7. Xena: Warrior Princess (19952001)
Redeemed by Hercules, son of Zeus, Xena, once known as "Murderer," tries to fulfill her destiny as the "Warrior Princess" fighting for the greater good. On her Quest, she meets Gabrielle, a small town bard hungry for adventure. Together they take down some of the world's most formidable opponents, even the Gods! What a fun series to grow up with. I do love a woman kicking ass, hopefully yelling some weird "lililililii" chant whilst she kills a dozen war lords single-handedly (Gabriel wasn't really much help until the later seasons), or making out with a God from Mount Olympus. My father was the first to read Greek tragedies to me and really make me fall in love with the gods and goddesses Hercules, Zeus and Aphrodite and all those guys. Xena got to not only live and communicate with them, she got to (spoiler alert) kill half of them and change the world. She was the ultimate woman. Tough, ridiculously sexy, involved in a kind of lesbian love affair with Gabriel (who I never fully embraced), and did I mention she
kicked ass!? I loved the stories, how she came in contact with famous historical figures like the very evil Julius Caesar. It was complete fantasy. Complete except for the charms and bad ass moves of the star, Lucy Lawless, who is still, btw, smoking hot.