Reception
In its original broadcast, "The Springfield Files" finished 26th in ratings for the week of January 6-12, 1997, with a Nielsen rating of 11.7, equivalent to approximately 11.3 million viewing households. It was the third highest-rated show on the Fox network that week, following The X-Files and King of the Hill.
Al Jean and Mike Reiss won the Annie Award for Best Individual Achievement: Producing in a TV Production for their work on the episode. The authors of the book I Can't Believe It's a Bigger and Better Updated Unofficial Simpsons Guide, Warren Martyn and Adrian Wood, said that it was "a very clever episode, with the line-up one of the best visual gags in ages." IGN.com ranked Leonard Nimoy's performance in this episode, and "Marge vs. the Monorail", as the eleventh best guest appearance in the show's history. Total Film's Nathan Ditum ranked Duchovny and Anderson's performances as the fourth best guest appearances in the show's history. Skeptical Inquirer reviewed the episode positively, stating that "It's rare that a popular, prime-time network television show turns out to be a "slam dunk" for skeptics." Critic Chris Knight speculated that if The X-Files is one day forgotten, those who see this episode will probably still appreciate the scene with ALF, Chewbacca, and Marvin the Martian.
Read more about this topic: The Springfield Files
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