Degrassi Junior High

Degrassi Junior High
The current official logo of Degrassi Junior High, used on DVD releases and other legacy promotional material.
Genre	Teen drama[1]
Created by	Linda Schuyler Kit Hood
Written by	Scott Barrie Kathryn Ellis Avrum Jacobson Michael Kennedy Yan Moore Susin Nielsen John Oughton
Starring	See list of characters
Theme music composer	Wendy Watson
Composers	Wendy Watson Lewis Manne
Country of origin	Canada
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	42 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	Kate Taylor
Producers	Linda Schuyler Kate Taylor
Production locations	Toronto, Canada
Running time	30 minutes (including commercials)[2]
Production company	Playing With Time, Inc.
Original release
Network	CBC Television (Canada) PBS (United States)
Release	18 January 1987 (1987-01-18) – 27 February 1989 (1989-02-27)
Related
The Kids of Degrassi Street Degrassi High Degrassi: The Next Generation
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Degrassi Junior High is a Canadian television series created by Kit Hood and Linda Schuyler. The second series in the Degrassi franchise and the first to be set in a universe that has spanned multiple decades, it aired on the CBC from 18 January 1987 to 27 February 1989, and on PBS in the United States starting from September 1987. A non-union show, it was primarily produced by Playing With Time with involvement from WGBH. Although not generally acknowledged by the mainstream,^[3] it has been frequently referred to as a pioneer of the teen drama genre that prefigured later and better-known series such as Beverly Hills, 90210 and Dawson's Creek.

The series was developed by Hood and Schuyler in response to what they perceived to be a lack of proper educational programming targeted toward teenagers. It centres on an ensemble cast of students attending the titular fictional school as they deal with various issues and challenges. It often mixed comedy and drama, with serious storylines often balanced with more light-hearted secondary plots. The cast consisted of unknown kids, most of whom had never acted before, picked for their believability rather than experience. It was primarily filmed at the Vincent Massey Public School in Toronto, Ontario and frequently features the Queen-Broadview Village.

Initially a modest commercial success, it received glowing reviews from critics who hailed it as a superior alternative to American teen media. In late 1987, it was moved to a prime-time slot and subsequently became the top-rated domestic drama series in Canada, averaging over a million viewers a week; in 1988, the series won four Gemini Awards. Cast members drew a fanaticism likened to Beatlemania. It was broadcast and later syndicated in nearly a hundred countries, with considerable overseas success in Australia. Several episodes were withheld by the BBC, who later dropped the show altogether.

The show experienced renewed interest in the 1990s due to re-runs and syndication, resulting in the proliferation of an online fandom. This resurgence, coupled with a televised reunion on the CBC's Jonovision in 1999, led to its revival as Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–15), where several original characters returned in recurring adult roles. In 2017, the series was named by the Toronto International Film Festival as one of Canada's most significant contributions to the cinematic landscape.