30 Best X-Files Episodes Ranked

The truth is out there, and chronicling the hunt for it is the essence of one of the most prolific television series to ever grace the airwaves. "X-Files" ran for nine seasons from 1993 to 2002 and returned for two additional seasons starting in 2016. It dominated television throughout the '90s with its intriguing conspiracy plots and controversial horror. The series' success was thanks to its enigmatic star duo (David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson), genre-pushing suspense, and a brilliant writing staff — not to mention an opening tune that has become one of the most recognizable sound bites in history.

Prior to its inception, the marrying of science fiction with mass appeal was thought to be unachievable. Turns out everyone wants to believe. Aliens, paranormal monsters, and supernatural horror are among a slew of elements featured across the show's resoundingly positively reviewed run. "The X-Files" still continues to garner admiration even more than 25 years after its series premiere, and it boasts an impressive 218 episodes. Selecting the cream of the crop is tough when a majority of the sample pool rises to the top, but we scoured the show's haunting resume and endured the goosebumps to present you with the 30 best episodes of "The X-Files" ranked.

Even if you are an avid fan of "The X-Files," it might have been some time since you revisited the episode that started it all. The pilot episode of the series lays plot foundations efficiently while rapidly building on the characters of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. The latter is initially brought into the X-Files department in order to debunk Mulder and his theories, but their first case together is wrought with so many unexplainable factors that she can't help but wander further down the rabbit hole. It's a textbook example of how to kickstart a successful series.

Told in the style of the show "COPS," this episode chronicles a fantastical story of true fear. Mulder and Scully arrive to assist local cops with victims who claim to be seeing a mysterious monster. The difficulty arises when each victim claims to see the monster under a different visage, so Mulder theorizes that the entity changes its form to correspond with each individual's worst fears. As it turns out, the creature indeed zeroes in on those who exhibit raw, primal fear. It's an episode of "The X-Files" wrapped in a unique package, but it still contains the show's trademark horror.

In this episode of "The X-Files," Mulder and Scully venture into a national forest to investigate the disappearance of a group of loggers. As viewers, we are aware of their demise: they were devoured by a swarm of glowing green insects. The agents are stranded when eco-terrorists' caltrops incapacitate their vehicles, and the plot reveals that the doomed loggers had been illegally chopping down old-growth trees. Unfortunately for them, one such tree contained an invasive species of insects that had been lying dormant. These feisty, ancient predators are repelled by light and ravage by way of the dark.

This whimsical story must have been born of the writer's shared hatred of homeowner associations. In a community called the Falls at Arcadia, a mysterious creature materializes at night and slaughters community members who go against any of the association's guidelines. Mulder and Scully go undercover to investigate the neighborhood disappearances and wind up having to face a tulpa, a Tibetan concept involving a conjuring of beings through spiritual energy. "Arcadia" is a perfect representation of when "The X-Files" successfully blends horror and humor.

"Pusher" veers into slight comic-book territory with its involved superpower. It tells the story of a man named Robert Patrick Modell (Robert Wisden), who has the ability to will others into doing whatever he wants. The sociopathic antagonist goes so far as to force a SWAT lieutenant to pour gasoline on himself and set himself on fire. His capture only results in him using his ability to have the judge release him. It is one of the most exhilarating episodes of the series and shows us that the game of Russian roulette can get even more terrifying.

This episode is a real mind-bender. It strengthens the bond between Mulder and Scully and warped all sense of reality. The story begins with a couple falling asleep in bed, lying in each other's arms, only to pan out to show their skeletal remains lying in a field. When Mulder and Scully are sent to investigate, they unwittingly stumble across the same hallucinogenic that preyed on the couple so that a mysterious nearby cave could slowly digest its victims. We found ourselves getting "Inception" vibes while viewing this essential "X-Files” episode.

The opening of "Humbug" involves some classic misdirection. A mysterious figure is shown sneaking into a backyard pool with two brothers. After a moment of suspense, he emerges and scares the boys. The figure who scares them is known as the Alligator Man and is the boy's father. After the kids go inside, Alligator Man is attacked by another mysterious figure. Scully and Mulder are brought in to investigate the case, which we learn is the newest addition to a 28-year series of similar attacks. The episode takes place in a community of former circus sideshow performers, and it's a grizzly story that we can confidently say doesn't go in any direction you would suspect.

