It’s been 38 years since Degrassi first aired, and it’s still as iconic as ever. The Kids of Degrassi Street became Degrassi Junior High and then Degrassi High. Then, ten years later, Degrassi: The Next Generation appeared and ran for 14 seasons, before moving to Netflix in its newest incarnation, Degrassi: Next Class, the fourth season of which is due out on Netflix next month.

The long-running Canadian franchise doesn’t shy away from the big issues, covering topics such as mental illness, suicide, sex, racism, abortion and violence in a refreshingly nuanced and thought-provoking way. But the show also excels in its moments of sweet and iconic awkwardness. So much has happened at our favourite Toronto school over the decades; here is a selection of some of my most memorable Degrassi moments.

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The Zit Remedy – ‘Everybody Wants Something’

Between Paige Michalchuk and the Sex Kittens (PMS), Hell Hath No Fury, Stüdz, WhisperHug, and Downtown Sasquatch (featuring Drake on guitar), Degrassi High had some stiff competition for worst-named musical outfit. But the one and only, The Zit Remedy — the tone-deaf trio of Joey, Snake and Wheels — may well take the title.

The Zit Remedy had just the one song (and a seriously lo-fi film clip thanks to Lucy’s camcorder), yet the infectious ‘Everybody Wants Something’ engraved itself on the memories of many ‘80s kids. Fittingly, the three-chord song was actually written by a 14-year-old friend of the cast. It wasn’t released commercially, which, let’s be honest, must have been a relief for Swedish popstars Roxette. ‘Listen To Your Heart’ was able to hold onto its number one spot on the Canadian charts.

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Manny’s New Look

Experimenting with a new look is a rite of passage for many Degrassians. Ashley, Katie and Maya all made transformations from preppy to edgy. Frankie briefly had midlife-crisis hair. Adult Spike lost her mohawk. But no character made a more memorable transformation than Manny Santos in her mission to be “not cute, not adorable – hot!”

Strutting down the halls with a bejewelled G-string pulled waist high, a pair of low riders, an off-the-shoulder crop top, and floppy hat, Manny’s outfit was early noughties fashion at its finest. Paige also wore the era well with leather slides, cuffed dark denim hipster jeans, a “HOTTIE” tank and red lens sunnies. It truly was a “new year, near look, new Paige”.

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Snake’s Stripped-Down Encounters

Speaking of new looks, some were more stripped back than others. Snake, aka Mr Simpson, was more than once exposed to a nude teenager roaming the halls. His pal Joey raised money by walking around the cafeteria with nothing more than a strategically placed fedora — oddly, Snake’s idea. Decades later, Snake received a naked hug from a high Eli, and was also in the audience when his step-daughter Emma flashed as part of a protest (about purple dresses). Poor guy is in serious danger of losing his working with children check.

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When Joey Jeremiah Was Fucking Tessa Campinelli

In the TV film School’s Oot Out, the Degrassi High gang let loose with summer holiday canoodling and cussing. While the show had to stick to timeslot-appropriate insults like “broomhead”, the movie let Snake drop the f-bomb, making Stefan Brogren the first person on Canadian television to do so.

Stacie Mistysyn (Caitlin) quickly became the second, when she uttered the iconic line “You were fucking Tessa Campanelli?” A dramatic confrontation between Caitlin and Joey ensues. After this iconic piece of dialogue, Snake’s second line — a snarky “do I look like I want to play volleyball?” to some hapless extras  — was definitely less impactful.

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Jay, Silent Bob And Alanis Come To Town

Degrassi: The Next Generation rolled out the red carpet for Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith). Smith was a long-time Degrassi fan, having watched it during his shifts at the Quick Stop convenience store (the setting for Clerks). His offer to direct an episode was turned down, so Smith decided to act in the show instead. It was a canny move as he got to kiss his childhood crush, Caitlin Ryan.

FYI Alanis Morissette (who played God in a couple of Smith’s movies) also cameos in Degrassi’s fictional film Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh! as a raccoon-hat wearing, poutine-loving yokel (it’s not offensive if a Canadian does it).

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Drake Freestyles

“They like, ‘Damn, who’s Drake? Where’s Wheelchair Jimmy at?’” Drake raps on ‘The Presentation’, but he didn’t do much rapping on the show. And one of the few times he got to, he had to share the limelight with Spinner, which will do nothing for one’s cred. The terrible freestyling attempt ended with the line “shut up girl, and make my lunch” and left Marco, Craig and presumably everyone watching at home unimpressed. Even JT’s Supafly Fries ad (“hey, don’t get all up in my fries dawg!”) looked gangsta in comparison.

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When Puberty Is Awkward As Hell

Sometimes Degrassi’s writers went overboard with unrealistic storylines, but they made sure to include plenty of puberty’s standard awkward moments. For the boys that meant more inappropriate boner moments than you could poke a stick at. Spinner’s made an appearance in front of the class while he was acting out a porno (what kind of curriculum do they have in Toronto?), which Paige sagely points out is why you should never wear track pants. A physical therapy massage does it for Jimmy, and a leaning-over Lola does it for Hunter.

Period mishaps, on the other hand, are treated more earnestly as opportunities for empowerment. Who could forget when, clad in XL shorts, Emma lectures her classmates on the naturalness of menstrutation? Shay covers her embarrasment about bleeding onto her boyfriend’s leg by convincing her running teammates to splash red paint down their legs — to prove the exact same point Emma made 14 seasons earlier.

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Wheels, Ahead Of The Game

Arguably Degrassi’s most tragic character, Wheels was dealt many of the show’s heaviest storylines. His adoptive parents were killed by a drunk driver, he very nearly gets molested by a truckie while hitchhiking in pursuit of his real father, gets kicked out of home by his grandparents, then has his own drink driving accident, killing a child and blinding Lucy, and ends up in jail.

There is one surprisingly novel aspect to his character though: he was a fan of Footscray Football Club. The Western Bulldogs, of course, had a triumphant underdog victory in last year’s AFL Grand Final. Since then, many have jumped on the bandwagon, claiming Western Bulldogs as their team. But Wheels proudly (and inexplicably) wore his support of the Doggies on his sleeve in the ‘80s. He was truly a man ahead of his time.

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Samantha Allemann is a Melbourne based writer, educational content developer, sometime radio announcer, occasional tweeter, frequent cat cuddler. She once propositioned Joey Jeremiah, but she doesn’t like to talk about that.

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