"I hope that we had an impact on the quality of television. I hope that if people talk about a golden age of television in the '90s that we were a part of it. I don't know what [The X-Files'] ultimate influence will be, but I just hope it plays forever."

    About This Interview

    In his nearly two-and-a-half-hour interview, Chris Carter talks about his early years, and working for Jeffrey Katzenberg at Disney. He describes pitching The X-Files to Fox, casting David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in the pilot, and getting the show on the air. He discusses the early seasons of the show and the audience reaction, as well as the process of collaborating with different writers and producers on the series. Carter describes The X-Files being one of the earliest shows that was discussed in depth on the internet, and the impact new media had on the series. He chronicles David Duchovny leaving the series, as well as the end of the show and the feature film spinoffs. He recalls his other series Millennium and The Lone Gunmen, which predicted a 9/11-style attack four months before the actual event. John Dalton conducted the interview on June 24, 2010 in Malibu, CA.

    All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.
    People Talking About ...
    Thumbnail of Chris Carter

    Chris Carter on The X-Files' themes of government conspiracy theories

    02:15
    Thumbnail of Chris Carter

    Chris Carter on casting Gillian Anderson as "Dana Scully" and David Duchovny as "Fox Mulder" on The X-Files

    06:04
    Thumbnail of Chris Carter

    Chris Carter on his favorite season of The X-Files, and on leaving some storylines and questions open

    01:06
    Thumbnail of Chris Carter

    Chris Carter on responding to fan criticism of season 6 of The X-Files

    01:05
    Thumbnail of Chris Carter

    Chris Carter on The X-Files main theme and title

    03:03
    Thumbnail of Chris Carter

    Chris Carter on the series The Lone Gunmen and it having predicted some aspects of 9/11

    02:29
    Play Full Interview

    Chapter 1

    On his early life and influences; on getting noticed by Jeffrey Katzenberg; on his stint working at Disney

    15:44

    On how The X-Files came about; on pitching The X-Files to Fox and their reaction to the pilot; on casting David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson on the show

    15:09

    On the filming the pilot of The X-Files, and on the audience reaction to it and the mythology arc; on The X-Files main theme and title

    12:10

    On the characters' motivation in the first season of The X-Files, and on the romance, themes, and goals of the show; on "Fox Mulder's" shooting on The X-Files, and on coming up with story ideas; on The X-Files' core audience and on the season 1 finale

    15:51

    Chapter 2

    On what made The X-Files scary; on the process of collaborating with other writers and producers on The X-Files; on The X-Files' themes of government conspiracy theories

    10:23

    On various The X-Files storylines; on putting humor into the mix on The X-Files; on how they handled Gillian Anderson's pregnancy on season 2 of The X-Files

    08:17

    On the "Alex Krycek" character on The X-Files; on those episodes of The X-Files that he labeled "monster of the week" and the alien mythology of the series; on how the early episodes of The X-Files impacted television at the time, including the cinematography of the show

    06:44

    On The X-Files' following and the impact of the internet and new media on the show; on getting "Mulder" and "Scully" romantically involved on The X-Files; on the "Mulder" and "Scully" relationship as the show and feature films progressed

    09:31

    On the importance of Emmy Award nominations and other awards for The X-Files team and himself; on the season 5 finale of The X-Files, and on the first feature film based on the series; on the decision to move The X-Files from Canada to Los Angeles, and on season 6 of the series

    10:35

    On having stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson direct episodes for season 7 of The X-Files, and on the major plot points of that season; on David Duchovny leaving The X-Files and on replacing him with Robert Patrick as "John Doggett"; on his decision to end the first run of The X-Files and how 9/11 impacted the show

    12:35

    Chapter 3

    On his favorite season of The X-Files, and on leaving some storylines and questions open; on The X-Files documentary "The Threads of Mythology"; on the legacy of The X-Files, and on the feature films

    05:58

    On the series Millennium, and on running two shows at once; on the series The Lone Gunmen, and it having predicted some aspects of 9/11; on the series Harsh Realm

    08:05

    On the then-future of television; on how fame has changed his life; on career achievements and regrets; on advice to aspiring television writers and show creators; on how he would like to be remembered

