Best Television Show Tournament Round 1e: The X-Files (15) vs Fargo (114)

[Chris]

The X-Files
Plot: Two F.B.I. Agents, Fox Mulder the believer and Dana Scully the skeptic, investigate the strange and unexplained, while hidden forces work to impede their efforts.
Genres: Science fiction, Supernatural fiction, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Created by: Chris Carter
Starring: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Robert Patrick, Annabeth Gish, Mitch Pileggi
On-air: September 10, 1993 –May 19, 2002 (original series) January 24, 2016 – March 21, 2018 (revival)

VS

Fargo
Plot: Various chronicles of deception, intrigue and murder in and around frozen Minnesota. Yet all of these tales mysteriously lead back one way or another to Fargo, North Dakota.
Genres: Anthology, Crime drama, Noir, Thriller, Black comedy
Created by: Noah Hawley
Starring: Season 1: Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks, Martin Freeman
Season 2: Kirsten Dunst, Patrick Wilson, Jesse Plemons, Jean Smart, Ted Danson
Season 3: Ewan McGregor, Carrie Coon, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Goran Bogdan, David Thewlis
Season 4: Chris Rock, Jessie Buckley, Jason Schwartzman, Ben Whishaw, Jack Huston, Salvatore Esposito, E'myri Crutchfield​

 

[Y2Jayne]

Grew up with X Files but Fargo is objectively a better show.

 

[Spider Matthau]

Nowadays convention cosplay is full of superheroes and Japanese cash cows, but in the 90s they were full of government agents/aliens. There may have been Minnesotan cops/criminals here and there but I don't believe they ever reached the geek pop status Scully and Mulder did. I give X-Files the cultural edge.

 

[Canadian Dragon]

X files for me easily. Fargo first few seasons were great but had very little cultural impact while X Files is the quintessential show of its genre

 

[Keith]

I grew up on X-Files and it remains one of
my fave shows. It change the game for Sci-Fi TV. I like Fargo mostly (didn’t make it through S4 though), but this was easy for me.