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The X-Files (1993)

Adventure · Crime · Drama

The exploits of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully who investigate X-Files: marginalized, unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Mulder believes in the existence of aliens and the paranormal while Scully, a skeptic, is assigned to make scientific analyses of Mulder's discoveries that debunk Mulder's work and thus return him to mainstream cases.

IMDb rating
8.6 (277,333 votes)
Episode average
7.8 -0.8 vs IMDb
Seasons
11
Streaming (US)
Hulu
Language
EN
Type
TV series

Rating trend: this show's seasons do not settle into one shape. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well.

Browse shows by rating shape → Open in Rising Shows app → View on IMDb

Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 11 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1993)

7.62 avg 24 episodes 8.2 → 8.9 45 min avg

Ep 1: 8.2 · 14,840 votesEp 2: 8.0 · 9,767 votesEp 3: 8.5 · 10,345 votesEp 4: 7.5 · 8,496 votesEp 5: 6.9 · 8,491 votesEp 6: 7.1 · 7,939 votesEp 7: 6.7 · 7,886 votesEp 8: 8.7 · 10,017 votesEp 9: 6.2 · 7,731 votesEp 10: 7.7 · 7,619 votesEp 11: 8.0 · 8,048 votesEp 12: 7.2 · 7,461 votesEp 13: 8.6 · 8,774 votesEp 14: 7.3 · 7,208 votesEp 15: 7.0 · 6,578 votesEp 16: 7.2 · 6,462 votesEp 17: 8.3 · 7,158 votesEp 18: 7.1 · 6,418 votesEp 19: 7.0 · 6,535 votesEp 20: 8.3 · 7,668 votesEp 21: 8.2 · 7,218 votesEp 22: 7.0 · 6,150 votesEp 23: 7.2 · 6,168 votesEp 24: 8.9 · 7,335 votes
Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1Pilot8.214,840
2Deep Throat8.09,767
3Squeeze8.510,345
4Conduit7.58,496
5The Jersey Devil6.98,491
6Shadows7.17,939
7Ghost in the Machine6.77,886
8Ice8.710,017
9Space6.27,731
10Fallen Angel7.77,619
11Eve8.08,048
12Fire7.27,461
13Beyond the Sea8.68,774
14Gender Bender7.37,208
15Lazarus7.06,578
16Young at Heart7.26,462
17E.B.E.8.37,158
18Miracle Man7.16,418
19Shapes7.06,535
20Darkness Falls8.37,668
21Tooms8.27,218
22Born Again7.06,150
23Roland7.26,168
24The Erlenmeyer Flask8.97,335

Season 2 (1994)

7.79 avg 25 episodes 8.0 → 9.1 45 min avg

Ep 1: 8.0 · 6,576 votesEp 2: 8.2 · 7,091 votesEp 3: 7.4 · 6,249 votesEp 4: 7.6 · 6,159 votesEp 5: 8.6 · 6,775 votesEp 6: 8.6 · 6,464 votesEp 7: 6.3 · 6,182 votesEp 8: 8.3 · 6,277 votesEp 9: 7.1 · 5,803 votesEp 10: 7.5 · 5,904 votesEp 11: 6.9 · 5,661 votesEp 12: 7.3 · 5,584 votesEp 13: 8.0 · 6,249 votesEp 14: 8.1 · 6,428 votesEp 15: 7.1 · 5,327 votesEp 16: 8.7 · 6,117 votesEp 17: 8.7 · 5,976 votesEp 18: 6.4 · 5,345 votesEp 19: 7.4 · 5,584 votesEp 20: 8.5 · 7,038 votesEp 21: 7.4 · 5,496 votesEp 22: 8.0 · 5,460 votesEp 23: 7.8 · 5,506 votesEp 24: 7.7 · 5,410 votesEp 25: 9.1 · 6,487 votes
Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1Little Green Men8.06,576
2The Host8.27,091
3Blood7.46,249
4Sleepless7.66,159
5Duane Barry8.66,775
6Ascension8.66,464
736.36,182
8One Breath8.36,277
9Firewalker7.15,803
10Red Museum7.55,904
11Excelsis Dei6.95,661
12Aubrey7.35,584
13Irresistible8.06,249
14Die Hand Die Verletzt8.16,428
15Fresh Bones7.15,327
16Colony8.76,117
17End Game8.75,976
18Fearful Symmetry6.45,345
19Død Kalm7.45,584
20Humbug8.57,038
21The Calusari7.45,496
22F. Emasculata8.05,460
23Soft Light7.85,506
24Our Town7.75,410
25Anasazi9.16,487

Season 3 (1995)

