History Series / DegrassiJuniorHigh

* 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.
* MsFanservice: In-universe, Steph is this to the male population of the school, though nowadays she looks more silly than anything.

* RunningGag: The P.A. announcements.

%%* SoapBoxSadie: Caitlyn, Liz, and Lucy.

-> ''"Canadians have always been innovators, and this show was a trend-setter. There would be no Series/BeverlyHills90210 if Degrassi Junior High hadn't done it first with [[HotterAndSexier poorer, uglier kids.]]"''
-->--'''Host''', 2008 Gemini Awards

[[caption-width-right:350:To this day, the fumes from [[EightiesHair the hairspray used in this show]] are still hanging in a massive, immobile cloud somewhere over Lake Ontario.]]

* PluckyGirl: Spike, despite being kicked

* CircleOfShame: In ''Degrassi High'', Spike has a day dream about this happening when she asks Snake to the formal. Everybody including Snake points and laughs at her.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Season 1 has notable differences, when compared to seasons 2-5 (including ''Degrassi High''):

* EightiesHair: Steph has this in spades sometimes, but Spike...[[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/degrassi/images/8/87/300x460-degrassi-spike.jpg good lord]]. 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]].
%%* ExtravertedNerd: Alex and Dorothy.

%%* ImagineSpot: When Wheels confronts his birth father.

%%* JerkJock: Jason Cox and the Degrassi boys' soccer team.
%%* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Joey, Stephanie, Lucy; actually a lot of people.

%%* LeaveMeAlone:
%%* LonelyRichKid: Lucy.

%%* PictureDay
%%* PluckyGirl: Spike.

* TheQuincyPunk: Averted with Liz. A socially conscious punk.

throughout Toronto.

%%* SlumberParty

* StarCrossedLovers: Stephanie and Wheels, Joey and Caitlin; also played for laughs with Snake and Melanie.
* StuffedIntoALocker: On ''Degrassi Junior High'', it was traditional to stuff students into the broom cupboard rather than a locker.

** Spike with Emma.
** Wheels and Spike were both the result of one. Wheels was given up for adoption while Spike's mom kept her.
* ThemeTune: The Zit Remedy's song always plays when one of them does something stupid. Which is often.

%%* TitleDrop: Half the episodes.

%%* VerySpecialEpisode: Every episode.
%%* TheVoice: The Principal.
* WhamEpisode: Early in the first season when Spike got [[TeenPregnancy pregnant at 14]].

There are also persistent rumors that Creator/AaronSpelling attempted to buy the rights to the show to adapt it for American audiences but was refused, so he created Series/BeverlyHills90210 instead. These rumors have never been confirmed outright, but it is plausible to compare 90210's first season to Degrassi as it was very issue-based and episodic (and even possibly nicked some plotlines from this show).

* ProductPlacement: LD and Melanie are seen with McDonalds sodas in "The Great Race".

* TeenDrama: TropeMaker. While this wasn't the first teenage, school centered television series (Grange Hill, which debuted in 1978), ''Degrassi Junior High'' was the first TV melodrama centered around a school, although it is overshadowed by the likes of TropeCodifier ''Series/BeverlyHills90210'', and even [[Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration it's own successor]].

By today's standards of course, with how far teen dramas (largely influenced by this show and it's successors) have pushed the envelope especially in the post-Beverly Hills 90210 era, ''Degrassi Junior High'' could very well radiate SeinfeldIsUnfunny to a modern audience. It's raw, gritty filming style, as well as it's cast consisting of real late 1980s Toronto teenagers instead of experienced actors, makes it resemble the very after-school specials the show was partially rebelling against. However, the show has remained a cult favorite, including with ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'' fans interested in Degrassi's origins.

%%* HeWhoMustNotBeSeen: Lucy's parents. Caitlin's brother.

** 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.

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Many of the stories were based on real life incidents of the actors, most noticeably Joey joyriding a car after Pat Mastroianni had done the same with the Playing With Time company van.

While the show featured a recognizable ensemble cast, it wasn't fixed and would rotate every episode. It is not uncommon to see a major character as a glorified extra in the background if they aren't the main focus of the episode, and a minor extra in the background get ADayInTheLimelight, or become [[AscendedExtra a major character later]]. Some of the show's biggest, or most iconic characters include fedora-wearing Joey Jeremiah (Pat Mastroianni), [[SpikyHair spiky-haired]] teen mom punk Christine "Spike" Nelson (Amanda Stepto), passionate activist Caitlin Ryan (Stacie Mistysyn), GentleGiant and future Degrassi principal Archie "Snake" Simpson (Stefan Brogren), and bespectacled, [[{{Wangst}} wangsty]] Derek "Wheels" Wheeler (Neil Hope).

* MissConception: Spike, who is worried about being pregnant, tries to ask her mother about whether you don't get pregnant the first time you have sex.

