14. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (19972003)
At the young age of 15, Buffy Summers was chosen to hunt vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness. Joined by friends Willow and Xander and her watcher Giles, Buffy fights the challenges of high school and saves the world...a lot. Another show I still watch today. In fact, the one musical episode they did ("Once More With Feeling" in season 6) is still on my playlist. I sing along to it today with great relish, imagining I am right there with them at the "Bronze", or with Buffy in the graveyard. The creator of this show (the amazing Joss Whedon) really knew how to appeal to everyone. This is not your "Twilight" bulls***. This was really dark, and even disturbing at times. It tackled issues that are very hard to take on in this medium and be taken seriously in this kind of show. The episode in season 5, "The Body", showed what is loss. It was one of the most thrilling, devastating moments of television I have ever seen, thanks mostly to the incomparable Sarah Michelle Geller. The acting was great (compared to what the show was about), the romance was realistic (other than the vampire stuff) and the friendship was the most important part, a theme that repeats in many of my favorite shows, as it the most important thing in my life (other than my cat). Also, it was super cool and still is, watching a tiny woman kill lots of things and save the world, who weighs 90 pounds. The best parts of the show, to me, were the audacious moments of humor. Sometimes corny, yes, but always crisp, making you want more. In the midst of the biggest life and death scenarios, someone like Xander would come along and say something goofy, and somehow not ruin the moment or break the tension, which is something very difficult to do - another testament to Whedon's brilliance. On a side note, it had one of the sexiest guys ever James Marsters, who should get (if there was one) the Best British Accent by an American, ever.