Best Order to Watch the X-Files (September 2025)

The X-Files is what happens when you give two FBI agents a basement office, unsolved weird cases, and zero adult supervision. FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully investigate the kind of crimes that make normal cops say “nope, not my department.” Think procedural cop show meets sci-fi horror meets your conspiracy theorist uncle. It’s the most paranoid and most romantic show on television, where the truth is out there.

Best X-Files Watch Order

So you’ve decided to dive into The X-Files. Congratulations on choosing a show that will consume your life, make you question everything the government tells you, and leave you with trust issues. With 11 seasons, two movies, and a tangled mythology, figuring out the best way to watch this iconic sci-fi series can feel more complicated than a conspiracy Mulder’s been chasing. Whether you’re a completonist or someone who just wants to experience the cultural phenomenon, we’ve got the best X-Files watch order.

Seasons 1 – 5

Starting with seasons 1-5 of The X-Files is like getting the greatest hits album. You’re getting all the good stuff without having to sit through the questionable experimental phase. These early seasons are where Mulder and Scully’s partnership goes from “who is this spooky guy talking about aliens?” to trust and friendship. You’ll also get the core alien conspiracy storyline, plus legendary monster-of-the-week episodes like that deeply disturbing inbred family that still haunts people’s nightmares.

Think of seasons 1-5 as The X-Files at its most X-Files-y. The writing is sharp, the mythology is coherent, and you get peak Scully eyebrow raises per episode. These seasons contain all the cultural moments that made people obsessed with the show in the first place, and they wrap up at a natural stopping point before things got complicated. You’ll understand every “I want to believe” reference and “the truth is out there” meme.

The X-Files: Fight the Future

After finishing season 5, you absolutely need to watch The X-Files: Fight the Future before diving into season 6. Think of it as the world’s most expensive season finale that got a theatrical release. This movie picks up right where season 5 left off and actually advances the main alien conspiracy plot in ways that matter for the later seasons. Skipping it would be like reading a book but ripping out a chapter. Plus, with a movie budget, there are bigger explosions, better special effects, and Mulder and Scully finally have some well-written romantic tension.

The movie also serves as a perfect bridge between the mythology-heavy early seasons and the later years. It gives you peak X-Files conspiracy theorizing and consequences, plus it’s probably the closest thing to a satisfying conclusion. Watch it right after season 5, then head into season 6 feeling like you’ve got the complete picture. Trust me, you’re going to need all the coherency for what comes next.

Seasons 6 – 9

Seasons 6-9 are where The X-Files becomes a bit inconsistent. There are enough brilliant moments scattered throughout to make the journey worthwhile, however. Season 6 starts strong with some truly iconic episodes and you’ll get to witness the show experimenting with comedy, meta-humor, and increasingly bizarre mythology episodes. The Mulder-Scully dynamic remains compelling.

The real drama kicks in during seasons 8-9 when David Duchovny mostly exits and the show tries to reinvent itself with new agents Doggett and Reyes. You’ll get some excellent standalone episodes and character moments, plus you need these seasons to understand the mythology’s conclusion. You might as well see how they try to land this particular plane. And if you’re feeling particularly unsatisfied after all that, you can throw in Millennium. Chris Carter’s attempt to make The X-Files even darker and more depressing. This short-lived series about a former FBI profiler investigating apocalyptic crimes has exactly one crossover episode with The X-Files (“Millennium” in season 7), so you can squeeze it in there.

The X-Files: I Want to Believe

I Want to Believe was released in 2008, and this movie completely ignores the alien conspiracy that dominated the series. It instead gives you a really expensive monster-of-the-week episode. The filmmakers said, “Let’s make a movie about a creepy priest.”

The film does give you one thing the series never quite delivered: Mulder and Scully as an actual couple dealing with relationship issues while investigating weird crimes. If you’ve ever wondered what these two would be like arguing between chasing monsters, this is your chance. It is just a bit disconnected from what came before. Watch it if you’re a completionist or if you need closure on seeing these characters one more time. However, don’t expect it to recapture any of the magic from the show’s golden years.

Seasons 10 – 11

Seasons 10-11 are revival seasons, which aired in 2016 and 2018, and bring back Mulder and Scully for one final attempt at recapturing the magic. The results are about as consistent as Mulder’s theories about his sister’s disappearance. You’ll get a few episodes that remind you why you loved the show in the first place, mixed with mythology episodes that somehow make the alien conspiracy even more confusing.

The good news is that these seasons do try to provide some closure to character arcs and long-running mysteries. Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny slip back into their roles like comfortable old coats. It often still delivers creepy and entertaining episodes. Watch these last because they’re best enjoyed as a nostalgic victory lap rather than essential viewing. Think of them as bonus content for die-hard fans.

How we chose the best watch order

Go chronological: seasons 1-5, Fight the Future, seasons 6-9, I Want to Believe, then seasons 10-11. This gives you the full narrative arc and lets you experience the show’s evolution in real time. You’ll understand all the references and callbacks, even if some of them don’t make much sense by the end. The key is managing expectations. The show never quite recaptures its early magic, but if you go in knowing that seasons 1-5 are the main course and everything else is dessert, you’ll have a much better time. What do you think is the bet X-Files watch order?