WhatNext TV recommendations

Shows Like The X-Files

If The X-Files worked for you because of its big ideas, mystery, and long-form payoff, start with Grimm, Carrie, and American Horror Story. The list leans toward mystery and sci-fi & fantasy stories with a similar sense of concept-heavy storytelling. It prioritises shared tone and story shape rather than relying on broad genre matching alone.

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20 recommendationsStart with Grimm, Carrie, American Horror Story

Recommendations tuned for fans of The X-Files

Audience fit

Why The X-Files fans may like these shows

If you enjoyed The X-Files, try Grimm, Carrie, and American Horror Story. These recommendations focus on mystery and sci-fi & fantasy shows that share mystery, world-building and payoff over time and a similar storytelling rhythm.

Ranked recommendations

The closest TV shows to watch after The X-Files

Each recommendation includes the reasoning behind the pick, so you can see why it may suit fans of The X-Files.

Grimm

Grimm is a strong follow-up to The X-Files because it offers mystery, world-building and payoff over time and a comparable sense of concept-heavy storytelling. Shared genre fit: Mystery and Sci-Fi & Fantasy Story-shape signal: this title was selected because its themes and tone are a close fit. In practical terms, After Portland homicide detective Nick Burkhardt discovers he's descended from an elite line of criminal profilers known as "Grimms," he increasingly finds his responsibilities as a detective at odds with his new…

Carrie

Carrie is a strong follow-up to The X-Files because it offers mystery, world-building and payoff over time and a comparable sense of concept-heavy storytelling. Shared genre fit: Mystery and Sci-Fi & Fantasy Story-shape signal: this title was selected because its themes and tone are a close fit. In practical terms, After her father's sudden, untimely death thrusts her into the unforgiving ecosystem of public high school, Carrie is forced to navigate a viral bullying scandal that tears through her community, the relentless…

American Horror Story

American Horror Story is a strong follow-up to The X-Files because it offers mystery, world-building and payoff over time and a comparable sense of concept-heavy storytelling. Shared genre fit: Mystery and Sci-Fi & Fantasy Story-shape signal: this title was selected because its themes and tone are a close fit. In practical terms, An anthology horror drama series centering on different characters and locations, including a house with a murderous past, an asylum, a witch coven, a freak show, a hotel, a farmhouse in Roanoke, a cult, the apocalypse…

Stranger Things

Stranger Things is a strong follow-up to The X-Files because it offers mystery, world-building and payoff over time and a comparable sense of concept-heavy storytelling. Shared genre fit: Mystery and Sci-Fi & Fantasy Story-shape signal: this title was selected because its themes and tone are a close fit. In practical terms, When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces, and one strange little girl.

Fringe

Fringe is a strong follow-up to The X-Files because it offers mystery, world-building and payoff over time and a comparable sense of concept-heavy storytelling. Shared genre fit: Sci-Fi & Fantasy and Mystery Recommendation graph signal: this title appears close to the anchor show in recommendation data. In practical terms, FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham, brilliant but formerly institutionalized scientist Walter Bishop and his scheming, reluctant son Peter uncover a deadly mystery involving a series of unbelievable events and realize…

Supernatural

Supernatural is a strong follow-up to The X-Files because it offers mystery, world-building and payoff over time and a comparable sense of concept-heavy storytelling. Shared genre fit: Mystery and Sci-Fi & Fantasy Story-shape signal: this title was selected because its themes and tone are a close fit. In practical terms, When they were boys, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. Subsequently, their father raised them to be soldiers. He taught them about the paranormal evil that lives…

Riverdale

Riverdale is a strong follow-up to The X-Files because it offers mystery, world-building and payoff over time and a comparable sense of concept-heavy storytelling. Shared genre fit: Crime and Mystery Story-shape signal: this title was selected because its themes and tone are a close fit. In practical terms, Set in the present, the series offers a bold, subversive take on Archie, Betty, Veronica and their friends, exploring the surreality of small-town life, the darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath Riverdale’s wholesome…

Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks is a strong follow-up to The X-Files because it offers mystery, world-building and payoff over time and a comparable sense of concept-heavy storytelling. Shared genre fit: Mystery Story-shape signal: this title was selected because its themes and tone are a close fit. In practical terms, The body of Laura Palmer is washed up on a beach near the small Washington state town of Twin Peaks. FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper is called in to investigate her strange demise only to uncover a web of mystery that…

Millennium

Millennium is a strong follow-up to The X-Files because it offers mystery, world-building and payoff over time and a comparable sense of concept-heavy storytelling. Shared genre fit: Crime, Mystery, and Sci-Fi & Fantasy Recommendation graph signal: this title appears close to the anchor show in recommendation data. In practical terms, A retired FBI serial-profiler joins the mysterious Millennium Group, a team of underground ex-law enforcement experts dedicated to fighting against the ever-growing forces of evil and darkness in the world.

The Expanse

The Expanse is a strong follow-up to The X-Files because it offers mystery, world-building and payoff over time and a comparable sense of concept-heavy storytelling. Shared genre fit: Mystery and Sci-Fi & Fantasy Story-shape signal: this title was selected because its themes and tone are a close fit. In practical terms, A thriller set two hundred years in the future following the case of a missing young woman who brings a hardened detective and a rogue ship's captain together in a race across the solar system to expose the greatest…

Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow is a strong follow-up to The X-Files because it offers mystery, world-building and payoff over time and a comparable sense of concept-heavy storytelling. Shared genre fit: Mystery and Sci-Fi & Fantasy Recommendation graph signal: this title appears close to the anchor show in recommendation data. In practical terms, Ichabod Crane is resurrected and pulled two and a half centuries through time to unravel a mystery that dates all the way back to the founding fathers.

Carnival Row

Carnival Row is a strong follow-up to The X-Files because it offers mystery, world-building and payoff over time and a comparable sense of concept-heavy storytelling. Shared genre fit: Crime and Sci-Fi & Fantasy Story-shape signal: this title was selected because its themes and tone are a close fit. In practical terms, In a mystical and dark city filled with humans, fairies and other creatures, a police detective investigates a series of gruesome murders leveled against the fairy population. During his investigation, the detective…

What makes a good show like The X-Files?

A good replacement for The X-Files is not just another show in the same broad genre. The best matches keep the parts viewers remember most: big ideas, mystery, and long-form payoff, a atmospheric atmosphere and concept-heavy storytelling. That is why the ranking combines several signals before a title reaches the final list.

How these recommendations are chosen

Audience behaviour: Reddit-style co-mentions and pair signals help identify shows viewers naturally compare or recommend together. Recommendation graph: TMDB recommendation data helps identify titles that sit close to the anchor show. Story fit: genre overlap, semantic keywords and concept-specific guardrails reduce lazy matches that share only a surface-level category. Quality control: vote average, vote count, popularity and freshness checks help remove weak or low-confidence titles from public SEO pages.

Editor's verdict

The strongest starting point is Grimm, Carrie, and American Horror Story because the list balances similarity, quality and viewer behaviour. For best results, choose the recommendation that matches the part of The X-Files you liked most: tone, characters, setting, mystery, tension or long-form payoff.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

Which shows scratch the same itch as The X-Files?

These are not just similar on genre. They were chosen because they offer a related mix of mystery, world-building and long-form payoff for viewers who connected with The X-Files.

What should I watch after The X-Files for more big-idea storytelling?

Grimm, Carrie, and American Horror Story are a good place to start if you want another series that unfolds gradually and rewards attention over time.

Are these recommendations more about mood or plot?

Usually both. The strongest matches tend to share atmosphere as well as structure, so the page does not just chase shows with similar premises.

How do I find more shows once I finish these?

Build up your favourites and ratings in WhatNext and the app can keep narrowing in on the sci-fi and fantasy shows that suit your taste best.

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Explore more recommendations

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