this post was submitted on 26 Dec 2023
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The special efx haven't gotten more expensive, cameras haven't risen in price, writers don't seem to be demanding particular high prices, netflix takes anything that you can pitch without saying the word disney.

So what in the world happened? X-files was an amazing show and watching it you are not only entertained but you care about mulder and scully. The show is genuinely a great time. Why did they stop making them like this?

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[–] SwearingRobin@lemmy.world 35 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

There's been plenty good shows since X files came out, maybe it's more of a problem that you're in a different head space than you were and not as open to like new shows anymore. Happens to me with video games, I keep going back to the ones I played in my early twenties when I had more time over the summer to invest into games. Now I have much less time to start a new game and get over the boring introductory bits before getting to the good parts.

[–] citrusface@lemmy.world 31 points 10 months ago (3 children)

But they still make good shows? I don't understand your point? There were plenty of mediocre and bad episodes of xfiles. Are you just talking like low sci-fi? Also how old are you - depending on your age - xfiles may have just played a big role in shaping you, so it will be hard for you to find anything that tops xfiles. Like for example - no game has ever grabbed me as hard as Earthbound - there have been so many good games that have come out, but nothing tops Earthbound for me. So i think it would help if you didn't compare other shows and media to xfiles and try to find something that makes each of those shows worthwhile in their own way - plus, would you really want another xfiles?

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[–] Alexstarfire@lemmy.world 31 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I'm in the middle of rewatching X-Files yet again. It's really hit and miss, even in the good seasons. I think people remember all the good episodes and forget about the bad and average ones.

You looking for a new X-Files type show? I can't think of any good ones but I don't really look for that type of show anymore either.

[–] sighofannoyance@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago (4 children)

Not neccessarily x-files related, just of the same quality and make. Something that is as entertaining as watching xfiles.

[–] quackers@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Mr Robot. Rewatching it now and x-files rewatch is next on the list.
Maybe Lost but you gotta kinda vibecheck if it's your thing. And Stranger Things also has the whole mystery vibe going.

[–] sighofannoyance@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago (5 children)

I was interested in Mr Robot but then they had this cringy exchange and i just couldn't bring myself to continue to watch...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQM5fU7V-MM

[–] jwiggler@sh.itjust.works 3 points 10 months ago

There are a lot of weird cringey exchanges in this show similar to this that end up being stylized writing to trick or subvert the viewer. You should continue watching

[–] Granixo@feddit.cl 2 points 10 months ago

Honestly i laughed at the joke.

I only saw the first episode.

I then gave myself an summary spoiler and didin't like at all the way the story went on.

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[–] rustyricotta@lemmy.ml 4 points 10 months ago

I've never seen x-files, but it does get brought up a lot in conversation about Fringe (one of my favorites). Fringe starts off as {insert scifi thing} of the week, and then the plot starts to develop later. I recommend giving it a shot.

[–] wulrus@programming.dev 3 points 10 months ago
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[–] ShepherdPie@midwest.social 3 points 10 months ago

I'd have to agree. I'm working my way through it again and got stuck on season 5 because I'm not really interested in the whole convoluted "aliens abducted Scully and Mulder's sister but also maybe they weren't really aliens" plotline. The monster of the week episodes were the best. I didn't remember til this point how much I disliked this part of the show last time, and I'm really not looking forward to hearing "Agent John Doggett" 42 times per episode a couple more seasons from now.

[–] LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com 25 points 10 months ago (22 children)

I'm middle-aged, and Xfiles was great, but some of the best shows I've seen have been in the last decade

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[–] Granixo@feddit.cl 24 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Mr. sighofannoyance this is a lie detector.

I'm gonna make you some questions and you shall answer with honesty.

Have you ever watched any tv show other than "X-Files"?

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 13 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Episodic vs Serial.

Everything is a serial now. They're not bad, but you can't just pick any random episode and have a good time. I prefer episodic stuff for that very reason.

[–] 0x4E4F@sh.itjust.works 3 points 10 months ago (2 children)

The idea is to have you itching for the next fix. More money that way, you don't cancel subscriptions, etc.

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[–] HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club 11 points 10 months ago

I'm going to interpret the question more as "why don't they make shows like "The X-Files" any more than on specific quality.

