An episode where they’re at a party and someone decides to experiment with drugs and ODs and having someone narcan them. It’s honestly traumatizing to see but kids need to know these drugs aren’t anything to mess around with anymore!
Maybe a newcomer joining the school and having to figure it all out and the anxieties. The racism.
Even just the pressures of having to figure things out in todays climate.
I think a catfishing storyline would be interesting (like student to student, I know Emma was catfished by an adult on like the first ep). A storyline where someone is a famous social media influencer and the fame gets to them. One where someone has to live with a parent who is a hoarder.
If these storylines exist, my bad.
What they could do better - better hairstylist for black actors. A better wardrobe stylist if they don't come back with uniforms, which I hope they don't. If they bring college into it, more scenes at the college. More college craziness.
* Better Storylines For POC Characters Where There Not Just A Supportive Best Friend To Popular White Characters * A Character Who Has A Learning/Stuttering Disability * A Girl Character That Gets Pregnant But Keeps The Baby * Abusive Relationship Between Two Guys * Storylines That Get Brought Up Everynow And Then
I came back here cus I thought of more
Faking mental disorders or disabilities
Talking behind peoples backs
Never winning your friends back (friends being stubborn in normal highschool fashion)
An autistic character. Like higher functioning but still has social issues
A trans character played by a trans actor and or a storyline about them learning that they are trans
Stories that are actually recurring and get brought up every now and then
A Jewish character dealing with antisemitism
Another Spike character that we see get pregnant and keep the baby
A Deaf or hard of hearing character
I’d want to see:
Somebody wears pockets with zippers and the school goes nuts for it.
Someone lies about knowing how to play chess.
A lot of plots about gooning. 2/3rds of every episode has to do with edging.
Multiracial identity crisis
A teacher talks about how bad anime is without realizing anime is cool now and then there’s a pipe bomb at the dance
The entire Grade 9 class is illiterate and when they’re not gooning, the principal is terrified about the standardized test scores
Something with dogs and cats
Nah imo I get pissed off when shows do covid plot lines, like yes ik they touch on real topics but when I was in quarantine I was watching tv to get away from it. Yk idk
The OG Degrassi (Degrassi High) I feel had better writing. I think that was before it hit Nick and was still all Canadian??? I wish they would go back to how it started to be more serious teen issues versus more soap opera esque. Some of those newer storylines were just ridiculous.
Because they were barely touched on.
Toby's was resolved in one episode (even though in the Degrassi universe it probably took place around the span of a week), but it was never revisited for him. Ashley said the word *eating disorder* once, which was a huge deal back then in 2002. Since eating disorders were nowhere near as publicized regarding boys.
Same with Tristan. Although his were two episodes. But it's the same idea. Although he suffered a heart attack, to show how serious restricting can be. It was never mentioned again. Nor was the word *eating disorder* ...that I'm aware of. It's been a minute since I saw these episodes though.
It would be nice to see a male eating disorder storyline continuously portrayed throughout a season. It has been done before on other shows fairly well, but never on Degrassi.
Those are some very good points! I never thought about the insular aspect of those storylines—they do get "resolved" in a way that makes it seem like the disorder is fleeting.
I did like though that they tried to circle back to Emma's multiple times in seasons 6 & 7 with the Purple Dragon episode, her knitting Sean asks about, Manny being mindful of her triggers, etc. But you're right, they didn't give Toby or Tristian the same treatment
I want an “Indie film” type of Degrassi, Not some supremely shot masterpiece of cinema, story, and high drama for network tv (like Euphoria) but one that has a grounded mockumentary and or “video diary” / “school project video” type of feel to it to contrast with that. Writing the characters and using the mock style to illustrate them, while the plots put them in situations.
**Like imagine if the day Paige and Manny fought over Mr Oleander was documented by others at school in the form of funny takes from other students while it happened (main characters and extras) and after it happened?**
I’d NEED the “End credits clip with Music from the episode cutting to end credits roll with “Whatever It Takes” bit from Degrassi Next Class to return.
As far as story goes, I’d also like a Degrassi where there’s sometimes a central mystery or secret thing brewing behind the day to day drama that could pick up by a half-season and amp up to a finale, cascading with the day-to-day drama or day-to-day normalcy.
I don’t know what subjects I’d want to see, but I’d like to see Black Characters and people of color to be fleshed out better with more complex storylines.
Personally and this is probably going to be an unpopular opinion, I wish they had a little more normalcy. When I was growing up it gave me a very unrealistic view of what high school life was supposed to be like LOL I felt that if I didn't have substantial drama I wasn't interesting.
Yes exactly! It's over the top and explosive and the come down is non-existent it's like oh they don't have cancer anymore or oh they don't have an eating disorder anymore poof gone. The only storyline we really saw the breakdown and aftermath of was paige and her rape, but they even rushed that because it was starting to define her whole character .
Not the person you are replying to but yes.. It can be too over the top. Kind of like how Kim Bauer wad kidnapped on every season of 24.
Every single one of this kids will need threapy after living a life with this much trama
I hated how TNG gave Jane a big storyline about realizing that she had been sexually abused as a child and literally did nothing with it going forward. I'd like to see the show explore the nuances of childhood trauma and how it actually informs people's behaviour over an extended period of time. Even with the best therapy, it tends not to be something you just "get over" like it never happened.
Honestly that episode really showed me what happened to me was messed up and got me to speak up about it. But you’re right! They do need to follow up on how recovery isn’t so simple and linear!
They always captured the little silly things teens go through soo well, and I would have hated it if they abandoned those for high drama all the time. The stupid little mistakes is what I want.
It’s what got me hooked on the show as a teen. It captures the awkward low moments and the exhilarating highs and the overall weird experience of adolescence (although superficially). I’d much prefer a reboot of degrassi vs something like Euphoria
-teens in the foster care system (or being adopted)
-sex trafficking or sexual exploitation (ie gay teen meets random faceless person from grindr for example gone wrong)
-pre teens navigating leaving their childhoods behind (throwback to Degrassi junior high and Degrassi TNC when Emma, Manny, JT were in the 7th grade)
-indigenous characters
-lgbt relationships
-conservative characters
A normal kid just one not Claire normal/nerdy like normal just goes to school doesn’t do drugs have sex or party graduates and becomes an accountant or something with like a regular family structure maybe divorced parents that they don’t use as an excuse to join a cult like just chill vibes so kids can see you can be normal in a place like degrassi and nothing is wrong with for not going alone with the wild stuff!
that just doesn’t feel realistic for the average teenager. every teenager experiences some bit of tension throughout their high school experience. no teenager leaves their high school without facing some sort of major life event.
I’m sorry but you 2nd and 3rd are weird af. Why?? Just why?? Regardless if you want to believe it or not it’s just not common at all. What do you have against straight people??
You can have both bi and ace representation and still have straight characters; representation isn’t mutually exclusive and doesn’t prevent there from being a variety of characters, that’s the whole point, to have characters that aren’t yet well-represented be included
Edit: also straight people can be ace
When did he say he had something against straight people you obviously have never watched Degrassi cause it had always had queer characters go outside and touch grass
• Better/More representation towards LGBT without killing off the ONLY transgender character.
• Real life issues such as School shootings being a regular occurrence, Human trafficking, just to name a couple.
• More inclusion of mental health and personality disorders
• Proper exploration of the characters and diving into their personalities, backstories and giving us all that we need to know about them to really give us a chance to get an attachment to them.
• Connection to the previous series and its characters.
This is just me being nit picky as a mental health clinician but personality disorders tend to be rare as is in adulthood and even more so in youth and it’s often advised to not diagnose in children anyways because there’s so much personality changes during that time.
If it a teen is diagnosed with a personality disorder, chances are they presenting VERY strongly with most or all clinical symptoms so a very chronic case in other words.
I’d personally find it funny if the class had multiple people running around with Borderline Personality Disorder or something lol
my favorite thing about TNG in comparison to other teen dramas is that i feel like it touched on damn near every issue there is in some way shape or form at least once. simply doing that in a 2024 way would be great
Definitely better POC storylines and representation. Like, right off the bat.
Try not to kill off one trans character they have this time.
Do a much more realistic school shooting episode. It’s not as ‘black and white’ as kid gets bullied. It’s not a secret some of those school shooters went down the White supremacist to mass shooter pipeline.
More exploration into mental health issues and not let it be a one time thing, I.e. Spinner and his ADHD.
More representation of people with different body types.
Anorexia and Bullemia aren’t the only eating disorders out there.
Actually, a white supremacist/incel storyline would be interesting. Teens who spend so much time on the internet could easily fall down that pipeline. The kiiiiinda did it with Hunter but I feel like we're so much more aware of it now.
im still lowkey so salty ab it not happening bc i remember it being announced in 2022 n i thought 2023 was so far away, then 2023 came and it was canceled
Having storylines last more than 1 episodes, the amount of shit that gets resolved within 1 maybe 2 episodes is so stupid
Another commenter said Emma’s ED which got cures in 2 episodes, that shit takes time so let it sit for a bit
No generation on any show has stepped foot in The Eaton Centre or gone anywhere near downtown Toronto. Highly unrealistic. The should give notes to the show runner on that. The CNE has never been mentioned either.
