In 1979, Linda Schuyler introduced The Kids of Degrassi Street to CBC Television in Canada. Spanning only one season of 26 episodes, the production was short lived, but it marked the beginning of the Degrassi franchise. The second and third series became known as the “Classic” era, featuring Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High. Degrassi Junior High was featured on CBC and PBS from 1987 to 1989, and lasted for three seasons and 42 episodes. Degrassi High was shorter than its predecessor but stayed on air for two seasons from 1989 to 1991. In fact, Degrassi High and Junior High are marked in IMDb as the same series, even though they were separate upon release.
Degrassi was set to end for good with the 92-minute School’s Out movie finale, but the franchise picked back up nine years later with what would become its longest-running series: The Next Generation. Lasting 385 episodes and fourteen seasons, The Next Generation concluded in 2015 after a fourteen-year running on multiple cable channels. Degrassi’s most recent series, Next Class, was taken on by Netflix in 2016, and was cancelled after its fourth season in June of 2017, though speculation about a fifth season is still the hope of many.
Throughout its over 38 years of running, the Degrassi franchise seemed to have mastered continuity within its characters and plots. In the Junior High series, a 14-year-old character, Spike, was faced with an unplanned pregnancy. She kept the baby and named her Emma, and Emma grew up to be a recurring character in The Next Generation series. Another connection to be made between those two series in particular is that of the relationship between Craig and Joey (Craig’s stepfather). In the Junior High series, Joey and two of his friends take Joey’s parents’ car for a ride without permission. In true karmic fashion, Joey later gets a taste of his own medicine when Craig and three of his friends drive a car from Joey’s dealership lot.
To avoid aging the series, the franchise decided to create an almost entirely false world, featuring fake bands, TV shows, movies, and other pop culture references.
If those weren’t strategic enough, it’s also worth noting that Degrassi also enabled many rules in filming, such as the Age Casting Rule and the Parent Rule. The Age Casting Rule meant that anyone cast to a role on Degrassi had to be the age of the character they were cast to. This kept the experience authentic, and it effectively avoided the problem of having teenage characters who looked well into their 20s. The Parent Rule was unique because throughout the majority of the franchise, the parents were unseen if they weren’t integral to the storyline. Of course, previous Degrassi students had a free pass, but not often. Teenagers are much more likely to go to a friend than an adult, especially when they’re first faced with an issue. Moreover, if they do go to an adult, it’s likely to be someone who’s not their parent – a guidance counselor, or a friend’s parent, even. One of the only times this rule was broken was when another student was faced with an unplanned pregnancy. Manny, a friend of Emma’s, goes to Spike about her pregnancy, considering the similarity of their experiences.
Strategic planning, rules, and continuity all play a part in what makes Degrassi special, but much of it can also be attributed to the relevance of its themes to the time it was released. The Junior High series approached issues such as teen pregnancy, which was often an unspoken experience in the 80s. The Next Generation series tackled more modern problems and had more time to do so. Some features include a school shooting, abortion (an episode that was promptly banned in the U.S.), a student coming out as gay, the murder of a student, date rape, and anorexia. All of these came out in the early 2000s, right in the middle of a conservative presidency in the United States. The Next Class series on Netflix is often forgotten, but not for good reason. As far as The Next Generation got, Next Class went further, featuring students with cystic fibrosis, drug addictions, and more. A student is ostracized for practicing Islam in a predominantly non-Muslim area, and another student brings a gun to school after being treated poorly during his time at Degrassi. Episodes focused on important issues that real teenagers faced, and every issue was approached with multiple solutions.
For a show that’s been running as long as Degrassi has, it’s easy to wonder how they maintained viewership over the years. Ironically, the producers of Degrassi plan to have their viewers phase out. Instead of following the students after graduation, the franchise focused more on the underclassmen that follow. Of course, the graduates were still important, but not nearly as much as the new featured characters. Degrassi was made for teenagers to watch, and once the target audience was no longer teenagers, they stopped watching. As quickly as that occurred, though, the next audience has already begun, and the cycle continued.
Maybe the show will be renewed for a fifth season and maybe it won’t, but the Degrassi franchise has left a near 40-year legacy on the multiple generations that soaked up all of its lessons. Former teacher and Degrassi creator, Linda Schuyler, and her team successfully produced a fulfilling show that will remain a pop culture pillar for years to come.