Retro Television Review: Degrassi High “School’s Out”

Posted on August 10, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Sunday, I will be reviewing the Canadian series, Degrassi High, which aired on CBC and PBS from 1989 to 1991! The series can be streamed on YouTube and Tubi

School’s out! What does the future hold for the students of Degrassi High?

“School’s Out”

(Dir by Kit Hood, originally aired on January 5th, 1992)

The series finale of Degrassi High left viewers with a few unanswered questions, particularly concerning the future of Joey and Caitlin’s relationship. Indeed, when the series ended, the majority of the characters still had another year left in high school.

School’s Out, a television movie that aired on CBC Television in 1992, was an attempt to bring closure to the Degrassi story. Starting with everyone but the perennially academically challenged Joey Jeremiah graduating, School’s Out deals with the final summer before everyone leaves for college or adulthood. Joey asks Caitlin to marry him and, when she says she’s not sure that she’s ready, he instead cheats on her with Tessa Campanelli. Joey loses his virginity to Tessa. Caitilin eventually loses her virginity to Joey (and, at the time, assumes that she’s his first as well). Snake does not lose his virginity over the summer and spends almost the entire film in a funk about it. Wheels becomes an alcoholic and ends up in prison after he crashes his car and kills a kid. Lucy, who was Wheels’s passenger, ends up blind and crippled. Simon and Alexa finally get married. Snake, meanwhile, drops the first F-bomb ever heard on Canadian television. Caitlin drops the second. “You were fucking Tessa Campanelli!?” As for Tessa, she ends up pregnant, has an abortion, and then apparently hops on a bus and vanishes.

Things got dark!

I’ve already reviewed School’s Out once. It’s not only a classic Degrassi film but it’s a great teen film period. Rewatching it, I truly was struck by just how incredibly dark things got in School’s Out. Degrassi High had its share of dark moments but never to the extent as seen in School’s Out. I mean, Wheels’s goes to prison! Watching Degrassi High over the past few months, it was easy to see that Wheels was destined to eventually end up in some sort of trouble. He was too angry and too self-centered and not willing to take responsibility for his actions. There was a reason why, even before the events in School’s Out, Snake was distancing himself from his former friend. Still, Wheels is a character who grew up over the course of the show. It’s still strange to think that the quiet “good kid” from Degrassi Junior High eventually grew up, developed a drinking problem, killed a child, and was sentenced to prison. As easy as it is to dislike Wheels, it’s still hard not to mourn who he could have been if a few things had just gone differently in his life.

That actions have consequences has always been one of the main themes of Degrassi. By lying and cheating on Caitlin, Joey not only loses the love of his life (albeit temporarily) but Tessa herself is left to suffer alone. Lucy, with a brilliant future ahead of her, makes the decision to get into a car being driven by the drunk Wheels and, when we last see her, she’s in a hospital bed and unable to see. School’s out and sadly, the students at Degrassi High can no longer escape the real world consequences of their actions.

School’s Out was meant to bring closure to Degrassi. And it did, for nearly ten years. Of course, all good things come back to life. Degrassi: The Next Generation would premiere in 2001. We’ll start looking at it next week.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi High 2.13 “One Last Dance”

Posted on August 3, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Degrassi High comes to a close. Here’s the final time we’ll be hearing this theme song.

Episode 2.13 “One Last Dance”

(Dir by Kit Hood, originally aired on February 11th, 1991)

With the end of term approaching, the students of Degrassi High are shocked to hear that their school will be closing. The next year, everyone will be split up and going to different schools. Lucy may have just been elected president of the student council but she’s never going to take office.

It’s sad news but at least the students get one last dance.

