Audiences may remember Buffy the Vampire Slayer for its pithy language and its comedic Valley-girl style, but the show's ability to combine horror and fantasy tropes with the universal angst of high school is what made the show a phenomenon. Nearly two decades before Netflix became synonymous with binge-worthy television, Buffy (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar) made every episode must-see TV with the invention of "The Big Bad" — a villain or antihero who loomed large in the background of every episode while simultaneously intertwining with the destiny of our hero and her friends.
Along the way, Buffy would battle minions of "The Big Bad," better known as "Freaks of the Week," due to problems of her own making. This heightened formula was one that other teen dramas, like Veronica Mars (2004), would adopt to ensnare young audiences. The approach proved revolutionary in 1997 and put The WB on the map as the premiere channel for teen stories, though the network would fold in 2006 and its shows would transition to The CW.
Watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Hulu.