2021/02/25

This year it’s the 20th anniversary of The X-Files spin-off The Lone Gunmen! The Lone Gunmen became very popular while on The X-Files, so much the producers decided to create a spin-off for these 3 dudes. Let me tell you, this is a very special little show, a show that deserves to get some recognition with the 20^th anniversary. In was 2001, The X-files was in it’s 8^th season, David Duchovny had just left. The Lone Gunmen was created by Chris Carter, Vince Gilligan and Frank Spotnitz. Of course this is not the only spin-off from, the other one is Millennium with Lance Henriksen. Millennium was a bigger success than The Lone Gunmen, it lasted 3 full seasons.

The first episode aired in March of 2001. The pilot was eerily similar to the real life event we know as 9/11. Besides that, the first episode has, for me one of the funniest moments ever! Frohike and Byers are on a demolition site when they both run towards evidence what they think is about the be destroyed. Frohike falls in the mud and I really believe this was not intended but it looks so good they kept it in, it is hilarious! See video, starts at 16:30 minutes and watch for about half a minute.  Frohike falls in the Mudd, hilarious!

In the second episode Jimmy Bond (Stephen Snedden) is seen for the first time and he’s one of the finest additions, he isn’t the smartest person, to say the least, but he makes up for in effort and presence! Man he is such a joy to watch. The “fifth member” is Yves Adele Harlow (Zuleikha Robinson). A beautiful woman, a mysterious tracker who reluctantly starts to work The Lone Gunmen and Jimmy. At some point she even starts to care about the guys although she would never admit that.

Every episode is a fun to watch, granted, it’s only branded SCI-FI because it’s a spin-off from The X-Files but that’s of no consequence, I really was disappointed back than that apparently there isn’t enough of an audience for these guys, which surprised me quite a bit because they were so popular on The X-Files. If I have to pick a favorite, or a few favorites, I think that would be the pilot, Eine Kleine Frohike and All About Yves. But this could change once I’ve rewatched the show again. This will happen in the next months.

Frank Spotnitz thinks he possible has an explanation for this: he has suggested that the reason the series was so short-lived was that it was released at a time when interest in The X-Files had already peaked. He has also speculated that, if the spin-off series had been done three or four years earlier, the outcome would probably have been different. Since the series' cancellation, Vince Gilligan has admitted that, in the long term, there unfortunately was not enough interest in the Gunmen characters to sustain a spin-off series about them, despite what the writers had originally thought. (x-files.fandom)

He could be right of course, I tend to believe him if only because I really like this show and should at least have gotten a second season. If you see what crap is out there on TV nowadays and even back then, this should have gotten a little bit more of a chance. Both Walter Skinner as Fox Mulder appeared on The Lone Gunmen, Skinner in The Lying Game, Mulder, with Morris Fletcher in All About Yves. Jimmy Bond and Yves had one guest spot on the X-files of course and that season 9 episode Jump The Shark. Because The Lone Gunmen ended on a cliff-hanger, it was given the chance to give the show a proper ending on an X-Files episode.

Final word: The Lone Gunmen is a gem, mostly of course when you are familiar with The X-Files which is almost anybody except perhaps the very young people. It’s worth checking out and as I already stated on The Lone Gunmen Homepage, it does not even need to cost money! You can watch all episodes on YouTube, for free! Don’t know how long this lasts but if you are able, check it out, it is so much fun! Of course the show has also been released on DVD. It is a 3-disc set for the US, UK and Australian release. On all three sets you will find The X-Files episode from season 9 Jump The Shark, which completes their story from the cliff-hanger finale.