Degrassi Deep Dives: The Next Generation (Part 1) 

I just got off a hyperfixation of Degrassi but I suppose I can get back into it just this once

Sean knowing that JT and Toby couldn’t handle it and switching the pills is one of my favorite things in Degrassi

I remember seeing season 1 as a teen after jumping in late to the degrassi bandwagon (the shark in the water ad on teen Nick really was a turning point for the series finding new fans lol) and feeling like Ashley doing E at her party was the first likeable thing she did

2001: don’t talk to strangers online 2021: gets literal rides from strangers regularly 🤣

DIsagree. Sean plays a very important role by breaking the class barrier - similar to the character Shawn in Boy Meets World. Alex would later (much later) become a main character, but for the majority of TNG's run, there is not a single Degrassi student in the main cast dealing with poverty and not being raised by their natural parents. Even Craig who probably had the most disturbing home life did not live in poverty.

Honestly… emma is my problematic fave. Like yes she’s messy but she’s so fun to me lmao

“Paige being not a homophobe” understatement of the year

That deleted Jiberty moment in season 1 just fucked me all the way up. How have I never seen that?

I think "YOU'RE JUST JEALOUS!" is pretty much manny's catch phrase. I'm on like season 8 of my second rewatch and she's def yelled it at someone at least 3 times so far.

Take a drink every time Liberty says her full name

I don’t know whatever happened to Ashley Kerwin in real life, but I was a huge fan of Degrassi the next generation in the early and mid 2000‘s. I am now in my 40s, as a Canadian I grew up watching the original Degrassi. I could not resist watching the next generation even though I was fully an adult when it came out. One day I was in Niagara Falls with my friends and we were at a steakhouse that also had live music. I heard somebody singing and turned around to see who it was because the voice sounded familiar. And and! There she was. Ashley from degrassi. Me being Drunk at the time and star struck at seeing a degrassi star, I ecstatically screamed oh my God it’s Ashley from Degrassi! She was not impressed. She was very embarrassed and resisted my urge for her to come over to my table so I can take a picture of her. I hope I didn’t embarrass her too bad.

You’re definitely correct about Terry putting the blame on Emma for the rumor. Emma was asking, Terry is deliberately hiding around a corner to ease drop and spreads a rumor even though what she heard were mostly questions.

I always linked the thing with Jimmy’s parents being busy with him wanting to be sooo good at basketball. Like if he was this great player, they’d come to his games to see him and spend time with him more. And I think that sorta happens overtime, hell in early Season 4 Jimmy said he went to a basketball camp with college scouts actually looking at him. It all kinda comes crashing down later of course, but they kind of link it back when Jimmy mentions to his dad that his dad wants to “bring the old Jimmy back, the star player, the athlete” ie..the Jimmy that his parents actually felt worth spending time for.

Growing up gay and latino in north Texas, Marco was the first character I ever saw in media that looked like me. It wasn’t until I started rewatching the show this past year that I realized he was meant to be Italian- Canadian lol back in 2001 the only place you could watch Degrassi in the states was through a premium cable network called Noggin that was later rebranded as the N. For a then 11 year old this show helped me so much in my formative years. Great video!

I posted this on another Degrassi video, but I think its still relevant: “I watched this show from like, 2001 to 2013 as I was growing up. And while I get it has its cringe, dumb moments, it means a lot to me as a white person from the south. Introducing me to a lot of topics and problems in society I wouldn’t have known about. Like, Marco was my introduction into being sympathetic to the issues gay people deal with and I give that as one of my reasons I’m a leftist now. And I had almost zero idea what a trans person was (when I was a teen) until I watched Degrassi. I get that he probably shouldn’t have played by a cis woman. But even including him at all was a huge step in the early 2010s. It opened my mind a lot to what I otherwise would have only had a passing understanding on.”

Thanks for talking about the Sean Cameron theme. I noticed it in almost every scene he is in

It's been a while since I've seen the first season, but Paige's "I was only trying to help" is just so sweet and heartbreaking

ok i have dyscalculia and i feel like not many people know about it let alone talk about it (same goes for dysgraphia) so the fact that degrassi touched on both of those is really fucking cool

My head canon is that Ashley's E experience was also a placebo effect because JT's shady cousin sold him fake E to take advantage of JT's naiveté. I mean Joey did it in Degrassi Junior High to Kathleen and Melanie.

