When The Bionic Woman debuted on January 14, 1976, it was unlike anything television had seen before. Spun off from The Six Million Dollar Man, the show followed Jaime Sommers (played by Lindsay Wagner), a former tennis pro who is nearly killed in a skydiving accident. Thanks to cutting-edge science fiction technology (and some very generous government funding), she’s saved through experimental surgery that gives her bionic implants. With super hearing, super strength and the ability to run faster than a car, Jaime became one of the first true female superheroes on television.

Created by Kenneth Johnson and based on the novel Cyborg by Martin Caidin, The Bionic Woman balanced thrilling action with emotional storytelling, showing Jaime as both a secret agent and a schoolteacher trying to hold on to a normal life. The series was a hit not just in the U.S., but also abroad, with British fans especially falling in love with it.