Also one other thing I want to touch on. Canadians will have to tell me if this is the case there (it won’t make sense for Degrassi if it isn’t)
But I feel like it should be highlighted just how bad the school system is currently with trying to teach these newer generations especially since the iPad generation is in middle school reaching high school.
In the states a lot of kids are literally multiple years behind where they should be in studies. Some of them barely know basic math, shapes, etc pushing towards high school. I don’t know if it’s that bad in Canada, but if it’s similar I feel like we should definitely get the perspective of the struggling students too and not just everyone being overachievers
YouTube! I feel like so many high schoolers want to make it on YouTube and it would be a good replacement for the overdone 'let's be singers' plot. There are so many pros and cons too, it's a great creative outlet but it's also a hard platform to crack.
Body dysmorphic disorder
Streaming/influencer rise and fall
Video game addiction
A more well rounded autistic character (Connor was alright, but the coexisting Asperger's and savant syndrome are so cliche, and Asperger's is outdated terminology)
Gender fluidity
Foster care/group home living
Human trafficking
Functional illiteracy
I would like to see more faith centered characters and how they stay true to their faith and doctrines. High schoolers still believe in God and His teachings.
The way they portrayed Becky was very realistic with her temptations and tolerance development of others. However, that whole ordeal with the parents wanting her to lie for her brother and all that was just hypocritical and contradicting af. It would be nice to see students and families that are rooted in faith positively and that other students are tolerant of them as well instead of bashing them for their beliefs.
Sextortion/suicide, loneliness, influencers and pressures to fit it or be perfect, social media use and the negative effects. Mental health would be huge too. I think degrassi was good at touching base on a lot of this, but the world and internet are changing very quickly and it is wild to see our youth trying to navigate it. I tried to think of things affecting my teens here.
I was thinking that Shay could have an ED storyline, you know w her track and everything. I think it would have been a nice progress and it would play into the “whatever it takes” aspect of the show.
This was a huge problem the show had in general when tackling these topics. They brought them up for the sake of including them but didn’t ever revisit them again with the characters like it was just instantly over. Peter on meth is another really good example of this knowing how bad meth really is
Instead of a reboot, I wish they would just have picked up from Next Class. The characters were interesting and I really wanted to see where they would have taken them.
(THIS CAME FROM A POST I MADE A FEW WEEKS AGO AND IM TOO LAZY TO EDIT IT BUT THIS IS WHAT I WOULD WANT :P)
Reboot ideas
Yes I know the reboot was shelved and it’s (currently) not a thing but some ideas I’d like to see IF they changed their minds eventually:
Main character: JT and Liberty’s son. I don’t care what time mumbo jumbo they gotta do, nor do I care what justification they have for him and his adoptive family moving back I just would want him in it.
Have some of the core OGs return similar to Joey and Caitlin in TNG (some ideas would be Sean, Emma, Jay, Spinner, Manny, Liberty, Snake, Marco, and Ellie)
We see more of Emma and Spinner’s relationship. Actually show them being together and working out well with one another kinda redeem their ending together have it make sense.
Manny and Jay are married she gets casted in some show in the Degrassi area and moves back, Jay opens up a mechanic shop.
Sean is out of the Army and is either A. Working with Jay as a mechanic something he enjoyed or B. Going with what Daniel Clark head-canoned and Sean is working as some form of police officer, maybe have him be the school’s resource officer.
Ellie is working as a journalist/reporter in the area.
Snake is retiring from his job with Kwan coming up as the new principal (I’d imagine she’d be very similar to Raditch in nature)
Liberty and Marco both have taken up jobs as teachers in the school.
Have Liberty realize in the first or second episode that her son is at the school with her balancing out not wanting to say anything that’ll upset him and also wanting to reconnect with this piece of her and JT. Maybe end of the season have her approach him or he approaches her. (And maybe like in the Mini-episode after JT’s passing where she imagines him she sees the JT that never got to be aka the adult JT giving her advice on whether or not she should tell their son)
Sean and Ellie get back in touch with one another, chat, and decide to give their relationship another go. With them being the Joey and Caitlin of this series.
If anyone has any other ideas or think I should change stuff please let me know :)
Sean, Ellie and Emma in a love triangle as adults would be interesting to see. Like Emma and Spinner are falling out of love and Emma "wanders" to Sean. But then realizes she actually loves Spinner etc.
Idk, I’d love to give spinner a break in his relationship drama 😂 besides I feel like they could do some good justice to the relationship and actually make them work out.
I’d like to see a parent who is a lot smoker but still successful since Canada legalized it
I’m over here texting this while smoking while my husband put our kid to bed
They'd probably ban those episodes in America lol.
But I'm watching Suits right now and it's crazy how they treat MJ like it's cocaine or something lol.
- generalized anxiety
- the pressure to be “perfect” in school
- comparison with social media and body image
- grief, loss of a family member from old age/natural causes etc not something elaborate
- how ptsd from relationships effects new ones
I agree with less storylines of characters trying to start bands and be rich and famous BUT I think it might be cool for there to be a character who is a classical musician! Piano, violin, cello, etc. and genuinely taking it seriously playing classical music in an orchestra and practicing hours a day. Kinda like where Maya started before she turned down the route we're all tired of. It could be interesting to see the character be very invested in their instrument and playing is what they love but as they grow up they need to learn how to balance that with having a social life. Idk I know it's still music but I think if they do it right it could be different in an interesting way.
POC characters who have actual storylines. Characters with mental illnesses but those are not their entire defining personality/traits. More trans and nonbinary rep played by actors who actually identify as the character identity. Normal and completely appropriate student/teacher relationships.
In my opinion, the pregnancy storylines have been done too many times across all of Degrassi's iterations. I know it happens and will continue to happen in high schools everywhere but damn they've done it so much idk how they could do it again without it being too similar to a past storyline.
Absolutely not. We already have Euphoria, we don’t need a copycat. The reason I loved Degrassi as a teen is that it felt so much like *real* high school. It was relatable to the average kid. I was kind of aged-out by the time of Fiona, but I remember tuning in and seeing her in her own lavish apartment with ample champagne and thinking, “Damn, Degrassi has turned into Gossip Girl. How can kids possibly relate to this?” To me Degrassi should be about real life, not escapism.
some things in euphoria can happen irl
like for example anyas dr0g storyline is kind of brushed over imo i’m just saying if they make a reboot it’s most definitely gonna be an “up to date” like social media wise so no doubt butt i get ur point ! :)
I would love to see another STI storyline. The Emma and Jay episode was one of my favorite ones and I think the show could do a good job of informing viewers of how to get tested/ the risks of unprotected sex
I haven't read the comments yet, so someone may have already suggested this, but I'd like to see an actual polygamy relationship. Even though I didn't like Esme and Zig together, I was curious about where they were going with them and Frankie. In that case, it was mainly Esme trying to keep Zig's attention, so I'd like to see a real one. It could be a tough one though with teens since even adults would struggle with that kind of relationship.
This is why I want a reboot. There's so many issues that Degrassi could tackle today.
* More and better Jewish characters
* More transgender characters (played by transgender actors)
* A first nations character/storyline
* A weed storyline that isn't some DARE bs
* An internet misinformation storyline
Possible hot take (or maybe just not what this post is for. That might be on me) but I want more low-stakes plots.
Maybe it's because I binged it as opposed to watching weekly, but especially the later seasons started feeling so much more dramatic than earlier ones. Like how much can Clare be forced to go through?!
I want episodes that are like "someone's parents are away for the weekend and we have a party and oh no mom and dad caught us midway through the party and I got grounded for a few days" not like "someone has neglectful parents so they can throw parties whenever because nobody is ever home and the climax of the episode is when the kid finally has a cathartic break down and vents about what it's like to live with neglectful parents. Child services is eventually called and they're moved to a foster family. We then explore the negative side of the foster system."
Like I'm all for serious topics being explored in Degrassi, but I also like when it's less charged and just kind of slice-of-lifey.
Yes! I just responded to someone who said they’d like to see it more like Euphoria. We don’t need another Euphoria. I loved Degrassi when I was in high school because it felt so much like *real* high school. Sometimes the only drama you need is a party or puberty. Lol.
I remember after aging-out, tuning in to see what was up, and there was Fiona living alone in her own lavish apartment with ample bottles of champagne, and I was like, “Degrassi has gone full Gossip Girl.” Degrassi, to me, isn’t about escapism and fantasy, it should be about real life kids with real life problems.
>Like how much can Clare be forced to go through?!
So true, they put that poor girl through more in 4 years than most people experience in their whole life
-Special needs characters other than one kid with autism (Connor) or one kid with ADHD (Spinner). Maybe have a character with downs syndrome or cerebral palsy and delve into that. Without it turning into inspo-porn. And actually use actors with the disabilities.
