Netflix Junkie: How Glee and Degrassi Change the Game

I don’t think that I could ever give enough praise to Glee or Degrassi. While most people see these shows as dumb or for kids, they are anything but. These two shows changed everything for so many people. They tackled the hard conversations and put it on TV. There was an intense amount of backlash for both of these shows. People don’t like when shows attempt to deal with real-life events. They like it even less when those shows are geared towards teenagers. Degrassi and Glee were both shows with a teenage target audience and they both discussed the difficult things. They both went there. They were game changers for many teenagers and young adults. For them, the discussion had begun.

Degrassi has had an extremely long life. Through many spin-offs and continuations, people have grown to simply call the show “Degrassi,” even though there are technically multiple series. The show began in 1979 with The Kids of Degrassi Street. The show followed this generation of students through Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High before ending in 1991. In 2001, the show got a reboot with Degrassi: The Next Generation, and it followed the life of Emma and her friends. Emma was the child of one of the original kids in Degrassi High. Degrassi: The Next Generation continued until 2015 when the network decided to take the platform to Netflix. Thus, the Netflix original series, Degrassi: Next Class, was born. Degrassi has talked about difficult topics from day one.

The first series was directed towards children, so the topics focused on children. They had to learn morals and safety. Degrassi Junior High is when the topics started to increase in intensity. Bullying, alcohol, homosexuality, child abuse, racism, divorce, teen pregnancy, and so much more were explored. The show continued to deal with those types of topics, including suicide and terrorism, through Degrassi: Next Class. For a show that started discussing these things in 1987, they were bound to get backlash. The creators and writers of this show are extremely brave. These topics are important and need to be discussed. Teenagers are aware of these topics, and they deserve to discuss them as well. People sometimes view college students the same way they view teenagers: young, naive, and unable to form their own opinions. They are wrong. We are able to think for ourselves and we deserve to be able to have conversations about controversial things. This show helped to form a group of adults into passionate and outspoken people. This show deserves more attention than it already has. Even though the first 4 series of Degrassi are not on Netflix, Degrassi: Next Class is. Before writing it off as just a show for kids, give it a try. You might be surprised.

Glee handles itself similarly to Degrassi, but it uses song as well. Glee was directed towards teenagers in high school who knew what it felt like to be an outcast. The show followed a group of teenagers through high school trying to figure out who they are, what they want, and find a way to win the multiple Glee Club competitions. With all of the breakout singing that happens, this show often gets written off as silly. While there are many comedic moments in this show, they do not take away from the discussions they create. This show talks about bullying, domestic violence, mental illnesses, eating disorders, alcohol, teenage pregnancy, religion, school shootings, LGBTQ issues, racism, sex, and so much more. There is not a topic that Glee has not touched. The creators of this show wanted to tackle everything that a teenager could possibly face. This show helped many teenagers feel less alone, that someone else understands what they are going through. This show is important in so many ways. It changed the way that people talked about what was going on in their lives. If you have never seen Glee, please go watch it. Yes, there is a lot of singing. Yes, sometimes it is spontaneous and in a hallway. But also, yes, it will make you realize why there are so many passionate young adults. When they were in high school, they most likely watched Degrassi or Glee or some show similar to them. We still need to continue these conversations and yell over the people who tell us to be quiet. We deserve to be heard.