How important was the internet in building The X Files?
I believe the internet was critical in establishing the X-Files as a success.
The X Files is completely atypical in that its success grew every year for the first five years of the show, really peaking with the release of the feature film after the fifth season of the television series. Yet, in the first year the ratings were unspectacular and it really took a long time for it to grow to an audience that was a clear success.
There was a drum beat that you could hear from all the people on the internet who were watching the show. Talking about it, dissecting it, and it was rich material for them. A lot of intelligence and ideas.
There were many times, especially during the second and third seasons of the show, when we�d come in on Monday morning and there�d be a telephone book sized stack of e-mail that was posted about the previous episode.
We still look on the internet from time to time, and we try and gauge fan reaction. It�s a sizeable and important audience, probably the most hardcore of the show's fans.
Over time we came to see that the people on the internet have a very specific agenda and taste. Certain things about the show are more important to them than are important to the audience at large, so you mustn�t let yourself be led or overly influenced by that sector of your audience.
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Mulder's Habits
