20 Great TV Shows That Everybody Turned Against
18. The X-Files
The X-Files revolves around FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully (David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, respectively), who try to expose hidden truths of the world, mainly involving an alien conspiracy.
The overall narrative was gripping for a while, but too many monster-of-the-week episodes were thrown in to prolong the mystery. Just when it felt like Mulder and Scully were about to blow the whistle on the conspirators' operation, everything would reset, dragging it out further. By the time Duchovny departed after the seventh season, it was no surprise when the show concluded shortly after, even though some secrets were left up in the air.
When The X-Files returned in 2016 after a 15-year hiatus, it was the opportunity to tie up all of those loose ends and give the series an appropriate send-off. Instead, the newer storylines relied on preposterous notions, such as the reveal that the Smoking Man is Mulder’s father (which had been teased before but never outright confirmed). Also, the Smoking Man is alive again despite being incinerated down to the bone in the show's initial finale.
The X-Files' last episode, and last season in general, was so sloppy that it makes the original ending look like a masterpiece.