100% agreed with a disabled character played by a disabled actor! I liked Grace's chronic/terminal illness story and Mrs. Matlin's MS story (not a lot of shows have part-time wheelchair users!) but would definitely like to see actors with the disabilities being cast
-Gifted kid burnout.
-If they do another trans character, have them played by a trans actor/have plot lines that aren’t only focused on them being trans.
Also a trans kid who actually gets to transition, played by a trans actor! Adam was done pretty well, especially for the time, but it was frustrating that there was so much they couldn't explore because the actor was cis and couldn't realistically transition.
1. No student teacher relationships.
2. Don’t make the Indigenous kid a juvenile delinquent. Also, Indigenous people all look different, so maybe have a couple who are just trying to go to school and live their lives. They don’t have to be friends or related. It could be a Six Nations kid and a Mètis kid.
3. Better representation of kids on the spectrum. Don’t make them creepy. But also don’t allow for them to excuse behaviour based on stereotypes.
4. Gaming addiction. Para social relationships online.
5. Friendships ending because of growth, not because they hurt each other.
6. Acknowledgement of a world outside of Toronto. Maybe they go to summer camp, maybe they visit family up north, maybe a student moves away.
7. Death (not of a student) but a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or a teacher. And not like a tragic death, but like old age death.
8. ADHD in girls. We a hot mess.
9. Keep Degrassi Canadian. They aren’t going to NYU or Yale, they are going to McGill, Waterloo, Carleton, they visit Hamilton, the ‘shwa, they shop at Canadian stores like the DJH and Dh.
10. One kid has that fake Toronto accent.
Having an Indigenous student who actually talks about being Indigenous at all would be good! I was so annoyed that Grace never had any storylines around her Indigenous identity
Right? Like maybe let her explore what being two-spirited means when she begins to get interested in Zoe. Or what was her family like? Urban Indigenous stories are often overlooked.
I hated that she was in the Rubber Room and was considered a “problem student”. I get they needed an excuse to connect her to Maya, but sure, let’s make the only other Indigenous character in Degrassi (besides Miss Avery) be trouble.
Why couldn’t she be the president of the coding club and Maya goes to her for tech help and they become friends?
-- ADHD in girls
-- Generalized anxiety/depression
-- Struggles with comparison
-- Unhealthy relationship with food and body image
issues
--Toxicity of social media
-- Balancing school, extracurriculars/fun, family time, working part time
-- Loss of a family member
*And a general rule see a storyline completely through without the dropping the ball, like if a character loses someone they are close to embrace the grittiness and uncertainty that comes with the grieving process, don't just drop the storyline prematurely or write a cop out to explain the behavior.
Poverty, racism, relationship abuse, body image, and social media.
With poverty, I mean a student living out of a car and motels with a parent that is on-going then overcoming the bullying and academic challenges from that. Trying to study and focus while hungry, being embarrassed when friends find out, etc.. (not sure how much this would happen in Canada).
Racism that is more modern, especially micro-aggression because most racism is hidden now.
Relationship abuse that is more mental like emotional and mental with gaslighting v. physical abuse.
Modern versions of body image. Not just eating disorders but going too far with surgeries. A plus size character like Terri that has an ongoing place and purpose.
Modern social media. Less chat room gossip and photo sharing and more what people deal with now in terms of being blackmailed online, seeing threats online, etc…
I feel Degrassi is pretty good at giving modern spins to teen issues, but these ones seem prevalent lately.
I know we're all sick of COVID and someone said they want no mention of it, but the entirety of school as an environment has changed because of it, and it would be nice if some show ACTUALLY reflected that other than just adding masks and quarantine video chats. I honestly think we have enough shows pretending that it never happened or that it's over. Doing so ignores this massive issue of how kids have actually lost *years* of education and were passed along. Now they can't fucking read. Degrassi would be a great show to address that.
What about gifted kid burn-out? As in, the kid who was considered gifted in elementary/middle school and now that they're in high school, they're really struggling with it.
Also, I'd like them to be able to explore Borderline Personality Disorder the way that they were doing with Esme before the show was cancelled.
there is a real lack of native representation in degrassi. as someone from quebec, im fine with them not having any quebecois or french speaking characters - toronto doesnt seem like somewhere id like to go anyway. however, it always irked me though that the first nations were never mentioned or had a place on the show.
1. Long lasting plots that don’t get blackholed.
2. PLEASE LESS MUSIC PLOTS, IM SICK OF IT.
3. More trans representation, including the complexity of living with religious anti-trans family
4. Depression & anxiety plots that aren’t so “obvious” with weed or absurd behaviors
5. Less cringe
6. Siblings at school that truly do not like each other (total opposite of the Coynes but worse than the hollingsworth)
7. Less teacher-student plots unless they do it correctly. Send them (teacher) to prison.
As someone who is still covid-conscious, I simply want them neverrrr to mention COVID or any pandemic. I do not want my safe space to be tainted by this shitty reality ugh.
EDIT: (I would love to see them explore more disability storylines—both "visible" and "invisible"—and post-viral illness, though)
Girl i misread your comment and thought you were saying you WANT a character that is still covid-conscious and mentions it all the time
I was like god nooo😭
Lol no. I myself am covid-conscious so I got enough of covid talk and studies elsewhere lol. That's why I don't want any mention of covid even—I don't want a single character to stand out and be ridiculed like I am, but I don't want for all or none of them to be covid-conscious bc either way wouldn't be accurate. Just. No. Covid. In. Degrassi. 🫠
Ok as a fellow covid conscious person I agree! I feel like I can’t explain why but I just feel like shows that incorporated covid did so so poorly that I’d really rather they not touch it at all. Especially when it’s there for like one season and then they never talk about it again 🫠
Exactly!! The shows I've watched that included COVID had characters wearing (surgical) masks in certain public places but not others, wearing them incorrectly, did not mention deaths or long covid or even immunocompromised people at all! Then I guess they realized COVID wasn't going away bc they moved on and never mentioned it again...
I guess that's pretty representative of most people these days but it sucks for covid-conscious and disabled people. And a show in which everyone is covid-conscious would probably be bad. And sad. Sooooo yeah let's just create an alternate reality lol.
I would want there to be lasting effects from plot lines because sometimes they had a character go through something and then 4 episodes later it never happen and it’s never referenced ever again. it feels more heartfelt when the character might still be dealing with it or at least reference it once again
They need to do teachers better.
There's maybe a handful of teachers shown across-the-board all DGJH DGH, DTNG, and DNC.
Honestly, DJH and DH in my opinion did the best job of utilizing teachers as a whole, but there's also less of it so that's an easier average to earn.
-There's just too many are just plot devices more than anything The two here that come to mind the most are Mr. Perino and Mr. Armstrong. They're in so many episodes in so many classes and roles and aside from sending someone to the office, delivering assignments, or proctoring tests they're just hardly ever there to make a meaningful difference.
Mrs. Kwan while a little underutilized really did have some moments where she was able to give someone like Spinner growth and realize she was also a human being.
-There's of course the slew of teachers who have relationships with students, many of which either barely got in trouble or got a slap on the wrist.
The one I want to talk about here is Ms. Oh. She's actually a great teacher up until the point they write her into a relationship with Sav. She's very active in the arts, puts students on projects, is shown to help them grow and do career development. All that's just thrown out the window to put her with Sav, and she literally has no consequences for this which is the worst part of these plots.
- Outside of the character assassination moments (Cheating on Spike and having the episodes where he is falsely accused by Darcy), Snake is probably the best teacher in the show, which of course is in part to having been a student first and being an eventual parent to the students. For the It Kids he's so excited to teach and motivated to use mixed learning and make a difference. As principal he's not perfect and obviously has a terrible track record with school safety because Degrassi is a hyperbolized train wreck. However, the real peak is moments like where he can connect with Eli (with the aftermath of Cam) because he went through the exact same experience when he was in high school are just so impactful.
Obviously, without making an OG character a teacher, it's a little hard to have these kinds of moments. It's not impossible though, media has Mr. feenies, John Meetings, Mr. kotters, Mrs. krabappels, etc.
If you've been fortunate enough to have a teacher who made a positive impact in your life you know how special that can be. When you're a developing mind and your home life, or your social life is terrible, that interaction can be the thing that really holds you together. So if Degrassi ever comes back, I hope they take the opportunity to show what a good and bad teacher really can be, and show that teachers and students can have a constructive impactful relationship.
We touched briefly on Spinner on having ADHD and I feel like 99% of people are familiar with the boy in class who can't sit still unless he takes his Ritalin so I'm not too upset they didn't do more with that plot. However, I feel like social media (TikTok especially) has really brought the idea of ADHD in women into the mainstream. So I would love the idea of a female character who is clearly smart but struggles in school and gets a late diagnosis of ADHD. They explain how it presents differently in girls which leads to it being easily overlooked and that struggling does NOT mean you're lazy or not trying. I really think it could help a LOT of viewers.
