The Lone Gunmen (2001) User Reviews

Fairly slickly produced, but a bit too campy/sloppy in story & direction (for my tastes)

[rzajac · 6/10 · 26 May 2013]

An interesting example of a TV series that fails on a number of counts.

It tries to hit all the notes, and subsequently sounds like wind chimes in a gale. It tries to be funny, campy, dramatic, sexy. In the end, I sort of see it as a TV snack that strains to be seen as "smart". The problem is that it's not really that smart; the stories are larded with disconnected bits of sloppily presented sci-tech stuff, straight from the kitchen sink and loosely anchored. One gets the feeling that the producers figured that if they bound the loose bits together with a pudding of over-the-top characterization, the mess would hold together. Well, it doesn't.

Hey! Vince Gilligan is the "Breaking Bad" guy, right? A good way to highlight the shortcomings of Gunmen is to compare it against BB. Breaking Bad does it right: Tho occasionally marred by over-the-top direction, BB is anchored by an abiding interest in keeping it real, warm, human... plausible. Would it even be possible to tell a story of storybook geek/misfits teaming up to crack conspiracies, while "keeping it real"? Interesting question. At any rate, Gunmen feels like a puerile geek fantasy, in the sense of being rather cheap, in the sense in which Breaking Bad is *not* cheap.

That the Pilot neatly foreshadowed 9/11 *is* kinda spooky: I'll give 'em that.

What a fresh concept

[gjudd-1 · 8/10 · 29 January 2007]

It's just too bad that the studio's can't see it. The Lone Gunmen complete series is the short lived TV series spin off from the X-files by our lovable counter culture heroes "The Lone Gunmen." No super stud, soap opera models here, just common guys with a flair for conspiracy theories and intrigue, not to mention some just darned funny moments.

The series tackles many issues from your favorite childhood TV star, to "Blind Football" to the old urban legend of "The Water Powered Automobile." If you don't find yourself identifying with the three geeks in a personal way, you need to go back to watching Law & Order. They are just like us, which is probably why the money folks couldn't see past it.

The Lone Gunmen were assassinated by the FOX network!

[Catalyst-3 · 25 May 2001]

The watchword of The X-Files may be "trust no one", but we can trust Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, and Frank Spotnitz to do right by that series, as well as this, its spinoff. I should have known better than to be skeptical of the team that brings out the best episodes of The X-Files. This show quickly put to rest my fears that it wouldn't work--it does, and in original and inventive ways.

(Contrary to popular belief, Chris Carter is NOT the only person who runs The X-Files or The Lone Gunmen, and certainly isn't the only genius behind either show's greatness!)

The pilot left something to be desired, and the first six episodes, while often better, were still trying to find the series' groove. Starting with "Planet of the Frohikes", though, the series experienced a renaissance, putting out fantastic episode after fantastic episode. I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried after "Tango de los Pistoleros" because it was so sad and sweet. "All About Yves", the season finale, also made me cry, but because I was laughing SO HARD. If you gave up after the pilot, believe me, you have missed a LOT.

The prospect of never getting a resolution to that cliffhanger sickens me. I will not settle for a resolution through The X-Files. For anyone else who is upset about the show's cancellation, please make sure you watch it if it gets reruns, and write to the FOX network and tell them that you want it back. This show is too wonderful to let go.

Brilliant Spin-Off of The Voice of the Uncommon/Common Man ???

[cshep · 10/10 · 5 May 2006]

Maybe 13 is a Lucky number , but it is NOT acceptable for the Fans of this Beloved series, that stressed Intelligence over Violence, Compassion over Hate, and Love over Vulgarity, in my opinion , these are the Strengths of "The Lone Gunmen", and maybe it will return....?

Maybe , these are not forgotten values, that play across humanity, and not for just the few. When Chris Carter and the Gang developed these characters by Glen Morgan and James Wong, maybe they were tapping into the subconscious, about the way they felt the world could or should be ?

Question everything ? Question Authority ? Sounds good to me !!!

Beyers(Bruce Harwood),Langly(Dean Haglund), and Frohicke(Tom Braidwood) ,all computer or electronics Wizards, form the perfect trio of misfits, that aside from some windmills, try to uncover the truth, not just their truth ! In 13 sculpted episodes, we live their adventures into the world of spies,dirty politicos,aliens, and elaborate schemes that do not fit conventional wisdom !!!

