No matter how many times the U.S. government tells us there’s nothing to see in the skies, we just can’t seem to shake the feeling that something out there is watching.
Even after the Department of Defense’s latest attempt to debunk UFOs (sorry, UAPs — gotta keep it modern), pop culture’s love affair with aliens shows no signs of slowing down.
TV and movies, especially, are practically begging us to believe we’re not alone.
(FOX/Screenshot)
Whether it’s little green men or sleek, mysterious ships, the alien invasion is alive and well in entertainment.
The X-Files might have laid the groundwork for modern UFO obsession, giving us that classic mix of government conspiracies and out-of-this-world mysteries, but it’s far from the only show keeping the flame alive.
Even now, Unsolved Mysteries has jumped back into the UFO conversation (and received some flak for it) with new episodes focused on alien encounters, reminding us that these unsolved cases continue to fascinate.
Meanwhile, Tracker recently dove into the mysterious world of government black sites and extraterrestrials with its episode “Ontological Shock.”
This particular episode was a double whammy of conspiracy fun, featuring Jensen Ackles (aka Dean Winchester from Supernatural, who’s no stranger to alien mysteries himself) jumping right into the action.
(FOX/Screenshot)
And it doesn’t stop there.
A growing crop of new UFO and alien-themed shows keep the fire burning even years after The X-Files left the airwaves.
TMZ’s UFO Revolution and Netflix’s Encounters and The Manhattan Alien Abduction blend real-life accounts with suspenseful storytelling.
MGM+ is also getting in on the action with Beyond: UFOs and The Unknown, along with a slew of other true-crime-meets-sci-fi docs that sometimes blur the lines between fiction and reality.
And they all share one goal: keeping viewers hooked on the question, “What if?”
(Colombia Pictures/Screenshot)
Our fascination with UFOs has been around for centuries, but it reached a fever pitch in the 1950s, fueled by Cold War paranoia and growing fears of extraterrestrial invasions.
Films like Invasion of the Body Snatchers tapped into the anxieties of the time, using aliens as stand-ins for larger fears of conformity and the unknown.
And let’s not forget the massive impact of War of the Worlds — both H.G. Wells’ novel and Orson Welles’ infamous 1938 radio broadcast, which terrified listeners into thinking an actual alien invasion was happening.
So, why, despite officials debunking sightings and claiming it’s just a weather balloon (again!), do we keep tuning in to these shows and movies that feed the UFO narrative? Simple: it’s more fun to believe.
(Walter Wanger Productions, Inc./Screenshot)
For one, TV and movies make it look cool. Sci-fi has always been about expanding our horizons, and let’s face it — humans love a good mystery.
The idea that we’re part of something bigger, that our little blue planet could be on someone’s galactic radar, is exciting.
Personally, I’ve always been fascinated by the possibility that we’re not alone. And Hollywood knows exactly how to package that excitement.
Stephen Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind set the standard for this kind of storytelling, showing us that contact with extraterrestrial life could be just as awe-inspiring as it is terrifying.
That tradition continued with movies like E.T., which gave us heartwarming connections, and Independence Day, which showed us the destructive potential of alien invasions on a massive scale.
(Eduardo Araquel/HISTORY)
On top of that, let’s be honest: we just don’t trust the government to tell us the whole truth. Every time they release a new report saying, “Nope, no aliens here,” it feels like they’re hiding something.
TV shows like Project Blue Book fed into that paranoia, reminding us that the truth might be out there, but we’re definitely not getting it from Uncle Sam.
It’s also the perfect escape. Aliens, UFOs, and intergalactic mysteries allow us to look beyond our daily grind and think, “What if?”
What if those lights in the sky really aren’t from Earth? What if we are being watched? And what if, just maybe, Mulder was right all along?
But what about you? Do you believe? Or, like Mulder, do you just want to believe?
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