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Angel
The Original: Joss Whedon's cult hit Buffy The Vampire Slayer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar as the eponymous foe to all things fanged.
Why It's Great: With a later time slot and a brooding anti-hero, Angel could go to dark places Buffy was never able to. By the time its deliriously dark third season rolled around, it had hit its stride and was easily one of the best genre shows on network TV.
The Simpsons
The Original: Before Homer, Marge and co got their own show, they spent three seasons starring in shorts on The Tracy Ullman Show from 1987.
Why It's Great: Though general opinion is that the 'golden era' of The Simpsons ended way back in season nine, the show's popularity endures thanks to its mix of lovable characters, wacky plot-lines and saccharine-free look at modern family life.
Fargo
The Original: The Coen brothers' indie classic of the same name. Set in Minnesota, it follows Frances McDormand's pregnant cop as she investigates a series of murders in her town.
Why It's Great: Like the movie, it contains humour-tinged darkness but features even quirkier characters and some fantastic twists. Bring on season two!
Frasier
The Original: Long-running sitcom Cheers (1982-1993), which was set in a bar run by Sam Malone (Ted Danson). One of the many patrons included Dr Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer).
Why It's Great: It's surely the classiest sitcom that ever existed, and despite all its high-brow Opera jokes, it was always hugely appealing as the Crane family got into one stitch-in-side pickle after another.
She-Ra: Princess Of Power
The Original: By the power of Greyskull! Inspired by Mattel's toy line, He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe was set in Eternia, where He-Man fought the forces of the evil Skeletor. While wearing not very much.
Why It's Great: The theme tune alone deserves serious respect, and while She-Ra wore an outrageously short skirt (this family really hates clothes), she did it in the name of girl power. Which is always nice.
Xena: Warrior Princess
The Original: From myth to small-screen hero, Hercules: The Legendary Series starred Kevin Sorbo as the half-god in the Sam Raimi-produced show.
Why It's Great: There was simply nothing like it on TV. While Hercules was overtly goofy (and, yes, a bit naff), Xena plunged headfirst into its themes of redemption, so there was real darkness amid the campery. Also, the musical episodes are genius.
Better Call Saul
The Original: A little show you may have heard of called Breaking Bad. Bryan Cranston stars as a chem teacher who becomes a criminal mastermind.
Why It's Great: It's completely different from the show that birthed it, which is only a good thing. With the same creative team working behind the scenes, Better Call Saul is just as dark without feeling beholden to Breaking Bad.
Ashes To Ashes
The Original: Hit BBC series Life On Mars, which aired 2006-2007. Jon Simm stars as a detective who travels back to 1973 after being involved in a traffic accident. He works for Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister).
Why It's Great: It's a chance to revel in the eighties, and though the show's first episode wobbled, it soon found its feet and became a compelling period detective drama.
Men In Black: The Series
The Original: Barry Sonnenfeld's tongue in cheek sci-fi. Will Smith is recruited by Tommy Lee Jones to become a secret agent who keeps the extra-terrestrial lifeforms on Earth in check.
Why It's Great: Before the movies derailed a fun franchise, the animated series told some ace stories and the animation is brilliantly scuzzy.
Sabrina The Teenage Witch
The Original: TV movie Sabrina The Teenage Witch (from 1996), which introduces us to that titular spell-caster, played by Melissa Joan Hart. Also notable for co-starring a very young Ryan Reynolds.
Why It's Great: Though it wasn't exactly 100% comedy gold, the show's main appeal was the talking cat, Salem, a maniac with plans for world domination. Also, Melissa Joan Hart's just so perky it's impossible to not like her.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
The Original: Gene Roddenberry's 1966 series Star Trek. William Shatner stars as Captain Kirk, with Leonard Nimoy on hand as Spock.
Why It's Great: Sleeker and smarter than its predecessor, Star Trek: TNG reignited the cult of Trek and became a huge hit, nabbing 18 Emmy awards over its seven season run. Also, Picard rules.
Daredevil
The Original: Marvel's cinematic releases, which began with 2008's Iron Man and continue this year with Avengers: Age Of Ultron and Ant-Man.
Why It's Great: Airing on Netflix means the show can go to seriously dark places there's swearing and gut-wrenching violence, making this a truly adult take on the Marvel universe. Also, Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk is really something to behold. We can't wait for season two.
Hannibal
The Original: Thomas Harris' 1981 novel Red Dragon, which introduces brilliant psychologist Hannibal Lecter. He also happens to be a cannibal.
Why It's Great: How can one show make you feel hungry and sick all at the same time? Hannibal manages it with its gorgeous visuals and savage depictions of violence. It's a beautiful nightmare of fantastic performances and grisly murder scenes.
The Real Ghostbusters
The Original: Cult 1984 movie Ghostbusters, starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis as buddies-turned-paranormal investigators working in New York City.
Why It's Great: It was a chance to hear the Ghostbusters theme every single week, and featured a bumped-up role for Slimer. Plus, who doesn't want to see the 'busters in action fighting gooey baddies on the streets of New York?
Marvels Agents Of SHIELD
The Original: Like Daredevil, this show was spawned by the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Why It's Great: It took a while to get going, but once SHIELD started dealing with the fall-out from Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it transformed into something unbelievably compelling. Some of the twists are genuinely hand-to-mouth shocking.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
The Original: Time-traveling action sci-fi epic The Terminator, directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in the role of his career.
Why It's Great: Though it sadly only lasted two seasons, showrunner Josh Friedman crammed some great stuff in. Glau's robo-protector is a clear highlight.
Freddys Nightmares
The Original: Wes Craven's smart slasher flick A Nightmare On Elm Street, which pits the teenagers of Elm Street including Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) against dream-stalking serial killer Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund).
Why It's Great: Alright, it's not exactly the best thing ever broadcast, but we have a soft spot for it thanks to Robert Englund's obvious glee at getting to play Freddy again. It's cheesy as hell and you won't find it anywhere on DVD, but that's ok we prefer our rose-tinted memories of it.
