Line #42 Series/DegrassiJuniorHigh


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8	-> ''"I've often tried to figure out why I liked it so much. [...] I think it had something to do with high school in general, a time that - until Clerks took off - I assumed were the the best years of my life. The show calls to mind an era when one's largest crises were wondering when you were finally going to get to third with a girl, or the possibility of a shitty grade in gym."''
9	-->--'''Creator/KevinSmith''', [[https://www.viewaskew.com/details/nov96/ 1996]]
10
11	''Degrassi Junior High'': the second series in the ''Franchise/{{Degrassi}}'' franchise and the one that put the Degrassi name on the map for good. It aired on Creator/{{CBC}} from January 18, 1987 to February 27, 1989, in a DramaticHalfHour format; with a total of forty-two episodes in three seasons, before being continued with ''Series/DegrassiHigh'' from November 1989. Although it remains largely obscure in comparison to its contemporaries and [[Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration especially its 2000s revival/continuation]], it is still regarded as having been extremely influential on most of the better-known and more mainstream teen television that came in its wake, to the point where many believe it to be the TropeMaker of the modern TeenDrama genre, instead of the commonly cited ''Series/BeverlyHills90210''.
12
13	The show was conceived by Kit Hood and Linda Schuyler in the [[TheEighties mid-Eighties]] as the next step from their successful children's series ''Series/TheKidsOfDegrassiStreet''. Having tackled pre-adolescent issues for the past seven years with that series, and concluding that television shows specifically aimed at the teenage demographic were few and far between, Hood and Schuyler sought to create a show that would be authentic, informative, and entertaining without resorting to the ham-fisted and {{Anvilicious}} nature of most American-produced media. Unlike ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'', ''Degrassi Junior High'' is known for its ramshackle production values, its AmateurCast who wore their own clothes on screen ([[CommonKnowledge sort of]]),[[note]]It is commonly believed that the cast wore their own clothes. However, most of the wardrobe was acquired from a Value Village across the street from the production company office, and cast members were told to wear certain colors for technical reasons[[/note]] and the fact it was entirely shot on-location in real streets, houses, and public establishments recognizable to Torontonians. While the show is said to follow a rotating "repertory company" model, a "core group" of characters are established over time. Among these are Joey Jeremiah (Creator/PatMastroianni), an immature slacker, Christine "Spike" Nelson (Creator/AmandaStepto), a punk-dressed girl who becomes a [[TeenPregnancy teenage mother]], Caitlin Ryan (Creator/StacieMistysyn), a high-achiever with an activist streak, Joey's friends Snake (Stefan Brogren) and Wheels (Neil Hope), among others. The show dealt with a variety of topics in ways no other television show really dealt with at the time, including TeenPregnancy (in which the baby is kept), eating disorders, child abuse, epilepsy, bullying, parental death, racism, and homosexuality.
14
15	Upon its debut, it was immediately a critical darling and was regarded as a much welcome alternative from the schlocky and cliche-ridden American family sitcoms riddling the airwaves. However, it wasn't a commercial hit right out of the gate; its [[FridayNightDeathSlot Sunday afternoon timeslot]] wasn't doing it any favours and drew criticism from critics and journalists who believed it deserved a better spot. The show just happened to be AdoredByTheNetwork though, and the CBC's programming chief duly placed it in an important Monday night slot in between two hugely popular American sitcoms (''Series/KateAndAllie'' & ''Series/{{Newhart}}''. Schuyler initially resisted this move because she believed the show was not appropriate for a prime-time slot and would bomb spectacularly. Instead, the show saw a huge boost in viewership and popularity, and by its second season it had become one of the biggest television series in the country, with each episode easily cracking the one million mark (a smash hit by 1980s Canadian television standards). In the United States, it aired on Creator/{{PBS}} and attained an underground cult following, but its cultural impact did not repeat across the border, instead mostly filtering to Americans via its use as a health class educational tool. Outside of North America, the show was [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff extremely popular in Australia on a level comparable to its home country]] and was briefly aired on the BBC before many episodes were skipped and the show dropped entirely after one season (but not before reportedly pulling in a six million figure viewership). The show also had success in continental Europe. It notably dominated the 1988 Gemini Awards (Canada's equivalent of the Emmy).