    03:22

    Harsh Realm

    Chris Carter on the series Harsh Realm

    00:58

    Lone Gunmen, The

    Chris Carter on the series The Lone Gunmen and it having predicted some aspects of 9/11

    02:29

    Millennium

    Chris Carter on the series Millennium, and on running two shows at once

    04:36

    Outer Limits, The (1963-65)

    Chris Carter on The Outer Limits' influence on The X-Files

    00:38

    X-Files, The

    Chris Carter on coming up with The X-Files characters "Mulder" and "Scully"

    01:15

    Chris Carter on the premise of The X-Files, and on his thoughts on area abduction

    02:07

    Chris Carter on pitching The X-Files to Fox executives and on their reaction to the pilot

    04:00

    Chris Carter on casting Gillian Anderson as "Dana Scully" and David Duchovny as "Fox Mulder" on The X-Files

    06:03

    Chris Carter on the filming the pilot of The X-Files, and on the audience reaction to it and the mythology arc

    09:08

    Chris Carter on The X-Files main theme and title

    03:03

    Chris Carter on the characters' motivation in the first season of The X-Files, and on the romance, themes, and goals of the show

    06:22

    Chris Carter on "Fox Mulder's" shooting on The X-Files, and on coming up with story ideas

    05:25

    Chris Carter on The X-Files' core audience

    01:50

    Chris Carter on the first season finale of The X-Files

    02:14

    Chris Carter on what made The X-Files scary

    01:48

    Chris Carter on the process of collaborating with other writers and producers on The X-Files

    06:20

    Chris Carter on The X-Files' themes of government conspiracy theories

    02:15

    Chris Carter on various The X-Files storylines, including the disapearance of "Mulder's" sister and the "Cigarette Smoking Man"

    04:31

    Chris Carter on putting humor into the mix on The X-Files

    01:52

    Chris Carter on on how they handled Gillian Anderson's pregnancy on season 2 of The X-Files, which led the the "Scully abducted" storyline

    01:52

    Chris Carter on the "Alex Krycek" character on The X-Files, and on getting an Emmy nomination for the episode "Duane Barry" which he directed

    02:28

    Chris Carter on those episodes of The X-Files that he labeled "monster of the week" and the alien mythology of the series

    01:23

    Chris Carter on how the early episodes of The X-Files impacted television at the time, including the cinematography of the show

    02:55

    Chris Carter on The X-Files' following, and the impact of the internet and new media on the show

    01:45

    Chris Carter on getting "Mulder" and "Scully" romantically involved on The X-Files

    02:18

    Chris Carter on the "Mulder" and "Scully" relationship as the show and feature films progressed on The X-Files

    05:28

    Chris Carter on the importance of Emmy Award nominations and other awards to The X-Files team and himself

    01:01

    Chris Carter on Cher guest-starring on The X-Files

    00:48

    Chris Carter on the season 5 finale of The X-Files, and on the first feature film based on the series

    03:29

    Chris Carter on the decision to move The X-Files from Canada to Los Angeles starting with season 6

    01:31

    Chris Carter on responding to fan criticism of season 6 of The X-Files

    01:07

    Chris Carter on Vince Gilligan writing for The X-Files season six, and on the plot points of that year

    02:39

    Chris Carter on having stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson direct episodes for season 7 of The X-Files and the major plot points of that season

    03:17

    Chris Carter on David Duchovny leaving The X-Files and on replacing him with Robert Patrick as "John Doggett"

    04:13

    Chris Carter on his decision to end the first run of The X-Files

    01:08

    Chris Carter on how 9/11 impacted The X-Files

    01:03

    Chris Carter on the fate of "The Lone Gunman" on The X-Files, and on tying up loose ends at the end of the series

    02:13

    Chris Carter on The Outer Limits' influence on The X-Files

    00:38

    Chris Carter on his favorite season of The X-Files, and on leaving some storylines and questions open

    01:06

    Chris Carter on The X-Files documentary "The Threads of Mythology"

