Filmed in Vancouver: The X-Files

Doo dooo dee doooo dee doooooo. Okay, I’ll stop humming the X-Files theme song. I know it’s stuck in your head now! This week, we’re going retro. We’re going back to the original Fringe. The original Supernatural. The one and only… The X-Files. 

The X-Files originally aired back in 1993. Now, it’s not the oldest TV show I’ve covered (check Highlander for an older show), but it’s definitely a Vancouver gem. The show spanned a total of 9 seasons (202 episodes!) and spawned 2 movies, one of which was written specifically for Vancouver.

Created by Chris Cater, the show follows FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) as they investigate unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena. Gee, that sounds a heck of a lot like Fringe, minus Walter and Astrid and Peter and Olivia.

In lieu of screencaps from the show, I found this extra on YouTube that adequately describes why the filmmakers and location scouts chose to use Vancouver as the backdrop for the show. Granted, they didn’t film all nine seasons in Vancouver – they left to film in Los Angeles by season 6. When they changed venues, it really did change the show’s tone and I recall not watching the show anymore, simply because it wasn’t filmed in Vancouver.

If you’re feeling nostalgic, you could always purchase the full 61 DVD collection and watch it at your leisure. Or if you’re more crafty, well, there’s always other sources… out there… to watch it. (See what I did there?)