Degrassi: The Next Generation

[All My Shadows]

Back to binge watching TNG, and I’m at the hourlong Christmas episode from season 3 where Craig’s lies regarding Ashley and Manny are revealed. As much as I hate Ashley, the way she figured out he was cheating on her with Manny remains one of my favorite story points in soap (yes, soap) history.

 

I forgot how totally unsympathetic Rick was from the very beginning.

[DramatistDreamer]

Andrea Lewis did a project about on the thoughts of black boys and black men as it regards loving themselves .

 

https://shadowandact.com/black-boys-and-men-speak-their-truth-on-self-love-in-latest-project-from-degrassi-alumna-andrea-lewis

 

[Forever8]

Amanda Stepto (Christine "Spike" Nelson) uploaded a recent photo of the cast of DJH/DH/DTNG reuniting on Facebook.

Please register in order to view this content

 

[All My Shadows]

We missed this a few months ago, and I doubt anyone's surprised, but the last set of episodes from 2017 were indeed the end of the show's run.

https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/degrassi-next-class-cancelled-producer-confirms-netflix-series-has-ended/

I'm just really upset because, once again, another looooooong-running series ends online in a whimper without a right and proper finale. Part of me wishes they would stop trying to revive long-runners online and just let them die with dignity on TV.

[DramatistDreamer]

The irony of both IMDB TV and Pluto TV streaming TNG on their platforms.  I often wonder why the OG series, DJH and DH seem to get little love publicly but I saw that there's a Canadian channel named Encore+ on YouTube that apparently streams all of the Degrassi Junior High/DH series.   I've got such a fondness for Degrassi Junior High and DH when most of the repertory was made up of non-actors and first time actors. So, at least it hasn't been forgotten by a streaming platform.

 

[victoria foxton]

I discovered Degrassi Jr High. When i just turned 13 on PBS. It was always so real. Not fake like Save by the Bell. Which i only watched for Zack and Slater. The kids looked like real kids. There was diversity long before other shows did . All the kids were so well conceived. I had such a crush on Joey. They handled everything from teen pregnancy to suicide with such realism. For a teen show Degrassi always kept it real. 

Please register in order to view this content

 

 

Edited October 3, 2019 by victoria foxton

[DramatistDreamer]

@victoria foxton It's funny but I identified with the kids in Stephanie, Joey, Wheels and Lucy Fernandez' age group when I actually belonged to the younger group that came in, the one that the likes of Stephanie would've mocked for being younger, LOL. 

 

I loved how awkward and unaffected the dialogue could be.  I heard that the kids themselves sometimes helped shape how their characters talked. 

The show handled a lot of big drama (like Spike's pregnancy, that played out over successive series like TNG) but I also loved those small moments like the aching secondary embarrassment I felt for one of the characters, Melanie, who had a crush on Snake, when she tried to chat him up, only to moments later, discover she had lipstick on her teeth!  A short scene, but a scene I will always remember! 

In describing it, I know, the scene doesn't sound like much but if you watch it...Snake's reaction and later Melanie's reaction are everything! LOL

 

I was also surprised when years later, I read about the episodes that were banned or blocked from airing in some countries, or even ones that were slightly censored before airing. I watched the PBS channel in NYC so the abortion episode in Degrassi High that censored the part where the woman puts a toy fetus in the hand of one of the twins in front of the clinic, many people claim that part was edited out in the U.S. but I saw it!  Fascinating!

In many ways Degrassi was better written then than many daytime soaps are today, though Degrassi had far less resources (especially back then) but the writers actually paid attention to things like continuity, over time.  For instance, the Spike pregnancy issue and also the fact that her best friend in childhood Liz, who was the main antagonist to one of the twins who had the abortion--it made sense that Liz eventually became a midwife.  If only Y&R and ATWT had that type of grasp of history in regards to their characters decades later.

Edited October 3, 2019 by DramatistDreamer

[DRW50]

Please register in order to view this content

 

 

 

 

[All My Shadows]

Both DJH and DH are also available on Amazon Prime.

[DramatistDreamer]

 

When my free trial runs out in a few days, that won't be an option for me.  YouTube is free and the picture quality has always been pretty solid.  PBS used to stream it on their YouTube Channel, but I don't know whether they still do this--I haven't checked lately.

[DramatistDreamer]

Speaking of DJH and DH, this article by Anais Granofsky, who played Lucy Fernandez is such an interesting read.

 

https://torontolife.com/city/life/mom-welfare-dad-hippie-grandparents-two-richest-people-toronto/

[Forever8]

An insightful read! I always wanted to know what happened to her Post Degrassi ... Well Post Degrassi The Next Generation since Lucy did appear in the first two seasons. 

 

I wouldn't mind watching that show she is writing based on her early life it/when it comes to fruition too. 

 

The twins made a cameo at Spike's Baby Shower on DTNG so you're right about how Degrassi has more strong ties to history than soaps at times. 

[Forever8]

Andrea Lewis (ex Hazel) talks about her time on Degrassi The Next Generation.

Please register in order to view this content

 

[All My Shadows]

Some interesting tidbits.

I've read in the past about her thoughts in regards to wanting more story, and of course, she's right. I'm not sure if Hazel, as a character, could have added anything different from what was already going on with the show, but there was no real reason to not give her more to do anyway.

 

I remember seeing photos of the cast partying together back in the day, and Christina was absolutely much more outgoing than her character Terri ever was lol

I wonder how far in advance TPTB knew where they would be going with the Rick story. Did they write Terri out knowing that he'd come back the following season for the school shooting story?

Both women are so fun and look fantastic. I'm glad they're being real about both the highs and lows of doing the show.

[DramatistDreamer]

Hazel Aden was truly the Susie Rivera of her Degrassi generation, right down to the lack of an exit storyline.  If you don't know who Susie Rivera is/was, look her up, lol.

 

The actress who played Teri, reminds me of a young Lauren Graham in this video, for some reason.

 

Good, interesting conversation.

 

Thanks for posting that video @Forever8