26 years ago, The X-Files themed episode of the Simpsons aired! 💛
January 12th, 1997
“The Springfield Files” (8x10)
The idea was first conceived at a story retreat. Al Jean found a copy of TV Guide while in the bathroom, with The X-Files on the cover.
Before the episode was produced, the script was sent to Chris Carter, the creator of The X-Files, who said that it was an "honor" to be satirized by The Simpsons.
Mulder and Scully's office was designed to be exactly the same as the one used in The X-Files. After it had been finished, Fox sent the episode out for a critical review, which was "really great"
On January 12, 1997, Fox did a crossover with its two biggest shows... The Simpsons and the X-Files. Special Agents of the FBI Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) travel to Springfield to investigate a supposed alien sighting by Homer Simpson. The episode also had a cameo by iconic sci-fi actor Leonard Nimoy (voicing himself in the vein of his hosting time on "In Search of -fill in the blank"), and a silent CGB "Cigarette Smoking Man" Spender, as well as aliens Marvin the Martian, Gort, ALF, Chewbacca, and either Kang or Kodos (it's not clear which and their first non Treehouse of Horror appearance). There is also references to E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. ("The Springfield Files" The Simpsons, Real Life Event)
“Are we alone in the universe? Impossible. When you consider the wonders that exist all around us... voodoo priests of Haiti, the Tibetan numerologists of Appalachia, the unsolved mysteries of Unsolved Mysteries... The truth is out there.”
Chris Carter: There are times when people ask, “When did you know this show was a hit?” We were reviewed in the New Yorker. We were on the cover of Mad Magazine. And we were on “The Simpsons.” Those are, for me, landmark events in the history of the show.