History Series / DegrassiHigh

''Degrassi High'': the immediate follow-up ''Series/DegrassiJuniorHigh'', which aired on Creator/{{CBC}} from November 6, 1989 to January 28, 1991 with a total of 28 episodes across 2 seasons in a DramaticHalfHour format.

''Degrassi High'': the immediate follow-up ''Series/DegrassiJuniorHigh'', which aired on Creator/{{CBC}} from November 6, 1989 to January 28, 1991 with a total of 28 episodes across 2 seasons.

Most of the episodes focused on the day-to-day problems of being a teen, such as bargaining for more freedom from your parents, preparing for life after graduation, and (especially) the perils and pitfalls of NoGoingSteady. Every few episodes, a monster problem would hit, like AIDS, a kid running away from home, and so on. However, the cast were such a DysfunctionJunction that the day-to-day episodes could feel almost as soap-opera and dramatic as the heavy-hitter ones. Without exception, every single storyline had a follow-up later.

Like the rest of the ''Degrassi'' franchise, the series was intended as a tool for teaching teens about "hot-button" issues like abortion and AIDS. In many ways, it serves as a bridge between the individual episode focus of ''Series/DegrassiJuniorHigh'' and the sprawling SoapOpera of ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration.'' But in spite of that, it was far more continuity-heavy than its successsors with its ThreeMonthRule and HeelFaceRevolvingDoor.

%%* BrotherChuck

The immediate sequel to ''Series/DegrassiJuniorHigh'', and the show that solidly transformed the ''Degrassi'' series into a full SoapOpera. This series lasted from November, 1989 to January, 1991. A total of 28 episodes in two seasons.

Like the rest of the ''Degrassi'' franchise, the series was intended as a tool for teaching teens about "hot-button" issues like abortion and AIDS. In many ways, it serves as a bridge between the individual episode focus of ''Series/DegrassiJuniorHigh'' and the sprawling SoapOpera of ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration.'' But in spite of that, it was far more continuity-heavy than ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration,'' with its ThreeMonthRule and HeelFaceRevolvingDoor.

The series ended with a GrandFinale movie, ''[[Film/DegrassiSchoolsOut School's Out]]'', which caused an outcry by going DarkerAndEdgier than anything ''Degrassi'' (or almost [[Series/BeverlyHills90210 any other]] [[Series/SavedByTheBell teen show]]) had done at the time, with tons of FanService (from actors who were real teenagers), drugs and alcohol, sex scenes, and characters turning very unpleasant (themes that teen dramas would later be DEFINED by, mind you). Most notable was using real cursing in a show that had never had it before -- one foul-mouthed line became an instant MemeticMutation. Like many DarkerAndEdgier shows, fans tend to either love it or hate it. (Of course, compared to ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration'' it feels almost quaint in a lot of ways -- and yet, still DarkerAndEdgier in others.)

The series was followed up with ''Series/DegrassiTalks'', a documentary special where ''Degrassi'' actors interviewed people for real stories of drug addiction, domestic abuse, etc. interspersed with relevant clips from the show.

%%* {{Jerkass}}: Dwayne's minions and later Wheels after his FaceHeelTurn.

* {{Narm}}: For how ahead of it's time the show actually was in dealing with these issues, this can happen quite frequently.
** Dwayne's kicking rampages in the bathroom after fighting Joey and drawing blood are hilarious since he can barely lift his legs.
** The ''Degrassi Talks'' theme song is catchy but very cheesy and sappy.

%%* TeenDrama

* TheUnfairSex: Joey and Caitlin both cheated on each other at different points. While Joey's affair with Tessa was rightfully viewed as him being in the wrong, Joey never discovers that Caitlin went out with Claude and kissed him at least once before their first relationship ended. This occurs in again in The Next Generation where Caitlin drunkenly makes out with Kevin Smith. Both times, Caitlin is portrayed sympathetically.

* PositiveDiscrimination: Averted -- even with three MagicalNegro characters, some of the most unpleasant characters on the show are minorities.

At its best, Degrassi High turned LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters into TrueCompanions with a bond so real you could taste it, and a school that felt more real than almost any other on TV. It still has a ton of die-hard fans who love it like ''Franchise/StarTrek'' fans love their continuity. At its worst, it could be frustrating stew of too many SpearCarrier characters and repetitive romantic subplots, made worse by regular RetCon. The most striking innovation of the show was that all characters had SoapOpera adventures even when the camera wasn't on them, and time visibly passed each episode -- which made everything fit together, but also meant a ton of SecondHandStorytelling.

* {{Irony}}: Wheels lost his parents to a drunk driver, [[spoiler: he ends up taking a life while driving intoxicated.]] more ironic being that in the episode Pa-arty Wheels [[spoiler: refuses to drink, saying the reason was that his parents died of drunk driver.]] Snake even LampShades this in "[[TheMovie School's Out]]".

