‘Degrassi’ and Its Gloriously Awkward Drama Are Finally on a Streaming Service in the U.S.
Credit to Author: Kristin Corry| Date: Tue, 01 Oct 2019 18:38:03 +0000
No one asked for a Degrassi-only streaming service, but the tech gods are giving it to us anyway. Thanks to Pluto TV, a Viacom streaming platform, you can watch Degrassi to your heart's content like it's 2001.
According to Variety, the channel will be broadcasting all umbrellas of the Canadian teen drama from the early-aughts Degrassi: The Next Generation to the series' more recent spinoff Degrassi: Next Class. Did we need this? Hell no. But do we still want to tune in? Of course.
If you missed the greatness of being a fly on the walls of Degrassi Community School, the Pluto TV partnership would be a great opportunity to get acquainted with the teens who taught the kids of Euphoria a thing or two. You'll catch the transformation of Manny Santos (played by Cassie Steele) from adorable preteen to the girl proudly sporting a thong that could make Sisqo proud. If that wasn't enough of a selling point, who wouldn't want to relive some of Drake's (then known as Jimmy Brooks, or in real life, as Aubrey Graham) first raps? "So chicks like you ain't worth too much / So shut up girl, and make my lunch," definitely defies the quasi-feminist route the Toronto rapper has taken in recent years, but we can all appreciate growth.
The show's tagline was "It goes there," and it certainly did, with after-school-special-style plot lines about domestic violence, school shootings, and homophobia, as well as plenty of classic embarrassing adolescent moments and quick-witted dialogue.
Compared to the saturation of streaming services (HBO, Netflix) that are already locked and loaded with high-octane Gen Z shows like Euphoria and 13 Reasons Why, a Degrassi-only platform feels slightly out of touch, but we welcome it nonetheless. Besides, day-one fans have been watching the full episodes on YouTube anyway.
Kristin Corry is a staff writer for VICE.
This article originally appeared on VICE US.