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"In every generation, there is a chosen one. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the slayer." Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the late, great television show on the lives of Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and the Scooby Gang composed of her best friends Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander (Nicholas Brendon) as well as her watcher, Giles (Anthony Stewart Head). Knocked off by some as television's guilty pleasure, Buffy is definitely much more than that.

All the demons she encountered were manifestations of whatever problem she was going through at the time. Over the first four seasons, she not only deals with the bad guys but everyday high school teenage angst and all that entails. The show tackles issues that matters: family dynamics, betrayal, homosexuality, suicide, friendship, relationship problems, death, and redemption, just to name a few. In addition, Buffy reeks of girl power and that's a powerful thing. The show's success gave other Joss Whedon's (Buffy's creator) noteworthy works and similar, equally valuable shows (i.e. Joan of Arcadia and Veronica Mars) a fighting chance. Buffy also led to a spin-off series, Angel, which dealt with the same important issues. Moreover, Buffy has spawned multiple pop culture studies.

House is centered around the smart talking doctor of the same name (Golden Globe winner Hugh Laurie) and his medical team composed of Cameron (Jennifer Morrison), Chase (Jesse Spencer), and Foreman (Omar Epps). Even though House is what health professionals would officially diagnose as a jerk whose antics are as radical as several feminists, Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein), the head of the hospital, and House's best friend, Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) try to keep him in check. Keyword: try. On top of that, House is the hospital's resident genius, never stumbling on a case he can't solve, which is the only reason they keep him on staff.

House isn't only one of the best dramedies (that's drama and comedies combined) on television, it's also a mystery show. The culprit is the disease and House is Sherlock Holmes except...more badass. I think that what they do on the show is metaphorically beautiful--the "bad guy" is within us whether it be cancer or a parasite. House differs from other medical dramas such as ER because the latter only shows the loss of blood as a result of car accidents, shootouts and the like. The illnesses that House's patients have are much more rare and complex but not any less real. The writers base them on actual sicknesses that people have suffered. So, in that sense, it can be classified as an educational show--just another part of its importance and charm.

For example, I never knew that cancer can be cured, or at least delayed, if the patient is infected with a certain virus. Knowledge like that may come in handy, but hopefully, I'll never have to use it. It's also enlightening how, in practically every episode, House asserts that everybody lies. Just when the you think the patient doesn't have any reason to lie, it turns out that House is right. Hence, the show also deals with ethical dilemmas. It raises questions, challenges the audience to think. Whether or not House is justified for giving a heart to his bulimic patient, who could easily abuse her body after the transplant, having the organ go to waste is a testament to that.

Gilmore Girls tells the tale of Lorelai Gilmore (Emmy-cheated Lauren Graham) and her daughter, Lorelai (Rory) Gilmore (Alexis Bledel). We're in on their love lives, school, work, family, and friends. The show is important because it affirms the strength of a single parent. More importantly, it encourages a mother-daughter relationship akin to best friends. It has actually garnered the approval of the Family Friendly Programming Forum, which is a breath of fresh air amidst all the media violence. Other than that, since Gilmore is set in a small town, it serves as a window to the world of kooky characters and cat funerals.

Additionally, Gilmore delves into the sensitive issue of social status whenever Lorelai butts heads with her well-off and estranged parents. Rory isn't spared from the clash of the titans, either. Her current boyfriend is also from a well to do family who, safe to say, doesn't approve of the match. Seeing as the show is broadcast in over 30 countries, people abroad are able to obtain some insight on American culture at its best. As a matter of fact, Gilmore's dialogue is filled with informative and fascinating pop culture references. This has only made the show more important seeing as it has furthered the career of its mother hen, Amy Sherman-Palladino, who is now working on a new sitcom involving two sisters brought closer together because one of them is carrying the other's child.

Furthermore, both Gilmore Girls and House have introduced the world to amazing and unconventional music, which is only the international language. Last but certainly not least, I enjoy watching all of the above for its dialogue drenched in wit and sarcasm. It's also one of the reasons why they're the most important television programs ever produced because they prove that intelligently written shows can bring in the ratings. Thus, networks will dish out more shows like them in the future.

BUFFY-ISMS
Buffy: When the apocalypse comes, beep me.

Xander: I'm just gonna go home, lie down, and listen to country music. The music of pain.

Buffy: You know, I always say that a day without an autopsy is like a day without sunshine.

HOUSE-ISMS
Wilson: Did you know your cellphone is dead? Do you ever recharge your batteries?
House: They recharge? I just keep buying new phones.

House: Are you comparing me to God? I mean, it's great, but so you know, I've never made a tree.

GILMORE-ISMS
Emily: Obviously you have a maid.
Christopher: Actually, I have a maid-nanny combo.
Emily: Ah, how McDonald's of you.

Rory: Oh my God!
Lorelai: What?
Rory: He hired Brennon Lewis.
Lorelai: And?
Rory: Ew!
Lorelai: He doesn't look that bad.
Rory: He's the boy who dissected the frog, did not wash his hands, and then ate a sandwich.
Lorelai: Ew!
Rory: He's like the lost Farrelly brother. He's so stupid. He watched The Breakfast Club and decided to tape his own butt cheeks together.