When Did X-Files Start To Suck?

[Cheebs]

I am re-watching this show lately after years and I can't remember when the show took a nose dive. Any people who watched this show remember when the show started to suck? I want to stop before I have those bad memories again. 

[bagofeyes]

I remember watching X-Files, but I can't seem to remember what any of the episodes were about. I must have been traumatised when it turned to shit.

[Flannel Boy]

I don't know, I got tired of the show around season three.

[Cheebs]

I remember watching X-Files, but I can't seem to remember what any of the episodes were about. I must have been traumatised when it turned to shit.

Same. Google is no help! I know it had a certain point where it objectively went to hell but I am clueless on remembering what season.

[Junpei the Tracer!]

I was too scared to watch this when I was younger   actually I never watched a episode of it at all

[TVC15]

Season 5 is where it started.  Then the movie came out.  From there on out it's bumpy, although I still contend that the non-mythology episodes are generally great, even once Mulder leaves.

[Mupepe]

Around the time the movie released.  Holyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy shit that was a boring movie.  I fell asleep in the theater.  And I was super excited for the movie too.   

[The Fake Shemp]

I liked the movie.  I contend the series deteriorated after the movie, even the one shot episodes.

[Eel O'Brian]

The problem was Duchovny lingering around so long, and the "mythology" never being put to bed.  It didn't give Robert Patrick and Annabeth Gish much time to shine.  There should have been a clean finish to that storyline (and now you're never going to get one), and Gillian Anderson could have stayed on in a lesser capacity to ease the transition.  I tend to avoid the mythology episodes, so for me the show maintained a certain quality until the end.

Oh, and I would do terrible things to Annabeth Gish.

[Mupepe]

The problem was Duchovny lingering around so long, and the "mythology" never being put to bed.  It didn't give Robert Patrick and Annabeth Gish much time to shine.  There should have been a clean finish to that storyline (and now you're never going to get one), and Gillian Anderson could have stayed on in a lesser capacity to ease the transition.  I tend to avoid the mythology episodes, so for me the show maintained a certain quality until the end.

Oh, and I would do terrible things to Annabeth Gish.

"u serious?"

[Stocky]

Season 7 was really when it started to decline.

[Eel O'Brian]

The problem was Duchovny lingering around so long, and the "mythology" never being put to bed.  It didn't give Robert Patrick and Annabeth Gish much time to shine.  There should have been a clean finish to that storyline (and now you're never going to get one), and Gillian Anderson could have stayed on in a lesser capacity to ease the transition.  I tend to avoid the mythology episodes, so for me the show maintained a certain quality until the end.

Oh, and I would do terrible things to Annabeth Gish.

(Image removed from quote.)
"u serious?"

"Yes."

[TVC15]

Season 7 was really when it started to decline.

No way, 6 was the pits.  5 was shaky, then the movie, then the pits.  And it wallowed in them.  Anything mythology-related that happened post-movie was AWFUL.  Compounding matters was that there were more mythology eps than ever before after the movie.

[ToxicAdam]

I used to read the Xfiles usenet boards and it was general consensus that season 5 was real uneven, the movie was pretty good, then they completely killed any momentum with season 6.

[Error Macro]

I agree with TVC and Will.  I loved the movie, but S5 is where the first cracks started to appear.  Season six is where the dam broke and flooded the village.  Flooded it with SHIT.

Many X-philes point to the change in production locations from Vancouver to Los Angeles as the main culprit in the show's decline.  And what do you know?  That happened after season five.

Interesting trivia tidbit: The last episode of S5 was "The End"; it was originally supposed to be the actual end of the television series since Chris Carter had planned for it to go to a movie only series.  That is until Fox threw a lot of money his way and he changed his mind.  Or something like that.  If the subsequent movies were up to the same level of quality as Fight The Future, I think I may have preferred the original concept.

[The Fake Shemp]

Are they ever going to have any movies to help resolve the storylines or what?

[Error Macro]

I don't know what the heck is going on with the next movie.  They've been talking about it for years, but it doesn't seem like anything ever gets past the "I'd love to do it - as soon as everyone decides to do it, I'll do it - I'm ready to do it" phase.  Last I heard there was a complete or near-complete script, Duchovny and Anderson were on board, and everything seemed to hinge on Carter getting off of his ass and making it happen.

[TVC15]

I used to read the Xfiles usenet boards and it was general consensus that season 5 was real uneven, the movie was pretty good, then they completely killed any momentum with season 6.

I was buying the individual sets some months back.  Originally, I thought the series started cracking in 4 (pre DVD watching).  My ratings so far:

1) Watch the standout episodes, skip the rest.
2) Excellent.
3) Excellent.
4) Mostly excellent.
5) Eh.  They flubbed the season 4 cliffhanger.  The Lone Gunmen ep was great, Post-Modern Prometheus was great.  And nothing else stands out, although there are a few really bad eps in here, like Detour.