Reader travels back in time with Degrassi!

Hey, everybody! Reader here, and over the last few days, I’ve found myself going down another YouTube rabbit hole.

For as much junk as there is online, YouTube can be an amazing treasure trove when it comes to the ol’ nostalgia bug.

For Canadian kids of a certain vintage like myself, growing up in the 1980s and 90s, there were a lot of classic TV shows that were something that only those of us that grew up north of the 49th parallel experienced.

“Mr. Dressup.” “The Littlest Hobo.” “The Friendly Giant.” “The Raccoons.” “The Edison Twins.”

But, above all, one show (or franchise) stood tall above the rest, at least to me.

I’ll throw out a few names, and you’ll instantly know who I’m talking about.

Joey. Wheels. Snake. Caitlin. Spike. BLT. Lucy. Even Ms. Avery and Mr. Raditch.

That’s right. I’m talking “Degrassi.” Specifically, “Degrassi Junior High” and “Degrassi High.”

When I was a kid, there wasn’t another show like it. It wasn’t the typical half-hour, “Saved by the Bell” fluff.

“Degrassi” went there. It explored the lives of the kids at the fictional school, and delved into some heavy topics, such as teen pregnancy and abortion. Drinking and driving. Eating disorders. Racism. AIDS. Death. Domestic abuse. Suicide. And it didn’t talk down to the audience. The creators of the show trusted that we kids watching would understand what was going on, and if we didn’t, we could watch with our parents and the episodes would spark conversations about the issues.

But even though there could be some heavy topics depicted, the show was fun, too, and was a time capsule of the fashion, music and fads of the day.

That includes the Joey, Snake and Wheels’ bid for stardom, as the Zit Remedy (later the Zits)!

Tell me you weren’t already sing the song before clicking on the play button! I know I was!

Another thing that I love about the classic episodes, is that they had the look and feel of a documentary, rather than a TV show. The was the show was filmed, the fact that the kids weren’t your typical professional actors, but rather actual kids that answered the casting calls and grew up along with their characters. There was a realism there that has never been duplicated.

I tried watching the newer iterations of Degrassi, more for the return of the classic characters than the new ones, but it looked far more slick and glossy, and I was very aware that I was watching a TV show. It just wasn’t the same.

But it’s great to kick back on the couch, fire up YouTube and take a trip back in time to the Days of Degrassi.

And remember how the classic series wrapped up? Wild!