16
17	By today's standards, of course, it might look tame and quaint to a modern audience, and a mix of SequelDisplacement and PopCultureIsolation has rendered this version of the show largely overshadowed by its 2001-2015 revival, ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration'', which was [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff specifically very popular in the United States]] in a way that ''Degrassi Junior High'' wasn't. This is appearing to change however, at least slightly: as of TheNewTwenties, a mini resurgence of it and ''Degrassi High'' has been trickling into the greater and contemporary ''Degrassi'' fandom, and the sentiment that this iteration is just as good, if not better in some ways or overall, than the traditionally more popular and better-lauded ''The Next Generation'', has gained more ground.
18
19	----
20	!!This show provides examples of:
21	* ACupAngst: Melanie had an episode on the subject.
22	* AbusiveParents: Rick's dad is violently abusive, and Kathleen's mom is an alcoholic.
23	* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Degrassi ''loves'' this trope
24	** In season 1, Joey likes Stephanie who is interested in Wheels (who initially likes her back but gets tired of her at the end of the season).
25	** Yick likes Melanie, who has a crush on Snake. In season 3, Allison likes Snake but he clearly prefers Melanie.
26	** In season 2 Stephanie likes Simon but he chooses Alexa over her.
27	** In season 3 Caitlin likes Joey but he's still pining over Liz.
28	** In season 3 Dorothy has an unrequited crush for Yick.
29	** The twins are both interested in Clutch but he only likes Lucy.
30	** And probably a lot more, and even in ''Series/DegrassiHigh'' there are several examples too.
31	* AlphaBitch: Stephanie, a rare case where the Alpha Bitch is also the protagonist (at least, in season 1 she was). As a result, she's more sympathetic than the usual example, and behind all her slutty and manipulative ways to keep her popularity as the school president, there is an insecure and vulnerable girl who [[IJustWantToBeSpecial just wants to be special]].
32	%%* AntiHero: Wheels
33	* AppealToWorseProblems: In the series finale, Ms. Avery responds to Spike's complaints about being a academically failing teenage mother with "You count your blessings young lady! At least you can have a baby. Not all of us are that lucky you know?"
34	* AsianAndNerdy: Yick Yu is a downplayed example. He's a dorky kid with glasses who's also Chinese. However, he's also athletic and has to study extra-hard to overcome the stereotype of Asians as dumb jocks. Originally going to be played straight, but the actor thought it was too stereotypical.
35	* AwkwardlyGayDream: Caitlin got a VerySpecialEpisode about her sexuality because she has a strange dream about her teacher Ms. Avery.
36	* BigThinShortTrio: Snake, Wheels, and Joey, respectively. Although it's more a case of Big, Average, and Short Trio.
37	%%* BigEgoHiddenDepths
38	* BritishBrevity: Seasons 1 and 2 have 13 episodes. Some fans feel that this wasn't enough to accommodate the show's ensemble cast. Season 3 inches closer to averting this by having 16 episodes.
39	%%* BrokenBird: Lucy and Liz.
40	%%* BrokenTreasure
41	* BruiserWithASoftCenter: Deconstructed in ''Fight!'' Transfer student Scooter befriends [[TheBully Dwayne]] after he gets Scooter's locker open and lifts him up off the ground to get snacks just out of reach. Scooter and Dwayne [[OddFriendship become fast friends]] until Scooter learns about the fight between his new friend and Joey Jeremiah. In spite of trying to reason with Dwayne, the fight goes ahead and Scooter breaks off his friendship with Dwayne the following day.
42	* TheBully:
43	** Joey is introduced this way, and in early season 1 he's seen picking on younger kids like Arthur and Yick. He grows out of it.
44	** Dwayne and his two minions. Don't get too attached to the minions. They appear in only one episode and are replaced by other two minions in ''Degrassi High''.
45	* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: Almost always. In ''Trust Me'', Spike getting expelled ''which had been built up to all season'' was shunted to a rushed B-plot while the plot of Snake, Wheels and Joey joyriding Snake's parents' car is unnecessarily stretched out to get to consequences.
46	* CanonDisContinuity: Any and all of the above-mentioned attempts to portray the setting as anyplace other than Toronto.
47	* CastingGag: Many plots were based on what happened to the actors playing them.
48	%%* CharacterDevelopment
49	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Despite the Degrassi Black Hole (a term referring to ''Degrassi'' characters who fall under this trope) being coined during the ''Next Generation'' era, it actually existed as far back as this show.