7.95 avg 24 episodes 8.6 → 8.5 45 min avg

Ep 1: 8.6 · 5,878 votesEp 2: 9.0 · 6,252 votesEp 3: 7.7 · 6,082 votesEp 4: 9.2 · 8,845 votesEp 5: 7.1 · 5,167 votesEp 6: 7.4 · 5,325 votesEp 7: 7.1 · 5,027 votesEp 8: 7.6 · 5,420 votesEp 9: 8.5 · 5,412 votesEp 10: 8.7 · 5,509 votesEp 11: 7.1 · 4,964 votesEp 12: 8.6 · 6,790 votesEp 13: 7.5 · 5,876 votesEp 14: 7.3 · 5,055 votesEp 15: 8.4 · 5,205 votesEp 16: 8.5 · 5,175 votesEp 17: 8.4 · 5,835 votesEp 18: 5.9 · 4,769 votesEp 19: 7.0 · 4,767 votesEp 20: 8.8 · 7,741 votesEp 21: 7.6 · 4,893 votesEp 22: 8.0 · 5,391 votesEp 23: 8.3 · 5,105 votesEp 24: 8.5 · 4,923 votes
Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1The Blessing Way8.65,878
2Paper Clip9.06,252
3D.P.O.7.76,082
4Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose9.28,845
5The List7.15,167
62Shy7.45,325
7The Walk7.15,027
8Oubliette7.65,420
9Nisei8.55,412
107318.75,509
11Revelations7.14,964
12War of the Coprophages8.66,790
13Syzygy7.55,876
14Grotesque7.35,055
15Piper Maru8.45,205
16Apocrypha8.55,175
17Pusher8.45,835
18Teso dos Bichos5.94,769
19Hell Money7.04,767
20Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'8.87,741
21Avatar7.64,893
22Quagmire8.05,391
23Wetwired8.35,105
24Talitha Cumi8.54,923

Season 4 (1996)

7.92 avg 24 episodes 8.4 → 8.6 44 min avg

Ep 1: 8.4 · 5,048 votesEp 2: 8.8 · 7,799 votesEp 3: 6.6 · 4,618 votesEp 4: 8.0 · 5,261 votesEp 5: 6.6 · 5,377 votesEp 6: 7.2 · 4,698 votesEp 7: 9.0 · 6,666 votesEp 8: 8.5 · 4,977 votesEp 9: 8.1 · 4,772 votesEp 10: 8.7 · 5,562 votesEp 11: 6.6 · 4,540 votesEp 12: 8.3 · 5,090 votesEp 13: 7.4 · 5,000 votesEp 14: 8.4 · 4,918 votesEp 15: 6.9 · 4,545 votesEp 16: 7.1 · 4,348 votesEp 17: 8.4 · 4,679 votesEp 18: 8.4 · 4,603 votesEp 19: 7.7 · 4,407 votesEp 20: 8.9 · 6,135 votesEp 21: 8.1 · 4,446 votesEp 22: 7.7 · 4,424 votesEp 23: 7.7 · 4,343 votesEp 24: 8.6 · 4,477 votes
Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1Herrenvolk8.45,048
2Home8.87,799
3Teliko6.64,618
4Unruhe8.05,261
5The Field Where I Died6.65,377
6Sanguinarium7.24,698
7Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man9.06,666
8Tunguska8.54,977
9Terma8.14,772
10Paper Hearts8.75,562
11El Mundo Gira6.64,540
12Leonard Betts8.35,090
13Never Again7.45,000
14Memento Mori8.44,918
15Kaddish6.94,545
16Unrequited7.14,348
17Tempus Fugit8.44,679
18Max8.44,603
19Synchrony7.74,407
20Small Potatoes8.96,135
21Zero Sum8.14,446
22Elegy7.74,424
23Demons7.74,343
24Gethsemane8.64,477

Season 5 (1997)

8.04 avg 20 episodes 8.6 → 8.8 45 min avg

Ep 1: 8.6 · 4,788 votesEp 2: 9.0 · 5,098 votesEp 3: 8.4 · 4,949 votesEp 4: 8.1 · 5,213 votesEp 5: 8.5 · 6,742 votesEp 6: 7.7 · 4,350 votesEp 7: 7.6 · 4,240 votesEp 8: 7.6 · 4,335 votesEp 9: 6.9 · 4,165 votesEp 10: 7.5 · 4,873 votesEp 11: 7.8 · 4,763 votesEp 12: 9.2 · 7,846 votesEp 13: 8.1 · 4,210 votesEp 14: 8.3 · 4,211 votesEp 15: 7.4 · 3,988 votesEp 16: 7.6 · 4,273 votesEp 17: 7.2 · 4,201 votesEp 18: 8.0 · 4,166 votesEp 19: 8.5 · 4,851 votesEp 20: 8.8 · 4,480 votes
Season 5 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1Redux8.64,788
2Redux II9.05,098
3Unusual Suspects8.44,949
4Detour8.15,213
5The Post-Modern Prometheus8.56,742
6Christmas Carol7.74,350
7Emily7.64,240
8Kitsunegari7.64,335
9Schizogeny6.94,165
10Chinga7.54,873
11Kill Switch7.84,763
12Bad Blood9.27,846
13Patient X8.14,210
14The Red and the Black8.34,211
15Travelers7.43,988
16Mind's Eye7.64,273
17All Souls7.24,201
18The Pine Bluff Variant8.04,166
19Folie a Deux8.54,851
20The End8.84,480