Joey and Caitlin finally get back together as the series come to a close, dancing in Degrassi’s gym. Upon hearing some students discussing the rumor that one of their classmates is HIV+, an angry Dwayne finally admits that it’s him. His “friend” Nick (George Chaker) refuses to speak to him. His other friend, Tabby (Michele Johnson-Murray), finally gets over her fear and shares a dance with him. Snake dances with Michelle. Wheels shows up to the dance and I’m going to assume that he’s no longer homeless. Arthur — remember when this show was all about Arthur? — is spotted dancing with someone. The camera pans over all of the students in the school’s gym, sharing some final moments as they prepare to end one chapter of their life and start another. It’s a low-key but effective ending for the show. It helps that the we’ve gotten to know the characters so well. Degrassi High didn’t need to burn down the school to have an effective ending. It just needed to get everyone together in the gym.

However, it was not the end of the franchise, not hardly. A year after Degrassi High ended, School’s Out would air and our characters would be given temporary (and, in some cases, rather tragic) closure. I’ll take a second look at School’s Out next Sunday. And then, a decade or so later, a new generation would become students at Toronto’s most famous learning center. Degrassi: The Next Generation is coming soon!

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi High 2.12 “Three’s a Crowd”

Posted on July 27, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, the formal is approaching, Spike needs a date and so does Snake.

Episode 2.12 “Three’s A Crowd”

(Dir by Philip Earnshaw, originally aired on February 4th, 1991)

The graduation formal is approaching! Spike has got a crush on Snake (who has finally returned to school after finding Claude’s body). When Spike asks Snake out, he says yes. Yay! But then Spike overhears Michelle asking out Snake and Snake explaining that he would love to go with her but he already said yes to Spike (who he considers to be just a friend). Spike makes up a lie about having “a family thing” the same night as the dance so that Snake can go with Michelle.

How sad!

This is a minor episode of Degrassi High but it’s significant to those of us who discovered Degrassi by watching The Next Generation. We know that Spike and Snake are eventually going to get married and Snake is going to become Emma’s stepfather. (Three year-old Emma makes an appearance in this episode, encouraging her mom to not be depressed.) As sad as it is to see Spike overhear Snake talking about how much he likes Michelle, we know that Spike and Snake are eventually going to end up together as adults. Of course, by that point, Spike will be known as Christine and Snake will be known as Archie.

While Snake and Spike were dealing with the realities of high school attraction, Tessa was falling for Yick Yu despite the fact that she was already dating Alex. Dorothy (Annabelle Waugh) told Tessa that she had to tell Alex the truth. Tessa couldn’t bring herself to do it but Yick, thinking that Tessa and Alex were broken up, told Alex that he didn’t mean to make Tessa dump him. Alex confronts Tessa. Tessa says, “I hope we can still be friends.” “I don’t see how,” Alex replies. OUCH!

And again, this is a storyline that means a lot more if you know what’s going to happen in the future. Tessa may like Alex now but, in just a year, she’s going to get impregnated by Joey Jeremiah and then run away from Toronto, never to be seen again.

Degrassi’s about to get dark!

Next week, Degrassi High comes to an end. Don’t worry, though. Degrassi will go on forever.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi High 2.11 “Showtime, Part 2”

Posted on July 20, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

In yourself, you must believe….

Episode 2.11 “Showtime Part 2”

(Dir by Kit Hood, originally aired on January 28th, 1991)

The students of Degrassi High struggle to move on from the suicide of Claude Tanner. The talent show goes on, with all of the money raised being given to Claude’s parents. Snake, for his part, goes to therapy and stays home from school. When Joey visits him, Snake mentions that, when he found Claude, half of his face was missing. Meanwhile, Caitlin is haunted by visions of Claude, smiling and trying to hand her a flower.

This episode was not quite what I was expecting. Instead of embracing the melodrama (as Degrassi: The Next Generation would have), this episode is low-key and realistic about showing the ways that people deal with grief and trauma. Snake is understandably shaken but what makes his scene so poignant is that he’s obviously struggling to pretend like he isn’t or that life can go back to normal after what he’s seen. I spent this entire episode waiting for Caitlin to breakdown. She didn’t and really, I have to commend the show for that because I sometimes think we put too much pressure on people to release all of their emotions before they’re ready to do so. Caitlin is still emotionally number and it’s going to be a while before she’s ready to really talk about what happened. And that’s okay! Sometimes, it takes a while. It’s only now, nearly a year after he died, that I’m really starting to realize how depressed I’ve been over the past year. All those times that I thought I was moving on, I was really just distracting myself from the pain. And now, with that one year anniversary approaching, I find myself crying at the most random of times. It’s not pleasant. My heart hurts on most days. But I know that eventually, I’ll make it through. Everyone grieves in their own way and apparently, this is the way that I grieve.

