History YMMV / DegrassiJuniorHigh

* HarsherInHindsight: Wheels' entire character arc starting from the death of his parents to a drunk driver in season three, and a brief moment later in the season when he refuses a drink because of this. Neil Hope had a very troubled life and a bad relationship with alcohol after the end of the show, leading to his death in 2007; while his body was found at the time, his family, castmates, nor the general public had any idea what happened until January 2012, '''five years later'''.

** More recently, some fans on Reddit and Tumblr have interpreted Stephanie as having borderline personality disorder because of her behavioral patterns.

* JustHereForGodzilla: Some fans of ''The Next Generation'' watch this solely to see Spike, Snake, Joey and Caitlin as teenagers.

* {{Narm}}: For all its groundbreaking qualities, the show very often exudes this, to the point where some fans of the newer incarnations find the show genuinely hard to get into, whether it'd be the show's age, the production values, or the acting performances (though the actors who lasted into High School certainly got better). However, there are just as many people who cite its shambolic nature as [[NarmCharm why it is great and what makes it stand out]].

* OnceOriginalNowCommon: The concept of this show was largely novel for the time, and the way it confronted controversial subjects was very unlike most programs of its day. It was one of the first TV shows in which teenagers were the main characters and made their own decisions without moralistic adult intervention, and the fact that critics' only point of comparison at the time was family sitcoms tells you about how unique ''Degrassi Junior High'' truly was when it came out. Nearly 40 years later, in a television climate long inundated with shows like it, it can be difficult to realize that.
* PopCultureIsolation: Popular as a prime-time show in Canada, marginally popular as a PBS show in the US, even with Creator/KevinSmith as a fan; while it did have a lot of fans south of the border, its tangible cultural impact was largely limited to its home country. This is rumoured to be part of why scenes of Wheels apologizing were removed from the US version of the ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'' premiere episode, because it was thought American viewers wouldn't understand the reference.
** [[https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0cLdAUxeO-/ This Instagram reel]] comparing ''Degrassi High'' and ''Saved By The Bell''s portrayals of caffeine pill pretty much sums it up with a dose of PopCulturalOsmosisFailure, as the comment section mostly consists of American viewers perplexed at why this show they'd never heard of is being compared to ''Saved By The Bell''.

* OnceOriginalNowCommon: The concept of this show was largely novel for the time, and the way it confronted controversial subjects was very unlike most programs of its day. The fact that contemporary reviews could only compare it to the family sitcoms of the period, and not any high school drama, is an attestment to that. In the post-''90210'' landscape, it might be hard to see why this show was ever considered groundbreaking.

* {{Narm}}: Because this is a kids show from TheEighties, and Kit Hood and Linda Schuyler wanted real kids instead of actors resulting in acting performances of varying degrees, some people see ''Degrassi Junior High'' as exuding this trope, and are unable to take it seriously at all. However, for many fans, the bad acting doesn't matter and actually [[NarmCharm gives the show a charm and sincerity]] that other shows of its type simply don't offer. The actors who lasted into High School certainly got better.
** Spike is singled out as one of the biggest culprits of this due to Amanda Stepto's line delivery, and while it certainly isn't great by any stretch, you'd think she [[RonTheDeathEater committed the world's most heinous atrocities]] for having an awkward inflection.