My So-Called Life Creator Reveals How Barbra Streisand Inspired the Beloved High School Show (Exclusive)

When Winnie Holzman looks back my so called life it is with affection and gratitude. Only 19 episodes aired before the show was canceled in 1995, but its effect on viewers and pop culture was profound.

The series focused on high school student Angela Chase, played by Claire Danes, and her social circle as they navigated life in suburban Pittsburgh. Unlike other shows at the time, the episodes dealt with challenging topics including teenage sex, guns at school, and drugs and alcohol.

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Holzman’s writing resonated with fans who identified with the Liberty High School students thanks to the depth and complexity of each character. “I was interested in the idea that there are these stereotypes that a person takes on, these people who are often labeled in high school,” Holzman told PEOPLE exclusively on the premiere’s 30th anniversary. “As a good girl, a slut, a bad boy, a smart kid, a nerdy kid. I played with and explored the idea that people are a stereotype, but there’s so much more.”

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My so-called life Roles: Where are they now?

‘My So-Called Life’ cast Devon Gummersall, Jared Leto, Devon Odessa, Claire Danes, Lisa Wilhoit, AJ Langer, Tom Irwin, Bess Armstrong and Wilson Cruz. Mark Seliger/ABC/Getty Images

This idea was partially inspired by Barbra Streisand’s 1973 film What we were. “As a Jewish woman, a lot of times the way Jewish women were portrayed on TV was in a very stereotypical way, and historically not with a lot of complexity or depth. And when I saw a movie like Barbra Streisand in What we werehere she is Jewish, she is in a romance, Robert Redford finds her beautiful, who was the piece of the day. She is treated with respect and shown to be beautiful, shown to be admirable and still intelligent and articulate. That bothered me when I was young.”

She continues, “That’s always stuck with me, the power of putting people on screen who might not have been shown — or weren’t fair — with respect,” she says. “I’ve generally done that with teenagers. I’m not saying I’m the only person who did that, but I wanted to show respect to these people who were there in those years.”

Despite only lasting one season, the show lived on in syndication and is now on the air, earning a new generation of fans. Holzman says she’s “grateful” that people “still feel connected” to the series.

“You want to feel that you touched people, that they felt connected to the characters, that maybe they even loved the characters. … I love what resonated with people, what stayed with people. That makes me very happy.”

One character many fans feel connected to is Rickie Vasquez (played by Wilson Cruz, 50), Angela’s big-hearted, half-Puerto Rican, half-black gay best friend — and primetime TV’s first openly gay teenager.

Rickie faced hardships, including homophobia and homelessness, but remained positive. For Holzman, Cruz was the “light of the light” who immediately landed the role. “You just felt his goodness and kindness,” she says.

Wilson Cruz reflects on how ‘my so-called life’ helped heal his relationship with his father

Devon Gummersall, AJ Langer, Claire Danes, Wilson Cruz and Devon Odessa. ABC/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

Thirty years later, Holzman admits she often hears from fans of the show — many of whom are members of the LGBTQ+ community — who thank her for her work.

“People came up to me and said: ‘I used to watch the series with my mom and that’s how I was able to come out in front of my mom,'” she adds. “Something like that makes you feel so, so good that you were able to play a small part in helping that conversation happen, or just people telling me that they feel less alone, that I can see [themselves in] Ricky.”

For more on Winnie Holzman and My so-called lifepick up the latest issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday or subscribe here.

Claire Danes, Wilson Cruz & ‘My So-Called Life’ Cast Have Virtual ‘Belated’ Reunion

Claire Danes and Jared Leto in ‘My So-Called Life’.

Mark Seliger/Abc Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock

The series undoubtedly had a huge impact on viewers, but it also helped launch the careers of cast members, including Golden Globe winner Danes, 45, and Oscar winner Jared Leto, 52. Cruz went on to star in prominent roles on TV and uses its visibility to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ people. It now serves as Chair Board of GLSEN, an organization that ensures LGBTQ students can learn and grow in a school environment free of bullying and harassment.

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For Holzman, the success came down to one thing: “This is a really big lesson My So-Called Life— it wasn’t supposed to be a big hit. It shouldn’t have been a huge jump in viewership. It shouldn’t have had more than 19 episodes to make an impact on people. It was just whatever it was. And in his own small way, he made this positive impact. So that became something that really taught me what success looks like.”

Adding, “I mean My so-called life he taught me that everything is important to be true to yourself, knowing that I invest 100% of myself in it, like all of us together. It was such a group effort. No one called it. Nobody. We care about every moment of that show. If you do that, that’s success.”

All 19 episodes My so-called life are available to stream on Hulu.

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Source: HIS Education