The X-Files
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 22 of 60 TV series by recommenders
People recommend it as one of the best network TV shows of its era, with satisfying self-contained episodes and strong early and middle seasons. Critics say it declined after the first few seasons.
People recommend it as one of the best network TV shows of its era, with satisfying self-contained episodes and strong early and middle seasons. Critics say it declined after the first few seasons.
20 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 16
- criticize it
- 4
- approval share
- 80%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 16 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 4 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Among the best TV of its era
“Best show on network TV at the time (and possibly since then)”
Comment from 1 May 2026 in “The X-Files Has Made Me Nostalgic for a Time I Never Experienced” “Yes it is peak TV. Also sad how young people are.”
Comment from 2 May 2026 in “The X-Files Has Made Me Nostalgic for a Time I Never Experienced” “The X-Files was the right show at the right time”
Comment from 1 May 2026 in “The X-Files Has Made Me Nostalgic for a Time I Never Experienced” - Comment from 1 May 2026 in “The X-Files Has Made Me Nostalgic for a Time I Never Experienced”
Loved since childhood, rewatched often
“Those are the shows I watched as a kid and I'll love them forever.”
Comment from 2 May 2026 in “The X-Files Has Made Me Nostalgic for a Time I Never Experienced” “I still watch from start to finish every few years”
Comment from 1 May 2026 in “The X-Files Has Made Me Nostalgic for a Time I Never Experienced” Strong seasons and great sci-fi
“I love the X-files. Season 5 & 6 are the best.”
Comment from 2 May 2026 in “The X-Files Has Made Me Nostalgic for a Time I Never Experienced” “it is still the best sci-fi for me”
Comment from 18 Apr 2026 in “Aliens.gov Resolves – To a WordPress "Site Not Found" Error” “X-files was so great show”
Comment from 1 May 2026 in “The X-Files Has Made Me Nostalgic for a Time I Never Experienced”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Quality drops after early seasons
“past the first 2-3 seasons it really ain't that great a show”
Comment from 1 May 2026 in “The X-Files Has Made Me Nostalgic for a Time I Never Experienced” “It did put a deadline on the story, something which the X-Files writers seemed allergic to as the series began aging.”
Comment from 1 May 2026 in “The X-Files Has Made Me Nostalgic for a Time I Never Experienced” “The x-files got real sloppy near the end too.”
Comment from 18 Feb 2026 in “Halt and Catch Fire: TV's Best Drama You've Probably Never Heard Of (2021)”
Other TV series people recommend
The four most recommended other TV series, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halt and Catch Fire | 166 | 20 | 89% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Babylon 5 | 86 | 21 | 80% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Silicon Valley (TV series) | 52 | 1 | 98% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Andor | 52 | 5 | 91% | 9 | — | Approved |
| The X-FilesThis page | 16 | 4 | 80% | 6 | — | Approved |
What people said
20 of the 21 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I love the X-files. Season 5 & 6 are the best.”
“Yes it is peak TV. Also sad how young people are.”
“Those are the shows I watched as a kid and I'll love them forever.”
“I don't think it held up over time.”
“It did put a deadline on the story, something which the X-Files writers seemed allergic to as the series began aging.”
“The mystery was what made the show work. The more it explained, the less interesting it became.”
“X-files was so great show”
“past the first 2-3 seasons it really ain't that great a show”
“Best show on network TV at the time (and possibly since then)”
“That was the one-half the magic of The X-Files.”
“I still watch from start to finish every few years”
“One of the all-time great shows.”
“do not remake the X-Files, or Firefly”
“The X-Files was the right show at the right time”
“X-Files were great and I did experience it.”
“it is still the best sci-fi for me”
“episodes are sufficiently satisfying self-contained stories (e.g. something like Star Trek, X-Files, sitcoms)”
“The x-files got real sloppy near the end too.”
“watch Northern Exposure or The X Files with the Spanish dub in the 90's”
“which allowed for an unusually good 16:9 Blu-ray restoration”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.