Posted by Jonathan Klotz | Published
Before he became Fox Mulder, David Duchovny was Jake, a man devastated by his fiancée's suicide and left behind a diary detailing his deepest thoughts, feelings, and details of many stories. Jake asks women to submit their stories of love and betrayal. That is the basic premise of Zalman King's The Red Shoe Diariesanthology that brought softcore to premium cable networks and relaunched Showtime for the 90s. No one could have guessed how interesting it would be a year after its launch in 1992, to be X files Fox Mulder who works as the Cryptkeeper of Erotica.
The Red Shoe Diaries Set a New Standard for Cable
Duchovny's role in the series was similar to the Cryptkeeper in Tales from the Cryptor Rod Serling is in The Twilight Zone: briefly present the story, then move out of the way. His narration plays through a recycled video of him walking his dog, finding an envelope, and opening it as the new narration brings us to the next story. It's all as bare bones as you'd expect and is there as an excuse to get to the erotica part.
The Red Shoe Diaries looking back, it's amazing. The stories all follow the same pattern of a woman meeting a man, fighting for his (or her) charms, enjoying their time together, and most of the time, apart. A newly divorced woman falls in love with a hometown cowboy, a model rediscovers the love of her life thanks to a cabinet, business rivals fall in love, the early seasons are filled with the kind of story tropes you'd find in any romance category.
It's been a while since that The Red Shoe Diaries it's strange, even though a soft, strange music can be heard coming from it Pure Spiritsand Duchovny's narrative remains, where the stories are about stranded astronauts having fun before they die, a Mexican luchador, a sci-fi tale in a future where love is forbidden, and a fallen angel. Nothing beats the spice of a dark romance novel you can buy at Barnes & Noble. But in the 90s, this became the basis.
The Ex-Files
The Red Shoe Diaries launched a wave of similar art shows on premium cable, including the renewal of Emmanuelle, Women: Stories of Longing, even faux-reality television included Taxicab Confessions. Before Showtime struck gold Dexterthe network was well known for this type of softcore show.
Success of X files helped raise the profile of The Red Shoe Diariesespecially when fans learn that David Duchovny starred in the Season 1 episode, “Jake's Story.” This was a long time ago Californication it was a passing thought. In Germany, the series was renamed Foxy Fantasieswhich means more that Duchovny was playing Fox Mulder instead of Jake.
Looking back from 2026, another fun part The Red Shoe Diaries several guest stars you might not expect, including pre-Friends Matt LeBlanc, post-Star Trek: The Next Generation Denise Crosby, both of whom appeared twice during the game.
Before the Golden Age of Cable, following the introduction of the The Sopranospremium cable is kept afloat by movies and shows like this The Red Shoe Diaries which can go far, far beyond broadcast networks. It's an evolutionary step from the avant-garde wild west original cable show of the 80s to Showtime's highly successful original series, Stargate SG-1. Without the soft focus light of Zalman King, David Duchovny's Jake, and Playboy Productions, we could live in a world without Teal'c and the Goa'uld, Dexter Morgan, and cannibal girl soccer teams.
As further evidence that television culture has changed, today you can broadcast The Red Shoe Diaries free on Tubi.