Publishing an underground paper ,"The Lone Gunman", Frohicke, Beyers, and Langley go out into the world to make it a better place for humanity , by confronting the unusual , and uncovering the unknown !!!

Aided by newcomers Jimmy Bond (Stephen Snedden) and the Lovely, Yves Adele Harlow(Zuleikha Robinson), Zuleikha means "Beautiful One", go figure, they add the combo of comic relief and direction , which creates depth and more story line !

If Mulder can come back from the dead, why NOT "The Lone Gunmen", someone ought to buy the rights, and show 20th Century Fox, that there IS a market out there gents, a GLOBAL Market !!!

Look at "Aquamarine", duh ???

"Jump The Shark" does NOT clean up the story line, and leaves the viewer unsatisfied, and left with the crappy line thought "Life is Not Fair", BULLSH....T!!!

Morris Fletcher makes a joke out of the Lone Gunmen, some ending....

Contrary to some popular belief, these characters are NOT the 3 Stooges with keyboards !!!

Actually, it betrays the philosophy of the creators who opt out for the cop-out ending, not the will of the people, but Hey, it is ONLY "Tee-Vee" ... Anyway, for the faithful, do not give up the Good Fight, miracles do happen,and maybe , they will make a movie to at least give the Actors and Fans a just Victory !!! Stay Tuned True Believers !!!

A Great Cast, and Creative ,Talented Producers !!!

Mark Snow should have received an Emmy Nomination and an Emmy for his input in the Music Dept. which was Fantastic !!!

Terrific Production Values !!!

A TV Show for the Ages, better than the X-Files, subjective !!!

I'd buy the show , but I don't think I have that much pull with Hollywood, which only sees dollars, not Sense.....

But , we have 9 Seasons of " CHARMED " on DVD that will play FOREVER ! WOW , Now that's Quality Viewing !!!

Where are you Max Shulman when I need you....

One word to remember, "SKEEZAXE".....

Heroes of the UnCommon/ Common Man !!!

[fshep-1 · 10/10 · 16 May 2006]

The Lone Gunmen, castoffs in a society which doesn't tolerate people outside of the circle, was one of those unique , and interesting shows, which are hard or nearly impossible to duplicate.

So much for diversity!

Characters created by Glen Morgan and James Wong , Richard "Ringo" Langly (Dean Haglund) Computer Geek Extraordinaire , Melvin Frohike (Tom Braidwood) Electronics Wizard , and J. F. Byers (BruceHarwood) Humanitarian and Seeker of the Truth, team up to form one of the oddest combinations of all time . Added to the Team were Jimmy "James" Bond(Stephen Snedden), and their adversarial counterpart Yves Adel Harlowe, it spells Lee Harvey Oswald(Zuleika Robinson), Zuleikha means " Beautiful One " in Farsi,(Persian) . I guess the TRUE irony is that you CANNOT find the Actors Names ON or IN the DVD box it comes in!!! WOW! What a Snub !!! Thanks Fox, what Class!

The Simpsons is on for over 15 years, but they cancel this program ?

Go Figure ! This was the only show which Predicted the Possibility of an Attack on America and they get rewarded by Cancellation !

They didn't inspire evil, but tried to prevent it .

INCREDIBLE!

These actors WERE real heroes for their Visionary thinking, and always taking on More than the average Joe . The only real enemies they had were ones that were afraid of people who ask TOUGH questions .

Pilot Episode deals with the disappearance of Byers' father and the possibility of a terrorist attack .

Also introduces Zuleikha Robinson, TV will not be the same .

Episode #1 introduces Jimmy "James" Bond, created for comic relief and to provide a "Bond", sorry for the pun, to play against the trio and the audience.

Episode #2 puts Frohike in Leiderhosen, which I find HILARIOUS,I guess you have to have a European background to really" GET" the joke , as they try to reunite a long lost son with his mother .

Episode # 3 has the Trio searching for a vehicle that runs on H2O, a personal favorite .

Episode # 4 finds the Team babysitting , while trying to find the killer of a political campaign employee .

Episode # 5 attempts to solve a man's claim to a house, in a community where no one seems to know him.

