Whatever it takes, I know I can make it through.
Degrassi is a long-running Canadian television franchise, created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood, that focuses on the lives of teenagers attending the eponymous secondary school. Named after (and originally set in) the real De Grassi Street in Toronto, Ontario, it is one of the most iconic TV franchises in Canadian history. Most if not all the installments have been run in a Dramatic Half-Hour format.
Degrassi can be separated into two distinct phases: the "classic" series, produced from 1979-1992 by Playing With Time, and the revival era, produced from 2001-2017 by Epitome Pictures. Co-creator Linda Schuyler has been the sole mainstay of the franchise since its inception; her original creative partner was co-creator Kit Hood from 1979 to 1992, and then executive producer Stephen Stohn from 2001 to 2017.
Franchise history:
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The Kids Of Degrassi Street (1979–1986)
Linda Schuyler was a Toronto schoolteacher in the mid-1970s who incorporated media into her curriculum and got into filmmaking to create material to show her class. She met experienced editor Kit Hood in a local filmmaker collective and found that they suited each other's creative needs, forming a partnership and the company Playing with Time to produce documentaries.
What would become Degrassi had its roots in a 1979 after-school special Ida Makes A Movie, which they adapted from a children's book of the same name. They subsequently created three more films over the next three years, with the same continuity and characters. By late 1982, the CBC turned it into a weekly series, which is now known as The Kids of Degrassi Street. The show gained some serious critical attention in Canada for its down-to-earth portrayal of children, and by 1985 had won an International Emmy and other prestigious awards.
What would become Degrassi had its roots in a 1979 after-school special Ida Makes A Movie, which they adapted from a children's book of the same name. They subsequently created three more films over the next three years, with the same continuity and characters. By late 1982, the CBC turned it into a weekly series, which is now known as The Kids of Degrassi Street. The show gained some serious critical attention in Canada for its down-to-earth portrayal of children, and by 1985 had won an International Emmy and other prestigious awards.
Degrassi Junior High (1987–1989) and Degrassi High (1989–1991)
By this point, Linda and Kit wanted to tackle more complex and mature issues. Fed up with the Anvilicious nature of most American programming directed at teenagers and noticing the largely untapped nature of the teen media market, they put an end to The Kids Of Degrassi Street and commenced work on a new show.
The result, Degrassi Junior High, debuted on the CBC on January 18, 1987 and soon became the show that cemented the Degrassi name as a Canadian institution, introducing important characters such as Joey Jeremiah, Caitlin Ryan, Christine "Spike" Nelson, and Archie "Snake" Simpson. Tackling teenage pregnancy, abuse, eating disorders and many other complex topics, it was Darker and Edgier, took on many Soap Opera tropes and featured a large ensemble cast, the result being what many consider to be the true Trope Maker for the Teen Drama genre.
On debut, while it faced some pushback from fans of ''The Kids Of Degrassi Street'' who felt it was glossier and less realistic, most critics were enamored with how different it was to most TV shows; there were no 'tied-in-a-bow' endings, there were no perfect families, there was no moralizing parents, and most importantly; it portrayed kids making their own decisions, for better or worse. Also helping was the fact it was Adored by the Network; the CBC's programming director actually hated its original time slot and had it moved smack bang in the middle of prime time, specifically in between two very popular American sitcoms. Although Linda Schuyler thought it would fail, it did not. Instead, it turned Degrassi Junior High into one of CBC's flagship shows and one of the most watched shows in the entire country period. It had over a million viewers every week, which was considered gangbusters for Canadian television at the time. During its time on the air, it won several accolades, including an International Emmy, and in a single year it won four Gemini Awards (Canada's equivalent of the Emmynote ). One plotline of note in Degrassi Junior High was the Teen Pregnancy of character Christine "Spike" Nelson (Amanda Stepto), an arc which began in season 1; when she gives birth to the baby between seasons 2 and 3, she names it Emma,note a character who becomes very important later.
After a bit of deliberation, Linda and Kit decided to continue the show into high school, rechristening it Degrassi High in 1989; with the series opener tackling the subject of abortionnote , the show made a grand return with guns blazing, and from there Degrassi High tackled more serious fare such as HIV/AIDS (of which a straight student and recurring character is afflicted with), cancer, and suicide, but it would soon come to an end. Even though the show was still riding high commercially in 1990, the pressures of television production, as well as the deterioration of Linda and Kit's partnership and their desire to end the show before it became too predictable and stale, and not to mention the loss of their primary financial backer WGBH, forced an end to Degrassi's first chapter, but not before they gave it a feature-length send-off with the television film School's Out. This post-graduation television movie, which aired on January 5, 1992 to 2.4 million Canadian viewers (double the average of the show), was not only Darker and Edgier than the actual show, but Hotter and Sexier; not only was there both male and female Fanservice and a scene where a character uses a banana to teach another character how to apply a condom, but one of the show's fan favourite characters, with an already troubled story arc, kills a child and blinds another fan favourite in a drunk driving accent and is jailed.
