did the Internet play in its popularity?
The Internet was a driving force behind the show's popularity. Sites on the series abound on the net, most of which do so under constant threat from Fox. Gillian Anderson, David Duchovny and Chris Carter especially have admitted having surfed the sites themselves.

What is a cult hit?
A television show which may not have great ratings but has a huge off-the-mainstream fan following. It also ends up being a good proposition for merchandise sellers and collectors.

What is the series about?
It is a series about two FBI agents who investigate the paranormal and unexplained phenomena with a constant tug of war between intuition and logic, seen and unseen forces. It blends elements of a crime drama and a sci-fi thriller. America's TV Guide called it 'the most genuinely unsettling television since the heyday of The Twilight Zone'.

Where do they get the story-lines from?
They often take newspaper or magazine stories and even documented accounts of paranormal incidents to get inspiration for their stories.

Who created the X Files?
The X Files was created by Chris Carter, a writer for an American surfing magazine before Hollywood beckoned. He saw the show as a kind of Kolchak for the Nineties, a scary, yet sophisticated drama telling tales that lie within the realm of extreme scientific possibility.

Who are the main characters?
The main characters were Dana Scully and Fox Mulder, two FBI agents. The eighth season saw the intorduction of two more main characters Agent John Doggett and Agent Monica Reyes.

Has the X Files won any major awards?
In 1993-94 it won the Parents' Choice Honors for best series.
In 1994-95 it won the Golden Globe for best dramatic series. It was nominated at the Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Writing (for Chris Carter), It was also nominated at the Television Critics Association (TCA) Awards for best drama and program of the year.
In 1995-96 it was big winner at the Emmy Awards winning th following awards: Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series (Darin Morgan), Guest Actor in a Drama Series, Individual Achievement in Cinematography, Sound Editing for a Series, Sound Mixing for a Drama Series.
It was also nominated for best drama series and Gillian Anderson was nominated for best actress. Both she and David Duchovny were nominated at the Golden Globe Awards and Screen Actor's Guild(SAG) Awards where Gillian won for Outstanding Performance by an Actress. Chris Carter garnered nominations from both the Directors' Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America. At the TCA awards it was again nominated for best series.
In 1996-97 Gillian Anderson won her first Emmy award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. The X Files was nominated for 12 awards winning in three categories. At the Golden Globes they achieved a triple winning Best Television Series (Drama), Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series (Drama) and Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series (Drama). At The SAG Awards Gillian Anderson once again won with Duchovny and the ensemble cast receiving nominations. At the People's Choice Awards the series was nominated for Favorite Dramatic Television Series.
In 1997-98 the series received 15 nominations at the Emmy's and won for best drama series at the Golden Globe Awards with both lead actors getting nominated. Gillian Anderson received the Viewers For Quality Television (VQT) Award for Best Actress in a Quality Drama.
In 1998-99 8 nominations were received for the Emmy's. Duchovny received the Favorite Actor at the TV Guide Awards. Anderson won for Favorite Actress - Sci-Fi at the Blockbuster Entertainment Award and the Viewers For Quality Television (VQT) Award for Best Actress in a Quality Drama.