50	** Voula was the first one. Despite her relatively prominent role in season 1, she disappears in season 2 without any explanation, except a brief voice-only cameo.
51	** Caitlin's best friend Susie and her potential LoveInterest Rick. Both disappear in season 3 without any explanation.
52	** The very first episode brings us Joey's best friend Hank. It seems like he will be a major character and will get into all sorts of mischief with Joey over the years. You'll never see him again.
53	** Jason Cox, the sexist sports kid from the season 1 episode "The Great Race", is never seen again after that episode. While it is said that the character left school, it is never explained why.
54	* ClipShow: The 4th episode of season 3 ''Season's Greetings''.
55	%%* ComedicHero: Arthur and Yick.
56	* ComicTrio: Stephanie and the twins Heather and Erica. Joey, Snake, and Wheels.
57	%%* ControlFreak: Kathleen.
58	* DarkerAndEdgier: Typical ''Series/TheKidsOfDegrassiStreet'' plot - Kid goes downtown to buy clothes on his own for the first time. First major DJH plot - TeenPregnancy.
59	* DateRapeAverted: Happened to Steph in one episode. And Wheels in another infamous Degrassi episode. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGQIBQcTWtk Watch here and try not to be creeped out]].
60	* ADayInTheLimelight: Pretty much every character gets the spotlight at some point.
61	* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: The last episode ends with the school burning to the ground.]]
62	* DemotedToExtra: Happened at least once an episode with some of the leads who clearly appeared not being billed in the closing credits.
63	* TheDitz: Alexa and Simon are a rare ditzy couple. They are both dimwitted, with Simon being also a DumbBlonde.
64	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Season 1 has notable differences, when compared to the later seasons and its immediate successor ''Degrassi High):
65	** Stephanie is the clear protagonist, in contrast to the EnsembleCast of the rest of the series.
66	** The prominent presence of Voula, a character written out after the first season.
67	** The lack of Alexa, Simon, BLT, Michelle, and Liz, who are regulars in all the other seasons.
68	** Spike, the infamous [[TeenPregnancy teen mom]], being an extra with no lines until episode 8, and not even being pregnant (until episode 11 that is).
69	** Joey is much more of a bully. He also seems to have a different best friend in every episode, like Hank, Wheels ([[HeterosexualLifePartners the only one who sticks]]), Tim, or Rick. He and Snake are not friends in the first few episodes, and it's clear that they don't even like each other.
70	** Snake's early appearances have him as an aloof, stand-offish bad boy. The first episode implies he's a rock-n-roll rebel by introducing him aggressively playing his guitar while running for class president. Later on, he would be established as the ultimate nice guy and even a loveable dork.
71	** Lucy and LD are not friends. Before season 2, they both used to hang out with other people.
72	** Wheels doesn't wear glasses.
73	** The much more frequent use of {{Catch Phrase}}s like "Broomhead!", or Joey often repeating his full name along with a MetaphorIsMyMiddleName joke, changing middle initial every time. They become {{Abandoned Catchphrase}}s after a while.
74	* EightiesHair: Steph has this in spades sometimes, but Spike [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/degrassi/images/8/87/300x460-degrassi-spike.jpg out-eighties them all with a large spiked punk do]]. By ''Degrassi High'' and the beginning of the 90s, the spikes itself go away but the [[https://images6.fanpop.com/image/polls/1614000/1614673_1488068257002_full.png size doesn't]].
75	* {{Foreshadowing}}: The show was rather good at throwing out hints that wouldn't be followed up on until later. One episode before we learn Kathleen's FreudianExcuse, there's a blink-or-you'll-miss-it giveaway of what's wrong with her. Also notice how cozy Shane and Spike are in the second episode of the first season. This will be important later.
76	-->-Have you ever been to a party where something '''didn't''' get broken?
77	--->-'''Snake''', 15 years before he'd go away for a weekend and his stepdaughter would hold a WildTeenParty that ended with a kid [[ItWasHisSled getting stabbed in the street]].
78	%%* FreudianExcuse
79	* GayBravado: Before Snake realizes his brother is. Also, the stereotype that all gays have AIDS. And you can get AIDS from shaking hands. As Lucy would say, it's the 80s.
