A Guide to Starting Degrassi: Where to Begin
A very frequently asked question in the Degrassi fandom is where to start watching. It’s daunting to see a show with 14 seasons that is still going, and it’s natural to wonder where to jump in. You don’t think you want to start at the beginning because you want to jump in to what’s happening now…. but you also need to know how the current characters came to be. And you don’t want to be too lost amongst the hundreds of characters.
So where do you begin? I’ve compiled here a list of possible starting points. Read for yourself and decide where you want to jump in:
Degrassi Junior High Season 1
General info: Degrassi Junior High (DJH) was a show about a bunch of middle schoolers and it’s from the 80s, and was quite popular. It’s cheesy and sometimes badly acted, but it can be charming. A few of the kids on DJH ended up being on the current series as adults, with two being especially important: Spike and Simpson. At 13, Christine “Spike” Nelson gave birth to Emma, who would later be the star of TNG and the reason it was called the next generation. Spike and Emma are the reason our current series exists at all. And Archie “Snake” Simpson has been on this show for so long, and is now school’s principal.
Why you would start here: You definitely don’t need to watch this to understand the new series, and watching DJH isn’t necessary in the slightest. Any characters from DJH that continue onto the current series are explained thoroughly. You would only want to watch this show if you’re curious about Degrassi (and Emma’s) origins.
Why you wouldn’t start here: It’s the 80s, it’s cheesy, and it’s mostly a show for kids. Mostly.
Degrassi: The Next Generation Season 1
General info: An experimental reboot of the 80s show, Degrassi: The Next Generation (TNG) literally follows the next generation of students. Spike’s daughter Emma (who was born in DJH) is starting 7th grade, and the show introduces her and her classmates as well as the students in grade 8. This reboot turned into a huge hit, and all these years later we are still going.
Why you would start here: Season 1, is the best place to start, in my opinion. We are introduced to a lot of characters, some of which have become the most iconic in the series’ history: Emma, Manny, Liberty, JT, Paige, Spinner, and Sean. Season 1 is a little cheesy, but it’s pretty endearing. These original characters are so amazing, and are still among the series’ best. Perhaps more importantly, the next starting point isn’t until after the series’ “golden age”, so if you wait until after these kids have graduated, you’ll have missed the best this show has to offer. Plus, starting here ensures you haven’t missed anything important.
Why you wouldn’t start here: It’s daunting to start a show with so many seasons, and it’s scary to start here. Plus, the show isn’t in HD, has outdated technology, and the first season doesn’t hit any “heavy” issues… yet.
Degrassi: The Next Generation Season 8
General info: The Season 1 characters (i.e. Emma, Manny, Liberty) graduated at the end of the previous season, but the show is still following them in their first year of university and/or jobs. This season mainly focuses on a bunch of students that transferred to Degrassi in Season 7, some of which are amazing (i.e. Jane), and some of which continue to be very important until Season 11 (i.e. Holly J, Anya, Sav). The show also introduces a completely new group of grade nines for the first time ever, Clare, KC, Alli, and Connor, aka the Minor Niners.
Why you would start here: The Niners introduced here are extremely important for the series, and they spent a lot of time on the show, since they just graduated in the Season 14 finale. They are very compelling characters, and in order to understand their characters later on, you should see how they started.
Why you wouldn’t start here: You’ll have to fast forward through most of the graduates’ scenes because you’ll never understand them or care very much about them, having not seen them grow up. While most things are understandable, you’ll be starting in the middle of some characters’ (especially Jane’s) stories. And straight up, this season is terrible and mostly disregarded by the fandom. It’s boring and awful and very hard to like. Starting on it’s worst season ever will not hook you to this show.
General info: Starting Season 10, the show dropped the “The Next Generation” part of its name because it was no longer relevant. All of the remaining Season 1 characters (minus a couple teachers) left the show, and the format of the show was completely rebooted. It essentially became a new show, with a new, fresh feel and a huge wave of new characters, including more characters that would become some of the most memorable the series has to offer.
Why you would start here: Season 10 is actually fairly accessible to new viewers, which was probably their intention. None of the characters had been on the show longer than 3 seasons so far, so while you’re missing some of their character history, you aren’t missing an overwhelming amount. You can watch this season without being very confused about what you’re missing. This season starts the arcs of some of the series’ best characters, that you are sure to fall in love with. Plus, Season 10 is actually really good, with it arguably being the best season of the non-TNG years.
Why you wouldn’t start here: Again, you’re still past the golden years, and while you won’t be too confused, you’ll still be jumping into some characters’ stories as they start their senior year. You’re still missing stuff. And chances are, you’ll love the characters so much that you will wish you had seen when they started.
General info: A departure from what they normally do, Degrassi had the Season 10 seniors graduate in the middle of Season 11, and had the next school year start in the middle of the season with the episode “Underneath it All”. With the new school year, a new wave of grade nines entered. Zig, Maya, and Tristan are extremely important, and form the start of what is essentially the next generation, for lack of a better term.
Why you would start here: Maya, Zig, and Tristan’s generation is now the sole focus of the show going into Season 15, and their introductions are important. If you’re only watching so that you can be caught up enough to understand Season 15, this is where you would start. For Season 15, there won’t be a single character in it that was introduced before 11B, aside from teachers.
Why you wouldn’t start here: You’re literally starting in the middle of the season! And because the grade nines are still being introduced, they do not get a whole lot of screen time yet. The majority of the season’s focus is still on the grade 11s and 12s, all of whom have been on the show a long time and have very complex histories. You would have a very hard time following. Plus, if you start here, you’ll only get one and a half good seasons, because Seasons 13 and 14 were pretty bad.
That’s the guide! Let me know if you have any questions. My ask box is always open.