The long-running Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation introduced a huge cast of characters over its 14-season run. The show, which aired from 2001 to 2015, is famous for its realistic stories about teenage life. For 385 episodes, a rotating group of young actors brought these stories to life. Some actors became famous later on, like Aubrey Graham, known worldwide as Drake. This is a look at the people who played the students of Degrassi Community School.
The Original Friend Group from Season One
The show began with a core group of seventh graders starting junior high. The producers saw hundreds of young actors, choosing real teenagers to make the stories feel more authentic.
Miriam McDonald played the central character, Emma Nelson. Emma is the daughter of Spike, a character from the original Degrassi series. Another major character was Jimmy Brooks, the popular basketball star, played by Aubrey Graham. Graham later became the global music superstar Drake.
They were joined by the rest of their classmates:
- Cassie Steele played the kind and popular Manny Santos.
- Shane Kippel was the often-troublemaking Gavin “Spinner” Mason.
- Lauren Collins played the driven, ambitious Paige Michalchuk.
- Ryan Cooley was the funny J.T. Yorke, and Jake Goldsbie played his best friend, Toby Isaacs.
This group of friends faced some of the show’s most memorable early storylines, from first loves and friendship problems to serious issues.
Important Characters Who Joined in Later Seasons
As the first set of students graduated, new characters arrived to keep the show fresh for over a decade.
In the show’s fourth season, Stacey Farber joined as Ellie Nash, a student writer dealing with family issues. Jake Epstein played the talented but troubled musician Craig Manning, starting in season two.
By season five, Shenae Grimes had become a key part of the cast as Darcy Edwards, who dealt with difficult personal challenges. A few seasons later, Nina Dobrev appeared as teen model and single mother Mia Jones before finding fame in The Vampire Diaries.
The show’s later seasons introduced a major new group of students around season ten. This group included Clare Edwards, played by Aislinn Paul, and her friends Alli Bhandari (Melinda Shankar) and Eli Goldsworthy (Munro Chambers).
The show’s creators made a point to cast actors who were close to the age of their characters. This was different from many other teen shows at the time, which often used actors in their twenties.
Groundbreaking Characters and Storylines
Degrassi was well-known for tackling topics other shows avoided. Several characters were central to these important stories.
Adam Torres was a groundbreaking character in teen television. Played by Jordan Todosey, Adam was a transgender boy who transferred to Degrassi with his brother, Drew, after being bullied at his old school. The episode about Adam’s experience, titled “My Body Is a Cage,” won a Peabody Award in 2011 for its sensitive and honest portrayal.
Marco Del Rossi, played by Adamo Ruggiero, was another important character. His storyline about coming out as gay was a major part of the show’s third and fourth seasons. Zane Park, played by Shannon Kook-Chun, was also notable as the boyfriend of another character, Riley Stavros.
The character of Paige Michalchuk also had a major storyline in season four where she dealt with the trauma of a sexual assault. These storylines helped the show earn praise for being realistic and relatable.
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Where You Can Watch Degrassi Today
For fans who want to revisit the series or new viewers curious to see it, Degrassi: The Next Generation is available on several streaming platforms.
While availability can differ by country, the series has often been found on services like HBO Max and Tubi. It originally aired in the United States on the teen network The N, which later became TeenNick.
In Canada, the show moved channels over its long run. It started on CTV, moved to MuchMusic for season ten, and finished its final seasons on MTV Canada. The show ended on August 2, 2015, but its stories continue in the sequel series, Degrassi: Next Class.
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