* {{Irony}}: Wheels lost his parents to a drunk driver, [[spoiler: he ends up taking a life while driving intoxicated.]] Snake even LampShades this in "[[TheMovie School's Out]]".

* AdultFear: a curious example in that none of the people involved are technically adults. In "Crossed Wires" when Liz confides in Spike about being sexually abused as a child, Spike is quick to reassure her it wasn't her fault, as she was just a little kid. Her eyes and the camera then wander over to her toddler daughter Emma, [[ChildrenAreInnocent happily playing in a kiddy pool]]. Spike says nothing, but it's not hard to tell [[CouldThisHappenToYou what she's thinking]].[[note]]Much HarsherInHindsight after Emma is groomed online by a pedophile and subjected to AttemptedRape in the first episode of ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration''.[[/note]]

* DemotedToExtra: Arthur and Yick. Along with Stephanie Kaye and Joey, they were the main stars of ''Series/DegrassiJuniorHigh'' (especially in season 1), and were often involved in a subplot in every episode. But no longer cute little kids, they were relegated to minor background players in Degrassi High.

* ItIsPronouncedTroPay: Pretentious Claude insists on having his name pronounced in the same manner as "clone".

* BadassBeard: Scott the abusive boyfriend has one in his earliest appearance, although the guy isn't really a badass at all.

The series ended with a GrandFinale movie, ''[[Film/DegrassiSchoolsOut School's Out]]'', which caused an outcry by going DarkerAndEdgier than anything ''Degrassi'' (or almost any other teen show) had done at the time, with tons of FanService (from actors who were real teenagers), drugs and alchohol, sex scenes, and characters turning very unpleasant. Most notable was using real cursing in a show that had never had it before -- one foul-mouthed line became an instant MemeticMutation. Like many DarkerAndEdgier shows, fans tend to either love it or hate it. (Of course, compared to ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration'' it feels almost quaint in a lot of ways -- and yet, still DarkerAndEdgier in others.)

%%* ADayInTheLimeLight

* BadBadActing: Some of the teenage cast fall susceptible to this because they weren't experienced actors. This is also a reason some newer fans tend to write off the older Degrassi.

* CrapsackWorld: At the end of the day, Degrassi seems like a high school you would actually want to avoid.

%%* SlumberParty

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Patrick is pretty much nowhere to be seen after he chews out Spike in the library. Shane (in his brain damages state) is only seen in one episode, with no resolution to his story until ''Next Generation''.

%%* WildTeenParty

The series was followed up with ''Degrassi Talks'', a documentary special where ''Degrassi'' actors interviewed people for real stories of drug addiction, domestic abuse, etc. interspersed with relevant clips from the show.

* SpoilerOpening: The credits spoil a few things; far worse is the decision to put the ''Series/Degrassi Talks'' episodes on the ''Series/DegrassiJuniorHigh'' [=DVDs=], making it impossible to watch them in the order you see the discs without spoiling the biggest surprises.

* PrecisionFStrike: The F-word is used ''twice'' in near-succession during the climax of "[[TheMovie School's Out]]". Extremely jarring in that the show hardly ever used even ''mild'' swearing. Notable in that it's the first use of the f-word on Canadian television.
* ProductPlacement: Lots of appearances by Pepsi and Quaker Oats: including a character who almost always seemed to have a box of Dipps granola bars.

The series ended with a GrandFinale movie, ''School's Out'', which caused an outcry by going DarkerAndEdgier than anything ''Degrassi'' (or almost any other teen show) had done at the time, with tons of FanService (from actors who were real teenagers), drugs and alchohol, sex scenes, and characters turning very unpleasant. Most notable was using real cursing in a show that had never had it before -- one foul-mouthed line became an instant MemeticMutation. Like many DarkerAndEdgier shows, fans tend to either love it or hate it. (Of course, compared to ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration'' it feels almost quaint in a lot of ways -- and yet, still DarkerAndEdgier in others.)

* VariationsOnAThemeSong: The theme song for here is more or less the same as ''Degrassi Junior High'', shifted two keys below and with a new set of lyrics.

[[quoteright:247:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/degrassi_high.jpg]]

%%* BadassBeard: Scott the abusive boyfriend
%%* BadBadActing

* DomesticAbuse: Scott, Kathleen's boyfriend, both verbally and physically, especially involving a play. Melanie unwittingly stumbles across one of the more physical instances.

* FanDisservice: Joey, who is short and scrawny, gets two separate shots of his naked butt.

%%* FanService: In ''School's Out''.

* FormerChildStar: RealLife example: of the show's actors who stayed in acting, most were hopelessly type-cast. A few of them even ended up playing the same characters on ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration''; although this would likely fall under CastingGag. Luckily, with the exception of Neil Hope, none of them really went down a destructive path.

