Trivia / Degrassi Junior High

• Actor/Role Confusion: Many of the actors were referred to and treated like their characters in real life.
  • Amanda Stepto was genuinely thought to be pregnant by a lot of people, and was not only sought for advice about sex and relationships despite stating in press that she was no authority on the matter, she was also literally sent baby clothes and toys.
  • Nicole Stoffman, who didn't dress like Stephanie Kaye in real life, was nonetheless often catcalled in the street by boys.
  • Duncan Waugh was teased to tears over the episode in which Arthur discovers he had a wet dream, according to Linda Schuyler's memoir.
  • Apparently part of why Bill Parrott refused to reprise his role as Shane in Degrassi: The Next Generation, according to Schuyler's memoir. He apparently copped a lot of vitriol from people over the way his character handled Spike's pregnancy.
  • On the flipside, Pat Mastroianni benefitted from this; he admitted in an interview with CBC's The Journal at the time hat he was in fact shy and dorky in real life before the show, and that being seen as the cool and charismatic Joey boosted his reputation and his confidence.
• Actor-Inspired Element: Many of the characters' plotlines and personality traits were based off of the actors. Some exceptions being Stephanie's provocative dressing, and obviously Spike's pregnancy.
• Adored by the Network: The show was a badge of pride for the CBC, even before it became a ratings draw. Programming director Ivan Fecan was a huge fan and initiated its move into prime-time, and was extremely supportive of the decision to end Degrassi High. Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood were also in good with head of children's programming Angela Bruce. When it came to choosing a network for Degrassi: The Next Generation, Schuyler chose CTV in part because Fecan was by then the network's CEO and agreed to fund the show's website.
• Banned in China: In the United Kingdom, BBC1 held back four episodes of season 1^note "Rumour Has It" (where Caitlin thinks she might be gay), "The Best Laid Plans" (where Stephanie and Wheels unsuccessfully plan to have sex), "It's Late" (Spike finds out she is pregnant), and reportedly "Parent's Night" (where Wheels is visited by his biological father) because of their taboo nature. While the episodes nevertheless aired at night on BBC2 months later, the entire season was given a VHS release, and Amanda Stepto promoted the show in London, the BBC dropped the show afterwards and stuck to repeating what they had aired from the first season, which became the only season released on DVD in the UK many years later.
• Cast the Runner-Up: Several of the actors originally auditioned for different roles, but instead had characters created for them:
  • Amanda Stepto initially auditioned for Stephanie Kaye, but the role went to Nicole Stoffman. However, Linda Schuyler was impressed with Amanda's style and personality that the role of Spike was created for her.
  • Stefan Brogren initially auditioned for Joey Jeremiah, but the role went to Pat Mastroianni. However, Linda Schuyler was also impressed with Stefan, and the role of Snake was created for him.
  • Billy Parrott also auditioned for Joey Jeremiah. Like the examples above, they instead created the role of Shane for Parrott.
• Colbert Bump: The Next Generation was somewhat this, but there's still many people who are unaware it exists.
• The Danza: Amy and Alison's last names are taken from their actor's last names but switched: Allison Hunter is played by Sara Holmes, and Amy Holmes was played by Jacy Hunter.
• Dawson Casting: Intentionally and famously averted. However, there is one exception: Amanda Stepto was 16, later 17, playing the 14 year old Spike.^note Seasons 1 and 2 are set in the same year. Because of this age difference, she had trouble relating to most of her co-stars off-camera.
• Fake American: Simon, who was supposed to be from New York — actor Michael Carry didn't even attempt an accent.
• Hostility on the Set: Reportedly there was little (or at least publicly known), as the majority of the cast got on fine. However, Craig Driscoll, who played Rick Munro, later said he didn't have much friends in the cast and constantly butted heads with Linda Schuyler because of his rowdy and rebellious behaviour; in addition, he viewed the show as "washy" (at the time - he said later that he now appreciates the show for what it was) and basically left after being given an ultimatum.
• Keep Circulating the Tapes: Suffered from this to an extent in The '90s. While Season 1 was given a VHS release in the UK in the late 1980s, and School's Out was released on VHS in Australia in 1993, the complete Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High remained unavailable for consumers on home video until 2000; the only real way to obtain copies of the show was via the same way institutions did: from a company supplying educational films. Kevin Smith reportedly spent thousands just to obtain a complete set during this time. In 2000, both series were finally released to VHS by WGBH, and then on DVD in 2005. Even then, its availability on legal streaming is a mess, with a lot of geoblocking and appearing and disappearing on different platforms over the years, meaning that many still believe the show to be hard to find and thus consume it through unofficial means.
• Meaningful Name: The term "narbo", a slang term used in the show, was said by Kit Hood to stand for "no acting required by others",^note "narbos" has also been said to have stood for "no acting required, bowl of soup" and he claimed it originated from when he was a child actor in England. According to Pat Mastroianni, Hood later admitted he just made up that story.
