See ya Degrassi!

But then I would defend it by saying that is it a surprisingly good show. Especially because it is made in Canada. This is also where I would normally reference really bad Canadian shows but seeing as how they never really last longer than a couple of weeks, I simply can’t remember any.

Monday night marks the season finale of Degrassi 7th Season!!!! That is a crazy landmark for any show let alone one that is made here in Canada and is about a bunch of teenagers. But Degrassi is more than just that. Where shows like Dawson’s and The OC have come and both left a bad taste in our mouths, Degrassi continues to write real stories that real teenagers can relate to.

I love that on Degrassi the kids actually suffer consequences for their actions. On most shows you know that your core group of characters are always going to be safe. They never are going to get in too much trouble, it kinda reminds me of shows like Lost or 24 in the sense that any thing can happen to any of them. Whether it’s giving up babies for adoption, cutting, sleeping with someone who is HIV Positive, surviving testicular cancer or paying for Stem Cell surgery there are no topics that are taboo for Degrassi.

The show has also been able to navigate the often danger zone for youth shows when they have to graduate High School and go to University. Great high school based shows like Saved By The Bell, Buffy and 90210 all lost something when they started to pursue their post-secondary studies (don’t we all). But by keeping some kids still in the High school, some at University, some in the military and some working in the real world, Degrassi has been able to continue to pull great story-lines from a large pool.

Monday night marks the prom night for many of our favorite Degrassi Seniors (Emma, Liberty, Manny, Craig and Spinner) and it also makes way for surprise appearance by Natasha Bedingfield. The season also marks the end of the line for some characters. Although it’s kinda hard to find casting info for Canadian shows, we already know that Shenae Grimes (Darcy) will be playing the lead on the new 90210 spin-off this fall on The CW. (Fun fact: the original 90210 was inspired by the original Degrassi). The kids will then be off with the summer and if they are any thing like the rest of us, hopefully they’ll come back a little wiser, a little smarter and with a whole lot of drama.