80	* GenericCopBadges: In the two-parter [[Recap/DegrassiJuniorHighSeason3Ep11TakingOffPartOne "Taking Off"]], officers are shown in more or less correct Metropolitan Toronto Police uniforms, but with altered emblems (in this case a six-pointed star on their chest-worn on the wrong side, an American-style cap badge, odd shoulder flashes, and the logo on their car based on the real one but modified. [[note]]Toronto officers do not wear breast badges and stars are rare as police emblems in Canada[[/note]] This may have been done to mask the fact that the show was filmed and (at least in the version shown to Canadian audiences) [[CanadaDoesNotExist set in Toronto, Canada]].
81	* GentleGiant: Snake towers over everyone else but is really a nice guy.
82	* GratuitousRap: Caitlin and Rick's environmental rap. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEShF34ImgI So bad it must be seen]].
83	* HeightAngst: Episode five, "The Great Race." The B-plot was Arthur and Yick being jealous of how tall Snake was, while he found his height made him unable to play soccer.
84	* HeWhoMustNotBeSeen: Mr. Lawrence, the principal, is never ever seen and only heard over the PA and when people are leaving his office. Lucy's parents are also never seen and only heard on the answering machine, as well as Caitlin's brother.
85	%%* HourglassPlot: Joey and Wheels, Melanie and Kathleen.
86	* HouseFire: In the final episode ("Bye-Bye Junior High") a faulty boiler sparks a fire during the graduation dance that spreads when Scooter and Tessa discover the fire but leave the boiler room door open. The fire spreads to tanks of flammable gas being stored in the corridor outside the boiler room, and the fire soon engulfs the whole school.
87	* ImagineSpot: When Wheels runs away from his grandparents in the two-parter "Taking Off", he imagines happily reuniting with his biological dad (who he met in the first season). However, in reality, his bio dad did not expect him to come and awkwardly invites him in.
88	* ItIsAlwaysSpring: After the first few episodes, they decided to film only during summer vacation.
89	* {{Jerkass}}: Kathleen, and how -- she only gets to PetTheDog once, and one episode later, it turns out she's expecting a favor in return.
90	* JerkJock: Jason Cox and the Degrassi boys' soccer team in "The Great Race", who are sexist towards the girls swim team.
91	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Most of the jerks in this show, or those that display Jerkass behavior, like Joey, Stephanie, and Lucy, are still shown to have degrees of humility and compassion.
92	* KarmicNod: Joey openly admits that he did deserve getting beaten up in ''Fight!'' during his AfterActionPatchUp.
93	%%* KnowNothingKnowItAll: Kathleen.
94	* LeaveMeAlone: Spike tells Shane to leave her alone and mind his own business when he wants to help or tries to help with the pregnancy. However, this is slightly averted as it doesn't lean to AnAesop.
95	* LonelyRichKid: Lucy is shown to be pretty well off, but her parents are always away working, leaving her alone in her house. However, she turns this into a positive by hosting regular parties at her house.
96	* LongBusTrip: Stephanie, Rick, and Suzie all get put on a bus never to be seen again after season two. Stephanie was said to be going to school in France. Rick and Suzie just vanished.
97	** A Degrassi tie-in novel has Suzie moving out of the school district. Considering Rick's [[AbusiveParents home life]] it not unlikely this is what happened to him as well.
98	* LongLostUncleAesop: Snake's brother.
99	* LookingForLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces: Lucy's attempts at love with Paul and Clutch. One was a drunk and the other looked like Steve Urkel from ''Series/FamilyMatters''.
100	* HighSchoolHustler: Joey -- subverted in that his schemes usually blow up in his face.
101	* MissConception: Type II. When Spike fears she's pregnant, Heather tells her she can't get pregnant the first time, although Erica thinks it's BS. Spike later asks her mom about whether that's true but her mother laughs it off.
102	* MoodWhiplash: The insanely bright and perky theme song leads to a lot of this - especially in the teasers. Perfect example: ''The Cover-Up''. Also, the overly optimistic lyrics such as "Be honest with yourself, forget your fears and doubts", when a lot of said fears and doubts end up being justified. This isn't just limited to the original era: ''Next Generation'' and ''Next Class'' are just as guilty of doing this.
103	* MostWritersAreAdults: Intentionally averted by the writers, who wanted the kids' dialogue to be as realistic as possible.
104	* MsFanservice: Stephanie parades around the school in tube tops and short skirts to the enjoyment of every boy. The first episode centers around her taking advantage of this to win the school election.
