Despite the big kerfuffle being made about Joss Whedon’s new show Dollhouse (with every critic rushing to speak their piece on the pop culture czar’s latest venture), let’s not forget the rich (and sometimes very poor) tradition of shows starring female protagonists fighting against or for malevolent forces. Listicles takes a look at Dollhouse’s lineage with these 6 TV Shows About Female Agents.

Dark Angel

James Cameron-produced Dark Angel is the clearest Dollhouse predecessor, featuring a super-agent played by an awful actress (here, Jessica Alba) who’s controlled and deployed by an unethical and paternalistic evil organization.

Alias

Brutally great at the start, brain-hurtingly confusing towards the end, maybe Alias’s overcomplex quadruple-crossings are part of why Dollhouse’s by-the-numbers narrative seems a little dull at first.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Yep, Joss Whedon hasn’t really knocked one out of the park since, but he sure is trying (and we sure keep hoping).

Veronica Mars

Dispensing with the sci-fi  fantastics and conspiracy theory quadruple-crossings of her contemporaries, Veronica (Kristen Bell) juggles a great balance of neo-noir urban crime-solving and coming-of-age drama.

Prime Suspect

Arguably the first series to throw a strong female lead into the midst of a group of chauvinist authority-abusers, Helen Mirren and Prime Suspect still haven’t been topped.

Charlie’s Angels

Yes, TV heroines had some pretty dubious beginnings, but Dollhouse is light-years ahead of Charlie’s Angels, right?