This was a good Joey episode. Not only did Caitlin agree to tutor him in his science class but Wheels finally paid back the money that he stole from Joey’s mother. During their study session, Joey and Caitlin talked about the suicide, with Joey asking if Caitlin knew Claude. I guess the show’s writers forgot that, last season, Joey was intensely jealous over Caitlin and Claude’s relationship. Still, regardless of that continuity error, the scenes between Joey and Caitlin were well-written, well-acted, and emotionally honest.

In other words, this was a good episode. I’ve seen a lot of shows that have dealt with suicide. I’ve rarely seen any that dealt with it as well and as honestly as Degrassi High.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi High 2.10 “Showtime Part One”

Posted on July 13, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, tragedy comes to Degrassi.

Episode 2.10 “Showtime, Part One”

(Dir by Kit Hood, originally aired on January 21st, 1991)

When last we saw Claude Tanner, Caitlin was dumping him because he left her behind when the police showed up at the nuclear facility that they were vandalizing. Claude then refused to go to court to support her, saying that his parents wouldn’t understand. That was during the first season.

Other than appearing in the opening credits, Claude was not in the first nine episodes of the second season of Degrassi High. When he did return in tonight’s episode, he made Degrassi history.

When we first see Claude, he’s wearing what appears to be a pirate shirt and he’s looking over a piece of paper. His beard is a bit thicker. His earing is a lot bigger. When he sees Caitlin, he tries to talk to her. Caitlin tells him to get lost and then asks Maya why Claude just can’t leave her alone.

Claude is auditioning for the school talent show. He reads a monologue that he’s written, one about an ice queen who makes the entire world dark. Lucy and Bronco tell him that his monologue is too depressing for the show. Claude accuses all of the students of being sheep and storms out of the auditorium.

The next day, Claude gives Caitlin a flower, goes to his locker and retrieves a gun, and then shoots himself in the washroom. His body is later discovered by Snake.

Over the course of Degrassi’s long history, many students would die. Tragically, Claude would not be the only one to commit suicide. One was shot while trying to shoot up the school. The class clown was stabbed to death by a student from a rival high school. Another died in a car accident. However, Claude was the first.

And I have to say that I was really impressed with how Degrassi High handled Claude’s suicide. Snake was traumatized. Caitlin was left feeling numb. Some students talked about how much Claude was hurting and also about their own struggles with depression. Lucy and Spike both said that Claude’s actions were selfish and that he killed himself at school because he wanted to hurt all of the other students. When it comes to Claude, I have to admit that I find myself agreeing with Lucy and Spike. When Caitlin returns home from school, she finds a bouquet of flowers and a note from Claude waiting for her. In the note, Claude says that he loved her and the words are obviously meant to make her feel responsible for his death. The episodes ends with Caitlin throwing the flowers away. Claude would probably say that proves that Caitlin doesn’t care about him. I think it proves that Claude was a jerk who killed himself specifically to get back at Caitlin.

That doesn’t make Claude’s suicide any less tragic. Any suicide is a tragedy, especially when the person in question hasn’t even reached adulthood. As one of Claude’s friends says in this episode, Claude was sad and he didn’t feel he had anyone he could talk to. That is a tragedy and sadly, even though this episode aired over 30 years ago, there’s a lot of people who still feel that way. We live in a world where more and more people view life as being not a gift but instead a burden. It’s sad. Myself, I’m a strong believer in life and finding things to love. I love my boyfriend. I love my sisters. I love writing. I love movies. I love cats. I love knowing that, even when I’m at my lowest, happiness is in the future. Most importantly, I love myself. Never give up.

