Ranking The X-Files Seasons

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Ranking The X-Files Seasons

The X-Files has 218 episodes across eleven seasons that ran from 1993 to 2018. Obviously, this means that many of its seasons were not great, but those that are strong made the show iconic. This is one of those series that peaked toward its mid-point and plummeted afterward. Here is my ranking of all eleven seasons according to the quality and the  variety of episodes that each had to offer.

11. Season 9

Season 9 is the worst that this show has to offer and the only season that I actively disliked. It has its moments, but for the most part the episodes are badly written, uninteresting and just mediocre. It’s a total waste of time. It ended the original run on such a bad note and it was the absolute nadir of this entire franchise.

Best Moment – It’s very difficult to choose the best moment from this terrible season, but let’s just go with the episodes The Gift and Per Manum. The former featured so many interesting and intense moments for Doggett while the latter made perfect use of Scully herself.

10. Season 10

Although lacking in momentum due to its very short episode count, the tenth season returned the show on a solid note after so many years of absence. It is wildly uneven in terms of quality and it dissipates quickly form your mind after seeing it, but at least the tone was right here and the main actors gave excellent performances.

Best Moment – The episode with the creature was the best one as Mulder’s relationship with him was quite well developed and wonderfully comedic. The revelation toward the end that he really is what he said he was made this season, especially Mulder’s befuddled reaction.

9. Season 7

The seventh season of The X-Files is pretty much on par with the sixth one. It has its fair share of either forgettable or downright bad episodes, but those that work are pretty strong and a couple are even excellent. It started and ended on a very high note while the mid section was mediocre.

Best Moment – Orison is my favorite episode of this season and the ending to this episode stayed with me long after seeing it. It introduced great inner dilemma for Scully after shooting and killing Pfaster. The very moment when she shot him was jaw-dropping in its unpredictability.

8. Season 6

The sixth season gets this weak spot due to numerous mediocre episodes that are too familiar with many previous ones. It features way too many comedic episodes that are ridiculous as well. However, the episodes that were strong were strikingly original with high concepts that were for the time admirably authentic.

Best Moment – Field Trip is easily the greatest episode of this particular run and the best moment came in that episode’s conclusion that was both incredibly dark and unforgettable in its brutal imagery.

7. Season 8

I actually really liked the eighth season. Yes, this is where David Duchovny basically left the show, but the new John Doggett character played so well by Robert Patrick was quite solidly developed and memorable. The alien episodes here were also excellent. Minus points go to the boring Reyes character and way too many forgettable episodes that are giant mediocrities.

Best Moment – Season 8’s finale featured something that fans of the show had been waiting for for so long – the Mulder and Scully kiss! It was epic and beautiful as it should have been and this is where finally the two became a couple, so it was crucial plotwise.

6. Season 11

The unnecessary gore was a problem in this last season and so were those mediocre mythology episodes that opened and closed the season, but the mid section was actually quite good with the strong standalone episodes. It was a surprisingly solid end to the entire series, which is why it gets this rather high placement on my list.

Best Moment – The highlight here came toward the end of the penultimate episode when Mulder and Scully had this amazing, deep conversation that signaled not only his acknowledgement of the importance of faith, but also the end of this entire franchise. It was very moving.

5. Season 5

The fifth season is where The X-Files went down in terms of quality. This was still a solid season, but the show’s imminent downward spiral was evident here. Yes, it has a couple of truly terrific episodes, but most are overly familiar and uninspired. Thankfully, those that worked were excellent.

Best Moment – All Souls is the best episode of this season and it featured the finest moment toward the end with the appearance of the Devil himself. The priest was quite creepy throughout and that devil imagery was undeniably striking.

4. Season 1

The first season started the show on a very strong note. The series would improve in the next three seasons, but this was a great foundational building for it. Yes, it had its weaker episodes with most of the Monster of the Week installments not being up to par with those from the later seasons, but this is where the alien/mythology episodes were at their finest. A couple of episodes here are some of the best in the history of the show.

Best Moment – Mulder witnessing and then forgetting about aliens was powerful and the highlight was the E.B.E. episode where he actually almost saw an extraterrestrial for the first time. You could just sense his frustration in this crucial installment.

3. Season 2

The second season was an improvement over the first one due to a higher number of classic Monster of the Week installments and some excellent mythology episodes as well. Yes, it had way too many cult stories for its own good, but at least the majority of the episodes overall were quite strong in this very well made and memorable season.

Best Moment – Krycek’s betrayal of Mulder was clearly unforgettable, but I would actually here have to pick the disturbing moment from the episode Die Hand Die Verletzt where the creepy lady turns into a snake. The effects here were superb and the entire sequence was among the creepiest in the series’ history.

2. Season 3

The third season is the second best of the show’s run. Yes, it has its clunkers and the next season would clearly surpass it in quality, but the mixture of comedic and thriller episodes really worked and the black oil made for a formidable threat that made this season quite intense and creepy. The dialogue has also rarely been better than it was here.

Best Moment – The beginning of the episode Piper Maru was incredible. It introduced the ominous black oil gloriously and the underwater imagery was intriguing. But for the best moment for this season I have to go with the comedic dialogue from War of the Coprophages. Mulder and Scully’s exchange here was unforgettable and just hilarious.

1. Season 4

Easily the best season of The X-Files is Season 4. This is one of those shows where it started off solidly, but became better and better until it reached its peak mid-point and then it plummeted afterward. The fourth season is famous for some iconic creature storylines and mythology episodes that were at this point hugely rewarding and intriguing. Mulder and Scully themselves have never been better than they were here. It’s an uneven season as was always the case with this series, but this time the great episodes far outweighed the weak ones, leading to the deserved number one place on this list.

Best Moment – Of course you cannot go wrong with the episode Home and its ending. The entire episode is amazing and the best one in this show’s history, but that finale where the villains actually went on to survive was unforgettable and admirably dark and unexpected. It’s the best ending of any of the show’s episodes for sure.