Who could have guessed, when Buffy the Vampire Slayer made its first appearance all those years ago, that the programme would not only go on to become such a success, but that it would acquire a cult following as well?
After all, back in 1997 shows like Suddenly Susan, Cybill and Friends were foremost on viewers' favourites list, so it hardly seemed likely that a supernatural series about a vampire slayer would receive a warm reception.
But whether it was the storyline, or Sarah Michelle Gellar, that got many of its (mostly male) followers gripped, Buffy - in all her dark, cemetery-crawling glory - proved to be just what audiences were looking for after being exposed to all that sitcom syrupy sweetness for so long.
It wasn't without its fair share of hiccups, though. Despite an Emmy nomination in the category Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series, as well as being listed as "one of the top 10 best shows" by Time magazine, USA Today and Entertainment Weekly, Buffy and her posse of paranormals had to fight for contract renewals from season to season.
Fans of the series believe that this is what caused its increasingly compromised characters and plotline, which ultimately led to the show being cancelled.
Still, a decade is a good run by anyone's standards and it also brought us the equally successful (although not nearly as long-running) spin-off, Angel starring David Boreanaz, and spurred an onslaught of Buffy merchandise, ranging from action figures and magazines, to companion books on "Buffyverse" and even a Buffy role-playing game!
Come this Sunday, South African audiences will get to tune in for the seventh and final season of Ms Gellar and Co's butt-kicking antics, which pretty much picks up where the sixth instalment left off
After having risen from the dead (literally), Buffy is now a single working woman struggling to hold down a job by day, while still trying to raise her sister, Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg), and kill demons by night.
But, hopefully her younger sibling will soon be able to help her vanquish those bothersome wicked spirits, given that Buffy has taken Dawn under her kung fu wing.
Meanwhile, there's a new villain on the scene in the form of a creature called The First Evil (so much for creativity), who's purportedly the most formidable one yet.
As for Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Giles (Anthony Head), they're off walking the cobbled streets of London where they are studying the art of "how not to kill people".
Ja, well no fine.
- Catch Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sunday on M-Net Series at 10pm.