"The X-Files" never hesitates to tap into the mythos that came before it, as seen in "Triangle," which dives into the mystique contained within the Bermuda Triangle. Before the opening melody, Mulder is shown floating amongst the wreckage of a small water vessel. British sailors fish him out of the water and question him on his origin. When Mulder states his position in the FBI, the sailors claim to have never heard of such an organization. Events back at FBI headquarters inform us Mulder had gone searching for a ship that disappeared back in 1939, and it appears as though he found it.

"Ice" opens up with a standoff between two men in an isolated research station in Alaska. Rather than shooting each other, the men each point their guns at themselves and pull the trigger. Mulder and Scully are sent to investigate, and they discover the existence of extraterrestrial worms that bury themselves in the back of their victims' necks. These parasites have an unknown objective, but we learn they do not like being in the same room with others of their kind. When Mulder and Scully's pilot dies and leaves the agents stranded at the station, seeking out the truth becomes a matter of life and death.

In the opening moments of "Colony," Mulder is shown being rushed into a hospital in the Arctic with a severe case of hypothermia. When doctors lower him into a warm bath, Scully bursts through the door to tell the doctors the cold is what is keeping him alive. Mulder's heart monitor flatlines, and we are thrust into the show's iconic opening sequence. This episode introduces the Alien Bounty Hunters (aliens who possess shapeshifting abilities and hunt down alien/human hybrids) and contains the return of Mulder's sister, who was abducted by aliens when Fox was a child.

Mulder and Scully are sent to West Virginia to investigate the birth of five babies born with tails. Their investigative abilities lead them to a janitor working in the hospital named Eddie. This humorous episode features show writer Darin Morgan as Eddie Van Blundht, a mischievous criminal with a unique ability. As the plot reveals itself, we discover that Eddie can shapeshift, which obviously poses the agents a great deal of difficulty. "Small Potatoes" is intended to lighten up a bleak fourth season of "X-Files," and we'd say it succeeds.

"Home" has become a benchmark for horror in television since it first aired in October 1996. As reported by The New York Times, it called the TV rating system into question (the TV Parental Guidelines rating system was introduced only two months after it aired) and was actually banned from airing for three years after its initial showing. The episode begins with a group of inbred brothers (the Peacocks) burying a deformed baby in a field and continues the horror train until the very end. It's a true monster-of-the-week installment of "X-Files" and showed us its creators aren't afraid to push the envelope. We'd say two brothers clubbing a sheriff and his wife to death while Johnny Mathis' "Wonderful, Wonderful" plays makes their message crystal clear.

The mystery of the Cigarette Smoking Man is packed with intrigue, and "Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man" elaborates on his past without exactly robbing us of the man's mystique. Notably, his relation to Mulder's father helps explain why Fox has been allowed to continue his obsessive investigation into the government's most well-guarded secrets. Elsewhere, this chain-smoking adversary has been involved in the UFO landing at Roswell, the assassination of JFK, and the controversy behind the Rodney King trial. At the end of the day, "Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man" expands on his story and is essential to "X-Files" canon.

"X-Files" episodes deftly leap back and forth between monster of the week episodes and an overarching plotline involving government conspiracies; "Anasazi" is the latter. Mulder is unhinged throughout its events, with his evasion of both death and banishment from the FBI being owed entirely to Scully's calm thinking. The appearance of a tape containing all the government's UFO information sparks a chain of events that involve the Cigarette Smoking Man and Mulder's father. Ultimately, "Anasazi" elevates Scully and Mulder's relationship to something truly unique and expands on a storyline that would continue for the duration of "The X-Files."

This episode launched "The X-Files" from a cult hit to a massive phenomenon. It won two Primetime Emmys (one for show writer Darin Morgan and one for its guest star, Peter Boyle), beating out hit shows like "ER" and "NYPD Blue." The episode's plot centers around a crotchety prognosticator (Boyle) with the ability to foresee people's deaths. Through a series of events, he joins forces with Mulder and Scully to catch a serial killer who targets psychics. It's a departure from the show's typical paranormal and extraterrestrial content and veers into the existential with a cheeky grin. "Clyde Buckman's Final Repose" opened the door for countless "X-Files” storylines and paved the way for innumerable science fiction shows in the future. It deserves its place in history and at the top of this list.