It is also worth noting that the character Christine "Spike" Nelson (played by Amanda Stepto) would gain unsung popularity in the mid-late 2010s in the vaporwave and TikTok communities, as it is her voice saying [[Music/BlankBanshee "I'm just a kid...it was just a little mistake."]]

When it first aired, the show was ground-breaking for dealing with these hot topics without censorship or neat happy endings; it became a cult hit in America via Creator/{{PBS}}. The most notable American fan was one Creator/KevinSmith, who later achieved his life's dream of romancing the character Caitlin Ryan (the same character he named Caitlin Bree in ''Film/{{Clerks}}'' after) in ''Next Generation''. After all the shows that have come since, ''Degrassi Junior High'' can come off very much as SeinfeldIsUnfunny, or unfavorably compared to the later series, but it is still respected as the TropeMaker of the TeenDrama genre.

There are also persistent rumors that Creator/AaronSpelling attempted to buy the rights to the show to adapt it for American audiences but was refused, so he created Series/BeverlyHills90210 instead. These rumors have never been confirmed outright, but it is plausible to compare 90210's first season to Degrassi as it was very issue-based and episodic (and even possibly nicked some plotlines from this show).

Fans of ''Next Generation'' will be shocked to find out how conventional ''Junior High'' is (at least by today's standards). [[ParentExMachina Adults are right more often]] in ''Degrassi Junior High'' (although this isn't always portrayed as a good thing), but the biggest difference is that the entire cast of the older show are naive, frightened kids at heart, with the [[BreakTheHaughty haughty being broken]] very often. This sets it apart far more than the omnipresent EightiesHair -- modern shows tend to have teens who are far more crafty. Even the bullies and [[AlphaBitch alpha bitches]] of the show are tame compared to those portrayed in ''Next Generation'' (where with Paige, her haughtiness is literally indestructible). However, while it doesn't feature an LGBT character in the main cast compared to the later series, the show is surprisingly [[ValuesResonance ethnically diverse]] for a show from it's time and even featured an interracial relationship, something that even bigger-budget American shows years later AVOIDED depicting. Because of all of these reasons, ''Degrassi Junior High'' is a show that manages to be OF it's time and AHEAD of it's time simultaneously.

Another American fan was Albert of Website/TheAgonyBooth, [[http://www.agonybooth.com/recaps/Degrassi/ who planned to recap every DJH episode, but stopped after the first episode of season 2 back in 2010]]. However, another guy has taken it upon himself to review the entire show [[http://degrassijuniorhighreviewed.wordpress.com here]], in a much more CausticCritic tone.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/degrassijh_9554.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:To this day, the fumes from [[EightiesHair the hairspray used in this show]] are still hanging in a massive, immobile cloud somewhere over Lake Ontario.]]

* ProductPlacement: Skippy peanut butter, Canon cameras, and Dipps granola bars in the ''Degrassi High'' episodes.

For those. [[ParentExMachina Adults are right more often]] in ''Degrassi Junior High'' (although this isn't always portrayed as a good thing), but the biggest difference is that the entire cast of the older show are naive, frightened kids at heart, with the [[BreakTheHaughty haughty being broken]] very often. This sets it apart far more than the omnipresent EightiesHair -- modern shows tend to have teens who are far more crafty. Even the bullies and [[AlphaBitch alpha bitches]] of the show are tame compared to those portrayed in ''Next Generation'' (where with Paige, her haughtiness is literally indestructible). However, while it doesn't feature an LGBT character in the main cast compared to the later series, the show is surprisingly [[ValuesResonance ethnically diverse]] for a show from it's time and even featured an interracial relationship, something that even bigger-budget American shows years later AVOIDED depicting. Because of all of these reasons, ''Degrassi Junior High'' is a show that manages to be OF it's time and AHEAD of it's time simultaneously.

The second series in the ''Degrassi'' franchise (third if you count the half-hour film ''Ida Makes a Movie'' as freestanding, as it originally had been intended), and the one that put ''Franchise/{{Degrassi}}'' on the map for good. It re-used some of the actors from ''Series/TheKidsOfDegrassiStreet'', but playing different characters. The series lasted from January 1987 to March 1989. A total of 42 episodes in three seasons.

Described like that, it sounds like a crappy VerySpecialEpisode. What made it more than that was the willingness to (sometimes) have unhappy endings, and for the consequences to last more than an episode -- when a character fails a grade, the whole next season shows him struggling with the stigma.

