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

The series revolved around high school student Angela Chase, played by Claire Danes, and her circle of friends as they navigate a Pittsburgh suburb. Unlike other series of the time, the episodes dealt with difficult topics, including teenage sex, guns in schools, and drugs and alcohol.

class=”ql-align-justify”>

Holzman’s script resonated with fans, who identified with the students at Liberty High School thanks to the depth and complexity of each character. “I was interested in the idea that there are these stereotypes that you take on, these roles that are often forced upon you in high school,” Holzman tells PEOPLE exclusively on the 30th anniversary of the premiere. “Like the good girl, the naughty girl, the bad boy, the smart kid, the nerdy kid. I played with and explored the idea that people are a stereotype, but there is so much more.”

class=”ql-align-justify”>

This idea was partly inspired by the 1973 Barbra Streisand film Just as we were. “As a Jewish woman, the portrayal of Jewish women on television was often very stereotypical and not very historically complex or deep. And when I saw a film like Barbra Streisand in As we werehere is a Jewish woman, she has a romance, Robert Redford, who was the pretty boy at the time, thinks she is beautiful. She is treated with respect and portrayed as beautiful, as admirable and yet intelligent and expressive. That blew me away as a young woman.”

She continues: “It has always stuck in my mind the power of bringing people to the screen who perhaps were not represented – or were not represented quite – with respect,” she says. “I’ve done that with teenagers in general. I’m not saying I’m the only person who’s ever done that, but I wanted to show respect to these people at that age.”

Although the series only ran for one season, it continued in syndication and is now streaming, gaining a new generation of fans. Holzman says she is “grateful” that people “still feel connected to the show.”

“You want to feel like you’ve moved people, that they’ve felt connected to the characters, that they maybe even loved the characters. … I love that it resonated with people, that it stuck with them. That makes me very happy.”

One character many fans are drawn to is Rickie Vasquez (played by Wilson Cruz, 50), Angela’s big-hearted, half-Puerto Rican, half-black gay best friend – and the first openly gay teenager on primetime television.

Rickie had to deal with hardships like homophobia and homelessness, but remained positive. For Holzman, Cruz was a “beacon of light” who landed the role immediately. “You just felt his goodness and kindness,” she says.

Thirty years later, Holzman admits she often hears from fans of the show – many of them members of the LGBTQ+ community – who have thanked her for her work.

“It’s people who have come up to me and said, ‘I always watched the show with my mom and that’s how I was able to come out to my mom,'” she adds. “It makes you feel so, so good that you might have played a small part in making that conversation happen, or just people who have shared with me that they felt less alone, that they could see themselves in Rickie.”

More information about Winnie Holzman and Welcome to lifePick up the latest issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday or subscribe here.

The show undoubtedly had a huge impact on viewers, but it also helped launch careers for cast members, including Golden Globe winner Danes, 45, and Oscar winner Jared Leto, 52. Cruz continued to play prominent roles on television. And uses his visibility to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. He is now Chair of the board of GLSEN, an organization that ensures LGBTQ students can learn and grow in a school environment free of bullying and harassment.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

For Holzman, the success boiled down to one thing: “This is really the big lesson of My so-called life — it didn’t have to be a huge hit. It didn’t have to be a ratings storm. It didn’t need more than 19 episodes to impress people. It just was what it was. And in its own little way, it had this positive effect. So that became something that really taught me what success looks like.”

He added: “I think Welcome to life taught me that it’s about being true to myself and knowing that I put 100% of myself into it, and we all did that together. It was a real group effort. No one just took it for granted. No one. Every moment of that show was important to us. When you do that, it’s a success.”

All 19 episodes of Welcome to life can be streamed on Hulu.