Episode # 6 has The Lone Gunmenmatching wits with a Super-Intelligent Chimp, this is AAA Material and a Classic !!! Yes, it wins the Homer Simpson Award for people who enjoy chimps with High I.Q.'s.

Episode # 7 finds Byers and Jimmy in prison , attempting to find the truth behind a murder , this show actually crosses the border into Drama, but finds it's way back in the second half . Interesting, but tough to watch .

Episode # 8 the Boys are on the track of a poacher of Grizzlies, but find themselves in over their head .

Episode # 9 Tango Los Pistoleros is a Classic , with Yves and the Team in Miami, on the trail of Government Secrets . A Personal Favorite !!!

Episode # 10 finds A D Skinner,from the X-Files, in the middle of a who dun-nit, as the chief suspect !!! Mitch Peliggi finally gets to showcase his acting ability in a Tour DE Force performance .

Episode # 11 Cap'n Toby , Langly's childhood TV idol, under arrest for espionage !!! For those who like Tom Poston, this one is for you .

Episode # 12 "All About Yves", Morris Fletcher teams with the Gunmen, in order to retrieve a stolen computer disc, taken by Yves. Episode is one-dimensional and except for a great opening, dull .

This was the NEVER FINISHED , supposedly "To Be Continued " episode that completely leaves the viewer in LIMBO . "Jump the Shark", an X-Files program from their last season, ATTEMPTS to end the story line of the last episode from "The Lone Gunmen" series, but COMPLETELY misses the mark, by Eliminating the Gunmen in some ham-handed mishmash, throwing in the towel for a total lack commitment to the fans and ACTORS who enjoyed this Series . The term "Jump The Shark " is an industry inside joke, that means a TV show has reached a point of obsolescence, and needs to be dumped, so when the title was added to the final episode, you get a feel of what they are really trying to say . Dump this Turkey in the nearest trash bin !!! The Greatest complement I give "Jump The Shark" is of its' testament to the stupidity of Man to eats it's young .

So enjoy the pilot and 11 episodes, only watch the 12th one and "Jump The Shark", if you want to be disappointed with intelligent programming for adults who enjoy some fantasy. Mark Snow was really coming into his own with the Music that was taking the Gunmen into a higher level of programming . Too bad for us and him. Get the DVD, nice extras....

Whatever .......

Cancelling this show was the right thing to do!

[ksj-00396 · 6/10 · 3 August 2019]

In The X-Files the three Lone Gunmen are intelligent and doesn't screw up their missions. The lame comedy part and their sudden stupidity just wasn't the right path to go with this show. And the Jimmy character was just soooo annoying.

I love The X-Files but this spin off is just way to embarrassing and is one of a few tv shows that FOX did the right thing when they cancelled it.

It rocks

[richanderson · 9/10 · 14 May 2006]

The Lone Gunmen was a great fun spin-off of that science fiction series that was rather popular in the 1990s. My favourite of the three main characters is Frohike, as he is the most amusing/tragic/interesting of the three.

Byers is the most restrained and paradoxically the most passionate, but his finest hours were in the X-Files episodes involving him and the blonde woman whose name escapes me at this moment - the actress was Signy Coleman - ah yes...Suzanne Modeski? Another X-Files link I Recommend you take up is Millennium - be warned, a lot darker than the X-Files, its nearest relations are the ones involving Donnie Pfaster, and Lance Henriksen is not a happy man - but if dark psychological drama is your bag, check it out.

Interesting idea inadequately portrayed

[film_weaver · 6/10 · 11 October 2020]

A series with an interesting idea - self-proclaimed investigators reveal the truth in marginal and bizarre cases that the police do not address - which would not be adequately portrayed on the screen. This is despite the fact that it boasts experienced screenwriters from The X-Files, three sympathetic distinctive main characters and the irresistible Miss Robinson. The episodes suffer from maladies like plot holes, plots sometimes too bizarre or weak, and unrealistic hacking or make-up skills of the heroes. The focus is therefore mostly on the parody side, which rarely succeeds, however.

Great spin-off from "The X-Files"!

