Degrassi: Whatever It Takes

Before viewers ever heard about a street called Degrassi (or De Grassi, as the actual street sign says), most young characters on TV fit a certain type. They were cheerful, smiling, and pretty much perfect unless they were learning a lesson in an Afterschool Special. But these were not the kids a Toronto teacher named Linda Schuyler and her then-partner Kit Hood wanted to put on screen when they began casting for the short films that eventually became The Kids of Degrassi Street (1979–1986), the first series in a decades-spanning franchise that changed teen TV forever.

Both a warm-hearted tribute to a pop culture institution and a clear-eyed look at its ups, downs, and flaws, Lisa Rideout’s documentary relates the Degrassi saga from the perspectives of its creators, writers, superfans, and, of course, its cast members.

It all makes for an engrossing history, one that celebrates the realistic take on adolescence that the franchise pioneered (especially when tackling divisive subjects like abortion) while also delving into thornier matters, like some actors’ misgivings about what the show demanded of them and how little they were compensated. Of course, its most famous alumni — Aubrey Drake Graham — is doing just fine judging by the scenes of him reminiscing about the years he spent playing Jimmy Brooks.

Regardless of whether you’re a Degrassi High devotee, a Next Generation fan or a newcomer to these iconic classrooms and hallways, you’ll have much to learn from Rideout’s engaging and insightful account of a uniquely Canadian phenomenon.

JASON ANDERSON

Content advisory: coarse language, mature themes