Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

10 Vancouver landmarks in the original X-Files TV show

With the launch of the the X-Files mini-series coming up this Sunday, January 24th, we figured now is the perfect time to reflect on an old Vancouver pastime: spotting local landmarks in the show! Filmed here for the majority of its original 9 season

With the launch of the the X-Files mini-series coming up this Sunday, January 24th, we figured now is the perfect time to reflect on an old Vancouver pastime: spotting local landmarks in the show! Filmed here for the majority of its original 9 season run, you couldn't watch an episode of the old series without saying "Oh hey, there's [insert Vancouver thing/place here]!". Since the new series is also filming here we're hoping we'll have a freshly updated version of this game to play in the near future. In the meantime you can watch all 9 seasons on Netflix and play the game old-school, like so...

1. The Oceanic Plaza office building on Hastings - Season 1 Episode 3

Countless office towers were featured in the original series. Remember the one where the exec gets bought out of his own software company so he sets loose a virus/ghost in the machine that kills people? Yeah.

s1-ep3-Oceanic-Plaza

2. Pacific Central Station - Season 1 Episode 5

It has always doubled as a great police station, not just in the X-Files but in multiple other shows over the years.

s1-ep5-bus-depot

3. The Skytrain - Season 1 Episode 7

Take a drink every time you see the Skytrain pass behind Mulder.

s1-ep7-Skytrain

4. The Stairs at the Law Courts/Robson Square - Season 1 Episode 9

The FBI spent a lot of time on these stairs in the 90's.

s1-ep9-law-courts

5. SFU - Season 1 Episode 10

What better place to go and meet The Smoking Man than Arthur Erickson's SFU?

s1-ep10-SFU

6. The Bus - Season 2 Episode 3

Remember when you'd just dump your fare into that bucket thing and the driver had to count to make sure you put the right fare in, then he ripped off a newsprint transfer and handed it to you? So does the guy in this episode.

s2-ep3-bus-change

7. North Vancouver Quay / Shipyards - Season 3 Episode 20

You can just barely see the big "Q" of the Quay on the left there. They filmed a ton of scenes in the then-creepy-and-decrepit shipyards next door.

s3-ep-6-NV-Quay_Shipyards

8. The Ovaltine - Season 3 Episode 20

Mulder hung out here way before it was trendy.

s3-ep-20-Ovaltine

9. Ryan Reynolds' teenager face - Season 3 Episode 13

So many local stars made appearances on the X-Files! Most of them before they became really famous.

s3-ep13-Ryan-Reynolds-Face

10. Vanier Park - Season 4 Episode 8

Yep, that's the West End behind this guy, and way in the background there is the signature Museum of Vancouver building and Vanier Park. Even when they weren't filming in a location, they were showcasing our city's landmarks.

s4-ep8-Vanier-Park

11. (BONUS) All of East Van!

Its alleyways, businesses, warehouses, all of it. East Van is featured heavily throughout.

EAST-VAN