The original Degrassi period officially came to an end with the broadcast of Degrassi Talks, a six-part documentary series where actors from the show interviewed hundreds of teens and young adults across Canada about the subjects they dealt with in the show; each actor hosted an episode on the topic of which their character dealt with. The series aired from February to March 1992.
The result, Degrassi Junior High, debuted on the CBC on January 18, 1987 and soon became the show that cemented the Degrassi name as a Canadian institution, introducing important characters such as Joey Jeremiah, Caitlin Ryan, Christine "Spike" Nelson, and Archie "Snake" Simpson. Tackling teenage pregnancy, abuse, eating disorders and many other complex topics, it was Darker and Edgier, took on many Soap Opera tropes and featured a large ensemble cast, the result being what many consider to be the true Trope Maker for the Teen Drama genre.
On debut, while it faced some pushback from fans of ''The Kids Of Degrassi Street'' who felt it was glossier and less realistic, most critics were enamored with how different it was to most TV shows; there were no 'tied-in-a-bow' endings, there were no perfect families, there was no moralizing parents, and most importantly; it portrayed kids making their own decisions, for better or worse. Also helping was the fact it was Adored by the Network; the CBC's programming director actually hated its original time slot and had it moved smack bang in the middle of prime time, specifically in between two very popular American sitcoms. Although Linda Schuyler thought it would fail, it did not. Instead, it turned Degrassi Junior High into one of CBC's flagship shows and one of the most watched shows in the entire country period. It had over a million viewers every week, which was considered gangbusters for Canadian television at the time. During its time on the air, it won several accolades, including an International Emmy, and in a single year it won four Gemini Awards (Canada's equivalent of the Emmynote ). One plotline of note in Degrassi Junior High was the Teen Pregnancy of character Christine "Spike" Nelson (Amanda Stepto), an arc which began in season 1; when she gives birth to the baby between seasons 2 and 3, she names it Emma,note a character who becomes very important later.
After a bit of deliberation, Linda and Kit decided to continue the show into high school, rechristening it Degrassi High in 1989; with the series opener tackling the subject of abortionnote , the show made a grand return with guns blazing, and from there Degrassi High tackled more serious fare such as HIV/AIDS (of which a straight student and recurring character is afflicted with), cancer, and suicide, but it would soon come to an end. Even though the show was still riding high commercially in 1990, the pressures of television production, as well as the deterioration of Linda and Kit's partnership and their desire to end the show before it became too predictable and stale, and not to mention the loss of their primary financial backer WGBH, forced an end to Degrassi's first chapter, but not before they gave it a feature-length send-off with the television film School's Out. This post-graduation television movie, which aired on January 5, 1992 to 2.4 million Canadian viewers (double the average of the show), was not only Darker and Edgier than the actual show, but Hotter and Sexier; not only was there both male and female Fanservice and a scene where a character uses a banana to teach another character how to apply a condom, but one of the show's fan favourite characters, with an already troubled story arc, kills a child and blinds another fan favourite in a drunk driving accent and is jailed.
The original Degrassi period officially came to an end with the broadcast of Degrassi Talks, a six-part documentary series where actors from the show interviewed hundreds of teens and young adults across Canada about the subjects they dealt with in the show; each actor hosted an episode on the topic of which their character dealt with. The series aired from February to March 1992.
Hiatus and Degrassi: The Next Generation/Next Class (2001–2017)
In the subsequent years following the end of Degrassi, the show found a strong and loyal fanbase on the nascent internet throughout The '90s, and this continued interest culminated in Jonathan Torrens reuniting the cast on his show Jonovision in December 1999. Around that time, Linda Schuyler and original head writer Yan Moore conceived a revival on the basis that the daughter of Spike would be old enough to be a junior high student. In 2001, Degrassi: The Next Generation, helmed by Schuyler and new partner Stephen Stohn, made its premiere on CTV and did pretty fine at home, but it was Americans, and Americans specifically, that carried this entry success wise. This iteration was the one that boasted pre-fame Drake, whose character was famously paralyzed by a school shooter, and Nina Dobrev before her breakout role in The Vampire Diaries.
Despite its continued US success through the late 2000s, The Next Generation was actually declining in popularity back home after peaking at a million or more viewers halfway through, and CTV cancelled it in 2009, but before too long Stephen Stohn was able to rescue the series after striking a deal with TeenNick. This brought a wave of changes to the series, such as it being renamed to simply "Degrassi" and adopting a telenovela approach. The rebrand fared pretty well, but after changing networks multiple times, it was finally cancelled in 2015, but the show was again saved when what would have been season 15 of The Next Generation was instead retooled into the Netflix produced Degrassi: Next Class, which managed four seasons before cancelled.
