Degrassi

In our opinion, this is one of the best Teen Soap Operas to this day. Don't believe us? Check the series out for yourself and you be the judge.

About The Series

Degrassi is a Canadian teen drama franchise created by Kit Hood and Linda Schuyler in 1979. It follows the lives of youths who lived on or near the eponymous De Grassi Street in Toronto, Ontario. The franchise spans five main series: The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, Degrassi High, Degrassi: The Next Generation and Degrassi: Next Class, as well as television specials and made-for-TV films.

Degrassi was originally produced by Playing With Time Inc., a production company owned by Hood & Schuyler. The Kids Of Degrassi Street, which made its debut in 1979, began as four annual after-school specials before switching to a weekly format in 1982. Degrassi Junior High, which aired on CBC from 1987 to 1989, featured actors from the previous series but in new roles and established the show's canon. It was followed by Degrassi High, which followed the same characters in high school, from 1989 to 1991. Both shows were broadcast on PBS in the United States where they gained a cult following.

Degrassi: The Next Generation, which saw several original characters return in adult roles, was produced by Schuyler's new company Epitome Pictures and originally premiered on CTV in 2001, simultaneously airing on TeenNick and Nickelodeon in the United States. After nine seasons, it was shortened to Degrassi and ended in 2015. Degrassi: Next Class, the last Degrassi series to date, aired on Family in Canada and released on Netflix in early 2016, and ended in 2017.

Degrassi has had a significant cultural impact since its inception in 1979 and has attracted critical acclaim, accolades, and controversy for its depictions of teenagers. Several actors from the franchise have achieved wider recognition and stardom since their time on the series, most notably Canadian actor-turned-rapper Drake, who starred in The Next Generation.

Books

During their run, the original Degrassi series (Kids Of Degrassi Street, Junior High, High) received several novelizations. Most of them centered around a particular character, and were either loosely based on story lines from the series, or expanded upon those not addressed in the TV series. Several of the Degrassi Junior High books, including Spike, Melanie, Caitlin and Snake, were reprinted with an updated cover in the 2000s. The episodes of the non-fiction Degrassi Talks were also adapted into books in 1992, with a front cover photograph and a biographic interview of the actor who hosted the original episode.

From 2006 to 2007, four graphic novels based on Degrassi: The Next Generation were released as part of the Extra Credit series, with the books centering on the characters Ellie Nash, Emma Nelson, Spinner Mason, and Marco Del Rossi respectively. There were also several other non-fiction books based on the franchise, including The Official 411: Degrassi Generations, a behind-the-scenes history book written by Degrassi writer and publicist Kathryn Ellis, and Growing Up Degrassi: Television, Identity and Youth Cultures, a collection of scholarly essays on the franchise by Michelle Byers

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Our rating: 9/10

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Here's a trailer for "Degrassi: The Next Generation".