Page "The X-Files" Paragraph 17

Carter has mentioned that the relationship between Mulder and Scully — platonic but with sexual tension — was influenced by the chemistry between John Steed ( Patrick Macnee ) and Emma Peel ( Diana Rigg ) in the 1960s British spy TV program The Avengers.

One journalist documented possible influence from Nigel Kneale's Quatermass series and its various television and film iterations.

Kneale was invited to write for The X-Files, but declined the offer.

The early 1990s cult hit Twin Peaks is seen as a major influence on the show's dark atmosphere and its often surreal blend of drama and irony.

David Duchovny had appeared as a cross-dressing DEA agent in Twin Peaks, and the Mulder character was seen as a parallel to the show's FBI Agent Dale Cooper.