105	%%* NaiveEverygirl: Melanie
106	* NoCommunitiesWereHarmed: Early on, they referred to the setting as a "hick town" and characters exchanged U.S. currency. Contrast with recent seasons of ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration'' where both the Canadian and [[UsefulNotes/{{Toronto}} city]] flags fly from the school building and the LocalHangout's name comes from a nickname of Toronto.
107	* NoDressCode: By necessity early on (unless someone's specific clothing was important to the plot, their clothing was the actor's own). In the series pilot, Stephanie changed from her parent-approved clothes to something more revealing in the girls' washroom before class. Liz roasts Stephanie over this.
108	* OperationJealousy: Stephanie tries to make Wheels jealous by flirting with his best friend Joey (who has a huge crush on her). It fails when Wheels finds out and both guys turn their backs on her.
109	* PairTheDumbOnes: The only stable couple from this show and the sequel series ''Series/DegrassiHigh'' is bubbly airhead Alexa and her SatelliteLoveInterest Simon, a foolish and easily confused PrettyBoy who only appears to follow her around. They even end up married in the movie.
110	* ParentalAbandonment:
111	** Wheels, as both his adoptive parents die in a car accident in early season 3.
112	** Spike has an [[DisappearedDad absent father]], and it's implied that it was possible abandonment.
113	* ParentExMachina: Averted for the most part, as this trope was one of the aspects of other TV series that the writers wanted to push back against; being meant to be from the kids' perspective, it was one of the first shows of its type to do away with the adults/parents being always the morally superior.
114	* PetTheDog: Almost every character gets to do this. One episode Joey will be selling fake drugs to grade 7s. The next episode he will be concerned about Rick's abusive home life.
115	* PictureDay: "The Cover Up", the episode where we see Rick's abusive home life. Because of this reason, he does not smile for the camera and delivers a scowl for the camera.
116	* PluckyGirl: Spike, despite being kicked out of school for being pregnant and failing grades due to her struggles with teen motherhood, still makes it through, despite inching really close to throwing in the towel in the series finale.
117	* PowerTrio: The Zit Remedy - Joey, Wheels, and Snake, are a three-man band. They don't have a drummer, however.
118	* ProductPlacement: Not as obvious and in-your-face as ''Degrassi High'', but there is occasional moments, such as how LD and Melanie are seen with [=McDonald's=] sodas in the season 1 "The Great Race".
119	* PromotionToOpeningTitles: The first opening sequence (season 1-2) mainly features clips from the first few episodes, with all the main characters from these episodes showing up. In season 3, Spike, Shane, Alexa, Simon, Michelle, and BLT (along with new characters Scooter and Bartholomew) are added to the opening, but oddly enough, Liz isn't, except for a brief blink-or-you-miss-it appearance in the background. Liz will later appear more clearly in the ''Series/DegrassiHigh'' opening, though.
120	* PutOnABus: Voula disappears after the first season. In an early second season episode, she leaves a message on Lucy's answering machine telling her how happy she is living in the suburbs.
121	* TheQuincyPunk: Averted with Spike and Liz.
122	** Spike in particular was probably one of the nicest, most politely spoken punks to be portrayed on TV in the entire 1980s. [[Tsundere At least when Shane wasn't in her vicinity]].
123	** Liz is more socially-conscious, but was mostly portrayed to be aloof and angry.
124	%%* RagsToRiches
125	* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Many of the stories were based on real life incidents with the actors, or off of real events throughout Toronto. Head writer Yan Moore recalled that the cast would come into his office and tell stories about their lives, and they would find weeks later their stories in the script.
126	** Joey joyriding Snake's parents' car was influenced by Pat Mastroianni doing the same with a Playing With Time company van.
127	** Spike being made fun of for her hair by the manager of a diner, right down to the actual quips the manager makes.
128	** The plot with Shane taking acid and jumping off a bridge was based off a real world incident where a 14 year old kid did a similar thing after a Music/PinkFloyd concert. Except that kid actually died.
129	* RichBitch: Lucy, although she does become sympathetic.
130	* RunningGag: The P.A. announcements, such as Principal Lawrence's "thought of the day", which matched the theme of the episode; in the episode Snake finds out his brother is gay, the "thought of the day" is brotherhood.
131	* SchoolNewspaperNewshound: Caitlin, although she isn't the maestro most anime examples are.
