The Lone Gunmen disappeared after one season because FOX was not willing to support it like they did with The X-Files in 1993 after its low-rated first season.
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What Is It?
This spin-off from The X-Files follows the conspiracy theorist group known as The Lone Gunmen as they investigate shady activity by the government and other groups with the assistance of the mysterious thief named Yves Adele Harlow.
Aired: FOX, 2001, 1 Season Totaling 13 Episodes
Created By: Chris Carter, Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, Frank Spotnitz
Starring: Bruce Harwood, Tom Braidwood, Dean Haglund, Zuleikha Robinson
Why Was It Cancelled?
Prior to the 2000-01 season, FOX execs knew that The X-Files would have to come to an end at some point (it was heading into its eighth year) and decided to keep the franchise alive on television by giving conspiracy chasers The Lone Gunmen a spin-off series. Chris Carter was onboard as well as other vets from the original show like Vince Gilligan and Frank Spotnitz. And The Lone Gunmen debuted to good ratings (and decent reviews from critics) when it hit the schedule mid-season in the X-Files’ Sunday 9 PM EST timeslot (with an episode that eerily foreshadowed the 911 attacks). But when it got shuffled to the Friday 9 PM EST hour (where the parent series got its start), its numbers dropped significantly as did the confidence that FOX execs had in its ability to carry the torch for the franchise. Of course, by this point FOX had grown to become one of the “Big Four” broadcast networks as opposed to being the scrappy new kid on the block it was back in 1993 when The X-Files debuted. Network execs could not see their way to giving The Lone Gunmen a chance to prove itself like FOX had done with the parent show after its low-rated first season, and they cancelled the spin-off.
True, the quality of TLG‘s first season was a bit choppy, but The X-Files had its struggles early on as well (that first season is pretty darn cheesy). Another year might have given TLG the time to work out its kinks and also find its own voice apart from the parent series. But FOX was too focused on the short-term numbers at that point and would not give the show more time or a better timeslot to prove itself. The Lone Gunmen was fun while it lasted, though may not have been the best candidate for a long-running series. But it was also denied the chance prove if that was true, which may have been part of the conspiracy all along . . .
Should It Be Rebooted?
The Lone Gunmen ended on a cliffhanger, but that was wrapped up to an extent with the ninth season X-Files episode “Jump the Shark” in which (Spoiler Alert) the three conspiracy theorists meet their demise. But the comic book continuation of The X-Files revealed that The Lone Gunmen faked their deaths, and the revival series also suggested that they could still be alive. So the precedent has been established that the three leads avoided death which could allow for a continuation of their adventures.
And considering the current political climate, there is actually a lot that could be done with the concept, and perhaps–because of the age of the actors–they could be training a new generation of conspiracy watchers. But the two revival seasons of The X-Files left a bad taste in the mouths of many fans of that franchise, and it seems like a longshot at best that The Lone Gunmen would come back for a revival of their own. Maybe a movie could happen at some point, but it seems much more likely that the main series would be the focus of any reboot or revival at this point.
Where Can You Watch It?
The entire series was released on DVD, though that has since gone out of print. It is not currently streaming on any of the major services (because obviously the government wants to suppress the show), but you can find episodes on YouTube from time to time.
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