[RunningFromSatan · 9/10 · 24 March 2001]

I have to admit, I didn't have very positive expectations with the LGM, the 3 characters everyone knows from "TXF", going on their own for some odd reason, but after I saw the first few episodes, I am definitely a bigger LGM fan than I was when they appeared on "TXF". This is a great comedy/drama/action series that I think will go on because of its support from philes, and may even attract a few non-philes. I especially think that the episode aired this Friday (3/23) was hilarious -- yeah, I know I am a sucker for sight-gags, bathroom humor, and the like, but hey, I'm 15 and that's just me. I also like the addition of new characters, like Zuleikha Robinson as Yves Adele Harlow (a tasty treat, mmm-wah) and Stephen Snedden as Jimmy Bond, the LGM tag-along. CC did a great job making Byers, Frohike, and Langly shine in the spotlight in their own series because they did such a good job with LGM episodes on "TXF". If "TXF" is cancelled, "LGM" will most definitely uphold a room temperature, albeit tasty, piece of the "phile pie".

Too silly

[gfmcniven · 7/10 · 16 December 2020]

In the X-Files the Lone Gunmen really walked a fine line of believability and because of the great writing it worked really well. The problem with this show was they added a character like Jimmy Bond and all of a sudden it turned really silly . Some glimpses of good writing couldn't save it after that.

The quirky, very, very funny id of the X-Files - spoiler at bottom

[vfrickey · 9/10 · 12 February 2006]

This is one of the few television series that I, my wife and our teenage kids could (and did) enjoy thoroughly. Why? The same reason the X-Files succeeded as long as it did - quirkiness and straining at the envelope of what is possible in television screenplays. Lone Gunmen was a "spin-off" of the X-Files, with three of the more popular recurring characters (Mulder's informal posse of off-the-books technicians) as protagonists. And what worked as comic relief in the X-Files mostly worked as stand-alone comedy in Lone Gunmen.

And like most successful cult television shows, it may be funny when it doesn't intend to be (it's difficult to tell when they're really moralizing and when they're supposed to be funny sometimes) - but the gags generally work. There are always sneaking puns and jokes thrown in for those of us who stayed awake in college (such as calling the eeeevil Army biological lab in the X-Files "Fort Marlene", an obvious reference to the real-life Ft. Detrick, formerly the center of the Army's biological warfare program). Of course, to "get" that joke you have to either be a serious movie buff or old enough to remember that there once was a Madonna-figure named Marlene Dietrich (her last name is pronounced "Detrick").

Having to write around Jimmy Bond, though, was the equivalent of giving Lone Gunmen a frontal lobotomy. It really detracted from the show's potential humor - specifically, it replaced much of the dark comedy created by the three central characters in the "X-Files" with pratfalls and cheap laughs. Toward the end of the show, the plots began clogging up with schmaltz.

The insertion of James "Jimmy" Bond was completely unnecessary to the series and highly undesirable. Perhaps the producers and writers didn't think that the audience would appreciate a series which turned exclusively on dark comedy. The early cancellation of "Wolf Lake" on two different networks seems to confirm that judgment, but now X-Files and Lone Gunmen veteran Vince Gilligan is doing just fine working the dark comedy vein with "Breaking Bad," which is uncontaminated by Jimmy Bond-ism in any way, shape or form.

Yves Adele Harlow was also unnecessary but not as destructive to the edgy/quirky humor of the series as Bond was (besides, she's hot). One could also argue that Yves replaced Fox Mulder as the "non-goofy" grown-up foil to the original Lone Gunmen. (Later, Mulder shows up for a very short cameo in the last episode of "Lone Gunmen," but never really figures in the series.)

Is this a show with profound intellectual insights? Not hardly. Even when they appear to really try for a moral, the screenwriters get laughs.

I wish, really, really wish that

(a) the show was still on the air (the X-Files, Malcolm in the freaking Middle and the Simpsons are in re-runs - why not the Lone Gunmen? - at least they're available on DVD....) and

(b) SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING I wish that they hadn't killed the characters Langley, Frohike and Byers off in one of the last episodes of the X-Files ("Jump the Shark"). THAT was uncalled for. They could just as easily have left them alive.

(Another unanswered question - why would a grown woman would KEEP a name that is an anagram for "Lee Harvey Oswald?")

Why the severe reaction?