132	* SchoolPlay: "Stage Fright" in season 2, when Caitlin tries to audition for a role, but ends up losing to Kathleen, and getting a role as Kathleen's servant.
133	* ShoutOut: In "Nothing to Fear", Doctors Donald Westphall, Annie Cavanero, Philip Chandler, Roxanne Turner, Seth Griffin, Carol Novino and David Domedion and Nurse Shirley Daniels are paged at St. Michael's Hospital. They are all characters in ''Series/StElsewhere''. Dr. Westphall is paged again in "Sealed with a Kiss".
134	%%* ASimplePlan
135	* SlumberParty: "Stage Fright" in season 2. Caitlin, who has intentionally not been taking her epilepsy medication, has a major seizure at one of these.
136	%%* TheSnarkKnight: Liz.
137	* SoapBoxSadie: Caitlyn, Liz, and Lucy.
138	* SoundtrackDissonance: The theme song is cheerful and upbeat, but this show is DarkerAndEdgier than most {{Teen Drama}}s. This often causes the episode's DownerEnding to be followed by the cheery theme tune of the closing credits (an instrumental version of the opening).
139	%%* SpearCarrier: Suzie.
140	* StarCrossedLovers: Stephanie and Wheels in Season 1, Joey and Caitlin; also played for laughs with Snake and Melanie.
141	* StuffedIntoALocker: In Season 1, it was tradition to be stuffed in a broom cupboard rather than a locker.
142	%%* SmallNameBigEgo: Joey
143	%%* SternTeacher: Raditch.
144	* TeenDrama: TropeMaker. While this wasn't the first TV series to center on teenagers going to school and dealing with issues (that honor would go to the UK's ''Series/GrangeHill'', which debuted in 1978 and serves as a UrExample), ''Degrassi Junior High'' was the first to include many elements of the modern teen drama, years before ''Series/BeverlyHills90210'' took the genre to mainstream commercial success.
145	* TeenPregnancy:
146	** One of the defining and most influential Degrassi plots was this: Spike with Emma. It by all means put the ''Degrassi'' name on the map, won the show an International Emmy, and led all the way to ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration''.
147	** Spike herself was the result of one. In the ''Spike'' novel, her mother was disowned over this, and the father skipped town wanting nothing to do with them.
148	** Wheels was the result of one as well.
149	* ThemeTune:
150	** The opening/ending theme serves as general incidental music during exterior shots of the school.
151	** The Zit Remedy's song always plays when one of them does something stupid. Which is often.
152	* ThoseTwoGuys: Arthur and Yick, who often get subplots together. In season 1, it happens in almost every episode.
153	** Spike and Liz slowly become this, as they are seen together quite a lot. If Spike is the focus after season 2, expect most of her shots to be with Liz.
154	* TitleDrop: Half the episodes, the most notable probably being "Trust Me", where the phrase, already a sort of catchphrase for Joey, is said multiple times.
155	%%* TrashTheSet
156	%%* TrojanGauntlet: Twice. Once with Wheels and later with Joey.
157	%%* TroubledButCute: Rick
158	* {{Tuckerization}}: In "Nothing to Fear", Dr. Bruce Paltrow is paged at St. Michael's Hospital. He was the executive producer of ''Series/StElsewhere'', whose character provided the names for everyone else paged in the episode.
159	* TwoTeacherSchool: Mr. Raditch and Ms. Avery to begin with, but Mr. Garcia (technically from Borden High) appears in Season 3. Mr. Colby (the creepy substitute teacher) doesn't count.
160	* UnbuiltTrope: As the TropeMaker of the TeenDrama, it feels more like a deconstruction, despite predating pretty much every single show in its wake that introduced the stereotypical traits of the genre.
161	* UnusualEuphemism: "You broomhead!" and "Narbo!"
162	* VerySpecialEpisode: The entire show was arguably a Very Special Series, although the show is viewed by many as being more sensitive and realistic than its American counterparts.
163	* TheVoice: Mr. Lawerence, the principal.
164	* WhamEpisode: While "The Cover Up" (where Rick is beat by his dad) was the first serious episode of the series, the episode where Spike becomes pregnant, "It's Late", is not only the first Wham Episode for the series, but of the franchise as a whole.
165	%%* WritersCannotDoMath
166	* YouGoGirl: Melanie winning the swim race against the sexist sports rep Jason Cox.
167	%%* ZanyScheme

Context Series / DegrassiJuniorHigh