There’s always that show or band that someone loves before it becomes popular, and they will swear to you that they genuinely liked it before it was popular. Now hear me out: this is me but with Degrassi.
In a super basic synopsis, Degrassi: The Next Generation, or better known as just Degrassi, is a Canadian television show that follows a huge cast of characters during adolescence. You very literally watch these kids grow up and their plotlines are very realistic to things that teenagers face like popularity, sex, violence and worrying about their futures. The history of Degrassi is super long and there are several generations of Degrassi characters.
Now that Euphoria season two has come to an end, HBO Max has given everyone yet another reason to keep their subscriptions by putting all 14 seasons of the hit drama on their streaming platform.
If there was one reason why I love Degrassi, it’s that the plotlines and characters are essentially timeless; rewatching Degrassi in 2022 is equally as relevant as rewatching Degrassi back in the late 2000s/early 2010s. There’s a lot of attention to character detail and development. For example, you watch Claire Edwards go from being a quiet, nerdy girl not interested in romance to a bold, loud woman who speaks for what she believes in (and has a very steamy love life).
You watch the subtle details of Rick Murray being abusive to his girlfriend Terri McGregor, to then being horribly bullied by everyone at Degrassi, to then shooting beloved character Jimmy Brooks. Nothing in Degrassi is ever random (except for a certain wedding that happens at the end of season nine) but it’s perfectly put together in sometimes as many as 20 characters a season.
I remember being way too young to be watching Degrassi according to my parents, so I’d have to secretly watch it behind their backs. I learned what rape and STDs were literally through Degrassi. I was introduced to concepts like mental health and sexuality which were never talked about when I was growing up.
It’s really great to see that my beloved show has made its way into popular culture and that a whole new generation of kids can be educated in interesting and compelling storylines. Hopefully, they aren’t in environments where these conversations aren’t talked about and they have to watch it in secret since Degrassi always goes there.