    01:00

    Chris Carter on the legacy of The X-Files

    00:51

    Chris Carter on the feature film X-Files spin-off "I Want to Believe"

    03:00

    9/11

    Chris Carter on how 9/11 impacted The X-Files

    01:03

    Chris Carter on the series The Lone Gunmen and it having predicted some aspects of 9/11

    02:29

    Advice

    Chris Carter on advice to aspiring television writers and show creators

    00:54

    Characters & Catchphrases

    Chris Carter on casting Gillian Anderson as "Dana Scully" and David Duchovny as "Fox Mulder" on The X-Files

    06:04

    Creative Influences and Inspiration

    Chris Carter on The Outer Limits' influence on The X-Files

    00:39

    Emmy Awards

    Chris Carter on the "Alex Krycek" character on The X-Files, and on getting an Emmy nomination for the episode "Duane Barry" which he directed

    02:26

    Chris Carter on the importance of Emmy nominations and other awards for The X-Files team and himself

    01:01

    Fame and Celebrity

    Chris Carter on how fame has changed his life

    00:49

    Historic Events and Social Change

    Chris Carter on how 9/11 impacted The X-Files

    01:03

    Chris Carter on the series The Lone Gunmen and it having predicted some aspects of 9/11

    02:29

    New Media

    Chris Carter on The X-Files' following and the impact of the internet and new media on the show

    01:45

    Pivotal Career Moments

    Chris Carter on The Outer Limits' influence on The X-Files

    00:39

    Pop Culture

    Chris Carter on casting Gillian Anderson as "Dana Scully" and David Duchovny as "Fox Mulder" on The X-Files

    06:04

    Chris Carter on The X-Files main theme and title

    03:03

    Chris Carter on how fame has changed his life

    00:49

    Television Industry

    Chris Carter on The X-Files' following and the impact of the internet and new media on the show

    01:45

    Chris Carter on the then-future of television

    01:04

    Chris Carter on advice to aspiring television writers and show creators

    00:54

    TV Theme Songs

    Chris Carter on The X-Files main theme and title

    03:03

    Show Creators

    Chris Carter on the characters' motivation in the first season of The X-Files

    06:26

    Chris Carter on keeping track of the story arc on The X-Files

    05:28

    Chris Carter on the process of collaborating with other writers and producers on The X-Files

    06:20

    Chris Carter on how they handled Gillian Anderson's pregnancy on season 2 of The X-Files, which led the the "Scully abducted" storyline

    01:52

    Chris Carter on the decision to move The X-Files from Canada to Los Angeles starting with season 6

    01:31

    Chris Carter on advice to aspiring television writers and show creators

    00:54

    Sci-Fi/Supernatural Series

    Chris Carter on creating The X-Files

    41:27

    Chris Carter on The X-Files

    58:08

    Chris Carter on The X-Files

    05:58

    Chris Carter on Millennium

    04:36

    Chris Carter on The Lone Gunmen

    02:29

    Chris Carter on Harsh Realm

    01:00

    Gillian Anderson

    Chris Carter on casting Gillian Anderson as "Dana Scully" and David Duchovny as "Fox Mulder" on The X-Files

    06:03

    Chris Carter on how they handled Gillian Anderson's pregnancy on season 2 of The X-Files, which led the the "Scully abducted" storyline

    01:52

    Chris Carter on having stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson direct episodes for season 7 of The X-Files and the major plot points of that season

    03:16

    Cher

    Chris Carter on Cher guest-starring on The X-Files

    00:48

    David Duchovny

    Chris Carter on casting Gillian Anderson as "Dana Scully" and David Duchovny as "Fox Mulder" on The X-Files

    06:03

    Chris Carter on having stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson direct episodes for season 7 of The X-Files and the major plot points of that season

    03:16

    Chris Carter on David Duchovny leaving The X-Files and on replacing him with Robert Patrick as "John Doggett"

    04:13

    Vince Gilligan

    Chris Carter on Vince Gilligan writing for The X-Files season six and on the plot points of that year

    02:39

    Jeffrey Katzenberg

    Chris Carter on getting his screenplay noticed by Jeffrey Katzenberg

    04:26

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