The 90's was the last hurrah of quality serialized television. You were seeing a lot of improvements in the quality of writing and willingness to push against norms and standards. You could still make a shallow serialized series and they still do today, but you could make a show back then with a lore tied together from callbacks.

So why did these kinds of shows stop? DVD sets and ubiquitous time-skipping technology meant that writers could shift from good serialized content to longer form and continuous stories. You started seeing shows filled with "previously on..." because it became the expectation that viewers watched all the episodes up to then. Streaming make it the default.

There has been a recent push to go back to a serialized model, but the economics of the industry has changed. Writers rooms able to churn out 26 shows a year have been whittled away. You also have some actors that don't want the work schedule that comes with it. You also had a time where a show that lasted a year found it easier stay on air to get to the 100 episode minimum to make syndication valuable; there isn't that profit motive any more.

[–] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 10 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Might be that it is hard to make good art.

And even the X Files got bad after about 5 seasons.

[–] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 11 points 10 months ago

It's also not like good stuff has stopped being made. And back then there was also plenty of bad stuff. You just remember the good shows.

[–] MermaidsGarden@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Because good is an entirely subjective measure. Ask a 5 year old what the best tv show is and you’ll get a different answer than if you asked a professional critic. There have been loads of shows since X-Files ended that are entertaining and have engaging characters. It’s okay to have a favorite.

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[–] FluffyPotato@lemm.ee 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

They still make amazing shows, it's just a matter of taste and preference.

You can try Fringe, it's obviously inspired by X-Files. I even prefer Fringe but I don't think it's a popular opinion.

There's also From, it's like the only mystery horror TV show that gets horror right in a series setting. It gave me some similar vibes though it's a very different show.

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[–] Granixo@feddit.cl 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] Granixo@feddit.cl 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] Granixo@feddit.cl 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] Granixo@feddit.cl 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] Granixo@feddit.cl 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] Granixo@feddit.cl 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] Granixo@feddit.cl 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] Granixo@feddit.cl 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Someone is talking about the X-Files!

[–] Granixo@feddit.cl 6 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Well, this calls for a celebration.

[–] Granixo@feddit.cl 5 points 10 months ago

🎵 Ceeeelebrate good times come on!! 🎵

[–] MrPoopyButthole@lemm.ee 6 points 10 months ago

Shows like that are still happening.

The real issue is that instead of 5-15 channels, there are dozens-hundreds, plus a dozen streaming service, and intellectual property is constantly pinging back and forth between them all.

No media has a reliable "home" you can consistently access it from. And when it does you still run into the discoverability issue. So many shows are made that you can't reasonably scroll through all of them, so personal recommendations and algorithms ultimately dictate what we find.

If you want unusual and stand-out sci-fi then I'd recommend Twin Peaks: The Return, assuming you've seen Twin Peaks.

Also the show "Dark" on Netflix is incredible.

I still have a cue of newer stuff I haven't gotten to because there's so much to try.

I think what we've really lost is the social element. When FAR fewer things were on, and everyone had to "tune in" to see new episodes, it meant a ton more people would be watching the same thing at the same time.

Now the default has become everything on demand, and released in full seasons at a time. "Dark" is actually from several years ago, but became big in the US just a few years ago, and I just found it last year.

The viewing and Fandom experiences are just more fragmented and scattered now.

[–] vzq@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (3 children)

Because they have started making better ones.

In TV there is a watershed moment. Before sopranos and after sopranos.

The shows that came before were specced to the particularities of broadcast television. Season length, episode lengths, budget, guest appearances, were all determined by the details of how broadcast television was organized in the late twentieth century, with seasons and sweep weeks and all that crap.

HBO was the first TV producer to bin all of that, and enable TV to reach its creative potential.

X files was a very cool show, but its late 20th century broadcast pedigree is on full display.

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[–] adespoton@lemmy.ca 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I’d just like to point out that the Stone Angels episode of Doctor Who came out after X-Files.

[–] Alexstarfire@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago

You mean the Weeping Angels?

[–] CurlyWurlies4All@slrpnk.net 4 points 10 months ago

Lived through peak TV... Why dOn'T x-FiLEs bE tV aS GoOD?

[–] Granixo@feddit.cl 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (3 children)

I've never watched the X-Files, but the crossover episode with the Simpsons is one of my favorites.

Since you seems to be a big fan, i'm gonna ask.

Does Mulder always show people a photo of him wearing a speedo?

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