Degrassi Junior High

Degrassi Junior High
File:Djh picture.jpg The Degrassi Junior High title card.
Created by	Linda Schuyler, Kit Hood
Starring	Cathy Keenan Dayo Ade Amanda Stepto Pat Mastroianni Stacie Mistysyn Stefan Brogren Siluck Saysanasy Duncan Waugh see cast list
Country of origin	Canada
No. of episodes	42
Production
Running time	30 minutes (including commercials)
Original release
Network	CBC
Release	January 18, 1987 – March 6, 1989

Degrassi Junior High is a Canadian television teen drama series that was produced from 1987-1989 as part of the Degrassi series. The show followed the lives of a group of students attending the titular fictional school. Many episodes tackled difficult issues such as drug use, child abuse, teenage pregnancy, homosexuality and divorce, and the series was acclaimed for its sensitive and realistic portrayal of the challenges of teenage life. The cast comprised mainly non-professional actors, which added to the show's sense of realism.

History

Degrassi Junior High spanned 42 episodes, covering grades 7 through 9. The first half of the first season premiered January 18, 1987 with 13 episodes. New episodes screened on Sunday afternoons, and was brought up to prime time in the first season's second half. Some of the characters were in grades 7-8, and in the second part of the first season the characters remained in the same grades, as the half-season was not their next academic school year, but instead, their second semester (the first season happened in the 1987-1988 school year). The characters were in grades 8 and 9 in the second season of the series. The ninth-graders stayed in junior high, but attended science class at Borden High School. The series ended with Degrassi Junior High being burnt down at a dance. All the characters then went on to high school in Degrassi High.

It followed the series The Kids of Degrassi Street, and directly preceded the series Degrassi High.

The program also aired on PBS in the United States, the BBC in the UK and Western Europe, and the ABC in Australia. A DVD containing all the show's episodes was released in October 2005 concurrent with airings of the show on the U.S. cable network Noggin. In Australia, as of 2007, it is being re-run on the digital network ABC2.

Episodes

Main article: List of Degrassi episodes

In 1987 Degrassi Junior High won an International Emmy in the Children and Young People category for the episode "It's Late", where Christine (Spike) Nelson gets pregnant. Spike's baby was named Emma to commemorate the award.

Locations

Degrassi Junior high was filmed at the unused Daisy Avenue Public School (now in use and renamed as Vincent Massey Collegiate Institute).

Trivia

• The character of Liz O'Rourke was presented as a new student in the second season, but was clearly seen in a few episodes prior as an extra in the background.
• The character of Dorothy was said to be Arthur Kobalowski's cousin, but the actress was really his sister in real life.
• The Doctor Sally radio show is based on a call-in radio show entitled the Sunday Night Sex Show. Registered nurse and sex educator Sue Johanson was the host of the program which aired on local Toronto, Ontario radio station Q-107 between 1984 and 1998. Sue Johanson portrays "Doctor Sally" in two Degrassi Junior High episodes.
• In one episode, Wheels can be clearly seen wearing a Footscray Bulldogs jumper. What is unusual is that the sport, Australian rules football and its competition, the VFL, at the time would have been unknown in Canada. Although the VFL staged several exhibition matches that year, the Bulldogs were not involved and were perhaps the least successful and supported teams in the league. The appearance could possibly be put down to a wardrobe error, but how the jumper appeared there in the first place is a mystery.
• In the first episode, Kiss Me Steph, several of the grade 8 characters appeared in a grade 7 class. These included Wheels, Heather and Erica (the twins).
• Also in the first episode Heather Farrell was called Stacy Farrel.

Cast

Main article: List of Degrassi Characters

Degrassi Junior High had a large ensemble cast where only the ones with dialogue would be placed in the credits. However, essentially all the main cast would act as extras from time to time appearing in the background, and were credited when they would be featured in an episode.

File:Stephanie Kaye degrassi junior high s01 e07.jpg

Stephanie Kaye after being asked by Voula: "Stephanie, you weren't really gonna do anything, were you?" referring to her much rumored date with Wheels, in Degrassi Junior High first season's episode "The Best Laid Plans".

External links

• Episode Guide for Degrassi Junior High
• Degrassi Junior High at IMDb