Genevieve Cortese, Wildfire
It's not just the little show that could. ABC Family's Wildfire (Mondays at 8 pm/ET) is the little show that changed an entire cable network. Despite a premise that sounds sappy — troubled girl befriends horse and starts a new life — this series doesn't shy away from the hard topics (drugs, sex, suicide) and has pulled strong ratings, especially with teens and young women, since its 2005 debut. It proved that the channel could be more than just a repository for sugary repeats, and soon ABC Family was launching more original programs with edge (Kyle XY, Fallen, the new Lincoln Heights). Wildfire, which kicked off its third season this month, has already been renewed for a fourth.
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