Few television shows get the chance to penetrate pop culture and resonate with fans years after their departure. In September of 1993 the FOX network began airing one such show. For nine seasons, with 202 episodes, The X-Files captivated those who wanted to believe. Myself included.

Created by screenwriter Chris Carter, whose initial inspiration for the show came from his religious background and interest in science, The X-Files introduced us to FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully: Mulder, a believer in little green men and government conspiracies, and Scully, a medical doctor firmly grounded by science with deep roots in the Catholic faith.

The pair were an unlikely duo, but the on-screen chemistry between actors David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson proved a hit and kept viewers guessing as to the true nature of their relationship, which was one of the key successes of the show.

Dealing with everything from aliens and paranormal activity to sewer creatures and backwoods savages, The X-Files was so much more than a ‘monster’ show. Early on a strong mythos began to develop involving the abduction of Mulder’s sister, Samantha, when they were kids, as well as Scully’s contraction of a mysterious cancer after she too, was supposedly abducted by aliens. For years the mystery unraveled, exposing everything from the identity of Mulder’s real father and the truth about what really happened to his sister, to the cause of Scully’s cancer and her conversion to a believer. Add in some strong supporting characters along the way in the form of FBI Director Walter Skinner, the Lone Gunmen and the Cigarette Smoking Man, and The X-Files had everything it needed to become a cult television show.

While initially shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, for the first five seasons, the show moved to Los Angeles after David Duchovny became unhappy with being separated from his wife at the time, Téa Leoni. With a different production crew, the show was never the same. Duchovny took a semi-departure from the show after season seven, which introduced FBI Agent John Doggett, played by Robert Patrick.  For the first time in its run, the opening title sequence had to be changed. Ratings continued to plunge as viewers tuned out. With only Scully and no Mulder, the show lost the allure that had kept people glued to their screens for so long. In May of 2002 the show ended, making it the longest running science fiction series in US history at the time. That feat was later surpassed by Stargate SG-1.

Spawning two big screen movies, The X-Files in 1998 and The X-Files: I Want To Believe in 2008, the show is still in syndication today on various networks. In its original run, The X-Files won 16 Emmys, ranging from Art Direction and Sound Mixing to Make-up and Writing. Mark Snow, who created the show’s familiar theme, never won for his contribution, though he was nominated several times. All nine seasons are currently available on DVD and merchandise such as t-shirts and posters can still be found.

Not since ABC’s LOST has a television show burrowed so deep into the psyche of the population. It made you look to the skies, made you look inside yourself, and sitting alone in the dark at night, seven years after the show has ended, I still catch myself whispering, “I want to believe.”