"The Jersey Devil" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files, premiering on the Fox network on October 8, 1993.
It was written by series creator Chris Carter, directed by Joe Napolitano, and featured guest appearances by Gregory Sierra, Wayne Tippit and Claire Stansfield.
The show centers on FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files.
In present-day Washington D.C., Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) brings to Fox Mulder's (David Duchovny) attention news about a body found in New Jersey with its arm and shoulder missing.
Mulder gives his hotel room key to the man and sleeps in the alley, where he sees a shadowy, human-like creature.
Afterwards, Scully brings Mulder to meet with Dr. Diamond, a professor of anthropology at the University of Maryland, before going on a date with Rob.
Peter Boulle, a local park ranger, contacts Mulder after finding the corpse of a wild man in the woods who he believes could be the Jersey Devil.
[3] Carter was inspired to write the episode by an essay by E. O. Wilson regarding ants and a story he wrote that posed whether mankind was hellbent on its own extinction.
[6] The scenes with Mulder in Atlantic City were shot against a blue screen in Vancouver, with stock casino footage added in post-production.
[7] Claire Stansfield was the first X-Files guest star to have previously appeared in the ABC mystery serial drama television series Twin Peaks.
[11] In a retrospective of the first season in Entertainment Weekly, "The Jersey Devil" was rated a C, with the episode being called "corny", and full of "needless philosophizing"; it was noted however that the sub-plot concerning Scully's private life set the stage for the series' future.