In college, I was a member of what was essentially the robotics club at Louisiana Tech (actually, the "robotics and drinking club" - our motto was "Imbibo Ergo Sum," a variation on a famous quote from Descartes which testified to the importance of beer to our deliberations) and we were the real-life equivalent of the Lone Gunmen, weird computer hardware, choices of apparel and everything.

Even our unofficial side projects (some of us, including yours truly, once built a linear particle accelerator from scratch - you can't get Heathkits for stuff like that - that fit inside a trash can to turn clear topaz a nice, profitable shade of blue) would have been right at home in a Lone Gunmen episode - right next to "Bessie," the Lone Gunmen's home-made MRI scanner.

Watching the Lone Gunmen was like going back to Critical Mass during its heyday, every week, without the tuition and classwork. I miss that show a lot.

Unsung Heroes

[AaronCapenBanner · 7/10 · 13 December 2013]

Chris Carter created this direct spin-off of "The X-Files" that stars supporting actors Bruce Harwood(John Fitzgerald Byers) Tom Braidwood(Melvin Frohike) & Dean Haglund(Richard 'Ringo' Langly) as their familiar characters, three conspiracy theorists and government watchdogs who try(over the course of the 13 episodes) to uncover the truth, and fight crime, but often do so in a bumbling fashion. They are financed by good-hearted Jimmy Bond(played by Stephen Snedden) and uneasy allies with mercenary Yves Adele Harlow(played by Zuleikha Robinson) Short-lived show failed to catch on with viewers, but remains reasonably entertaining today, though our three unsung heroes would have a heroic yet tragic end in the last season of "The X-Files".

Forgot what show it is a spin-off from

[danjamz · 5/10 · 12 January 2018]

Ironically the very Lone Gunmen episode was not part of this series - it was The X-Files season 5 episode 3 "Unusual Suspects". I think this series failed largely because it tried to be too different to the show that gave birth to it. Whereas Millennium was created separately and only merged into The X-Files universe for it's finale, The Lone Gunmen were created solely for the purposes of The X-Files and they fitted in perfectly.

Alas with their spin-off series, the producers decided to make it far more silly and incompetent. They created the perfect recipe, but decided to change it with the spin-off. If they had kept the edgy tone of The X-Files and called it The X-Files: Lone Gunmen, we might have had quite a few more seasons to enjoy.

A television tour-de-force, good characters

[Monkasi · 11 May 2001]

I thought that the 2000-2001 TV season would be a blah year for science fiction after watching the pilot of James Cameron's "Dark Angel." I now see the error of my ways thanks to the Johnny-come-lately superhit "The Lone Gunmen." If I had to sum this show up in a few words, they would be "a futuristic version of 'The A-Team.'" I say that not only because the series follows the extraordinary adventures of four men and one woman who drive around in a van, but also due to the artful mix of adventure, humor, and intrigue that one can look forward to every Friday night with this show. A lot of the pleasure of watching "The Lone Gunmen" derives from the entertaining chemistry among the five main characters (four journalists and a secret agent), all of whom have distinct personalities that transcend stereotype and reveal the best and worst of human nature.

Byers - The straight man. Psychologically, he's the least developed of the five. Cool and professional, he pretty much runs things in the Gunmen's underground newspaper office. Like Fox Mulder from "The X-Files" (the show from which this one was spun off), he wants the truth and nothing but. He's convinced that the U.S. government has countless skeletons in its closet, and he wants to see justice done on behalf of his fellow citizenry. All very admirable, but he doesn't exactly get a lot of yuks.

Frohike - My favorite character on the show. Short, balding, and homely, he nevertheless displays the most humanity of all of them. He's not perfect, and he's often the butt of jokes. Yet even as you laugh at him, you feel for him. He's always ready for action, but his courage is tempered by a somewhat painful realization of the fact that he's hardly flashy and dynamic. Perhaps it's this lack of cockiness that guides Frohike's moral compass; he never fails to help anyone in need. Funny, decent, and eternally sympathetic, Frohike truly is a nice guy who finishes last - but he'll always be first in my book.

Langley - The smarty-pants of the bunch. Nothing out of the ordinary can ever happen without Langley making some sardonic comment about it. With his greasy blond hair, elitist spectacles, and superciliously aquiline nose, Langley would be pretty hard to like if his withering remarks weren't so darn funny. I'd say that roughly 50 percent of the laughs on "The Lone Gunmen" come from Langley's bon mots.

