The show ran for nine seasons from 1993 until 2002, spawning a feature film in 1998.  It was a critical and commercial success, due in part to its stars, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson.  Fox Mulder, played by Duchovny, and Dana Scully, played by Anderson, are two FBI agents tasked with investigating paranormal phenomena. With plots spanning alien conspiracy theories and high-level governmental cover-ups, the show mimicked episodic elements found in earlier shows such - The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, and the cult show Twin Peaks, in which Duchovny had appeared - a cross-dressing DEA agent. The series became a surprise runaway success, with a devoted following. Fans of the show became known - "eXcers" or more commonly, "X-Philes", a term coined by Matt Grommes on an early Fidonet X-Files message board.  The series popularized the catch-phrases "Trust No One," "The Truth Is Out There," and "I Want to Believe" and fostered a substantial fan following. Fans commonly divide X-Files stories into "Mytharc" ("mythology") episodes, which concerned the ongoing tale of an impending alien invasion and a conspiratorial cover-up, and stand-alone "Monster-of-the-Week" episodes, which dealt with strange, other-worldly creatures and situations relating to the paranormal.

Gillian Anderson - Dana Scully

David Duchovny - Fox Mulder

Robert Patrick - John Doggett

Annabeth Gish - Monica Reyes

Mitch Pileggi - Walter Skinner

William B. Davis - Cancer Man

Jerry Hardin - Deep Throat

Tom Braidwood - Melvin Frohike

Dean Haglund - Ringo Langly

Bruce Harwood - John Byers

Steven Williams - Mr. X

Nicholas Lea - Alex Krycek

John Neville - Well-Manicured Man

Brian Thompson - Alien Bounty Hunter

Laurie Holden - Marita Covarrubias

Chris Owens - Jeffery Spender

Mimi Rogers - Diana Fowley