This episode was sensitive and thought-provoking and Degrassi as its best. Next week, the fallout from Claude’s suicide continues.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi High 2.9 “Extracurricular Activities”

Posted on July 6, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, everyone’s either self-centered or foolish.

Episode 2.9 “Extracurricular Activities”

(Dir by John Bertram, originally aired on January 14th, 1991)

Caitlin or Lucy, it’s hard to say who is worse in this episode.

Caitlin is excited when her mother invites her to come home for a meeting with her father. Caitlin, who has been imposing on friends ever since she discovered her father was cheating on her mother, is all excited because she thinks her parents are going to get divorced. Instead, her parents announce that they’re staying together. Caitlin gets angry, telling her friend Maya that she’ll just get an apartment and a job and she’ll never see her parents again. Maya, who is in a wheelchair and actually knows a little more about hardship than Caitlin, reminds Caitlin that “they’re your parents,” which I think is Canadian for, “Good Lord, stop whining!” Seriously, Maya — who actually has a lot that she could justifiably be upset about — never complains about anything while Caitlin — who is from a middle-class family and has a nice house and somehow only got a slap on the wrist after being arrested for trespassing and vandalizing — never shuts up about her difficult her life is. We get it, Caitlin. It sucks that everyone in the world isn’t as perfect and principled as you are.

(Does Caitlin ever ask anyone how they’re doing or does she just enter a room and automatically start talking about her life? Based on the second season, the latter would appear to be true.)

Meanwhile, Lucy is dating Bronco, the student body president. When Bronco tells Lucy that everyone’s favorite Degrassi band, the Savages, are going to be shooting a video at Degrassi, he swears Lucy to secrecy. (Actually, Gourmet Scum was everyone’s favorite band on Degrassi High but I guess the Savages were cool too.) So, of course, Lucy tells the creepy Farrell twins and then they make plans to break into the school on the weekend to watch the video shoot. Joey and Snake also decide to break into the school for the video shoot. Of course, they all get caught by Mr. Raditch and Bronco gets in a ton of trouble because Raditch assumes that Bronco let all of his friends into the school.

“Sorry,” Lucy says.

Gee, Lucy, that’ll really help!

You may have noticed this episode annoyed me. Some of that is purely personal on my part. With my mind slipping into summer and holiday mode, I’m missing both my mom and my dad so I wasn’t necessarily sympathetic to Caitlin’s demand that her parents split up or else never speak to her again. As for Lucy and Bronco, Bronco should have known better than to tell Lucy. And Lucy sure as Hell should have known better than to tell the Farrell twins. Everyone was just too dumb this episode.

Next week, though, we have the first part of one of Degrassi High’s best-remembered episodes. Fear not, we can put this episode behind us.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrasssi Hibh 2.6 “Crossed Wires”

Posted on June 15, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

In yourself, you must believe …. let’s return to Degrassi High.

Episode 2.6 “Crossed Wires”

(Dir by Kit Hood, originally aired on December 10th, 1990)

Alex is dating Tessa but he has yet to kiss her and Tessa’s getting tired of waiting for him. Arthur and Yick (remember them?) both tell Alex that he’s a total wimp. Myself, I’m just wondering how Alex somehow went from being a background character to suddenly getting storylines. For the record, Alex does eventually kiss Tessa and he leaves her breathless, which seems like a bit of an overreaction. I mean, it’s just Alex….

Of course, any Tessa storyline that doesn’t involve Joey is going to feel somewhat odd because true Degrassi fans know that Tessa is eventually going to end up pregnant after sleeping with Joey, leading to a jealous Snake dropping the first F-bomb ever heard on Canadian television. But, that was all far in the future. When this episode aired, Tessa was still just the girl who apparently only owned that one blue dress.

