Degrassi originated in Canada over 30 years ago. Degrassi, in Canada, has always been a very popular show for the past 30 years, but ever since season 10, Degrassi: The Next Generation, the popular show began airing in the United States. Originally, the show played on The N, which later became known as Teen Nick.

Degrassi’s plot has always been centered on the students that attend Degrassi High. The show centers itself around the drama that frequently occurs at Degrassi High. The drama is always very edgy and very unpredictable. Like most teen shows, it portrays the many varieties of obstacles high school teens tend to face. The difference between Degrassi and other teen shows is how real the issues presented are. Most teen shows have a lot of “fluff”, or “non-realistic” scenarios on their shows, but Degrassi really hits on the reality of an average teen’s life. Degrassi shows issues as small as cheating on a test and getting caught, to issues that happen every day in real life, but are very drastic, such as dealing with rape. This show does an amazing job at getting rid of the “fluff” and really hitting home. The makers of Degrassi really captured what it’s like to be a teen in a small public high school where everyone knows everyone and anything that happens gets around real fast.

I have always watched this show whenever there was nothing on, but ever since 2008, I’ve started having more appreciation for the show and began watching it all the time. At first, when I started watching Degrassi, it was just another teen drama. I was only in middle school at the time and I guess I just couldn’t really relate to anything that was happening. When I started high school, and The N became Teennick, I became exposed to the show once more and decided I would try it out again. This time everything changed. All of sudden I could feel the same things the characters were feeling. I could relate to practically everything that was happening, and if I couldn’t relate, the show kept me on the edge of my sofa. Everything had the perfect balance of drama and reality. It just felt so real. Degrassi can make you feel a variety of feelings all in one episode to the point where that one-hour goes by so fast, and you’re anxious for the next episode.

I think Degrassi is a good show for high school teens to watch. They show real life issues that teens face every day. Though it may be a teen drama and dramas are typically for girls, Degrassi balances an action element and mystery element in most of their shows to appeal to a male audience as well, and I think they do a successful job. I think male and female teens would find this show interesting, relatable, and just a nice way to escape from high school stress. Not only does Degrassi present every day real-life issues in their shows but they also undertone their shows by showing the consequences of drugs, alcohol, cheating and so forth. I think indirectly they try to show teens that even though we feel invincible and that sometimes we do stupid stuff, we have to be more careful of our actions and think before we do something; otherwise this is what could happen.