Jimmy - All you really need to know about Jimmy Bond is that he was formerly the coach of a football team composed entirely of blind players. Jimmy is a robust idealist, his eyes so full of stars that one could almost call them galaxies. He can be mind-numbingly naive at times, but his sense of integrity never lets him rest when injustice is done. Don't be fooled by his valley-boy, surfer-dude inflection; Jimmy's more than just another dumb blond.

Eve - This shadowy operative looks and dresses like a grown-up version of Jessica Alba's character from "Angel," and has much of her attitude to boot. Though a casual acquaintance of The Lone Gunmen, Eve is ultimately a tough loner whose penchant for amorality is backed up by a British accent that fairly drips with condescension. Not somebody you'd want to cross, she is. And yet, like all of us, deep down inside all she probably really wants is a few friends. She does manage to help the Gunmen out of many a scrape, and there have been hints that her relationship with Jimmy is not as platonic as it first appears; stay tuned.

Five personalities, all of them strikingly different. Yet when they get together, magic inevitably accompanies the fireworks. It's brilliant ensemble playing like this that puts "The Lone Gunmen" a few notches above the other run-of-the-mill sci-fi shows. On second thought, maybe it's unfair to call it a sci-fi show. I enjoy it simply because it's a humorous, thought-provoking exploration of human nature.

Such an underrated show

[MrMovieReviewer · 10/10 · 12 February 2020]

It's a true shame this show never got the chance to grow an audience.. But in true to Hollywood form if something isn't an instant hit it gets axed This show has since grown a huge fan base on DVD I think Seinfeld is the best example of that... Was set to be axed after the first season and again after the second but was giving a chance and look what happened.. I'm not saying this could of been as big but it's clear it could of lasted a few seasons if giving the chance.. It's funny it's interesting it was a great show

A Great Show

[[e-mail] · 8/10 · 1 October 2002]

I can sum up what I want to say about this show in one word Ace! That should be the way it should be remembered. Most people can't understand why this show was cancelled as it was so good, so why are good shows cancelled who knows.

Underrated

[safenoe · 7/10 · 7 January 2024]

I very much enjoyed The Lone Gunmen, and I can't believe that the network didn't give it a chance to build on its audience. Why, oh, why was The Lone Gunmen axed after only 13 episodes? The storylines were engrossing, the conspiracy theories were kind of plausible in a non-freaky way, and overall the series was really entertaining and there was much to look forward to.

Anyway, maybe The Lone Gunmen can be rebooted in an age of social media where conspiracy theories run amok are pretty much par for the course, and the Lone Gunmen would blush at some of them for sure. Is there a conspiracy to keep The Lone Gunmen off the air or what.

Classic for future generations

[opsbooks · 10/10 · 17 February 2009]

Like a lot of other viewers no doubt, I've recently finished watching the series on DVD. And like those viewers, I found the XF 'Jump the Shark' episode less than satisfactory as a way of winding up the loose ends. Sure, it was better than no attempt at a resolution, but so far as I'm concerned, our three heroes are still 'out there' protecting the rest of us from the forces of evil! What I'd like to see is an attempt made at gathering all 'Lone Gunmen' footage from 'The X-Files' and working said footage into an extra special DVD release. I have to wonder if maybe someone 'out there' has already made the attempt.

What really bugged me about the final scene was the small turnout at the graveside. At least Scully put in an appearance. It's so long since I watched 'The X-Files' that I've forgotten what Mulder was up to at the time, and Reyes and Doggett just didn't cut it for me. Surely Mulder would have been at the graveside?

Cutting back to some general observations, I go along with the common view here that the show improved as it moved into the later episodes. The cast worked well together, and the 'Jimmy' character really added something to the mix as the scripts improved.

A fine series, for those with a genuine sense of the absurd. I love it!

Why they cancelled ?

[Angulien · 10/10 · 7 June 2007]

Well I have to say I loved this show as well as I did with the X-Files. It was a very subtle variant of any detective-investigation show and giving them the freedom of operating beyond only law-abiding actions they could produce much more great results than anything else. Whatever the problem, the Lone Gunmen could always work it out.

As to why they were cancelled ? I didn't know they were, I actually thought that their deaths revealed in X-Files was what created a dead end for the show.