When it first aired, the show was ground-breaking for dealing with these hot topics without censorship or neat happy endings; it became a cult hit in America via Creator/{{PBS}}. The most notable American fan was one Creator/KevinSmith, who later achieved his life's dream of romancing the character Caitlin (the same character he named Caitlin Bree in ''Film/{{Clerks}}'' after) in ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration''. After all the shows that have come since, it doesn't look very daring. Most notably, it treats gays sympathetically, but doesn't dare have a gay main character or even a gay recurring character; guest stars have to do. The later ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration'', which ran from 2001-2017 and encompassed the entire TurnOfTheMillennium and more than half of TheNewTens, had multiple gay, lesbian, and bi main characters and even a trans main character. There are also several dated moments that were plausible for 1980s teens, but are bizarre now, like when Alexa, TheDitz, hears about anorexia for the first time and wishes she had it.

Fans of ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration'' will be surprised at how more conventional (by today's standards) the show is. [[ParentExMachina Adults are right more often]] in ''Degrassi Junior High'' (although this isn't always portrayed as a good thing), but the biggest difference is that the entire cast of the older show are naive, frightened kids at heart, with the [[BreakTheHaughty haughty being broken]] very often. This sets it apart far more than the omnipresent EightiesHair -- modern shows tend to have teens who are far more crafty. Even the bullies and Alpha Bitches of the show are tame compared to those portrayed in ''Next Generation'' (where with Paige, the haughty is literally indestructible).

Another American fan was Albert of Website/TheAgonyBooth, [[http://www.agonybooth.com/recaps/Degrassi/ who planned to recap every DJH episode, but stopped after the first episode of season 2 back in 2010]].

The series was followed by the sequel series ''Series/DegrassiHigh''.

%%* GentleGiant: Snake.

%%* LeaveMeAlone

%%* MissConception
* MoodWhiplash: The insanely bright and perky theme song leads to a lot of this - especially in the teasers. Perfect example: ''The Cover-Up''.

* 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.

%%* TwoTeacherSchool: Mr. Raditch and Ms. Avery.

When it first aired, the show was ground-breaking for dealing with these hot topics without censorship or neat happy endings; it became a cult hit in America via Creator/{{PBS}}. The most notable American fan was one Creator/KevinSmith, who later achieved his life's dream of romancing the character Caitlin (the same character he named Caitlin Bree in ''Film/{{Clerks}}'' after) in ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration''. (There are persistent rumors that Creator/AaronSpelling wanted to license an American version of ''Degrassi'', but couldn't get the rights, so he created ''Series/BeverlyHills90210'' instead.) After all the shows that have come since, it doesn't look very daring. Most notably, it treats gays sympathetically, but doesn't dare have a gay main character or even a gay recurring character; guest stars have to do. The later ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration'', which ran from 2001-2017 and encompassed the entire TurnOfTheMillennium and more than half of TheNewTens, had multiple gay, lesbian, and bi main characters and even a trans main character. There are also several dated moments that were plausible for 1980s teens, but are bizarre now, like when TheDitz hears about anorexia for the first time and wishes she had it.

Fans of ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration'' will be surprised at how more conventional the show is. Adults are right more often in ''Degrassi Junior High'' (it tends to use ParentExMachina instead of AdultsAreUseless). But the biggest difference is that the entire cast of the older show are naive, frightened kids at heart. Even [[HighSchoolHustler The High School Hustler]] and the AlphaBitch turn out to be insecure and uncertain when the mask is removed. This sets it apart far more than the omnipresent EightiesHair -- modern shows tend to have teens who are far more crafty. (Compare the AlphaBitch on both shows. Stephanie, in the older show, bullies people because she's in deep denial about how needy, insecure, and naive she is. Paige, on the new show, is a ruthless shark with no fear and no weaknesses.)

Another American fan was Albert of Website/TheAgonyBooth, [[http://www.agonybooth.com/recaps/Degrassi/ who planned to recap every DJH episode, but stopped after the first episode of season 2 back in 2010]].

* MsFanservice: Steph, though nowadays she looks silly more than anything.

%%* TeenDrama: TropeMaker.

Fans of ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration'' will be surprised at how more conventional the show is. Adults are right more often in ''Series/DegrassiJuniorHigh'' (it tends to use ParentExMachina instead of AdultsAreUseless). But the biggest difference is that the entire cast of the older show are naive, frightened kids at heart. Even [[HighSchoolHustler The High School Hustler]] and the AlphaBitch turn out to be insecure and uncertain when the mask is removed. This sets it apart far more than the omnipresent EightiesHair -- modern shows tend to have teens who are far more crafty. (Compare the AlphaBitch on both shows. Stephanie, in the older show, bullies people because she's in deep denial about how needy, insecure, and naive she is. Paige, on the new show, is a ruthless shark with no fear and no weaknesses.)

* EightiesHair: Steph has this in spades sometimes, but Spike...[[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/degrassi/images/8/87/300x460-degrassi-spike.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/340?cb=20110904235622 good lord]]. 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]].

* EightiesHair: Particularly Steph. Her hair might be the most dated element of the show.