Despite its continued US success through the late 2000s, The Next Generation was actually declining in popularity back home after peaking at a million or more viewers halfway through, and CTV cancelled it in 2009, but before too long Stephen Stohn was able to rescue the series after striking a deal with TeenNick. This brought a wave of changes to the series, such as it being renamed to simply "Degrassi" and adopting a telenovela approach. The rebrand fared pretty well, but after changing networks multiple times, it was finally cancelled in 2015, but the show was again saved when what would have been season 15 of The Next Generation was instead retooled into the Netflix produced Degrassi: Next Class, which managed four seasons before cancelled.
Second hiatus and planned reboot (2017–present)
The cancellation of Next Class wasn't even publicly announced until Stefan Brogren casually alluded to it in a tweet in March 2019. The Degrassi fandom still chugged along, however, aided by official YouTube uploads of Junior High, High, and Next Generation, and Pat Mastroianni (Joey Jeremiah) continued to commemorate the original series with public events, including 2019's Degrassi Palooza, which reunited many of the major original players, including original co-creator Kit Hood in his final public appearance before his death from a brain aneurysm on January 20, 2020.
By The New '20s, a new wave of interest in Degrassi started to rise online, mainly due to nostalgia for Next Generation: the decade saw an increase in content about it uploaded to YouTube and elsewhere; even the frequently overlooked Junior High and High started getting some genuine recognition and appreciation from the contemporary faction of the fandom beyond just being "the old show". Then, in an unexpected twist of fate, it was announced in January 2022 that there would be a new Degrassi series.note This would have been produced by a different creative team and for HBO. The news of the reboot was met with a mixed reaction; while many were happy that Degrassi was back, there was also fears that it would be a Euphoria clone because of the HBO association and the aesthetic of the teaser poster. However, all of the speculation would prove unfounded overtime, because as 2022 progressed, there were basically no updates. Then, in April 2022, the controversial merger of WarnerMedia, the owner of HBO, and Discovery, was completed, which stoked fears that the new series was cancelled.
Sure enough, in November 2022, an article by the Wall Street Journal confirmed the cancellation. However, this is not apparently the end of the new show: in a press release immediately following the cancellation announcement, WildBrain said that they were "still committed" to the future of Degrassi, and Linda Schuyler has referred to the failed HBO deal as a "false start
". In August 2023, Schuyler said in a podcast that there was a writer working on a new pitch, but mentioned the then-ongoing Hollywood strikes as a significant barrier, meaning that while the new Degrassi is not actually cancelled, it is in Development Hell.
By The New '20s, a new wave of interest in Degrassi started to rise online, mainly due to nostalgia for Next Generation: the decade saw an increase in content about it uploaded to YouTube and elsewhere; even the frequently overlooked Junior High and High started getting some genuine recognition and appreciation from the contemporary faction of the fandom beyond just being "the old show". Then, in an unexpected twist of fate, it was announced in January 2022 that there would be a new Degrassi series.note This would have been produced by a different creative team and for HBO. The news of the reboot was met with a mixed reaction; while many were happy that Degrassi was back, there was also fears that it would be a Euphoria clone because of the HBO association and the aesthetic of the teaser poster. However, all of the speculation would prove unfounded overtime, because as 2022 progressed, there were basically no updates. Then, in April 2022, the controversial merger of WarnerMedia, the owner of HBO, and Discovery, was completed, which stoked fears that the new series was cancelled.
Sure enough, in November 2022, an article by the Wall Street Journal confirmed the cancellation. However, this is not apparently the end of the new show: in a press release immediately following the cancellation announcement, WildBrain said that they were "still committed" to the future of Degrassi, and Linda Schuyler has referred to the failed HBO deal as a "false start
". In August 2023, Schuyler said in a podcast that there was a writer working on a new pitch, but mentioned the then-ongoing Hollywood strikes as a significant barrier, meaning that while the new Degrassi is not actually cancelled, it is in Development Hell.The franchise comprises:
- The Kids of Degrassi Street (1979 — 1986)
- Degrassi Junior High (1987 — 1989) and their book tie-ins Degrassi Junior High
- Degrassi High (1989 — 1991) and its Made-for-TV Movie Degrassi: School's Out! (1992)
- Degrassi: The Next Generation note (2001 — 2015)
- Degrassi: Next Class (2016 — 2017) note
- Degrassi Talks, a documentary mini-series where Degrassi High actors interviewed teens on the street, aired after School's Out from February to March 1992.
There was an untitled HBO Max series planned for 2023, but this was eventually cancelled amidst Warner Bros. Discovery's restructuring.
