Episode Description
The X-Files: "X-Cops"
Two unexpected titans of the FOX network cross over -- one a fictional paranormal drama, the other a reality show about law enforcement. Somehow, it works! Tyler from Fear Coded joins us as Mulder and Scully face annoying cameramen, an invisible monster, incompetent police officers, and getting their swears bleeped. We unpack the long and upsetting history of the exploitative but hugely popular Cops, the apex of copaganda spanning decades, and how this Vince Gilligan-penned episode perfectly mimics it while also saying ACAB.
Find Tyler: Bluesky | Instagram
If you want more X-Files podcasts, check out Glitterjaw's newest show Little Dead Aliens!
A proud part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
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Email: gimmickspodcast@gmail.com | Bluesky | Instagram
Theme song: "Disco Tears" by Raven | Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Sources:
- “Arresting Television: After Nearly 25 years On-air, John Langley is Still Keeping Reality TV Real,” by Alejandro Benes, writing for Cigar Aficionado (2013).
- “The Unreality of Cops,” by Sophie Gilbert writing for The Atlantic (2020).
- Cavender, Gray. “In the Shadow of Shadows: Television Reality Crime Programs.” Social Problems: Constructionist Readings (2003).
- Cops Finds New Home on Fox Nation by Ryan Schwartz for TV Line (2021)
- Monsters of the Week: The Complete Critical Companion to the X-Files by Zach Handlen & Emily St. James