Degrassi fans are about to get the ultimate trip down memory lane. WildBrain and Peacock Alley Entertainment have dropped the first trailer for Degrassi: Whatever It Takes, a Lisa Rideout-directed documentary making its world premiere September 13 at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The documentary brings together multiple generations of stars from the iconic Canadian teen drama — including Aubrey “Drake” Graham, Dayo Ade, Stefan Brogren, Amanda Stepto, Shenae Grimes-Beech, Jake Epstein, Miriam McDonald, Stacie Mistysyn, Melinda Shankar, and more — to reflect on the raw, unfiltered truth behind the decades-long franchise.
“I didn’t have a great time in high school. I just didn’t really fit in,” Drake recalls in the trailer. “Then one day, my mom called me and told me, ‘You got the role.’ And man, what a wild journey that started.”
A Fearless Teen Drama
The Degrassi universe began with The Kids of Degrassi Street in 1979, followed by Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High, which laid the foundation for what would later become Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–2015). The most recent series, Degrassi: Next Class, ran on Netflix from 2016–2017.
Unlike many American teen shows, Degrassi built its legacy by boldly tackling taboo issues — from teen pregnancy and abortion to mental health and LGBTQ identity — without sugarcoating the experience of adolescence.
“Have we always gotten it right? Probably not. Have we told our stories with the best of intentions? Yes, we have,” creator Linda Schuyler says in the documentary.
The Impact of Fame
The film also unpacks how sudden fame impacted its young stars, showing both the weight and wonder of being part of a cultural phenomenon that changed teen TV forever.
“When people talk about my old show Dawson’s Creek, or they talk about Beverly Hills, 90210, they don’t know that the big granddaddy is Degrassi,” Canadian actor Joshua Jackson notes in the trailer.
Honoring the Legacy
Executive producer Carrie Mudd described the show as “a time capsule of growing up, full of heart, honesty, and every ‘first’ experience you can think of.” Director Lisa Rideout added, “Degrassi changed the landscape of television with real, unvarnished storytelling and did it unapologetically from a teenage perspective. This documentary celebrates the iconic Canadian franchise while revealing the impact it had on the people who made it and the audiences who loved it.”
Degrassi: Whatever It Takes will premiere September 13 at TIFF as part of the festival’s 50th edition.