• Promoted Fanboy: Kirsten Bourne (Tessa) was already a huge fan of the show before landing a role.
• Reality Subtext: As noted in Actor-Inspired Element above, some of the characters' experiences and traits were actually based on things that happened to the actors in real life. According to head writer Yan Moore, the actors would stop by his office and tell him anecdotes about their lives to eventually find them in a future script.
  • Yick got an earring because his actor, Siluck Saysanasy, wanted one, but his father wouldn't let him unless the show called for him to have one.
  • The B-plot in "Black and White" when the diner manager mocks Spike's hair was actually based on the real harassment Amanda Stepto endured in public for the same hair.
  • On a more somber note, the plot about Wheels' parents dying was done after Neil Hope had lost his father to cirrhosis of the liver. While there's certainly debate to be had over whether it was right for the writers to do this, Neil Hope stated in Degrassi Between Takes that he was totally fine with it and that he felt it would help him deal with his own grief.
• Real-Life Relative: As is obvious, Erica and Heather Farrell are played by real-life twin sisters Angela and Maureen Deiseach.
  • Christopher Charlesworth (Scooter) and Sarah Charlesworth (Suzie) are brother and sister in real life.
  • Suzie's younger sister, who is seen in "He's Back", is actually Anais Granofsky's younger sister.
• Rereleased for Free: Made available on YouTube for free by WildBrain in the late 2010s. More specifically, the original Canadian versions, which run for 24 minutes and feature more obvious references to Canada, such as money. In addition, the episodes were stretched to fit the 16:9 aspect ratio instead of their native 4:3. However, following the 2022 deal with HBO that put The Next Generation on HBO Max, it was region-blocked in North America and Australia, along with Degrassi High and The Next Generation, which were also available for free; it is still accessible in European countries. It was also made available in both English and French on Encore+, a government-funded Canadian media preservation project YouTube channel, and with the episodes not stretched. However, that channel suddenly announced it was shutting down in November 2022.
• Romance on the Set: Michael Carry (Simon) and Maureen Deiseach (Heather) as confirmed by an official newsletter and cast interviews. According to Billy Parrott, these were rare because most of the cast saw each other more like family and friends.
• Sampled Up: Canadian vaporwave artist Blank Banshee sampled Spike from It's Late saying "I'm just a kid...it was just a little mistake" for the song "Teen Pregnancy," which went viral on TikTok years later, while the sample's origin remains largely obscure to this day.
• Shout-Out: In "Nothing to Fear", every doctor or nurse paged in the hospital is a character or creator from St. Elsewhere, including Dr. Donald Westphall, Dr. Philip Chandler, Dr. Annie Cavanero, Dr. Roxanne Turner, Dr. David Domedian, Dr. Seth Griffin, Nurse Shirley Daniels and Dr. Bruce Paltrow.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: According to Ed Conroy of ''Retrontario'', the show drew this reaction from fans of The Kids Of Degrassi Street, who felt it was glossier and not as down-to-earth. This is Hilarious in Hindsight since now it is considered to be the more authentic one in comparison to Degrassi: The Next Generation.
  • Jim Bawden, a Toronto Star critic and fan of Kids Of Degrassi Street, gave the first episode a negative review, criticising the "cutesy sitcom lines". However, he changed his mind a few episodes in and became a supporter of the show.
• Throw It In!: Amanda Stepto was christened "Spike" on-set by Neil Hope. When her character finally got a name after being an extra for several episodes, they named the character Spike.
• What Could Have Been:
  • For his character's nickname, Stefan Brogren was given a chance between Snake or Slim. Brogren wasn't keen on either, but he chose Snake.
  • After winning the International Emmy for "It's Late", Kit Hood announced in his speech that if Spike's baby were a boy, it would be named after German-American TV executive Ralph Baruch of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Instead, they decided to make it a girl, named Emma after the Emmy.
  • On the topic of "It's Late", Degrassi superfan Jocelyn Claybourne revealed on her podcast in April 2023 the existence of production documents containing a detailed and lengthy synopsis of "It's Late"...with Stephanie in place of Spike and Joey in place of Shane. Suffice to say, Degrassi as a whole could have been very different.
  • There are long-running rumors that Aaron Spelling wanted the rights to Degrassi to adapt for the US, and would have canned every character expect Joey (according to Pat Mastroianni). He allegedly created Beverly Hills, 90210 because he was denied the rights. Linda Schuyler denied this claim in a 2008 Globe and Mail article, but suggested that Spelling probably did watch the show before creating 90210.
  • According to Pat Mastroianni, there was talk of several legacy projects in the 2010s, such as an animated adaptation of the show, a comic book, and potentially a live-action remake. None of this materalized due to lack of communication from the copyright owners.
• You Look Familiar: A lot of the kids played different characters on The Kids of Degrassi Street.

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