I’m not going to sit here and act like I’m a connoisseur of cultural references, but I did watch Degrassi in its entirety, from Junior High to Next Class, which basically means I deserve some kind of reparation for my wartime efforts. The very fabric of my genetic makeup shifted at the prime of my tween years. I had an endless supply of high school archetypes and questionable teen band names to base my personality on. Manny “I want to be hot. Not cute, not adorable, hot” Santos deserves accolades and recognition. Maddy Perez would not exist without her. With Euphoria halfway through its second season, you would think my attention would be fixated on how all the plotlines will tie together. I have elected to save my excitement and theories in my back pocket for the time being. My true affections lie in the recent news that HBO Max has gained the rights to a Degrassi reboot that is set to release in 2023, picking up where Netflix failed.
This announcement brings forth many implications. For one, fans can expect stunning cinematography, creative direction, and the utmost care and attention to detail that will make Twitter hyper analyze single frames until they’re trending. Just four episodes of Euphoria shot entirely in film has raised my expectations to new heights, even without knowing who is joining the team yet. I can’t help but be hopeful. I’ve been waiting, unknowingly, for more than five years. Euphoria has set a bar for many high school dramas, but I think HBO Max will fare better straying away from Sam Levinson’s style. If anything, the timelessness Degrassi carries shares more characteristics with Genera+ion, yet another teen drama that was canceled too soon. Even that comparison fails to capture just what makes Degrassi a diamond among the rest.
So what made it different? Degrassi was earnest. This may seem like a small, simple thing to hold any significance, but it’s true. It was earnest in its storytelling, characterization, and direction. It was the most authentic portrayal of the high school experience airing, which says a lot considering the series was filmed with soap operas in mind. The foundation of this experience begins and ends with the cast. The series watches its actors grow up with their characters. We follow these awkward twelve-year-olds all the way to high school and even college in the original cast’s case. Each season introduced another wave of freshmen to weave themselves into main storylines as the school year progressed. That alone makes me an advocate for the bring-back-age-appropriate-roles agenda. One month before I was born, Degrassi: The Next Generation premiered. It followed Emma Nelson (played by Miriam McDonald), the daughter of Degrassi Junior High’s protagonist, as she plans to meet her online boyfriend before the first day of seventh grade. The first episode then addresses concern over Emma and the dangers of child predators.
Degrassi never once filtered the intensity of its content. HBO Max’s teen dramas differ, from Euphoria to its Gossip Girl reboot, in how adult actors are cast in teen roles for adult audiences. There’s much to say about the nature of television nowadays and the sexualization of minors for entertainment purposes. I appreciated Degrassi’s confidence in dealing with the subject matter of growing up, sexuality, and substance abuse through a lens that felt realistic in all its dramatism, especially when you remember that this was a high school drama airing on TeenNick in the early 2000s. Truly ahead of its time. I wouldn’t have rewatched this series if I wasn’t entertained, but there is something nice about relating to the media you consume in all the smallest ways.
If HBO Max were to treat this Degrassi reboot as a Euphoria 2.0, the series’s charm that captivated its audiences so long ago would be lost. I want the flashy, risque, extra drama of Degrassi to last in its originality. I want this reboot to be promoted in the trashy and striking manner of Next Generation’s “Shark in the Water” promo for season 10. I want it to be Manny’s iconic thong scene on steroids. I love hate-watching, but I don’t want to hate this. As far as I am concerned, Degrassi walked so Euphoria could run, and HBO Max needs to capitalize on that.
Words by Bri Shufford.
Graphics by Fai McCurdy.