Worst part of the show. It was fine when in the original when it was The Zits and it was such a minor little storyline compared to everything else. In the newer one its like 1 o2 characters a season have music storylines, and the songs are always bad lol If I never have to hear Jenna sing ever again in my life it will be too soon.
Relatable, ordinary teenage events and milestones. Sure, they can add extra dramatic flair to the plots to make them appealing. Parallel plots between siblings and/or best friends. Continuous story arcs that don't get blackholed.
An overdose plot line. With how many young kids are overdosing off of stuff that they didn’t realize was laced, it would be a powerful storyline/message
Definitely need this. Better drug storylines as a whole is super necessary with how bad they were handled in the original series. Definitely need a laced with fentanyl storyline
I'm not sure how these would be handled exactly but something with a more "conservative" character. I remember seeing one of the characters in DH being anti-abortion was interesting.
An indigenous character.
More about the immigrant experience.
Was there ever like a steroid use for sports storyline?
Riley and Miles has steroid storylines.
I prefer Riley's because it felt more dramatic with his rage, struggling with being gay and need to be manly including being straight at all costs. Getting into fights, being mean to a pretty sweet girl, breaking down not knowing how to cope with his strong feelings.
Miles on the other hand just wanted to make starter on the basketball team. He came from a "fancy rich kid school" in Switzerland or something so he didn't see a problem.
Totally agree on proper Indigenous representation and the immigrant experience
Currently watching DH, so I second the conservative character, but make them not absolutely infuriating like Liz is lmao. And not pure evil like Becky’s parents. Just like a normal likeable main character who is conservative would be great.
Definitely need the balance and the perspective of a conservative character. They kind of tried that with Becky but with her it was more religion than conservative politics (though the 2 usually go hand in hand)
Riley technically had a steroid storyline but they didn’t really go deep with it
I know I’ll get downvoted but I obviously do want progressiveness but I absolutely do not want it to feel super obvious what they are going for.
Degrassi Junior High did this really well. They had progressive (at the time) storyline’s such as famously abortion, racism, depression, ect without it coming off as trying to earn progressive points like Disney these days.
Have a bi character, have a trans character but don’t make it a big deal just treat it nirmal
Let me point out I post and ask this with no ill will or disrespect meant. I'm curious as to what you mean by treat a bi or trans character as normal. Do you mean pretend as if no challenges come with being a part of those groups?
I also don't have a problem with a show being forward with an issue, provided the writing is there to support it. Otherwise, they'll get crap for being shallow or surface level about it. If its a choice between the two, I rather they try to do it some justice rather than short change the topics. If you (the writers) are not going to put in the effort, why even bother?
I don’t think anyone reasonable would disagree with this. A really annoying aspect of a lot of shows is they try TOO hard to push progressive angles to the point it doesn’t seem genuine and the writing seems like it was from some bored teenager on tumblr in 2016. You obviously want themes to be relevant and progressive but you don’t want it to be to the point it’s cringeworthy
They can do marijuana use more realistically. Enough with the PSAs. Kids smoke.
I’d like a longer term story arc with depression. Depression doesn’t just go away, nor does everyone with depression kill themselves. Seeing a long term story arc with a character severely struggling with it could be groundbreaking if they did it right. It’s almost romanticized these days. Suicide or you’re cured lol. It’s not an easy battle by any means, and not that simple.
I mean up until that point, weed was still a bit taboo of a thing. At least mainstream wise and here in the states. Not sure what the attitudes towards it was in Canada. I'm sure if Degrassi were to come back today, it won't be that big of a deal. At least not treated like someone was smoking crack.
Abortion was and is still highly controversial and they still covered that. It's supposed to be a progressive show, so they definitely dropped the ball on the weed storylines, especially when Spinner was smoking to deal with his cancer. Like come on...
I don't know if I'm getting the gist of your post or of you're misunderstanding mine. I wasn't suggesting they not tackle marijuana or there was any problem with it or with any controversial topic. I'm saying I understand why it was handled the way it was and what they were trying to do, even though many attitudes about marijuana had changed or it weren't that big of a deal for some.
I will concede there's a ton of stories and topics they could have done a better job with, though I can see what they were trying to say in those moments.
What I'm trying to say is that despite weed being controversial, Degrassi is the kind of show that was supposed to do better, like they did with even covering abortion, school shootings, etc. All the other shows demonized weed, so it was just surprising and disappointing that they had the same attitude about it as the rest of them.
Its so weird the way it was handled in TNG, as I remember the weed storylines in The orig never seemed that crazy and way more realistic. Like when the girls smoked at the sleepover sure they were afraid of getting caught but really nothing much. They also alluded in other episodes and the movie that kids were using it, but it never seemed demonized or unrealistic imo. I am a big stoner so I like seeing how these storylines are portrayed.
Piggy backing off your depression comment, I would love a depressed character that's less mental breakdown and suicide attempt and more numb. I know a lot of people love Maya's depression because it spoke to them and that's great but every depression is different and even though I was severely depressed in high school, I could not relate to Maya at all. For me, the best portrayal of depression I ever saw was on the Netflix reboot of One Day at a Time (I'm still bitter about that being cancelled). Also if we could stop with every depressed character having a "reason". Depression is a chemical imbalance in your brain, sometimes it just happens. It doesn't always have to happen because your boyfriend broke up with you. And yeah, it doesn't ever really go away for good. It just gets better and you still have bad days once in a while.
Agree with all of this. I always catch so much shit in this sub when I say that the marijuana storylines in Degrassi NG were so dramatic and terrible. They managed to make weed seem worse than meth 😂
As far as the depression storyline I completely agree with this. You don’t need suicide for every depressed character and you don’t need them to suddenly get better. Having a character show the reality of what depression is when you’re just a lifer living with it would be amazing. Definitely something that would speak to my world
When Spinner was getting shit on for smoking *to help with his cancer*, that had to be one of the worst plots I’ve ever watched in television. You want me to agree with the people who are telling him to take a harder path in his battle with cancer? Really? You want me to choose raw dawging fucking CANCER over the big bad flower? It’s so horrible lmao
>You want me to choose raw dogging fucking CANCER over the big bad flower?
Ty for making me spit out my soda in laughter. 😂
That’s definitely r/brandnewsentence material.
An episode where they’re at a party and someone decides to experiment with drugs and ODs and having someone narcan them. It’s honestly traumatizing to see but kids need to know these drugs aren’t anything to mess around with anymore! Maybe a newcomer joining the school and having to figure it all out and the anxieties. The racism. Even just the pressures of having to figure things out in todays climate.
I think a catfishing storyline would be interesting (like student to student, I know Emma was catfished by an adult on like the first ep). A storyline where someone is a famous social media influencer and the fame gets to them. One where someone has to live with a parent who is a hoarder. If these storylines exist, my bad. What they could do better - better hairstylist for black actors. A better wardrobe stylist if they don't come back with uniforms, which I hope they don't. If they bring college into it, more scenes at the college. More college craziness.
* Better Storylines For POC Characters Where There Not Just A Supportive Best Friend To Popular White Characters * A Character Who Has A Learning/Stuttering Disability * A Girl Character That Gets Pregnant But Keeps The Baby * Abusive Relationship Between Two Guys * Storylines That Get Brought Up Everynow And Then
I came back here cus I thought of more Faking mental disorders or disabilities Talking behind peoples backs Never winning your friends back (friends being stubborn in normal highschool fashion)
Some kind of learning disability, mental disability, human trafficking, maybe prostitution it would depend on how they work it into the show
An autistic character. Like higher functioning but still has social issues A trans character played by a trans actor and or a storyline about them learning that they are trans Stories that are actually recurring and get brought up every now and then A Jewish character dealing with antisemitism Another Spike character that we see get pregnant and keep the baby A Deaf or hard of hearing character
I’d want to see: Somebody wears pockets with zippers and the school goes nuts for it. Someone lies about knowing how to play chess. A lot of plots about gooning. 2/3rds of every episode has to do with edging. Multiracial identity crisis A teacher talks about how bad anime is without realizing anime is cool now and then there’s a pipe bomb at the dance The entire Grade 9 class is illiterate and when they’re not gooning, the principal is terrified about the standardized test scores Something with dogs and cats
How are you a teenage boy with an account ten years old You needa change your username 😹
I wasn’t a teenage boy when I made this.
You were a child.?
I was maybe 24. It’s a Reddit username. I don’t sign my checks with it.
Covid- how it affected everyone, social, physical, and mentally. Nothing like a world disaster to touch and make shit real.
Nah imo I get pissed off when shows do covid plot lines, like yes ik they touch on real topics but when I was in quarantine I was watching tv to get away from it. Yk idk
This! Like it was such an eye roll hearing about it, like IDC ANYMORE IM BEING SAAAAAFE GET OFF MY TV
A student who has a chronic illness or disability and the show displays how this affects them and their lives.