Season 6 (1998)

8.07 avg 22 episodes 8.1 → 8.1 45 min avg

Ep 1: 8.1 · 4,287 votesEp 2: 8.5 · 5,151 votesEp 3: 8.5 · 5,832 votesEp 4: 8.9 · 5,363 votesEp 5: 8.8 · 5,043 votesEp 6: 8.2 · 5,309 votesEp 7: 7.7 · 4,349 votesEp 8: 7.3 · 4,466 votesEp 9: 7.8 · 3,999 votesEp 10: 8.3 · 4,392 votesEp 11: 8.5 · 4,218 votesEp 12: 8.8 · 4,320 votesEp 13: 7.3 · 4,115 votesEp 14: 8.7 · 5,303 votesEp 15: 8.4 · 4,992 votesEp 16: 6.4 · 3,781 votesEp 17: 7.1 · 3,804 votesEp 18: 7.5 · 4,462 votesEp 19: 8.4 · 5,108 votesEp 20: 7.8 · 3,985 votesEp 21: 8.5 · 4,597 votesEp 22: 8.1 · 3,806 votes
Season 6 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1The Beginning8.14,287
2Drive8.55,151
3Triangle8.55,832
4Dreamland8.95,363
5Dreamland II8.85,043
6How the Ghosts Stole Christmas8.25,309
7Terms of Endearment7.74,349
8The Rain King7.34,466
9S.R. 8197.83,999
10Tithonus8.34,392
11Two Fathers8.54,218
12One Son8.84,320
13Agua Mala7.34,115
14Monday8.75,303
15Arcadia8.44,992
16Alpha6.43,781
17Trevor7.13,804
18Milagro7.54,462
19The Unnatural8.45,108
20Three of a Kind7.83,985
21Field Trip8.54,597
22Biogenesis8.13,806

Season 7 (1999)

7.53 avg 22 episodes 7.7 → 8.5 45 min avg

Ep 1: 7.7 · 3,814 votesEp 2: 7.7 · 3,880 votesEp 3: 7.8 · 4,226 votesEp 4: 7.7 · 4,004 votesEp 5: 7.3 · 3,657 votesEp 6: 8.2 · 4,248 votesEp 7: 7.5 · 3,806 votesEp 8: 8.1 · 4,134 votesEp 9: 6.5 · 3,514 votesEp 10: 7.9 · 3,795 votesEp 11: 8.0 · 4,313 votesEp 12: 8.4 · 5,061 votesEp 13: 6.0 · 4,367 votesEp 14: 7.3 · 3,629 votesEp 15: 7.9 · 3,752 votesEp 16: 7.3 · 3,589 votesEp 17: 7.0 · 4,310 votesEp 18: 7.5 · 3,442 votesEp 19: 7.2 · 4,206 votesEp 20: 5.9 · 3,777 votesEp 21: 8.3 · 4,264 votesEp 22: 8.5 · 3,777 votes
Season 7 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1The Sixth Extinction7.73,814
2The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati7.73,880
3Hungry7.84,226
4Millennium7.74,004
5Rush7.33,657
6The Goldberg Variation8.24,248
7Orison7.53,806
8The Amazing Maleeni8.14,134
9Signs & Wonders6.53,514
10Sein und Zeit7.93,795
11Closure8.04,313
12X-Cops8.45,061
13First Person Shooter6.04,367
14Theef7.33,629
15En Ami7.93,752
16Chimera7.33,589
17All Things7.04,310
18Brand X7.53,442
19Hollywood A.D.7.24,206
20Fight Club5.93,777
21Je Souhaite8.34,264
22Requiem8.53,777

Season 8 (2000)