See also The L.A. Complex, a What Might Have Been series originally conceived as a Spin-Off of The Next Generation, but was later made a freestanding franchise, presumably so it could be sold to a US network outside the Viacom group.
Tropes relating to the entire franchise include:
- Canada Does Not Exist: As historically Degrassi has had a degree of American involvement, this trope is present in almost every iteration, although hindsight shows it didn't really work. For example, Junior High was said to be set in an "unnamed North American city". The post-Next Generation seasons in the early 2010s start moving into Eagleland Osmosis territory with the frequent mentioning of American universities and the like.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Degrassi, no matter which generation, has recurring characters who just suddenly disappear. It became so egregious in the Next Generation era that fans of that iteration gave the phenomenon a name: the "Degrassi Black Hole". If a character became a victim of this trope, they were "blackholed". Although it only got its name in the TNG years, it was already a thing starting from Degrassi Junior High, with examples such as Rick Munro, Voula Grivogiannis, and Suzie Rivera.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: The Kids Of Degrassi Street differs extremely from the format Degrassi came to be known for by centering on children living in and around the real life De Grassi Street rather than teenagers attending the titular middle/high school. In addition, Degrassi Street did not even start as a series but as a bunch of short films with the same continuity.
- Fleeting Demographic Rule: Being a long-running show aimed at teenagers it has consistently recycled plotlines every generation as certain issues have pervaded throughout the last half century. Teen pregnancy was dealt with a total of seven times from Junior High to Next Class (three carrying to term, three having abortions, one having a miscarriage). Suicide was visited twice, once in 1991 and again in 2012. Other less serious plotlines have also been recycled; the second episodes of both Junior High and Next Generation revolve around a character getting drunk before going to the school dance, and both of their second seasons feature an episode where a kid and his friends joyrides a parent's vehicle.
- Genre Shift: From children's series (The Kids Of Degrassi Street) to Teen Drama (Degrassi Junior High). There are also varying opinions as to whether the differences between the original series and the post-2001 series constitute this as well.
- Line-of-Sight Name: The name "Degrassi" came from the real-life Toronto street the first series was set in, which is actually called De Grassi Street after Italian-Canadian soldier Filippo De Grassi. When naming The Kids Of Degrassi Street, they decided to make it one word because it looked sleeker. In 1979, Toronto used all-caps stamped street signs, leaving it ambiguous whether the name was one word or two; newer mixed-case screen-printed ones appeared well after the producers had committed to "Degrassi" as one word.
- Mood Whiplash: Degrassi as a whole has a penchant for going straight from dramatic moments into their jaunty motivational "I can do this" theme songs. In one instance, Degrassi Junior High ended with the namesake school in flames as its perky theme plays on. The only real subversion to this is late-era Next Generation,note which ends with a quiet solo acoustic rendition of its theme song, "Whatever It Takes".
- Most Writers Are Adults: The producers were aware of this and made great efforts to avoid it; in Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High, the writers let the cast scrutinize and critique the scripts and suggest changes.
- Oddball in the Series: The Kids of Degrassi Street is the only series that isn't connected to the rest, save for several actors who went on to play better-known roles in Junior High and beyond. In addition, it's a children's show than a teen show, and the main setting is the street itself, rather than a school bearing its name. As a result, most modern-day Degrassi fans tend to disregard it.
- Real Life Writes the Plot: A lot of storylines, specifically those in the "classic" era, were influenced by real events in the actors' lives, whether for better or worse. Other episodes, particularly the "Next Generation" era, were influenced by real life events and tragedies.
- Soundtrack Dissonance: Bar Degrassi Street, each series has an upbeat theme with motivational and inspirational lyrics, which leads to Mood Whiplash if it follows, precedes, or accompanies an extremely dramatic scene.
- Teen Pregnancy: As noted above in Fleeting Demographic Rule, this is a frequently revisited storyline in each generation. Most notably, Spike gives birth to future protagonist Emma in Degrassi Junior High. After this was Erica in Degrassi High who had an abortion, Manny in Degrassi: The Next Generation who had an abortion, Mia from The Next Generation whose daughter was already a few years old when she was introduced, Clare in 2010s Degrassi who had a miscarriage, and Lola in Degrassi: Next Class who had an abortion.
- Unbuilt Trope: Despite being regarded as the Trope Maker of Teen Drama, Degrassi Junior High predates a lot of the archetypical hallmarks of the genre. But instead of feeling like a Ur-Example, it feels more like a Deconstruction.
- Very Special Episode: Subverted; while the series, specifically the Playing With Time era, has been frequently (and often negatively) likened to these, upon closer inspection it is nowhere near as one-shot and hamfisted as what Very Special Episodes usually seen to be.
- Vox Pops: A major part of Degrassi Talks, the real-life documentary miniseries that followed Degrassi High, where they would ask teens in the street about social issues.