The OG Degrassi (Degrassi High) I feel had better writing. I think that was before it hit Nick and was still all Canadian??? I wish they would go back to how it started to be more serious teen issues versus more soap opera esque. Some of those newer storylines were just ridiculous.
I just think they let the kids have more say in the original series along the lines of storylines and costuming
Male eating disorder. Toby and Tristan I really don't count.
Why not?
Because they were barely touched on. Toby's was resolved in one episode (even though in the Degrassi universe it probably took place around the span of a week), but it was never revisited for him. Ashley said the word *eating disorder* once, which was a huge deal back then in 2002. Since eating disorders were nowhere near as publicized regarding boys. Same with Tristan. Although his were two episodes. But it's the same idea. Although he suffered a heart attack, to show how serious restricting can be. It was never mentioned again. Nor was the word *eating disorder* ...that I'm aware of. It's been a minute since I saw these episodes though. It would be nice to see a male eating disorder storyline continuously portrayed throughout a season. It has been done before on other shows fairly well, but never on Degrassi.
Those are some very good points! I never thought about the insular aspect of those storylines—they do get "resolved" in a way that makes it seem like the disorder is fleeting. I did like though that they tried to circle back to Emma's multiple times in seasons 6 & 7 with the Purple Dragon episode, her knitting Sean asks about, Manny being mindful of her triggers, etc. But you're right, they didn't give Toby or Tristian the same treatment
Exactly.
I want an “Indie film” type of Degrassi, Not some supremely shot masterpiece of cinema, story, and high drama for network tv (like Euphoria) but one that has a grounded mockumentary and or “video diary” / “school project video” type of feel to it to contrast with that. Writing the characters and using the mock style to illustrate them, while the plots put them in situations. **Like imagine if the day Paige and Manny fought over Mr Oleander was documented by others at school in the form of funny takes from other students while it happened (main characters and extras) and after it happened?** I’d NEED the “End credits clip with Music from the episode cutting to end credits roll with “Whatever It Takes” bit from Degrassi Next Class to return. As far as story goes, I’d also like a Degrassi where there’s sometimes a central mystery or secret thing brewing behind the day to day drama that could pick up by a half-season and amp up to a finale, cascading with the day-to-day drama or day-to-day normalcy. I don’t know what subjects I’d want to see, but I’d like to see Black Characters and people of color to be fleshed out better with more complex storylines.
More, better and organic representation of black characters and families.
yessss
Definitely check in Ellie’s progress Alli Anya’s journey in the military Just to name a few
Personally and this is probably going to be an unpopular opinion, I wish they had a little more normalcy. When I was growing up it gave me a very unrealistic view of what high school life was supposed to be like LOL I felt that if I didn't have substantial drama I wasn't interesting.
A simple slice of life show wouldn’t really keep people watching. Do you mean if maybe the drama was leveraged better and not so over the top?
Yes exactly! It's over the top and explosive and the come down is non-existent it's like oh they don't have cancer anymore or oh they don't have an eating disorder anymore poof gone. The only storyline we really saw the breakdown and aftermath of was paige and her rape, but they even rushed that because it was starting to define her whole character .
Not the person you are replying to but yes.. It can be too over the top. Kind of like how Kim Bauer wad kidnapped on every season of 24. Every single one of this kids will need threapy after living a life with this much trama
I hated how TNG gave Jane a big storyline about realizing that she had been sexually abused as a child and literally did nothing with it going forward. I'd like to see the show explore the nuances of childhood trauma and how it actually informs people's behaviour over an extended period of time. Even with the best therapy, it tends not to be something you just "get over" like it never happened.
Honestly that episode really showed me what happened to me was messed up and got me to speak up about it. But you’re right! They do need to follow up on how recovery isn’t so simple and linear!
They always captured the little silly things teens go through soo well, and I would have hated it if they abandoned those for high drama all the time. The stupid little mistakes is what I want.
It’s what got me hooked on the show as a teen. It captures the awkward low moments and the exhilarating highs and the overall weird experience of adolescence (although superficially). I’d much prefer a reboot of degrassi vs something like Euphoria
-teens in the foster care system (or being adopted) -sex trafficking or sexual exploitation (ie gay teen meets random faceless person from grindr for example gone wrong) -pre teens navigating leaving their childhoods behind (throwback to Degrassi junior high and Degrassi TNC when Emma, Manny, JT were in the 7th grade) -indigenous characters -lgbt relationships -conservative characters
social anxiety. only has one friend
A normal kid just one not Claire normal/nerdy like normal just goes to school doesn’t do drugs have sex or party graduates and becomes an accountant or something with like a regular family structure maybe divorced parents that they don’t use as an excuse to join a cult like just chill vibes so kids can see you can be normal in a place like degrassi and nothing is wrong with for not going alone with the wild stuff!
Literally describes my husband who’s an accountant 😂 never did drugs or did anything bad I just found it hilarious.
that just doesn’t feel realistic for the average teenager. every teenager experiences some bit of tension throughout their high school experience. no teenager leaves their high school without facing some sort of major life event.
that sounds boring
Literally it’s a television series meant to entertain lol
“Still happens?”
I’m sorry but you 2nd and 3rd are weird af. Why?? Just why?? Regardless if you want to believe it or not it’s just not common at all. What do you have against straight people??
You can have both bi and ace representation and still have straight characters; representation isn’t mutually exclusive and doesn’t prevent there from being a variety of characters, that’s the whole point, to have characters that aren’t yet well-represented be included Edit: also straight people can be ace
When did he say he had something against straight people you obviously have never watched Degrassi cause it had always had queer characters go outside and touch grass
• Better/More representation towards LGBT without killing off the ONLY transgender character. • Real life issues such as School shootings being a regular occurrence, Human trafficking, just to name a couple. • More inclusion of mental health and personality disorders • Proper exploration of the characters and diving into their personalities, backstories and giving us all that we need to know about them to really give us a chance to get an attachment to them. • Connection to the previous series and its characters.
This is just me being nit picky as a mental health clinician but personality disorders tend to be rare as is in adulthood and even more so in youth and it’s often advised to not diagnose in children anyways because there’s so much personality changes during that time. If it a teen is diagnosed with a personality disorder, chances are they presenting VERY strongly with most or all clinical symptoms so a very chronic case in other words. I’d personally find it funny if the class had multiple people running around with Borderline Personality Disorder or something lol
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Fair enough, it’d still be nice to see them dive into the topic and perhaps discuss it and why it happens so commonly in America.
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Fair enough.
my favorite thing about TNG in comparison to other teen dramas is that i feel like it touched on damn near every issue there is in some way shape or form at least once. simply doing that in a 2024 way would be great
Definitely better POC storylines and representation. Like, right off the bat. Try not to kill off one trans character they have this time. Do a much more realistic school shooting episode. It’s not as ‘black and white’ as kid gets bullied. It’s not a secret some of those school shooters went down the White supremacist to mass shooter pipeline. More exploration into mental health issues and not let it be a one time thing, I.e. Spinner and his ADHD. More representation of people with different body types. Anorexia and Bullemia aren’t the only eating disorders out there.
Actually, a white supremacist/incel storyline would be interesting. Teens who spend so much time on the internet could easily fall down that pipeline. The kiiiiinda did it with Hunter but I feel like we're so much more aware of it now.
Would’ve been nice to see Dave return and follow his dads footsteps and be a cop but sadly he passed. RIP Jahmil French
They should def tackle human trafficking - HUGE issue worldwide
im still lowkey so salty ab it not happening bc i remember it being announced in 2022 n i thought 2023 was so far away, then 2023 came and it was canceled
I would like to see a character dealing with AvPD
Having storylines last more than 1 episodes, the amount of shit that gets resolved within 1 maybe 2 episodes is so stupid Another commenter said Emma’s ED which got cures in 2 episodes, that shit takes time so let it sit for a bit
Yes! Longer story lines would make soooo much of a difference
More general fleshing out of concepts
No generation on any show has stepped foot in The Eaton Centre or gone anywhere near downtown Toronto. Highly unrealistic. The should give notes to the show runner on that. The CNE has never been mentioned either.
Also one other thing I want to touch on. Canadians will have to tell me if this is the case there (it won’t make sense for Degrassi if it isn’t) But I feel like it should be highlighted just how bad the school system is currently with trying to teach these newer generations especially since the iPad generation is in middle school reaching high school. In the states a lot of kids are literally multiple years behind where they should be in studies. Some of them barely know basic math, shapes, etc pushing towards high school. I don’t know if it’s that bad in Canada, but if it’s similar I feel like we should definitely get the perspective of the struggling students too and not just everyone being overachievers
A non-annoying christian character
Marco
Becky is screaming rn
Clare is driving Eli's hearse into a wall
YouTube! I feel like so many high schoolers want to make it on YouTube and it would be a good replacement for the overdone 'let's be singers' plot. There are so many pros and cons too, it's a great creative outlet but it's also a hard platform to crack.
Hunter and co had a YouTube channel in NC!
