On September 14, 2026, three decades after his first individual Emmy nomination, Vince Gilligan finally won his first solo Emmy. But long before he was winning awards for Pluribus and Breaking Bad, he co-created an X-Files spin-off that drew 13 million viewers. Then The Lone Gunmen vanished after 13 episodes.
The X-Files is one of those shows that, in theory, should be able to spawn limitless spin-offs. Strangely enough, there was only one official spin-off ever produced; its closest sibling was Millennium, a separate Chris Carter series set in the same universe, which had a darker tone but followed a similar structure to the original X-Files, running for three seasons. Then we have The Lone Gunmen (38% on Rotten Tomatoes) – the actual spin-off, and a show that never found its audience and only lived for one season as a result.
Where The X-Files was a moody procedural about aliens and supernatural phenomena, The Lone Gunmen proudly embodied its 2001 vibes with gusto. Government conspiracies, hacking, tech mumbo jumbo – The Lone Gunmen could not be further from The X-Files’ style, and yet, it is intrinsically tied to the original series’ DNA, perhaps even more so than Millennium.
Who Are The Lone Gunmen in The X-Files?
If you’ve seen The X-Files (either the show or the 1998 film), you’ve heard of The Lone Gunmen. Frohike, Byers, and Langly are the resident conspiracy nuts who usually help Mulder and Scully with their investigations, first appearing in Season 1’s “E.B.E.” in 1994. The name comes from the official story that a “lone gunman” gunned down President Kennedy – a theory that the trio vehemently rejects, because of course they do.
The trio appears in over 35 episodes throughout The X-Files’ original run, and quickly became fan favorites. Was their popularity high enough to warrant a spin-off? Perhaps not – but Fox was more than willing to take the shot if it meant replicating The X-Files’ success. The spin-off added two regulars: thief Yves Adele Harlow (Zuleikha Robinson), whose name is an anagram of Lee Harvey Oswald, and wealthy superfan Jimmy Bond (Stephen Snedden).
The Lone Gunmen Pilot’s World Trade Center Plot – and Why Fox Cancelled It
The show’s pilot made its debut on March 4, 2001. Surprisingly, it was a smashing success. 13.2 million viewers were glued to their seats as the first episode unfolded, and what an episode it was. The pilot deals with the Gunmen uncovering a secret plot by a rogue government cell that tries to… remotely hijack a Boeing 727 and crash it into the World Trade Center. You probably see where this is going.
Released only six months prior to the September 11 attacks, the episode has retroactively become a conspiracy theory in and of itself. Still, as “prophetic” as the pilot was, it didn’t predict just how low the show’s ratings would fall in its second episode. Episode 2 saw viewership drop to 9 million, and the downward trend continued throughout the season. Co-creator Frank Spotnitz later told the Television Academy the show never established itself after Fox moved it to Friday nights, where episode 3 drew just 5.38 million. By the 13th episode, Fox was finding it increasingly difficult to justify keeping it on the air, leading to a sudden cancellation. And, as it always happens with these kinds of shows, the story ended on an unresolved cliffhanger.
How The Lone Gunmen Died in The X-Files’ “Jump the Shark”
Millennium got its proper finale within The X-Files after Fox axed the series, and The Lone Gunmen would receive the same treatment. However, the lovable trio of conspiracy nuts would not get a happy ending – far from it.
Season 9, Episode 15 of The X-Files, “Jump the Shark,” serves as the proper finale for The Lone Gunmen. The episode sees the three Gunmen saving the day from a bioterrorist attack… by valiantly sacrificing their lives. It’s a bleak ending that clashes with the trio’s origins as The X-Files’ comedic relief. Spotnitz also revealed that Fox, having accidentally overpaid the three actors, fought to block the episode until the writers forced its hand.
At the time, Season 9 was supposed to be The X-Files’ final season, so killing off the Lone Gunmen seemed like a proper closure to a loose narrative end. The decision didn’t sit well with fans or with co-creator Vince Gilligan, who co-wrote the episode but was never a huge fan of the trio’s demise. The Gunmen were later brought back to life in IDW’s The X-Files: Season 10 comic, which revealed that they had merely faked their deaths. On TV, the 2016 revival gave them only a brief cameo in “Babylon,” and Season 11’s “This” (2018) confirmed they’re still dead, with Langly’s digital consciousness trapped in a simulated afterlife.
Is The Lone Gunmen Worth Watching?
The Lone Gunmen is a product of its era: a show that could only exist at the turn of the millennium. It never overstayed its welcome and, even though it ended on a cliffhanger, set up a core group of characters to become heroes in their own right. It might lack that spark The X-Files always had, but for die-hard Vince Gilligan fans, The Lone Gunmen is far from being a waste of time.
Ryan Coogler’s X-Files reboot is now in the works at Hulu. But, as he told the Television Academy, Gilligan also believes that “we need The Lone Gunmen more than ever.”
RELATED: As Ryan Coogler’s X-Files Reboot Heats Up, Remember the Spinoff Fox Buried
The Lone Gunmen isn’t currently streaming in the US, but Fox released the complete series on DVD, with “Jump the Shark” included. The X-Files streams on Hulu.
The Lone Gunmen |
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The X-Files' Lone Gunmen, their action-loving man-childish sidekick and patron, Jimmy Bond, and their sexy master thief frienemy, Yves, investigate crimes and conspiracies, often in a silly, comedic and over the top fashion. |
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| Creator: Chris Carter, Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, Frank Spotnitz |
| Cast: Bruce Harwood, Tom Braidwood, Dean Haglund, Zuleikha Robinson, Stephen Snedden |
| Genre: Science fiction, Conspiracy fiction, Thriller, Drama, Comedy |
| Number of Seasons: 1 (13 episodes) |
| Streaming Service: N/A |
