TV shows we love: The Why Files?

Not strictly a TV show but if you’re into the weird and wacky, the Why Files? YouTube channel is highly engaging which can’t be said for most of the stuff on that particular platform.

With almost 5.5 million subscribers, the channel, launched in October 2020 combines ancient legends, unsolved mysteries and conspiracies in a traditional storytelling style. It sort of invokes the days of yore when people would sit in candlelight huddled around the fire or were sat around a campfire deep in the woods on a moonlight night relating ghost stories and urban legends.

Shadowy tales of Atlantis and Lemuria, UFOs and aliens, monsters, ancient archaeology, time travel, comets and asteroids, the Black Knight satellite, Nikola Tesla and historical CIA shenanigans are followed with an analysis of the presented narrative and where possible, a thorough debunking… or not as the case may be. But the compelling tale comes first, which is what makes it different than a mini documentary.  

The show is hosted by AJ Gentile who spins a great yarn, immersing the viewer in the mystery at hand in a charismatic rather than clinical or agenda-driven manner. He has an openness to the unexplained but also a healthy scepticism that gives him credibility as someone trying to get to the truth of the matter wherever it may lead.

AJ has a co-host called Hecklefish Moriarty, a sarcastic – and yes sometimes loud and annoying – puppet goldfish who’s there to well… heckle and even has his own X account. The internet doesn’t know who the voice actor is as it seems to be a closely guarded secret. His favourite interjections during the tale-telling are “Lizzid (Lizard) Peeple” and “Anunnaki”.

Sceptics may scoff. That’s okay. The iconic Twilight Zone which began its run in 1959 remains one of the most popular TV shows ever even today, which tells us that people, if they’re not too jaded or cynical about life, still love a good yarn especially when narrated by a creative and engaging storyteller.

So if there’s nothing good on the telly, and that’s quite often, The Why Files? offers an alternative that’s all in good fun for anyone who maintains a childlike curiosity about the world we live in and its enduring mysteries. Being open-minded is good for your health – yes there are scientific studies – and you might even learn something new. 

Anunnaki.