Inspired by: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)

What Worked: No one could have predicted the phenomenon that would result when a young Sarah Michelle Gellar stepped into the shoes of Buffy Summers — except maybe creator Joss Whedon. But there turned out to be a lot more to the ditzy cheerleader with a destiny (originally played by Kristy Swanson). Add in a band of loyal Scoobies, a couple of mysterious (and hot!) vampires, and you have a series that will live on well past the apocalypse. (We know it can; they lived through several.) —Sandra Gonzalez