* LoonyFan: RealLife example: Sara Ballingall, who played Melanie, was stalked for ''six years'' by a crazed Australian fan who kept an armory in his house and ran a Degrassi fansite. Ballingall is nowhere to be found at any fan events or conventions.

%%* ThoseTwoGuys: Amy and Allison.

* BreakTheHaughty: Dwayne. Poor, poor Dwayne. Turns into a bully.

* TheBully: Dwayne (initially) and his minions, Nick and Tabi, although they are mostly only shown bullying Joey and a bunch of non-notable background characters most of the time.

* FormerChildStar: RealLife example: of the show's actors who stayed in acting, most were hopelessly type-cast. A few of them even ended up playing the same characters on ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration''; although this would likely fall under CastingGag.

* AscendedExtra: Maya, Michelle, Diana, Alex, Dwayne and Tessa. All of them were minor or background characters in ''Series/DegrassiJuniorHigh''.

%%* BreakTheHaughty: Dwayne. Poor, poor Dwayne.
%%* BrokenBird: Liz.

%%* TheBully: Dwayne (initially) and his minions, Nick and Tabi.

%%* DirtyCoward: Claude.

%%* DomesticAbuse: Scott, Kathleen's boyfriend.

* FunnyBackgroundEvent: While Joey and Caitlin are sharing an emotional moment at the talented show, Wheels is dancing in the background in his Mexican outfit (complete with a huge sombrero covering his head).

* LoonyFan: RealLife example: Sara Ballingall, who played Melanie, was stalked for ''six years'' by a crazed Australian fan who kept an armory in his house.
%%* LoveTriangle: Joey, Caitlin, and Claude were the main one.

* {{Narm}}: Dwayne's kicking rampages are hilarious since he can barely lift his legs, and the ''Degrassi Talks'' theme song has a very 1980s sort of cheesiness to it; also done in-universe with one of Lucy's videos.

* ProductPlacement: Lots of appearances by Pepsi and Quaker Oats: including a character who almost always seemed to have a box of Dipps granola bars..

* SpoilerOpening: The credits spoil a few things; far worse is the decision to put the ''Degrassi Talks'' episodes on the ''Series/DegrassiJuniorHigh'' [=DVDs=], making it impossible to watch them in the order you see the discs without spoiling the biggest surprises.

* TerribleTrio: Dwayne, Tabi, and Nick.
%%* TookALevelInJerkass: Wheels and, to a lesser extent, Yick.
%%** Joey in TheMovie.
%%* TookALevelInKindness: Kathleen.

At its best, ''Series/DegrassiHigh'' turned LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters into TrueCompanions with a bond so real you could taste it, and a school that felt more real than almost any other on TV. It still has a ton of die-hard fans who love it like ''Franchise/StarTrek'' fans love their continuity. At its worst, it could be frustrating stew of too many SpearCarrier characters and repetitive romantic subplots, made worse by regular RetCon. The most striking innovation of the show was that all characters had SoapOpera adventures even when the camera wasn't on them, and time visibly passed each episode -- which made everything fit together, but also meant a ton of SecondHandStorytelling.

The series ended with a GrandFinale movie, ''School's Out,'' which caused an outcry by going DarkerAndEdgier than anything ''Degrassi'' (or almost any other teen show) had done at the time, with tons of FanService (from actors who were real teenagers), drugs and alchohol, sex scenes, and characters turning very unpleasant. Most notable was using real cursing in a show that had never had it before -- one foul-mouthed line became an instant MemeticMutation. Like many DarkerAndEdgier shows, fans tend to either love it or hate it. (Of course, compared to ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration'' it feels almost quaint in a lot of ways -- and yet, still DarkerAndEdgier in others.)

The series was followed up with ''Degrassi Talks,'' a documentary special where ''Degrassi'' actors interviewed people for real stories of drug addiction, domestic abuse, etc. interspersed with relevant clips from ''Series/DegrassiHigh.''

* DemotedToExtra: Arthur and Yick. Along with Stephanie Kaye and Joey, they were the main stars of ''Series/DegrassiJuniorHigh'' (especially in season 1), and were often involved in a subplot in every episode. But no longer cute little kids, they were relegated to minor background players in ''Series/DegrassiHigh''.
** Melanie. She has even less screen time than Yick and Arthur in ''Series/DegrassiHigh''.

%%* DomesticAbuser: Scott, Kathleen's boyfriend.

* StarCrossedLovers: Joey and Caitlin -- arguably one of the best examples to ever come out of a TeenDrama series.

* TerribleTrio: Dwayne, Tabi, and Nick. A huge dose of suspension of disbelief was needed to believe this very non-threatening looking trio could be Degrassi's top bullies.