The Lone Gunmen

Purpose• The purpose of The Lone Gunmen is to entertain the viewer. • Another purpose would be to keep the viewer interested in The ‘X-Files’ franchise,

as it is made by the same people ( Chris Carter and Vince Gilligan), and is a spin off of the show.

• It also features many characters from The X-Files.

Form and Style• The Lone Gunmen episodes are around 45 minutes long, which makes it a long

form TV show.• It has an episodic narrative, meaning each episode has a different storyline. You do

not necessarily have to watch the episodes in order to get the general idea of the series.

• The show has themes of mystery and drama, but there are also many funny moments in the series, which lightens the more serious aspects of the series.

Content• The Lone Gunmen is about 3 characters who are big conspiracy theorist fans. They

are known as the lone gunmen. They go on adventures or missions where they show off their skills, but also their inability to do a lot of things.

• Main Characters: John Byers (Bruce Harwood), Melvin Frohike (Tom Braidwood) and Ringo Langly (Dean Haglung)

• It is set in America, and was filmed in Vancouver, Canada, much like it’s spin off show The X-Files.

Meaning• Government fuelled terrorism and corporate crime are some of the messages the

series tries to put across in some form.• The Lone Gunmen always do the right thing and stop morally wrong things from

happening. Such as in the first episode when the US government plan to hijack an airliner and fly it into the world trade centre, blaming it on terrorists, the episode revolves around them trying to unravel their plot.

Genre• Drama, thriller, conspiracy fiction, comedy.• The series is influenced by other TV shows such as The X-Files; The Long Gunmen is

a spin off of the show. • It follows the same types of genres as The X-Files, basing itself on science fiction.

However it does not follow paranormal or alien activity like in The X-Files.• This show has serious aspects to it but is also sometimes a comedy, which The X-

Files isn’t.

Target Auidence• The show is aimed at mostly adults, or people that are fans of the science fiction or

drama genre.• It could also be aimed at people who are believers of conspiracy theorys, as that is

a major part of the series. • The Lone Gunmen could also be targeted at former X-Files fans, as not only is it a

spin off, but also contains some of the characters from the X-Files, and an episode that crosses over the 2 series’.

• The Lone Gunmen came out in 2001, near the end of The X-Files series, and as it was made by the same people that made the X-Files, perhaps it was made as a show that viewers could move to from The X-Files.

• It was rated 7.5/10 on IMDb.

Frequency• The show only lasted one series, consisting of 13 episodes.• It was first shown on Fox in America on the 4th March 2001, and the Pilot episode

was watched by 13.2 million people.• By the time the show ended on the 1st June 2001, only 3.6 million watched the

finale.• Re-runs of the show are sometimes shown on Fox, or in Britain TV channels that

specialize in American shows.• People will still watch the show as it is related to The X-Files, which has a huge cult

following.

Production Process• Filmed in Vancouver, Canada, just like The X-Files, and New York, America.• Only one season was made, which consisted of 13 episodes. Many believe this is

because ratings and viewers dropped at a steady rate from the first episode. By the series finale only a fraction of the amount that watched the Pilot watched.

• Ratings for the show dropped as in the Pilot episode, the government attempt to hijack a airliner and fly it into the world trade centre. The episode aired just a few months before the 9/11 attacks happened, and was strangely reminiscent of the episode.