The X-Files

The character Senator Richard Matheson is named after Richard Matheson, whose writing inspired Kolchak (1974), the show that inspired Chris Carter to create The X-Files.

In the early years of the series, Mulder is a firm believer in extraterrestrials and Scully is skeptical. In real life this is the opposite, being Duchovny the skeptical and Anderson the believer.

David Duchovny originally suggested Jennifer Beals, his former classmate at Yale, for the lead female role.