I remember when this show came out in the U.S (I'm assuming the first time was on the N) I was 12, I think. I quickly became obsessed. I was talking to my uncle at Christmas that year and he asked what I was reading/watching and I said Degrassi. He was like "from the 80s?!" And thats when I learned that it was a continuation and that Snake, Spike and Joey were from the OG 🤣🤣 My little brain was blown 🤯

RIP to the days when TV shows touched on real issues. I think that we all related to at least one character and their struggles.

I’m just glad that other “grown” people rewatch degrassi like me lol

emma's pants! how could you forget to mention the dolphin pants in your fashion segment 😂😂😂 oh early 2000s my 31 year old self still loves thee

Gosh, this series raised me. I started watching around the "Every Degrassi Ever" marathon to promote s5 (around 2006) because my mom had said I was too young for it when it first started airing, lol. I was 6 when s1 came out, so. I've since seen every episode many many times, but the original cast of TNG has my heart forever. Also, the idea of Ash somehow being even more unlikeable than her final character sounds horrific. She wasn't too bad in s1, even a little relatable, but by s3 I couldn't really deal. Loved this video! I could talk about Degrassi until I'm blue in the face, and it is, in fact, a common topic between my dad and I, because I made him watch eeeeeevery episode with me from 2008 and onwards, and even he loves it 😂

My Season 1 Rankings: 13. Liberty 12. Ashley 11. Hazel 10. Spinner 9. Jimmy 8. Emma 7. Toby 6. Snake 5. Manny 4. Sean 3. Terri 2. J.T. 1. Paige

When you've rewatched Degrassi so many times you can literally hear the audio on the clips being played in the background 💀another great Degrassi video! I love that you touched on the background music - those emotional stings are so nostalgic for me and I've always wished they were released somewhere to listen to! I cannot wait for your video on S2+3, when the show really gets its legs.

My sophomore year of high school I got my tonsils removed. This resulted in like the most depressing 2 weeks of my life because I literally could not sleep for more than 30 minutes at a time AND was on a pain medication that was like liquid vicodin benadryl mix. So, I was an absolute mess to say the least and cried all the time. In my sleepless depression is when I came across Degrassi for the first time. Instantly fell in love with Degrassi and the shows on The N in general were my company every night for those 2 weeks. I remember every day after that watching Little Bear waiting for Noggin to switch over to The N. On the fashion: halfway through season 2 I realized wardrobe invested in one single plus size skirt for Terri. Any time she is in a skirt it's the same one from Eye of the Beholder. Rumors & Reputations really ticks me off. Emma and Manny are 7th graders trying to comprehend an inappropriate exchange Emma witnessed between Armstrong and Liberty. Idc what issue Liberty had, still was no excuse for Armstrong to have his arm around her. I had the same uncomfortable and grossed out feeling with the "moral" of the episode in my recent rewatch.

In a lot of ways i see sean similar to spinner. Like counterparts +Behavior issues +Both have been held back a grade +Theyre both kinda lonely and sometimes take the backseat.

I've watched seasons 1 - 7 so many times, I've lost count. The first season of Degrassi is so special. You literally covered everything from this season. I never thought to compare JT and Toby's friendship to Joey and Snake. Now, I have this new appreciation for those friendships. I love Emma for all the reasons people dislike her. She causes a lot of drama on the show and without her we wouldn't get that drama. Rumours and Reputations has to be my favourite episode from season 1. The way the rumour of Liberty and Mr. Armstrong had changed from person to person had my jaw to the floor the first time I watched it. Terri's my favourite character from season 1. I think she's the most relatable and likeable character. Looking forward to your thoughts on the rest of the series!

I love how you mentioned your girlfriend in the first degrassi videos and now she’s your wife

Terry really is so pretty. I wish they used her more while she was on the show. She’s doing great now tho - still modeling and posts a lot on Instagram.

My history with Degrassi TNG was kind of strange. From 2010-2013, I watched reruns of old shows I liked on teen nick, and I would see degrassi promos all the time, including the shark in the water and school pictures promo. I was scared off from watching the show when the TV guide said that the episodes premiering were season 10 onwards, and I was a kid and not internet savvy at the time, so streaming tv shows online wasn’t something I knew I could do. The amandabb degrassi videos finally convinced me to try and binge the show. I’m slowly making my way through and I’m currently on season 9, which is exciting because there’s only one more season before I see the episodes that I saw all those promos for. Despite it being a long time ago, there were a few plot teasers in the commercials that stuck out to me and I still remember them today.

