Best of the Small Screen: Network Dramas, No. 10

 

Welcome to this year's exploration of TV, the Best of the Small Screen. Throughout the year I'll be looking at my favorite shows in four categories: Network Sitcoms, Network Dramas, Cable Series and Streaming Series. We'll cap the exploration with my Top 10 shows of all time regardless of format. Check back each Saturday for another installment in the countdown!

Scully: You have seen this before, I can tell. You lied to them.
Mulder: I would never lie. I willfully participated in a campaign of misinformation.

The X-Files (1993-2018)
Starring: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, and Mitch Pileggi
Favorite Episodes: "Squeeze," Episode 1.03, "The Jersey Devil," Episode 1.05, "Beyond the Sea," Episode 1.13, "Darkness Falls," Episode 1.20, "Tooms," Episode 1.21, "The Host," 2.02, "Ascension," Episode 2.06, "Anasazi," Episode 2.25, "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose," Episode 3.04, "Piper Maru," Episode 3.15, "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space,'" Episode 3.20, "Home," Episode 4.02, "Paper Hearts," Episode 4.10, "Unusual Suspects," Episode 5.03, "The Post-Modern Prometheus," Episode 5.05, "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas," Episode 6.06, "Monday," Episode 6.14, "Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monsters," Episode 10.03
About: As we continue this year-long look at television, I've done the Network Comedies and now am moving into the Network Dramas. The first one is an iconic classic that ran nine seasons, took a break, and had two more revival seasons, largely regarded as seasons 10 and 11. That's The X-Files. I remember when I first found the series because it was by accident. I was wildly excited about The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., a western serial that debuted Friday night at 8 p.m. After it was some show about aliens. I watched Brisco, and was enraptured, but I stayed for The X-Files and found that it was more than I'd expected. I quickly fell in love that first season. While the aliens plots were never my favorite part of the show, I loved the weird cases and the monsters. I think that provided some of the most iconic episodes, and many of those are noted above. I also loved Duchovny and Anderson as the leads, their chemistry and the way their characters worked in the show. It quickly became one of the shows I watched weekly and was sure never to miss. I ended up getting all the seasons and have re-watched the episodes a number of times. When I was thinking about the network dramas I love the most, it was impossible to create the list without including The X-Files.