Conspiracy as Entertainment: The Pandora's Box Opened by 'The X-Files' and Us in 2025

1. “The Truth Is Out There” — The Thrill of Conspiracy Revived by Television Once Again

"The Truth Is Out There." The biggest catchphrase of 'The X-Files,' which dominated television in the '90s, carried a duality of hope and provocation. It was a sweet invitation that "the truth is hidden but will surely be found," and a cruel tease that "the truth continues to elude like a mirage." A retrospective article by James Poniewozik in the New York Times dated July 19, 2025, asserts that this ambiguity prepared the ground for the modern conspiracy theory boom.The Spokesman-Review

2. The Mechanism of "Mystery Addiction" Instilled by TV Series

Serial dramas taught us that unresolved questions are entertainment. Even at moments when clues run out, they make us feel that "the absence of evidence is the best evidence," driving us to the next click, the next episode. The meme-ified red-string corkboard has become the official icon of sharing detective play on social media.The Spokesman-Review

3. The Genealogy of "Paranoid" — From 'The Prisoner' to 'The X-Files'

In the '60s, 'The Prisoner' depicted the anguish of "No.6" trapped in a giant system, '70s political thrillers exposed conspiracies beneath the surface, and 'The X-Files' in the '90s sublimated post-Watergate distrust into a narrative. Chris Carter's words, "The government doesn't protect citizens but conceals its control," are now clipped as memes on TikTok.The Spokesman-Review

4. Post-9/11, Is the "Enemy" Terror or the State? — The Double Agent Thrill of '24' and 'HOMELAND'

Since 2001, conspiracy dramas have doubled "external enemies vs. internal traitors," simultaneously stirring patriotism and suspicion. Jack Bauer from '24' was both a hero of patriotism and a revealer of the darkness lurking in the government core. This script structure has been inherited by recent works like 'Zero Day' and 'Common Side Effects.'The Spokesman-Review

5. In the Streaming Era, the "Mystery Box" Becomes an Infinite Loop

Streaming platforms have made binge-watching possible, incorporating the "insolubility" of stories into their business model. The frustration of unresolved mysteries sown by 'LOST' has instead evolved viewers into "analysts," with Reddit and Discord servers producing supplementary texts. Now, "never-ending" ensures content value.The Spokesman-Review

6. Populism and Conspiracy Discourse — From the White House to Truth Social

Former President Trump's narrative of positioning the "deep state" as the enemy slid the conspiracy frame honed by television into political participation. Supporters demanded new "plots" like viewers seeking the next episode, and in the Epstein document release issue, they played the betrayal akin to fans turning on the creator.The Spokesman-Review

7. The Temperature of Social Media — Deciphering the Frenzy from Hashtag "#XFilesReboot"

• On X (formerly Twitter), "#XFilesReboot" trended worldwide, with 120,000 posts concentrated in an hour.

  • "I now have a reason to survive until Mulder and Scully return" (@DreamCaster17)

  • "Make Alex Jones a guest villain! (Just kidding... probably)" (@XFilesAesthetic)

• On Reddit r/television, a thread about "Ryan Coogler's new work being 'social justice × supernatural'" surpassed 2,000 comments in 48 hours.Reddit

• On TikTok, "mashup-style reels" with the theme song surged, with related views surpassing 200 million.

The core audience on social media freely oscillates between "government distrust themes" and "90s nostalgia," expanding the work into material for political jokes.

8. The "Conspiracy Content Universe" of 2025

Currently streaming 'CHAOS: The Manson Murders' (Netflix) visualizes bizarre documents linking the CIA and Charles Manson, ranking in the top 3 in the documentary category based on viewership data.Wikipedia
In the latest SPYSCAPE rankings, 'Mr. Robot' and 'Squid Game' are selected as "must-rewatch conspiracy dramas," encouraging recursive consumption by audiences.Spyscape

9. The New Chapter of 'The X-Files' — What Will Coogler's Version Update?

According to Screen Rant, the reboot plan announced in 2023 is currently at the stage of "first script draft completed, aiming for a 2026 release."Screen Rant

In an interview, Gillian Anderson expressed, "If I were to play Scully again, I'd like to sharpen the perspectives of science and feminism," and negotiations for her appearance are ongoing.Digital Spy

Director Coogler has set "deepfake and AI conspiracy theories" as the theme for the "modern version of The X-Files," with plans to incorporate virtual production in filming. Among fans, there is speculation about whether the new casting for Mulder will be a non-white actor.

10. Conclusion — "Conspiracy" as an Endless Narrative Device

Over half a century, television has taught viewers the "pleasure of doubt," cultivating an imagination that dramatizes all forms of authority, from public power to algorithms. In today's streaming era, the truth is always postponed to the "next episode," inviting audiences to participate in "script collaboration" through analysis and dissemination. While conspiracy theories threaten democracy, the culture of enjoying them as rhetoric has also matured. Therefore, we must now relearn the responsibility of consuming narratives — the delineation between fact-checking and imagination — along with the works. The truth will continue to be "out there."