Degrassi Junior High

For years, I never thought that any channel would bring this show back.

The Next Generation is entertaining, but I've always wondered if they'd show this version at some point... I got the answer later last year.

In comparison to the current Degrassi, this seems a bit tamer. All the same, it still has the drama that everyone enjoys. (By the way, "It Creeps" is my favorite episode.)

I just have to say one other thing: watch this series, and then watch Next Generation and compare and contrast the original cast members... man they look different!

This series is up to par with it's current counterpart.

8/10

Ah, Degrassi!

It's so neat to read the reviews from the United States, because I thought that it never went beyond the 49th parallel!

Part of Degrassi's strength was that it was so low budget. The non-slickness of it was very refreshing. They played the same Gowan song at every party... I believe the song was called "High Fashion Model". Anyway, It was nice to see realistic characters living in realistic homes with realistic parents.

Two fave episodes: The condom dispenser episode, and the episode in which Snake, Wheels and Joey attempt to gain entry to a strip joint.

Degrassi really was very valuable for talking about Issues Facing Teens.

Long live Degrassi in our hearts and in reruns on CBC!

I enjoyed watching this show in high school and college. The main theme of the show was problems faced by kids while growing up (including teen pregnancy, drugs, peer pressure, death of a loved one, relationships, etc.), and I had heard of teachers using it to invoke class discussions during school. All in all, I recommend this to anyone who has ever been a teenager.

It is truly a shame I wasn't a teenager in the 80's. I was too young when this show was first being aired, and I have to depend on those reruns.

Anyway, this is by far the best television teenage drama series I have ever seen.

The actors portraying the characters were around the same age as the characters, making it realistic, unlike many series for teens.

It dealt with real life situations teenagers face in realistic ways. There are not very many television shows for teenagers I can actually say that about. In fact, I don't think that there was any problems which weren't covered. Drug abuse, sex, sexual orientation, teenage pregnancy, abortion, dating, alcohol abuse, AIDS, stress, depression and suicide, death in the family, racism, sexism. We all felt the tension when Spike found signs of pregnancy, ending in her famous line "Mum, I'm pregnant". We all had sympathy for Wheels, when his (adoptive) parents died and how he dramaticly changed since then, ending in the tragedy in School's Out, in which he kills a small child from drunk driving (his parents having been killed from drunk driving) and is last seen in prison. We all had different reactions and attitude's towards Claude's suicide. We also all had different reactions and attitudes towards Heather's abortion. We all yelled "I knew that would happen eventually!" when Simon and Alexa got married at the end of School's Out. I could go on.

I hope Degrassi continues airing from generation to generation.

I always wished that Degrassi Junior High admitted that they were set in Canada. They always seem to omit the city location. I remember spending my weekends watching Degrassi Junior High on our PBS stations with my friends. We were about the same age as the cast. Let's not forget those awful clothes that the cast of characters wore. The show never ignored away from serious subjects such as teenage pregnancy, homosexuality, poverty, drugs, abortion, alcoholism, etc. It was the kind of show that teens should be shown to show that they are not alone in the world nor are they alone in getting trouble. I have to say that the first season with Arthur and Stephanie was worth watching. I remember the identical twin girls, Spike's pregnancy, Snake's brother who comes out of the closet and gets disowned, etc. The teens were never treated like superstars. They dealt with big topics in ways that I wished adults would deal with. The show was a big hit.