I get that the whole point of the "Rumors and Reputations" episode is to show how easily gossip can spread. But I have always hated how Emma is blamed for the whole thing. Teri was wrong for eavesdropping and then repeating what she heard to someone else. She should have gone to Emma privately if she was really that concerned. I remember being really annoyed because I liked Teri a lot, and this episode made me dislike her.

i'm actually shook at how many parallels i just didn't catch between the og characters and the next generation, like stephanie kay/ ashley in hindsight is obvious but i lost my shit lol

Sean’s older brother is played by Kris Holden-Reid. I cant believe i never noticed. I liked him in the show Lost Girl.

I remember seeing the commercials on Teen Nick c. 2010-2012--Watching it for the first time as an adult, I asked myself 'Why didn't I watch this as a teenager?' and remember that was 'It Went There Degrassi'

As someone who watched this show from the beginning to end (including Next Class) I still think although it may have its moments where I was like, "oh lord this is getting cringy or preachy (in regards to their stance on marijuana)," that it meant a lot introducing things that a lot of other shows would make more dramatic. Also, I laughed at your apology about Emma, I get it. When I did my rewatch I found characters that I absolutely loved (especially in s10-14) I didn't like them as much or ships that I thought were great were actually overall meh to me. Keep up the great work! PS. I died about your mention of Ashley considering someone recently made a video about her being the worst for 10 minutes lmao

I was actually kind of surprised that Ashley didn't get the eating disorder storyline.

I’m excited to see you break down seasons 10-14. Especially Eli and Drew

1. Yes more pics of high school you for the lols 2. Your wife is smart and I think the Jimmy reveal was probably what was up. 3. I love this series! Please more. 4. Toby was one of my favorite characters.

Can't believe the time and dedication that you're putting into this series. Thank you for blessing us, queen. I definitely would have quit by now and moved onto something else but I'm absolutely loving this deep dive into the show that apparently shaped me more than I remembered

Missing these Kat! Hope all is well and can’t wait to see you come back with part 4

So...maybe it's a stretch but after the episode with Terri and Paige and the whole "mystic Oracle"...bad things happen to both of them with Terri being with Rick and getting put into a coma and Paige being assaulted by Dean. In alternative universes, if Terri and Paige didn't go through with the performance, do you think those bad things would have still happened? Idk just something I noticed.

I like Emma just from the episode with how she handles her dad when she finds out about him

It’s crazy how there’s not a lot of in depth videos about TNG on RU-vid

The fact this doesn’t have more likes is a crime! I’m literally looking forward to waking up tomorrow just to watch part 2

not me binging your last two videos abt junior high and degrassi high and popping in and you JUST posting Next Gen today hahahahaha

toronto resident here: cowboys are lacking within toronto itself but once you get a bit out of the city there's a good number of em :)

YOU HAVE BLESSED US WITH CONTENT QUEEN

Underrated plot point: Emma and Liberty had a bonding moment ‘cause there’s an argument Emma is the perfectionist/self-righteous one with that Armstrong episode. We see them clash many times but nice to see them on the same page for a change.

kat, you’re keeping my love for degrassi alive while i crawl through seasons 9 & 10 (the characters just aren’t my fav-sorry people!). i can’t wait to finish the series so i can rewatch it.

Ppl don't remember but when Drake was like 14 he used to be on degrassi commercials talking about how he was gonna be a famous rapper.... Dang... He was right. But it's a lil crazy to see someone just demand they can have that and then it happens...

I came into Degrassi late, saw the Shark In The Water promo on TeenNick and was intrigued, so going back and watching Season 1 has always been hard for me. Season 3 is really when DNG became DNG in my opinion.

I hope you’re going to continue this series. I’m rewatching the show and I’m really enjoying your recaps and commentary. Even if you don’t thank you for this content. 😁

Thank you for reminding me of why I love Sean and how he was so slept on

I could talk about DTNG for a long time man. It has such a special place in my heart! I watched it religiously when it aired and have rewatched it multiple times. I was around 10-11 when I first watched it and it taught me about sooooo many topics I otherwise may have been ignorant about due to my upbringing, and also taught me empathy. As corny as it could be, I adore it so much ❤❤

i agree that degrassi lost something when they went all serious. they got it back sometime toward the end, but for a while they lost it. i don't necessarily think it's worse, but it's definitely different

I always found jt and Toby to be the modernized Yick and Arthur rather than Snake and Joey

Petz AND Degrassi: TNG? Girl, these vids are giving me so much nostalgia. I feel like I’m wrapped in a warm fuzzy blanket. So happy I found your channel! You’re awesome. Thank you so much for this amazing blast from the past! 💜💫

The "Canada doesn't have Juniors and Seniors" isn't true as it's a regional thing. Some schools use it while others don't. Other degrassi videos have people confused as to how Alex was still at school even though she technically finished grade 12. We have Grade twelve B. Which is basically a catch up year used for those who want to upgrade their marks, get more classes in for their required major, or, they failed to get all the credits they needed in grade 12.

