“The X-Files” was ahead of its time in other ways. In the running banter of its hypersmart main characters, the alien-chasing F.B.I. agents Mulder and Scully, it was a meta-fictional commentary on the formulas of science fiction and the conspiracy thriller. A decade before “Lost,” it was a pioneer of serialized, long-arc storytelling, and in its early seasons (I’d say the first five of its nine) it balanced mythology and stand-alone procedural episodes as well as any show has. (Yes, the later seasons were letdowns. So don’t watch them.)

It’s the excellence of so many of those individual episodes that makes “The X-Files” a joy to revisit, and a coming Fox mini-series provides impetus to catch up. (The original show’s 201 episodes are available on most of the major streaming sites.) Dip into the sheer terror of “Home” or “Irresistible,” the fabulism of “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose” or “The Post-Modern Prometheus,” the humor of “X-Cops.” And save an hour for a less celebrated episode, Season 6’s “How the Ghosts Stole Christmas,” which ends with one of the most touching Mulder-Scully moments and illustrates what really made this series great: that a well-made creep show grew into one of television’s most tender love stories.