Do you ever talk to someone and think, I think this person and I have to be related somehow? Well, that happened when I connected with fellow podcaster and host of ‘Totally Ranked’ and ‘People Don’t Forget,’ Scott Grimes. We’re both mixed, grew up immersed in the emo scene, and have a love affair with a particular genre of television. If you know me, then you know we’re talking all about teen TV this week as it is Scott Grimes’ TV genre crush…what shows we dove into, we’ll get there later this week because we have to talk about a show I’ve watched since I was a weird little freshman in high school, ‘Degrassi.’
For those who’ve been around these parts, you already know that ‘Degrassi’ is near and dear to my heart as we’ve explored the show with YouTuber Meshia. She had a handful of crushes from the show, and yes, I have my own but this week we’re talking about the entirety of the genre of teen television, and with that, I’m going to talk more about the show as a whole because it’s what it deserves.
‘Degrassi’ has been with me since I was in high school and while I said to Scott, and often to anyone that’ll listen to me ramble about the show, I would loathe the new characters but within a week or so, I was completely obsessed. I think that’s the main factor of why this show was able to continue for as long as it did, and very well could’ve been a hit if HBO didn’t want to twist a knife in the backs of fans who’d been eagerly waiting to see what the cable network would do when given the reins to a show that already went above and beyond with their storylines.
So yes, it’s the characters that always managed to pull me in as the same sort of tropes were always set into place with popular kids and not-so-popular kids, but they always managed to find ways to make the characters feel fresh. Emma and Clare had a lot of similarities as did their BFFs Manny and Alli, but ‘Degrassi’ never wrote characters to be carbon copies of their predecessors…Yes, their foundations were alike but their journey through school always felt individualistic.
Crafting characters I could easily be enamored with was one thing, but what else ‘Degrassi’ never failed to do was hit me with the best drama out there. Yes, it could get a little…wild, I mean, the penis pump? But there had to be some comedic charm to balance out the heavier topics like school shootings, sexual assault, suicide, drug addiction, racism, and well – a lot. There is only one topic I can think of that the show hasn’t touched upon and I hope it never does. Shoot me a DM or comment to see if we’re on the same page with that.
Anyways, great characters and well-done storylines that always come with a dash of hilarity, these are the core reasons ‘Degrassi’ is forever a favorite of mine. It’s also the reason that if they made a new chapter of the series when I was in my 70s, I’d tune right the fuck in and be as enthralled with the storytelling as I was in 2001.
Crushgasm 
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