I agree that there is too much hate toward Emma. She has a lot of class but she is genuinely sweet and caring.

I can’t tell you how much I LIVE for this series oh my god. I was in first or second grade watching Degrassi here and there when I could sneak it I felt so grown up and I rediscovered it as I got older and my class was the Class of 2013 same graduating year as me and I adored it so that’s what I’m waiting for the most omg - I need to see you talk about my baby boy Drew and my sweet Bianca and my problematic faves Eli and Clare and everything ❤️❤️❤️

spinner showing up to ashley's party with a watermelon is so funny it's cute😭

i remember when it came on noggin that was the start of it all for me!

I was too young for original degrassi and too old the the next generation. But I loved both versions!

coming back again to say that anything about canada reminds me of tory lanez yelling out "Canada!" after his rap verse in Whats Poppin by Jack Harlow. Catches you off guard and you'll never be able to unhear it now 😂

Rewatching Degrassi now, I see Liberty as very neurodivergent-coded and I love watching her through that lens.

the way u started my hyperfixation of degrassi snd feeding me well, ur my icon 🙌

omg I'm so glad you brought up the motifs in the show!!! every time i hear the little guitar riffs Degrassi has come to be known for, it almost makes me tear up with nostalgia. incredible musical motifs on this show.

You mention JT's hair but are we just gonna ignore the fact that he looks like Jamie Lee Curtis in Freaky Friday when Anna in her mom's body gets her hair cut

Oh boy, the crimped hair. This is the fashion I grew up with.

I HAVE BEEN EXCITED FOR THIS SINCE WATCHING UR OTHER DEGRASSI VIDEOS ! your other 2 videos + jane mulcahy's one got me into this franchise. im now on season 7 of the next generation. thank you :)

Thank you for keeping my nights content filled! I shared this on the degrassi subreddit

The Canadian accents were so much thicker even just 20 years ago (and I think my sister had that same green turtleneck sweater as emma haha). I was from the GTA and was just a couple years younger than the TNG kids. It's weird tho, because I had watched the old school degrassi and found TNG cheesy at the time but appreciate it more now.

I discovered this show in middle school around '07. I mainly remember it for being background fodder or airing over night while I was sleep. I distinctly remember the season 7 commercials, specifically the one where Spinner was in remission. It would come on after Kenan and Kel, but I never bothered to watch the entire series although I was able to recognize Drake when he came on to the scene in '09. Also, I thought the actress that played Manny was pretty. It wasn't until September where I decided to get a peak at the show which led to me binging S1-S7. And when I say this series is goated amongst our generation. I mean this show makes Euphoria seem inadequate in regards to how they represent high school in the media. Very slept on show🔥🔥🔥

so glad this showed up in my Recs, i freakin' love Degrassi

i literally just rewatched the degrassi high series yesterday

Omg that ankle roll made me wince 😭that was way too realistic

YES i wanted one of these videos for degrassi for so long but i could never find one its been my main hyperfixation for like 5 years 😂

35:22 I'm totally stealing "on pape" as my new catch phrase

This video was excellent. Made me really nostalgic for the old days of degrassi. I’ve gone back to it every now and then binging through seasons of it from time to time. It’s such an important part of my formative years. I cannot wait for your next video. In the meantime I’ll watch your videos based on the older degrassi stuff. I never got around to watching that as much. Occasionally I’d see an episode or two on The N and be wowed by seeing the adults of TNG as kids and main characters lol. Also in high school I had a health teacher that would occasionally show old taped episodes of Degrassi High in his class, so sometimes I’d watch episodes of it in school. But anyway, great job on the video and I’m definitely looking forward to more

I've been so excited to see you cover more Degrassi after watching your first two videos on the series. I only barely remember seeing promos for the series on the N, so I don't have much, if any, first hand experience with Degrassi, but hearing your rundowns of characters and the event of each season is so interesting and fun. You sound so passionate and excited to talk about Degrassi and I'm excited to watch your next video whenever it comes out. As a side note, I'm still shocked to learn that Drake isn't his real name. I genuinely have only heard of him as Drake and assumed that was his real name for years.

this video FUCKS! thanks for making these series. never watched degrassi but im so fascinated by your hot takes and discussion of it i really hope you get more attention for these cause theyre just. [chefs kiss]

I found your Degrassi Jr High and High videos earlier this week and I was sad to see you hadn't released your TNG video yet and here it is!! That was great timing. I could seriously listen to you talk about Degrassi all day. I love your videos!