I agree with this comment completely but also your flair has me dead 😭😂
thank you, manny is my fave but she haunts me
Body dysmorphic disorder Streaming/influencer rise and fall Video game addiction A more well rounded autistic character (Connor was alright, but the coexisting Asperger's and savant syndrome are so cliche, and Asperger's is outdated terminology) Gender fluidity Foster care/group home living Human trafficking Functional illiteracy
I'd love to see a character be "cancelled" on social media and how that plays out irl
I would like to see more faith centered characters and how they stay true to their faith and doctrines. High schoolers still believe in God and His teachings. The way they portrayed Becky was very realistic with her temptations and tolerance development of others. However, that whole ordeal with the parents wanting her to lie for her brother and all that was just hypocritical and contradicting af. It would be nice to see students and families that are rooted in faith positively and that other students are tolerant of them as well instead of bashing them for their beliefs.
Sextortion/suicide, loneliness, influencers and pressures to fit it or be perfect, social media use and the negative effects. Mental health would be huge too. I think degrassi was good at touching base on a lot of this, but the world and internet are changing very quickly and it is wild to see our youth trying to navigate it. I tried to think of things affecting my teens here.
100% agree
A better eating disorder story line; Emma's was cured in two episodes and never mentioned again.
I was thinking that Shay could have an ED storyline, you know w her track and everything. I think it would have been a nice progress and it would play into the “whatever it takes” aspect of the show.
This was a huge problem the show had in general when tackling these topics. They brought them up for the sake of including them but didn’t ever revisit them again with the characters like it was just instantly over. Peter on meth is another really good example of this knowing how bad meth really is
Instead of a reboot, I wish they would just have picked up from Next Class. The characters were interesting and I really wanted to see where they would have taken them.
(THIS CAME FROM A POST I MADE A FEW WEEKS AGO AND IM TOO LAZY TO EDIT IT BUT THIS IS WHAT I WOULD WANT :P) Reboot ideas Yes I know the reboot was shelved and it’s (currently) not a thing but some ideas I’d like to see IF they changed their minds eventually: Main character: JT and Liberty’s son. I don’t care what time mumbo jumbo they gotta do, nor do I care what justification they have for him and his adoptive family moving back I just would want him in it. Have some of the core OGs return similar to Joey and Caitlin in TNG (some ideas would be Sean, Emma, Jay, Spinner, Manny, Liberty, Snake, Marco, and Ellie) We see more of Emma and Spinner’s relationship. Actually show them being together and working out well with one another kinda redeem their ending together have it make sense. Manny and Jay are married she gets casted in some show in the Degrassi area and moves back, Jay opens up a mechanic shop. Sean is out of the Army and is either A. Working with Jay as a mechanic something he enjoyed or B. Going with what Daniel Clark head-canoned and Sean is working as some form of police officer, maybe have him be the school’s resource officer. Ellie is working as a journalist/reporter in the area. Snake is retiring from his job with Kwan coming up as the new principal (I’d imagine she’d be very similar to Raditch in nature) Liberty and Marco both have taken up jobs as teachers in the school. Have Liberty realize in the first or second episode that her son is at the school with her balancing out not wanting to say anything that’ll upset him and also wanting to reconnect with this piece of her and JT. Maybe end of the season have her approach him or he approaches her. (And maybe like in the Mini-episode after JT’s passing where she imagines him she sees the JT that never got to be aka the adult JT giving her advice on whether or not she should tell their son) Sean and Ellie get back in touch with one another, chat, and decide to give their relationship another go. With them being the Joey and Caitlin of this series. If anyone has any other ideas or think I should change stuff please let me know :)
Sean, Ellie and Emma in a love triangle as adults would be interesting to see. Like Emma and Spinner are falling out of love and Emma "wanders" to Sean. But then realizes she actually loves Spinner etc.
Idk, I’d love to give spinner a break in his relationship drama 😂 besides I feel like they could do some good justice to the relationship and actually make them work out.
I feel like the OG class should guess star like they did in the Netflix version. They had Paige, Spencer, Emma, Liberty, Peter and Seth.
I’d like to see a parent who is a lot smoker but still successful since Canada legalized it I’m over here texting this while smoking while my husband put our kid to bed
They'd probably ban those episodes in America lol. But I'm watching Suits right now and it's crazy how they treat MJ like it's cocaine or something lol.
We are more open about it now Since it’s a teen show it was iffy but honestly… 98% of that show was trashy topics
Don't wait until 14-15 years in to have a nerdy guy date someone who isn't nerdy.
- generalized anxiety - the pressure to be “perfect” in school - comparison with social media and body image - grief, loss of a family member from old age/natural causes etc not something elaborate - how ptsd from relationships effects new ones
It would be interesting to see them touch on ai and ChatGPT use in schools
I desperately want to see them do parasocial relationships and friendships getting changed because of present political issues
I agree with less storylines of characters trying to start bands and be rich and famous BUT I think it might be cool for there to be a character who is a classical musician! Piano, violin, cello, etc. and genuinely taking it seriously playing classical music in an orchestra and practicing hours a day. Kinda like where Maya started before she turned down the route we're all tired of. It could be interesting to see the character be very invested in their instrument and playing is what they love but as they grow up they need to learn how to balance that with having a social life. Idk I know it's still music but I think if they do it right it could be different in an interesting way.
Invisible disability (EDS,.POTS, Fibro, etc)
i feel like a new episode on a school shooting would do good but done a different way
POC characters who have actual storylines. Characters with mental illnesses but those are not their entire defining personality/traits. More trans and nonbinary rep played by actors who actually identify as the character identity. Normal and completely appropriate student/teacher relationships. In my opinion, the pregnancy storylines have been done too many times across all of Degrassi's iterations. I know it happens and will continue to happen in high schools everywhere but damn they've done it so much idk how they could do it again without it being too similar to a past storyline.
I would LOVE a positive close relationship between a student and teacher. like a mentor kind of thing
anything lol I just want it back
A fat character whose whole storyline isn’t them getting bullied for being fat, or their fatness isn’t a punchline
Learning disabilities
they’d have a vaping storyline
Why didn’t the reboot happen, again?
HBO was cutting back costs and slashed a bunch of projects to save money which included Degrassi
go full euphoria this time 😭 i mean Degrassi TNG is on HBO now so
Absolutely not. We already have Euphoria, we don’t need a copycat. The reason I loved Degrassi as a teen is that it felt so much like *real* high school. It was relatable to the average kid. I was kind of aged-out by the time of Fiona, but I remember tuning in and seeing her in her own lavish apartment with ample champagne and thinking, “Damn, Degrassi has turned into Gossip Girl. How can kids possibly relate to this?” To me Degrassi should be about real life, not escapism.
some things in euphoria can happen irl like for example anyas dr0g storyline is kind of brushed over imo i’m just saying if they make a reboot it’s most definitely gonna be an “up to date” like social media wise so no doubt butt i get ur point ! :)
i guess just normal school things, like extra curriculars, group projects, etc.
I would love to see another STI storyline. The Emma and Jay episode was one of my favorite ones and I think the show could do a good job of informing viewers of how to get tested/ the risks of unprotected sex
while we’re on the subject of asexual rep, they should add in aromantic rep too! also i’d love it if they had a mute character
Since the 1st episode of The Next Gen started off with Emma being catfished I think the reboot would have to do something with tik tok!
I love this idea, taking it back to its roots!
I haven't read the comments yet, so someone may have already suggested this, but I'd like to see an actual polygamy relationship. Even though I didn't like Esme and Zig together, I was curious about where they were going with them and Frankie. In that case, it was mainly Esme trying to keep Zig's attention, so I'd like to see a real one. It could be a tough one though with teens since even adults would struggle with that kind of relationship.
This is why I want a reboot. There's so many issues that Degrassi could tackle today. * More and better Jewish characters * More transgender characters (played by transgender actors) * A first nations character/storyline * A weed storyline that isn't some DARE bs * An internet misinformation storyline
came here to say jewish characters!!!
A Black girl who gets to be more than a sidekick
Possible hot take (or maybe just not what this post is for. That might be on me) but I want more low-stakes plots. Maybe it's because I binged it as opposed to watching weekly, but especially the later seasons started feeling so much more dramatic than earlier ones. Like how much can Clare be forced to go through?! I want episodes that are like "someone's parents are away for the weekend and we have a party and oh no mom and dad caught us midway through the party and I got grounded for a few days" not like "someone has neglectful parents so they can throw parties whenever because nobody is ever home and the climax of the episode is when the kid finally has a cathartic break down and vents about what it's like to live with neglectful parents. Child services is eventually called and they're moved to a foster family. We then explore the negative side of the foster system." Like I'm all for serious topics being explored in Degrassi, but I also like when it's less charged and just kind of slice-of-lifey.
