The “Scully Effect” And Other Things You Never Knew About The X-Files

Whether you were old enough to watch, or you were young enough to be haunted by that creepy intro music, The X-Files was the cult-hit television show that defined a decade. The first episode aired in 1993 and the original run lasted nine seasons and spawned two movies, a spin-off, and a reboot of the original show.

Since the entire television show is about aliens, conspiracies, and government cover-ups, it’s unsurprising to hear that the cast and crew of The X-Files kept some interesting secrets of their own. We’re glad the executives didn’t get their way when they tried to cast this blonde bombshell as Dana Scully. These facts about The X-Files will shed new light on your favorite cult classic.

It Was The First TV Show To Get A “TV-MA” Rating

Photo credit @thexfilesfox / Instagram

It might sound surprising that The X-Files was the first TV show to receive the “mature content” rating. The rating came because of a particularly disturbing episode called “Home” which centered upon an inbred family and infanticide. The episode was so disturbing that FOX eventually banned it.

We’re so used to shows rated TV-MA now, but in 1993 many television series would scale back a bit to reach a wider audience and appease advertisers and networks. Now we’re used to watching everything rated as TV-MA, from South Park to Game of Thrones. The X-Files was setting some high standards.