“As a teen drama, the show’s primary job is to account for all the possible problems teens can relate to. That job has made for episodes that can be anything from lighthearted to angsty to serious issue-of-the-week episodes.” — Brianna Patterson

 

It’s one of the most complicated high schools on TV. It’s seen as much drama as any daytime soap opera. But homicides, suicides and teen pregnancies have not stopped at Degrassi Community School, the setting for the long-running Canadian drama Degrassi: The Next Generation. After more than a decade on air, school is still in session — Degrassi’s 13th season returned from hiatus Jan. 28 on TeenNick.

It’s the quintessential teen drama. I grew up with the show, watching it well before I entered middle or high school. For me and many other teens, the show served not only as entertainment but also as insight for the tumultuous years of adolescence to come.

There’s no problem Degrassi hasn’t addressed. There’s an episode or plotline for any issue one could face. Are you being cyberbullied? There’s an episode for that. Naked pictures sent to the entire school? There’s an episode for that. Are you suffering from a mental illness and involved in a love triangle with your high school sweetheart and the school seductress? Degrassi has you covered.

As a teen drama, the show’s primary job is to account for all the possible problems teens can relate to. That job has made for episodes that can be anything from lighthearted to angsty to serious issue-of-the-week episodes. Heavy events such as rape, abuse and death have made for iconic episodes.

Though the Degrassi yearbook’s “in memory of” section must take up quite a few pages by now, those characters were sacrificed not only to boost ratings but also to create valuable teaching moments for the teen audience. The show was always ahead of its time in dealing with societal issues while they were still taboo. Given that the show dates back to the ’80s, when its predecessor originally aired, episodes were often banned from U.S. airwaves because they dealt with issues, such as abortion, that were too controversial.

In 2004, Degrassi aired one of its most memorable crises: a school shooting. A bullied teen brought a gun to school and killed himself after shooting and paralyzing the school’s star athlete, Jimmy Brooks. (Plot twist: the actor playing Brooks, Aubrey Graham, went on to become multiplatinum rap sensation Drake.)

But Degrassi today is a much different place. I grew up and out of the show, just as the characters did. Even as I tried to hold onto the show in my late high school days out of loyalty, the show seemed to have lost its edge and become wildly overexaggerated, defined by mediocre actors and plotlines that seemed to have been chosen by an ill-fated roulette wheel designed for shock factor and ratings.

But the show still has a crucial place in television. It has grown with the times, taking on modern issues including gay and transgender rights and the dangers of texting and driving. Degrassi now has a lot more competition, but the show is a classic. It would be no surprise if it brings 13 more seasons of teenage angst and life lessons.