Another great video from you! The first thing I did when I got the notification was share it with my best friend, who I’ve been getting to watch as well! I’m also a Liberty stan, she was the character I latched onto watching the show as the young “weird” kid in my own grade. As for what I’d really like to see you cover is Dylan, Paige’s brother. I have mixed feelings on him as a a character. I’m particularly eager to hear your thoughts on his actions once he becomes relevant.

This is perfect to be going through all of this as we are finally getting new Degrassi. Hopefully you can do a video about what you would want to see from the new series

Every time someone does a Degrassi Analysis I’m genuinely afraid it’s not going to be someone that loves Degrassi like I did. I genuinely feel like I went to school at Degrassi just as much my own JJ/HH school. I’m genuinely so satisfied with your way of analysis with criticism and love (I paused to make my comment at 44:59 because I was afraid nobody would be willing to roast the fashion choices of this season because Emma’s Dolphin pants live in my nightmares.) if you need any editing or fact checking assistance with the rest of this series I volunteer my less than professional services because you honestly write these just like I would and I’m so excited for when you get to tackle every other part in this series.

Thank for explaining several episodes in this video for me I was too young when it came out but I feel nostalgic knowing about the show

Oh hell yeah it's time for another fascinating deep dive into a show I never watched and am no longer in the target demographic for, i am READY (i should clarify I mean this with complete sincerity, it's really clear in every video how much you care about the show and the subjects it tackles and that's really watch makes these videos so wonderful. People are at their most interesting when they're talking about something they genuinely are invested in, and I like nothing more than learning about something I know nothing about from someone who cares deeply about the subject matter).

thank you!! I can't wait until the next video for the next gen. It's kind of crazy because I have been looking for way more Degrassi content like this recently since I binged Degrassi.

My first episode was Degradsi Jr High when i was in 6th grade. It was on our local PBS station in Memphis...since then...i have seen EVERY episode

That Shawn menstruation scene is what triggered my crush on him weirdly enough. 🤣 Boys his age, when I was his age, were super immature about topics like that.

I LOVE Ggassi:TNG So much. So many beautiful, sweet memories of my time in high shool watching on The N every new episode on Friday nights from 2004 to 2009 💙*sigh*

Ahhh… Degrassi… I have so many feelings about this show. It’s weird because I watched it on the N at a very young age at like 4 or 5 and kept it up until Emma, Manny, and Liberty went to college. I don’t know what I was thinking watching this show so young. The fact that at 23 years old I still remember specific scenes I watched from this show at 5 is kinda funny too.Things that I knew nothing about would just play before my eyes and I never really understood what most of it meant until I got older and really started to think about it. I swear watching this show when I did taught me what not to do when I got older half of the time. Not that the characters always did horrible things, because they didn’t, but I guess seeing them make the mistakes they did helped me to better think about the consequences of my actions.The first two seasons really affect me the most for some reason. Perhaps because my middle school experiences were so… weird that I relate to that time period more? I don’t know but I find it really hard to watch those episodes even though it’s probably my favorite era of the series.

First of all, I love love love that you’re making these videos!! Came across your BSC one and have been watching since then. My thoughts on Ashley’s parents comment on Jimmy’s parents not being around, if they’ve been dating for 8 months I would think her parents know what Jimmy’s parents do for a living, and therefore that comment would be based on them speculating that his parents are maybe more focused on work and wealth than they are on their son. If he’s always over there he’s probably lacking attention at home. That’s my take, anyway. Looking forward to seeing more about degrassi!!

This series is so interesting! As someone who only started watching degrassi tng at around season 8, I'm really excited to see you cover the later seasons!

Omg, mentioning Channel One unlocked a core memory. We had it all through high school in Arkansas. I used to be secretly relieved on Channel One mornings because I could put on makeup in class.

Love this series. I'm not sure how much you can talk about it, but as an American, I want to hear whatever you can about the American broadcast of the show. For example, let me say: BACK OFF, I'LL TAKE YOU OOOONN. HEADSTRONG, I'LL TAKE ON ANYONE.

I can’t wait for the next videos! I watched every episode of Degrassi beginning in April 2020 to August 2021 and I actually miss watching it.

I will continue to watch any and all Degrassi videos you upload. Great work as always!