7.70 avg 21 episodes 8.1 → 8.7 45 min avg

Ep 1: 8.1 · 3,589 votesEp 2: 8.2 · 3,511 votesEp 3: 7.4 · 3,396 votesEp 4: 8.0 · 3,650 votesEp 5: 7.5 · 3,366 votesEp 6: 8.3 · 3,828 votesEp 7: 7.4 · 3,372 votesEp 8: 6.7 · 3,059 votesEp 9: 6.7 · 3,074 votesEp 10: 6.7 · 3,353 votesEp 11: 7.7 · 3,346 votesEp 12: 7.3 · 3,145 votesEp 13: 7.8 · 3,295 votesEp 14: 8.2 · 3,357 votesEp 15: 8.2 · 3,344 votesEp 16: 8.0 · 3,198 votesEp 17: 7.0 · 3,007 votesEp 18: 7.8 · 3,188 votesEp 19: 7.7 · 3,191 votesEp 20: 8.3 · 3,207 votesEp 21: 8.7 · 3,611 votes
Season 8 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1Within8.13,589
2Without8.23,511
3Patience7.43,396
4Roadrunners8.03,650
5Invocation7.53,366
6Redrum8.33,828
7Via Negativa7.43,372
8Surekill6.73,059
9Salvage6.73,074
10Badlaa6.73,353
11The Gift7.73,346
12Medusa7.33,145
13Per Manum7.83,295
14This Is Not Happening8.23,357
15Deadalive8.23,344
16Three Words8.03,198
17Empedocles7.03,007
18Vienen7.83,188
19Alone7.73,191
20Essence8.33,207
21Existence8.73,611

Season 9 (2001)

7.37 avg 20 episodes 7.2 → 7.8 44 min avg

Ep 1: 7.2 · 3,032 votesEp 2: 7.3 · 2,953 votesEp 3: 7.1 · 2,955 votesEp 4: 7.7 · 3,184 votesEp 5: 6.8 · 3,013 votesEp 6: 7.3 · 2,986 votesEp 7: 7.3 · 2,982 votesEp 8: 7.0 · 2,825 votesEp 9: 7.4 · 2,817 votesEp 10: 7.2 · 2,814 votesEp 11: 7.4 · 2,999 votesEp 12: 6.9 · 2,716 votesEp 13: 7.2 · 3,520 votesEp 14: 7.2 · 2,826 votesEp 15: 7.2 · 3,015 votesEp 16: 7.5 · 2,994 votesEp 17: 8.1 · 3,044 votesEp 18: 7.6 · 2,995 votesEp 19: 8.2 · 4,275 votesEp 20: 7.8 · 182 votes
Season 9 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1Nothing Important Happened Today7.23,032
2Nothing Important Happened Today II7.32,953
3Dæmonicus7.12,955
44-D7.73,184
5Lord of the Flies6.83,013
6Trust No 17.32,986
7John Doe7.32,982
8Hellbound7.02,825
9Provenance7.42,817
10Providence7.22,814
11Audrey Pauley7.42,999
12Underneath6.92,716
13Improbable7.23,520
14Scary Monsters7.22,826
15Jump the Shark7.23,015
16William7.52,994
17Release8.13,044
18Sunshine Days7.62,995
19The Truth8.24,275
20The Truth: Part 27.8182

Season 10 (2015)

7.37 avg 6 episodes 7.8 → 7.0 44 min avg

Ep 1: 7.8 · 8,523 votesEp 2: 7.8 · 7,080 votesEp 3: 8.0 · 9,802 votesEp 4: 7.2 · 5,520 votesEp 5: 6.4 · 6,027 votesEp 6: 7.0 · 5,046 votes
Season 10 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1My Struggle7.88,523
2Founder's Mutation7.87,080
3Mulder & Scully Meet the Were-Monster8.09,802
4Home Again7.25,520
5Babylon6.46,027
6My Struggle II7.05,046

Season 11 (2018)

7.42 avg 10 episodes 6.4 → 7.1 44 min avg

Ep 1: 6.4 · 4,554 votesEp 2: 7.2 · 3,939 votesEp 3: 7.7 · 3,899 votesEp 4: 8.1 · 5,037 votesEp 5: 7.8 · 3,430 votesEp 6: 7.3 · 3,130 votesEp 7: 8.0 · 4,532 votesEp 8: 8.0 · 3,400 votesEp 9: 6.6 · 2,933 votesEp 10: 7.1 · 3,101 votes
Season 11 episodes - IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1My Struggle III6.44,554
2This7.23,939
3Plus One7.73,899
4The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat8.15,037
5Ghouli7.83,430
6Kitten7.33,130
7Rm9sbG93ZXJz8.04,532
8Familiar8.03,400
9Nothing Lasts Forever6.62,933
10My Struggle IV7.13,101

Episode ratings and vote counts from IMDb. Poster, overview, and streaming data from TMDB. Data refreshed 2026-10-03.

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