The Degrassi Franchise on the Teenage Experience

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From The Artifice:

The classic Canadian teen drama franchise has been on and off the air for the past thirty-seven years. One of the longest running scripted television series in history, Known for its slogan, “It Goes There,” the Degrassifranchise has tackled major topics in teenage culture, taboo (date rape, drug abuse, abortion) and overdone (crushes, first dates.) Created by executive producers Kit Hood and Linda Schuyler, the Degrassi universe started as after-school specials dealing with normal teen issues. As Ben Neihart wrote for New York Times Magazine, the kid characters of Degrassi “without much help from parents and teachers…try to figure out their lives, and kid viewers around the world second-guess them.” ¹{#return-note-111713-1.simple-footnote} Known for its casting of real teenagers as opposed to college-age actors in their twenties, the drama-filled franchise spoke to a generation of Canadians growing up – and around the world as well.

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