Alex and Tessa’s rather silly storyline is matched with one where Liz, after going on a date with Tim (Keith White, finally getting a storyline after spending so much time as a background character), freaks out after Tim attempts to kiss her goodnight after taking her to a Pogues concert. Liz eventually tells Spike that she was sexually abused by her mom’s ex-boyfriend and that’s why Liz doesn’t allow anyone to get close to her. (In many ways, this episode feels like a dry run for the Jane Says episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation.) This episode handles the subject with sensitivity, as Degrassi (to its credit) always did. Tonally, it can be a bit of shock to go from the silliness of Tessa’s story to the seriousness of Liz’s but that’s kind of the way it is when you’re a teenager. One minute, you’re in a sitcom. The next minute, you’re in the most depressing drama ever. That’s certainly the way it was for me when I was in high school. I preferred the sitcom moments but the fact that I can cry on cue came in useful whenever things started to get serious.

Finally, Dwayne’s moronic friends are upset because Dwayne will no longer let them beat up on Joey. Dwayne doesn’t care. Joey’s the only person that knows that Dwayne is HIV positive. Joey has kept his word and not revealed Dwayne’s secret. Dwayne helps Joey fix his car and Joey, in return, gives Dwayne a life home. Dwayne going from being a bully to a sensitive guy is another character arc that would become a Degrassi tradition.

Next week, Kathleen finds some marijuana. Oh no!

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi High 2.5 “Body Politics”

Posted on May 18, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Just when Lucy thinks that she’s out, they pull her back in.

Episode 2.5 “Body Politics”

(Dir by Phillip Earnshaw, originally aired on December 3rd, 1990)

Lucy is depressed because the big dance is coming up and no one has asked her. She makes another one of her video diaries for L.D., in which she says, “I know I can be kind of mouthy.” That’s true but being “kind of mouthy” is a Degrassi tradition and screw anyone who can’t handle someone having an opinion!

Anyway, Lucy does get a date with Dale (Cameron Graham), a jock with a cute smile. But when the Girls Volleyball Team discovers that the Boys Basketball Team has been given all of the best practice slots in the gym (basically, the basketball team gets to practice in the afternoon for as long as they want while the volleyball team only gets a few minutes in the morning), Lucy finds herself starting another protest. However, when she discovers that Dale is the captain of the basketball team, Lucy starts to wonder if she should back off. She wants to go to the dance!

The creepy Farrell twins insist that Lucy has to be their leader and their spokesperson. This episode was the first time that the Farrells were prominently featured in the second season and I had forgotten how annoying they could be with their constant demand that Lucy lead every single protest. Seriously, I’m kind of sympathizing with Lucy’s desire to avoid getting involved.

Lucy does eventually step up and make her argument about the girls deserving equal time to the Phys Ed. department. It doesn’t do any good. It turns out that, when Dale said that no one cares about Girls Volleyball, he was right. Lucy loses her fight and her date. But the president of the senior class, the never before-seen Bronco (L. Dean Ifill), is impressed by Lucy’s fighting spirit and asks her to the dance. So, things work out.

(Lucy, of course, is destined to be crippled and blinded by Wheels in an auto accident but that’s a while off.)

As for the other plots in this week’s episode, Patrick, the Irish guy who was dating Spike at the end of last season, is single again and asks Liz out on a date. Spike says she’s fine with it but actually she’s jealous. Hey, it happens! And Alexa and Michelle finally decide to be friends again. Yay! Seriously, it’s always nice when friendships are saved.

This episode could have been better. The main problem was that I didn’t buy a lot of the Lucy story. I mean, how come there wasn’t a coach or anyone supervising the gym while the basketball players and the volleyball players were having their argument? How come the athletic teams didn’t already have a set schedule for when they would practice? Since when are the Farrell twins athletic and why can’t they ever do anything without demanding that Lucy be their spokesperson? How exactly is L.D.’s father getting away with traveling around the world with his daughter who I imagine is legally required to be in some sort of school? There were just too many unanswered questions.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi High 2.1 “Bad Blood: Part 1”

Posted on April 13, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

It’s time for another school year!

