Degrassi: The Next Generation is a teen drama from the 2000s that followed the life of high school students in Canada as they faced the issues of adolescence and it was known for breaking boundaries. It is one of the most popular and relatable teen shows, covering many topics in a way that shows like 13 Reasons Why can’t seem to replicate, such as school shootings, rape, and abuse.
It has yet to be unseated as the king of high school dramas and has many great episodes that are still remembered and talked about today. Here are the 10 best episodes of Degrassi: TNG, according to IMDb.
“Can’t Hardly Wait” – 8.4/10
This season 6 episode finds Jimmy having some trouble getting romantic for the first time since being paralyzed by Rick in “Time Stands Still.”
As he and newly reconciled Ashely attempt to get physical, his mind and his body don’t sync up and he is unable to do the deed. Meanwhile, Darcy and Manny can’t agree on which new spirit squad member to let on to the new team, as Manny prefers Mia and Darcy seems prejudiced against the teen mom.
“Live To Tell” – 8.4/10
In this 7th season episode, Darcy is dealing with the aftermath of being raped at a party and is unable to cope. After Peter dumps her, she makes an advance on, of all people, Mr, Simpson. When he blocks her attempts to seduce him, she publically accuses Mr. Simpson of sexual assault and then tries to hook up with Johnny Dimarco. She also threatens self-harm with a pair of scissors and is shown longingly looking over the roof of the school.
Thankfully, she gets some much-needed help and also rescinds her accusation against Mr. Simspson. Elsewhere, Jimmy starts to develop feelings for his therapy buddy Trina, much to the dismay of Ashley.
“Tears Are Not Enough (Part 2)” – 8.5/10
This season 2 episode largely follows Jimmy, Spinner, Paige, and Hazel as they embark on a mission to have the perfect night at the school dance. Jimmy even rents a limo and makes reservations. But many mishaps ensue, including the limo getting towed. Thankfully, the limo driver (played by Billy Ray Cyrus) feels so bad that he convinces the police officer to escort them to the dance in true style, sirens, and all.
This episode is also the second of a two-part episode, in which in the first half, Craig lost his father in a car crash. In the concluding episode, Craig must deal with his feelings about the death of a man who was his father but abused him for years. He deals with the loss in a manic way that foreshadows his future diagnosis.
“When Doves Cry (Part 2)” – 8.5/10
Speaking of Craig’s abusive father, this episode features this abuse for the first time. Season 2 is when we are introduced to Craig, who lost his mother a few years ago and has a half-sister by Joey Jeremiah. When Craig begins to crave a connection with his sister and starts to see her, despite his father’s warnings against doing so, his father punishes him in a way no father ever should.
The episode makes the viewers feel the trauma of the abuse without over showing anything. It’s a heartbreaking episode that still is brought up to talk about the issue.
“Death Or Glory (Part 1)” – 8.5/10
In season 7, Spinner is dating cool girl Jane but then finds out he has testicular cancer. It was the first of two storylines on the show featuring teenage cancer and both times it handled the topic delicately.
The episode showcased some of the less talked about aspects of going through such an experience, like being a teen who has to have surgery to remove a body part, something someone at any age would surely struggle with, but during adolescence, it is sure to be even more traumatic.
“Shout (Part 1)” – 8.6/10
This two-part episode from season 2 chronicles the beginning of a tragic story for Paige Michalchuk. When she goes to a party with Hazel on the hunt for a cute guy from the rival school sports team, she finds herself in a situation that haunts her for years to come. She finds the boy and flirts with him, eventually following him up to a bedroom.
He assumes she wants to have sex and proceeds to force himself upon her, even after she protests. He later claims she knew what she was doing and fails to face any consequences. But Paige takes karma into her own hands in a later episode and smashes into his car, although maybe she shouldn’t have used Spinner’s car to do so.
“Time Stands Still (Part 1)” – 8.6/10
In this season 4 episode, Rick comes back to school after he pushed Terry in the previous season, causing her to go into a coma. She survived but transferred schools and Degrassi students never forgave Rick for the incident, especially Spinner, due to the bond he had with Terry.
Spinner has become friends with bad boy Jayat this point and they orchestrate a plan, along with Alex, that involves pouring yellow paint and feathers on him during a quiz show that is being aired in front of the whole school. It’s a humiliating act that has tragic repercussions in the following episode, the number one entry on this list.
“Death Or Glory (Part 2)” – 8.6
In this 2nd half of “Death or Glory,” Spinner deals with what it means to have testicular cancer and how this makes him feel like less of a man. After shaving his head into what he thinks is a manly mohawk, he gets in fights to prove himself, missing his surgery appointment.
Jane is amazing as his girlfriend, making him go to the surgery and being by his side afterward. The two were a great pair, but she later cheated on him with rich boy Declan.
“Don’t You Want Me (Part 2)” – 8.7/10
In this season 6 episode, Alex feels guilty after resorting to stripping to help her mom with rent and paying back the credit card bill her criminal ex racked up. She gets back with Paige but only until Paige finds out what she’s doing.
In the previous episode, she got a job as a cocktail waitress but learned she would make more by stripping and so she took the leap. It was an odd choice, especially for Alex, who usually dressed pretty conservatively. When Paige finds out about her being a stripper, it leads to the end of their relationship, at least for the first time.
“Time Stands Still (Part 2)” – 9.0/10
In the conclusion to “Time Stands Still,” Rick brings a gun to school, and after Spinner and Jay trick him into thinking Jimmy was behind the prank, he shoots Jimmy in the back, paralyzing him. Later in the hall, he runs into Toby, Sean, and Emma, and when he threatens Emma, Sean jumps in and the gun goes off, killing Rick.
This episode of the teen drama has the most ripple effect of any throughout the show and it goes on to affect everyone at the school. Jimmy is of course paralyzed and bound to a wheelchair and Sean moves away soon after this, unable to deal with the guilt of taking someone’s life, even if in defense. It has been touted as one of the best episodes to cover the subject of school shootings, a subject which is, sadly, still timely today.