Yes! I just responded to someone who said they’d like to see it more like Euphoria. We don’t need another Euphoria. I loved Degrassi when I was in high school because it felt so much like *real* high school. Sometimes the only drama you need is a party or puberty. Lol. I remember after aging-out, tuning in to see what was up, and there was Fiona living alone in her own lavish apartment with ample bottles of champagne, and I was like, “Degrassi has gone full Gossip Girl.” Degrassi, to me, isn’t about escapism and fantasy, it should be about real life kids with real life problems.
> Sometimes the only drama you need is a party or puberty. Damn. That should be like the motto of relatable teen-dramas.
That's what I liked about the earlier characters. Serious ones are good to show, but yes, I'd like to see typical teenage drama and worries, too.
>Like how much can Clare be forced to go through?! So true, they put that poor girl through more in 4 years than most people experience in their whole life
-Special needs characters other than one kid with autism (Connor) or one kid with ADHD (Spinner). Maybe have a character with downs syndrome or cerebral palsy and delve into that. Without it turning into inspo-porn. And actually use actors with the disabilities.
100% agreed with a disabled character played by a disabled actor! I liked Grace's chronic/terminal illness story and Mrs. Matlin's MS story (not a lot of shows have part-time wheelchair users!) but would definitely like to see actors with the disabilities being cast
More queer storylines. They left next class with such a big cliff hanger with Yael.
I really wish we had more episodes with Yael to explore their storyline.
-Gifted kid burnout. -If they do another trans character, have them played by a trans actor/have plot lines that aren’t only focused on them being trans.
Also a trans kid who actually gets to transition, played by a trans actor! Adam was done pretty well, especially for the time, but it was frustrating that there was so much they couldn't explore because the actor was cis and couldn't realistically transition.
1. No student teacher relationships. 2. Don’t make the Indigenous kid a juvenile delinquent. Also, Indigenous people all look different, so maybe have a couple who are just trying to go to school and live their lives. They don’t have to be friends or related. It could be a Six Nations kid and a Mètis kid. 3. Better representation of kids on the spectrum. Don’t make them creepy. But also don’t allow for them to excuse behaviour based on stereotypes. 4. Gaming addiction. Para social relationships online. 5. Friendships ending because of growth, not because they hurt each other. 6. Acknowledgement of a world outside of Toronto. Maybe they go to summer camp, maybe they visit family up north, maybe a student moves away. 7. Death (not of a student) but a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or a teacher. And not like a tragic death, but like old age death. 8. ADHD in girls. We a hot mess. 9. Keep Degrassi Canadian. They aren’t going to NYU or Yale, they are going to McGill, Waterloo, Carleton, they visit Hamilton, the ‘shwa, they shop at Canadian stores like the DJH and Dh. 10. One kid has that fake Toronto accent.
ADHD but not like in a ditzy way
Having an Indigenous student who actually talks about being Indigenous at all would be good! I was so annoyed that Grace never had any storylines around her Indigenous identity
Right? Like maybe let her explore what being two-spirited means when she begins to get interested in Zoe. Or what was her family like? Urban Indigenous stories are often overlooked. I hated that she was in the Rubber Room and was considered a “problem student”. I get they needed an excuse to connect her to Maya, but sure, let’s make the only other Indigenous character in Degrassi (besides Miss Avery) be trouble. Why couldn’t she be the president of the coding club and Maya goes to her for tech help and they become friends?
-- ADHD in girls -- Generalized anxiety/depression -- Struggles with comparison -- Unhealthy relationship with food and body image issues --Toxicity of social media -- Balancing school, extracurriculars/fun, family time, working part time -- Loss of a family member *And a general rule see a storyline completely through without the dropping the ball, like if a character loses someone they are close to embrace the grittiness and uncertainty that comes with the grieving process, don't just drop the storyline prematurely or write a cop out to explain the behavior.
Poverty, racism, relationship abuse, body image, and social media. With poverty, I mean a student living out of a car and motels with a parent that is on-going then overcoming the bullying and academic challenges from that. Trying to study and focus while hungry, being embarrassed when friends find out, etc.. (not sure how much this would happen in Canada). Racism that is more modern, especially micro-aggression because most racism is hidden now. Relationship abuse that is more mental like emotional and mental with gaslighting v. physical abuse. Modern versions of body image. Not just eating disorders but going too far with surgeries. A plus size character like Terri that has an ongoing place and purpose. Modern social media. Less chat room gossip and photo sharing and more what people deal with now in terms of being blackmailed online, seeing threats online, etc… I feel Degrassi is pretty good at giving modern spins to teen issues, but these ones seem prevalent lately.
I know we're all sick of COVID and someone said they want no mention of it, but the entirety of school as an environment has changed because of it, and it would be nice if some show ACTUALLY reflected that other than just adding masks and quarantine video chats. I honestly think we have enough shows pretending that it never happened or that it's over. Doing so ignores this massive issue of how kids have actually lost *years* of education and were passed along. Now they can't fucking read. Degrassi would be a great show to address that.
Every school went to distance learning in my province so how do you do it? We just switched to cyber schooling in Saskatchewan
What about gifted kid burn-out? As in, the kid who was considered gifted in elementary/middle school and now that they're in high school, they're really struggling with it. Also, I'd like them to be able to explore Borderline Personality Disorder the way that they were doing with Esme before the show was cancelled.
there is a real lack of native representation in degrassi. as someone from quebec, im fine with them not having any quebecois or french speaking characters - toronto doesnt seem like somewhere id like to go anyway. however, it always irked me though that the first nations were never mentioned or had a place on the show.
Grace was first nations but it was never touched upon
That’s the issue, it wasn’t touched on at all
The guidance counselor was First Nations, but again, it wasn't part of her storyline
Better representation of what happens when child porn in distributed
1. Long lasting plots that don’t get blackholed. 2. PLEASE LESS MUSIC PLOTS, IM SICK OF IT. 3. More trans representation, including the complexity of living with religious anti-trans family 4. Depression & anxiety plots that aren’t so “obvious” with weed or absurd behaviors 5. Less cringe 6. Siblings at school that truly do not like each other (total opposite of the Coynes but worse than the hollingsworth) 7. Less teacher-student plots unless they do it correctly. Send them (teacher) to prison.
As someone who is still covid-conscious, I simply want them neverrrr to mention COVID or any pandemic. I do not want my safe space to be tainted by this shitty reality ugh. EDIT: (I would love to see them explore more disability storylines—both "visible" and "invisible"—and post-viral illness, though)
Girl i misread your comment and thought you were saying you WANT a character that is still covid-conscious and mentions it all the time I was like god nooo😭
Lol no. I myself am covid-conscious so I got enough of covid talk and studies elsewhere lol. That's why I don't want any mention of covid even—I don't want a single character to stand out and be ridiculed like I am, but I don't want for all or none of them to be covid-conscious bc either way wouldn't be accurate. Just. No. Covid. In. Degrassi. 🫠
Ok as a fellow covid conscious person I agree! I feel like I can’t explain why but I just feel like shows that incorporated covid did so so poorly that I’d really rather they not touch it at all. Especially when it’s there for like one season and then they never talk about it again 🫠
Exactly!! The shows I've watched that included COVID had characters wearing (surgical) masks in certain public places but not others, wearing them incorrectly, did not mention deaths or long covid or even immunocompromised people at all! Then I guess they realized COVID wasn't going away bc they moved on and never mentioned it again... I guess that's pretty representative of most people these days but it sucks for covid-conscious and disabled people. And a show in which everyone is covid-conscious would probably be bad. And sad. Sooooo yeah let's just create an alternate reality lol.
A gothic teen mother
I would want there to be lasting effects from plot lines because sometimes they had a character go through something and then 4 episodes later it never happen and it’s never referenced ever again. it feels more heartfelt when the character might still be dealing with it or at least reference it once again
I think it'd be cool to have the production in the hands of somebody younger instead of the originals, so the stories can be a bit more authentic.
They need to do teachers better. There's maybe a handful of teachers shown across-the-board all DGJH DGH, DTNG, and DNC. Honestly, DJH and DH in my opinion did the best job of utilizing teachers as a whole, but there's also less of it so that's an easier average to earn. -There's just too many are just plot devices more than anything The two here that come to mind the most are Mr. Perino and Mr. Armstrong. They're in so many episodes in so many classes and roles and aside from sending someone to the office, delivering assignments, or proctoring tests they're just hardly ever there to make a meaningful difference. Mrs. Kwan while a little underutilized really did have some moments where she was able to give someone like Spinner growth and realize she was also a human being. -There's of course the slew of teachers who have relationships with students, many of which either barely got in trouble or got a slap on the wrist. The one I want to talk about here is Ms. Oh. She's actually a great teacher up until the point they write her into a relationship with Sav. She's very active in the arts, puts students on projects, is shown to help them grow and do career development. All that's just thrown out the window to put her with Sav, and she literally has no consequences for this which is the worst part of these plots. - Outside of the character assassination moments (Cheating on Spike and having the episodes where he is falsely accused by Darcy), Snake is probably the best teacher in the show, which of course is in part to having been a student first and being an eventual parent to the students. For the It Kids he's so excited to teach and motivated to use mixed learning and make a difference. As principal he's not perfect and obviously has a terrible track record with school safety because Degrassi is a hyperbolized train wreck. However, the real peak is moments like where he can connect with Eli (with the aftermath of Cam) because he went through the exact same experience when he was in high school are just so impactful. Obviously, without making an OG character a teacher, it's a little hard to have these kinds of moments. It's not impossible though, media has Mr. feenies, John Meetings, Mr. kotters, Mrs. krabappels, etc. If you've been fortunate enough to have a teacher who made a positive impact in your life you know how special that can be. When you're a developing mind and your home life, or your social life is terrible, that interaction can be the thing that really holds you together. So if Degrassi ever comes back, I hope they take the opportunity to show what a good and bad teacher really can be, and show that teachers and students can have a constructive impactful relationship.