Episode 2.1 “Bad Blood: Part 1”

(Dir by Kit Hood, originally aired on November 5th, 1990)

It’s time to start another year at Degrassi High! There’s a lot going on:

Michelle spent the summer on a trip, which gave BLT time to find a new girlfriend. He hasn’t told Michelle yet. BLT says, “Michelle is so sensitive,” as if that’s a bad thing. Remember when BLT was like the perfect boyfriend last season? I guess that’s all gone out the window.
L.D.’s cancer is in remission! However, she’s not back at school. Her father sold his garage, bought a sailboat, and now he and L.D. are circling the globe. So, I guess L.D. is just going to be a high school dropout? Lucy films a video for L.D. Good luck delivering it to the middle of the ocean.
Condom machines have been installed in the bathrooms! The Farrell twin who keeps getting pregnant is super excited.
School bully Dwayne also loves the condom machines because he can fill the condoms with water and drop them on his longtime nemesis, Joey Jeremiah.
Joey is upset that Dwayne and his gang are in Joey’s special ed class. However, Joey does have one good thing happening in his life. He finally got his license! Now, he just needs a car.
Hey, here’s a car that’s for sale! But it costs …. $3,000! And Joey only has $75. Ha. Loser.
How can Joey raise money? What if he asks everyone to pay him to walk naked through the cafeteria? All of the teachers are going to be in a staff meeting so there’s no way Joey’s going to get caught!
Joey goes through with it, walking into cafe naked while holding his fedora over his …. well, you know. Joey’s embarrassed but he’s going to get a car!
Except …. OH NO! IT’S RADITCH!
Who snitched on Joey? That’s right, it was Dwayne! Joey gets dragged to the office and he doesn’t get any of the money that he needed for his car.
Dwayne is still laughing about it when he arrives home. His father tells him that “some chick” called for you.
Dwayne calls Penny, his summer girlfriend. Penny tells him that her ex-boyfriend has tested positive for HIV and that’s she tested positive for HIV and maybe Dwayne should get tested….
To be continued….

Agck! That’s quite an ending for what was, otherwise, a fairly light-hearted episode. But that’s one thing that made Degrassi such a good show. It understood how being in high school was often a bizarre mix of comedy and drama. This episode spends a good deal of time portraying Dwayne as being the biggest jerk ever and then it ends with him looking absolutely terrified. It’s a powerful moment.

Next week, the story continues as Dwayne’s life is changed forever.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi High 1.15 “Stressed Out”

Posted on April 6, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, the first season of Degrassi High comes to a close!

Episode 1.15 “Stressed Out”

(Dir by John Bertram, originally aired on February 13th, 1990)

The first season of Degrassi High comes to an end with an episode that once again establishes Caitlin as being the worst.

The school year is coming to a close and everyone is stressed about final exams. Michelle is taking speed to stay up and study. Normally, this would be a big deal but this episode only devotes a few scenes to it and we don’t even get a big dramatic meltdown on Michelle’s part. I mean, I guess it’s good that Michelle finally got a plotline that doesn’t revolve everyone being shocked about her dating BLT but why would you do a drug storyline without a meltdown?

The majority of this episode is taken up with Caitlin getting upset because Ms. Avery will not be working at Degrassi anymore. Under the impression that Ms. Avery has been fired, Caitlin passes around a petition. When Ms. Avery says she appreciates the support but that she’s actually the one who decided to quit, Caitlin freaks out (in much the same way that Michelle should have freaked out) and gets all upset and says that she’s not even going to go to the end-of-the-year school party.

Hey, Caitlin — IT’S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!

Seriously, Caitlin — Ms. Avery is an adult. She has every right to quit her job. Now, it does turn out that Avery quit because the school board wanted her to become a substitute teacher. Avery wants her own classroom. Caitlin is still upset. How can Ms. Avery be so selfish to abandon the one student who actually cares about whether or not she has a job or not? Avery really should have just told Caitlin to get a life but finally, Ms. Avery takes a job teaching at another school. So, Ms. Avery will get her own classroom and, even more importantly, she won’t have to deal with Caitlin anymore.

Whatever happened to Caitlin’s court case? Shouldn’t she be doing community service or something?

This finale was a bit of a letdown but it happens. Not every school year ends with something exciting happening. Next week, we start the second and final season of Degrassi High!