Despite being one of the most popular shows on TV, The X-Files was unsuccessful in launching a spinoff, with The Lone Gunmen being canceled quickly. For those not watching during The X-Files' original run on FOX, it's easy to underestimate just how big a hit it was at the time. The X-Files was a pop culture phenomenon, and one of the defining TV shows of the 1990s. When a property is that popular, it's only natural that those behind it might want to expand the franchise.
By the time The Lone Gunmen spinoff premiered in 2001, The X-Files had already been merchandised heavily, being turned into novels, comic books, video games, action figures, and even a theatrical movie. One thing it hadn't done is spawn a direct spinoff, and that's where The Lone Gunmen came in. It wasn't necessarily a bad idea on paper, as the conspiracy-obsessed trio of Byers, Frohike, and Langly had become fan-favorites during their time as X-Files supporting characters.
Unfortunately, The Lone Gunmen's TV show didn't last long, and is today kind of a blip in TV history, only really remembered by X-Files diehards. Here's why the trio didn't get another season of adventures, ending for good after a mere thirteen installments.
Why The X-Files' Lone Gunmen Spinoff Was Canceled So Quickly
The Lone Gunmen aired its premiere episode on March 4, 2001. The episode rather infamously seemed to predict the attacks of 9/11, with a story concerning a hijacked commercial plane being targeted at the World Trade Center. The Lone Gunmen pilot drew a quite good 13.2 million viewers, a number which - in a sign of just how much TV viewership levels have changed since 2001 - would probably get a new scripted series instantly renewed for the next five seasons today. The Lone Gunmen spinoff also drew mostly positive reviews from critics, and looked like a long-term hit in the making.
The problem was, while audience interest started high, it quickly plummeted. By the very next episode, viewership had dropped down to 8.2 million, dropping a staggering 38 percent in one week. By episode three, viewership was at only 5.4 million, dropping an additional 34 percent after an already large drop the week before. While the numbers ticked back up a couple times, they quickly fell back down again. By The Lone Gunmen's season 1 finale, aired on June 1, 2001, only 3.6 million tuned in, representing a devastating 73 percent drop from premiere to finale. At that point, canceling The Lone Gunmen was basically a no-brainer for FOX. Byers, Frohike and Langly would later return to The X-Files, only to be killed off, which almost felt like a punishment for failure.