10 Most Groundbreaking TV Shows Of The '90s

While the '90s produced quite a few female-led television series', none made as much of an impact as Buffy The Vampire Slayer. The Joss Whedon comedy-drama was as revolutionary as they come, with a badass protagonist who just wanted to be a normal teenage girl, but discovers that she's anything but. In addition to the strongly written characters, the scripts were superb, with compelling storylines and witty dialogue that could even rival the almighty Gilmore Girls.

What's more, the Buffy character wasn't portrayed as weak or in need of a man to rescue her, she was strong-willed and proved on many occasions that, with or without her abilities, she can stand toe-to-toe with any male protagonist.

There's no doubt that Buffy influenced television as a whole and, in terms of story progression and foreshadowing, it was really ahead of its time. Furthermore, Willow and Tara were one of the first lesbian couples on television, and their relationship was depicted as nothing more than two people simply falling in love, which was almost unheard of at the time.

It's also worth noting that Buffy was really the first show that romanticised and sexualised vampires. If not for the Joss Whedon series, the likes of Twilight and The Vampire Diaries may never have seen the light of day. Pun very much intended.