Many have asked though, did they really die? Why wasn't Langly's chest much larger than the others? And yada yada :p But I guess those who were really hoping for a comeback lost their head some time ago, as it's a long time since this show really was on.

A Great Series

[[e-mail] · 8/10 · 15 August 2002]

This is a great series that manages to pull off several funny jokes and situations. It follows the lives of the Lone Gunman away from the X-Files that is great. Sadly the Lone Gunman series was cancelled after one season and left a cliffhanger up in the air. The Lone Gunman were still seen in X-Files until that ended as well and as being a spin off it became its own unique series in its short time on air.

Lets hope they will bring back the series at some point.

Urinating on The X-Files

[sethness · 2/10 · 16 July 2008]

The show extracts three very likable but slightly shallow characters from The X Files, and sets them up with a show of their own.

That's all that was preserved in this transplant, and that was a poor decision. "The X Files" works because it takes itself seriously, and doesn't insult the intelligence of its viewers; "The Lone Gunmen" fails because this spin off breaks away from that tradition.

"The Lone Gunmen" is written for a crowd of morons: the sort of juvenile viewers who like "Get Smart", "Laugh In", and "H. R. Puffinstuff".

The makers decided that TV didn't have room for another serious "Twilight Zone / Outer Limits / Night Stalker / X-Files" TV show, so they turned these fine characters into The Three Stooges. It was a mistake that was painful to watch.

I'm saddened that the show was cancelled in mid-season, rather than gutted and reconfigured with a more "X-Files" formula. I'm glad that the show's producers realized that its stoopid dumbed-down scooby doo humor was a mistake, but the characters and the show could have recovered from this poor start. The Lone Gunmen could have gone through a makeover to produce a sort of 'Sneakers' / 'Hackers' / 'Night Stalker' show to rival The X Files.

Cancelled... dammit!

[motor89 · 21 July 2002]

Amusing, enjoyable, interesting and doesn't insult the intelligence of the viewer? That makes it basically deadmeat as far as US TV executives are concerned. It's really depressing sometimes. We've finally got this ace show in the UK, and I come to IMDB to find out that it's been cancelled.

The Lone Gunmen is a spin-off from the X-Files - but don't let that put you off. This isn't the same kind of po-faced, labyrinthine nonsense that plagues the later years of the parent show. It's fun... and it's about a bunch of people who are individually very good at one thing, suck at everything else. Put them together as a group, and they somehow bungle their way through with amusing results.

It's class, and it's got characters you can identify with and like despite their flaws.

What about the last episode of 'The Lone Gunmen'

[Jidonivo · 8/10 · 24 March 2007]

Being a major fan of The X Files ,the "Lone Gunmen: (always my favorite characters)was a show to bring delight with every episode.Watching it recently the last episode titled "All About Yves" said 'to be continued'.Was this the last episode of the then current season,and did they intend to continue the episode in the next season?On the DVD the last episode on the disc was taken from the X Files episodes which didn't follow on from how the previous episode ended.Can anyone explain to me what happened?I presume that the DVD released after the show had ended tried to,wrap up the series on a understandable note. They failed because it made no sense.

another classic series from the creator of Harsh Realms!

[TIALI · 8/10 · 25 May 2000]

Although Scully avoids these guys like a PIII avoids 70ns RAM, or like Beowulf avoids a hot bath, you'll love the weekly madcap hijinks of this zany crew. Stay tuned each week to see the surprise guest stars like the opening episode's appearance of Betty White and Stephen Hawking as late-night drive-thru fast-food workers (did you spot Hawking's "Black Holes Suck" t-shirt???)--you'll larf and larf.

Simply put, entertaining!

[jrdudedj2 · 8/10 · 15 April 2011]

This show is great, i expected it to suck. The first two episodes bored me, but once other characters were added into the mix, and they all flowed well together the show went from a three, to an eight.

I thought i'd hate this, but i was way wrong. If you're "Thinking" about watching this, STOP! Just watch the show, it's amazing. Characters are awesome, plots are unique and different, most of the show is unpredictable, and it's a damn shame this show didn't get more time.

But that's what Fox does, cancels good shows because they don't know how to market and advertise. Oh, and they keep putting shows on Friday, the death trap of television shows!