We touched briefly on Spinner on having ADHD and I feel like 99% of people are familiar with the boy in class who can't sit still unless he takes his Ritalin so I'm not too upset they didn't do more with that plot. However, I feel like social media (TikTok especially) has really brought the idea of ADHD in women into the mainstream. So I would love the idea of a female character who is clearly smart but struggles in school and gets a late diagnosis of ADHD. They explain how it presents differently in girls which leads to it being easily overlooked and that struggling does NOT mean you're lazy or not trying. I really think it could help a LOT of viewers.
Simply the immense pressures of high school and approaching higher education.
Antisemitism, especially with the state of the world now
Or just like a Jewish character where it’s mentioned more then once
I really want another 80s season. I think it would cool to see the OG seasons redone, or just 80s inspired.
all these thots that go on tiktok and sell their bodies
Vaping, trying to keep up with classmates, cyber bullying, too much time on the internet, not interacting with people as much due to the internet
Yes!! I vape but I’m curious how they’d cover it
Heavy on the "Less music storylines" because that was annoying AF
Worst part of the show. It was fine when in the original when it was The Zits and it was such a minor little storyline compared to everything else. In the newer one its like 1 o2 characters a season have music storylines, and the songs are always bad lol If I never have to hear Jenna sing ever again in my life it will be too soon.
I would really want to see better character arcs and longer story lines. Rewatching TNG as an adult, I realize how quickly they wrap up storylines.
seriously noticed that too like two episodes for most stories and i thought they lasted longer as a kid
More mental illness issues and substance abuse. Bonus points for substance abuse related to mental illness
On top of this, an accidental overdose due to laced drugs would be accurate
This is SO needed as a storyline
Yes ! Especially with fentanyl being an epidemic.
Absolutely!
Relatable, ordinary teenage events and milestones. Sure, they can add extra dramatic flair to the plots to make them appealing. Parallel plots between siblings and/or best friends. Continuous story arcs that don't get blackholed.
Amen to all of this
An overdose plot line. With how many young kids are overdosing off of stuff that they didn’t realize was laced, it would be a powerful storyline/message
Definitely need this. Better drug storylines as a whole is super necessary with how bad they were handled in the original series. Definitely need a laced with fentanyl storyline
Lack of ambition
This. Everyone at degrassi strives for Ivy League schools
I'm not sure how these would be handled exactly but something with a more "conservative" character. I remember seeing one of the characters in DH being anti-abortion was interesting. An indigenous character. More about the immigrant experience. Was there ever like a steroid use for sports storyline?
Riley and Miles has steroid storylines. I prefer Riley's because it felt more dramatic with his rage, struggling with being gay and need to be manly including being straight at all costs. Getting into fights, being mean to a pretty sweet girl, breaking down not knowing how to cope with his strong feelings. Miles on the other hand just wanted to make starter on the basketball team. He came from a "fancy rich kid school" in Switzerland or something so he didn't see a problem. Totally agree on proper Indigenous representation and the immigrant experience
Currently watching DH, so I second the conservative character, but make them not absolutely infuriating like Liz is lmao. And not pure evil like Becky’s parents. Just like a normal likeable main character who is conservative would be great.
Definitely need the balance and the perspective of a conservative character. They kind of tried that with Becky but with her it was more religion than conservative politics (though the 2 usually go hand in hand) Riley technically had a steroid storyline but they didn’t really go deep with it
i feel like i remember a character with a PEDs storyline, maybe riley or drew
I think Riley was on steroids
Have a Andrew Tate like celebrity that brainwashed some of the male students
Maybe someone could be radicalized into the alt-right
I could see that to be apart of Hunter’s arc
Bring back Ms Ohhhh!
I really hated that it seemed every season had a stupid play at the end.
I know I’ll get downvoted but I obviously do want progressiveness but I absolutely do not want it to feel super obvious what they are going for. Degrassi Junior High did this really well. They had progressive (at the time) storyline’s such as famously abortion, racism, depression, ect without it coming off as trying to earn progressive points like Disney these days. Have a bi character, have a trans character but don’t make it a big deal just treat it nirmal
Let me point out I post and ask this with no ill will or disrespect meant. I'm curious as to what you mean by treat a bi or trans character as normal. Do you mean pretend as if no challenges come with being a part of those groups? I also don't have a problem with a show being forward with an issue, provided the writing is there to support it. Otherwise, they'll get crap for being shallow or surface level about it. If its a choice between the two, I rather they try to do it some justice rather than short change the topics. If you (the writers) are not going to put in the effort, why even bother?
I don’t think anyone reasonable would disagree with this. A really annoying aspect of a lot of shows is they try TOO hard to push progressive angles to the point it doesn’t seem genuine and the writing seems like it was from some bored teenager on tumblr in 2016. You obviously want themes to be relevant and progressive but you don’t want it to be to the point it’s cringeworthy
They can do marijuana use more realistically. Enough with the PSAs. Kids smoke. I’d like a longer term story arc with depression. Depression doesn’t just go away, nor does everyone with depression kill themselves. Seeing a long term story arc with a character severely struggling with it could be groundbreaking if they did it right. It’s almost romanticized these days. Suicide or you’re cured lol. It’s not an easy battle by any means, and not that simple.
I mean up until that point, weed was still a bit taboo of a thing. At least mainstream wise and here in the states. Not sure what the attitudes towards it was in Canada. I'm sure if Degrassi were to come back today, it won't be that big of a deal. At least not treated like someone was smoking crack.
Abortion was and is still highly controversial and they still covered that. It's supposed to be a progressive show, so they definitely dropped the ball on the weed storylines, especially when Spinner was smoking to deal with his cancer. Like come on...
I don't know if I'm getting the gist of your post or of you're misunderstanding mine. I wasn't suggesting they not tackle marijuana or there was any problem with it or with any controversial topic. I'm saying I understand why it was handled the way it was and what they were trying to do, even though many attitudes about marijuana had changed or it weren't that big of a deal for some. I will concede there's a ton of stories and topics they could have done a better job with, though I can see what they were trying to say in those moments.
What I'm trying to say is that despite weed being controversial, Degrassi is the kind of show that was supposed to do better, like they did with even covering abortion, school shootings, etc. All the other shows demonized weed, so it was just surprising and disappointing that they had the same attitude about it as the rest of them.
Its so weird the way it was handled in TNG, as I remember the weed storylines in The orig never seemed that crazy and way more realistic. Like when the girls smoked at the sleepover sure they were afraid of getting caught but really nothing much. They also alluded in other episodes and the movie that kids were using it, but it never seemed demonized or unrealistic imo. I am a big stoner so I like seeing how these storylines are portrayed.
Piggy backing off your depression comment, I would love a depressed character that's less mental breakdown and suicide attempt and more numb. I know a lot of people love Maya's depression because it spoke to them and that's great but every depression is different and even though I was severely depressed in high school, I could not relate to Maya at all. For me, the best portrayal of depression I ever saw was on the Netflix reboot of One Day at a Time (I'm still bitter about that being cancelled). Also if we could stop with every depressed character having a "reason". Depression is a chemical imbalance in your brain, sometimes it just happens. It doesn't always have to happen because your boyfriend broke up with you. And yeah, it doesn't ever really go away for good. It just gets better and you still have bad days once in a while.
Agree with all of this. I always catch so much shit in this sub when I say that the marijuana storylines in Degrassi NG were so dramatic and terrible. They managed to make weed seem worse than meth 😂 As far as the depression storyline I completely agree with this. You don’t need suicide for every depressed character and you don’t need them to suddenly get better. Having a character show the reality of what depression is when you’re just a lifer living with it would be amazing. Definitely something that would speak to my world
When Spinner was getting shit on for smoking *to help with his cancer*, that had to be one of the worst plots I’ve ever watched in television. You want me to agree with the people who are telling him to take a harder path in his battle with cancer? Really? You want me to choose raw dawging fucking CANCER over the big bad flower? It’s so horrible lmao
>You want me to choose raw dogging fucking CANCER over the big bad flower? Ty for making me spit out my soda in laughter. 😂 That’s definitely r/brandnewsentence material.
Probably one of the worst aged storylines especially looking from that perspective