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What Glee Can Learn from Degrassi

Over the course of a few seasons, Glee has gone from a fun teen show with music to a jukebox show with plots and characters that make little to no sense. And while the long-running Degrassi franchise has hit some tough patches of its own over the years, they've managed to stick through it all (even adding occasional music), successfully entertaining and educating several generations teens since the mid-'80s. If Glee wants to last anywhere near that long (and God help us if it does), there's plenty that it could learn from our favorite neighbors to the north:

Know When to Get Rid of the Grown Ups
Watching Mr. Schue sing Rolling Stones songs with the teenage boys recently was more than a little bit creepy, and Sue Sylvester's schtick has worn thin. While Degrassi's latest incarnation initially started out with a big focus on now adult alums like Snake, Spike and Joey Jeremiah, they realized that a high school show should be about the teen drama -- no one (except those who had watched the original Degrassi Junior High) was really invested in the adults getting married, fighting or anything like that, and there are plenty of other shows that cover that same ground.

Give the Guy in a Wheelchair Some Swagger
Artie rapping on Glee is laughable. At best. Yet when Jimmy, Degrassi's wheelchair-bound character, performed his music, it seemed genuine (doesn't hurt that he was played by now hip hop superstar Drake). Also, instead of just having Santa bring him magical legs, they had some serious discussions about the pros and cons of a therapy that might help Jimmy walk again. You know, real stuff that people might be able to relate to.

Rotate in New Characters Early
While Glee is in panic mode about what to do now that key characters are graduating from high school, Degrassi learned a long time ago how to establish new students without the awkwardness of making any of them a leprechaun. Every two years, a group graduates and another group starts their freshman year, while the juniors take center stage. And by then those whiny little freshman that we didn't take an immediate liking to have grown into teens we care about. So while some may move on, there are others waiting in the wings to keep us sated.

What Happens in College, Stays in College
Degrassi has also tried to follow kids post-grad, and it never worked out that well. We only wanted to know what Marco and Ellie were doing, and cared less and less about the students still at Degrassi. They finally figured out the rotating system and now only allow the alums to come back for occasional visits and cameos. Much better that way. And since Glee is about a high school Glee club, watching Finn sling burgers at the mall next season isn't appealing.

Hire Kids Who Look Like Kids
The reason that the Degrassi High students are so relatable is because they are actually kids, not grown men who are barely younger than the guy playing their teacher. Degrassi hires young actors who actually have acne and braces, instead of finding pretty people and making them ugly. The Glee Project could be an opportunity for this kind of realistic casting instead its current role as a recruitment vehicle for insanely annoying bit players.

Keep Storylines Consistent With the Characters
One of the biggest problems we have with Glee is the way that it bounces around from plotline to plotline, constantly forgetting past stories. It keeps finding bizarre obstacles to stick in front of the characters and then changes them as the mood suits, making it seem like everyone one the show has multiple personality disorder. Degrassi tackles topical issues, but they all seem relevant to the characters involved.

Go There... in a Realistic Way
The issues on Glee are often contrived to fit the musical genre of the week, and it shows. On Degrassi, they've tackled coming out, school shootings, eating disorders, cutting, teen suicide and so many other topics. If Glee wants to have a chance at staying relevant once they are done swiping songs from the Top 40 charts, they need to create some emotional resonance with characters besides just Santana and, sometimes, Kurt.

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39 Comments

January 30, 2012 7:16 PM
adah
Reply

i seriously agree! Its spot on! Glee need to step up to the plate. Degrassi is everything right..Teens are looking for something that has a stable plot line. not a zig zag related to the songs they pick for the week

January 30, 2012 8:24 PM
Degrassigirl
Reply

Degrassi is waay way better than Glee. Degrassi been around for years and teaches life lesson. Glee is just singing.

January 31, 2012 11:03 AM
Leila
Reply

As a proud Toronto girl this story made me smile, as Degrassi is filmed here! Woo! While I watched the original show much more than the newer seasons I agree that it's still entertaining and awesome for dealing with so many different issues head on. Glee lost my viewership a long time ago.

(A fun side note - one of my friends was friends with/went to school with many of the original cast members. I like to tease him about how he's the Degrassi character that almost was)

January 31, 2012 2:58 PM
nan
Reply

eh. Degrassi had a tendency to give characters an "issue" for one-two episodes, then forget about it, unless it was about sexuality. Toby and Emma's eating disorders come to mind as prime examples. Ellie's cutting came back up once that I can remember. It was like they wanted to address every teen issue, but wouldn't committ to making them fully fleshed out and realistic problems for all of the characters. Craig's bi-polar stayed pretty constant, but Liberty's learning disability lasted about ten minutes.

January 31, 2012 3:01 PM
Sheila
Reply

All I want to say is "Everybody wants something....they'll take your money and never give up."

January 31, 2012 3:58 PM
supergirl9909
Reply

now yes. Degrassi isnt perfect. some chatacters arent that major and dont have a storyline. and yes, some story lines are little. but they do result in a good show. i wasnt always a fan. but now im a diehard. ive also never watched glee. :P i think that the after HS stuff is cool, because they actually had a story line afterwords. but eventually they have to go. also, THANK GOD we have actors that are high schoolers. i love degrassi♥

January 31, 2012 5:33 PM
Caaaays77
Reply

I completely agree. Glee has never really appealed to me. I've been watching Degrassi for 4 years now, and I've seen every episode ever made haha. I think it is very realistic, and although I do kinda agree with the point that Degrassi kind of tends to pass the same problems onto new students, I still think it's consistent and people love it! I sure do at least haha:) i mean, why else has it been on so long?

January 31, 2012 9:14 PM
Jay Cody
Reply

I beg your fucking pardon? As a major fan of both shows, I highly disagree with all of this Glee bashing. Yes, it's had its faults, but Degrassi isn't the better show.
Dropped Plotlines. Remember when Paige had sex with (idr his name) in college, and later found out that he had HIV? Did she ever get it? Is she clean? What happened with that? And remember (also in college) when Elli and Marco started making out, then slept together? What the hell prompted that? I don't think gay guys and straight girls make out as intimately as they did. And Spinner & Emma getting married? Who's ass did that come out of? They never dated, never really spoke, and only had ONE storyline where they directly interacted, and that was in the first season. What else? Oh, Right. Clare Edwards. This article says that Glee is random and all over the place, but what about this Degrassi character? It seems like they bring on new boys just to date her, and they make her out to be the most relating person ever. She's had a preppy phase, a "normal" phase, her emo phase, and crazy "idk what the hell im doing with myself" phase, all in the matter of a year. THAT's unrealistic. And Jenna's pregnancy? That was a load of random horse shit. When the hell did her and KC have sex? No one knows. She was just randomly pregnant one episode. Also, she can't just drop out of high school, then go back like its just that easy. Which also brings me to Mia. Mia dropped out to be a model, and a day later she went back. I'm pretty fucking sure that you can't do that. There has to be some sort of school law or something that doesn't allow that. There is so much more I can go into, but my fingers hurt from angrily typing.

Now, I'm not saying Glee is perfect either. I'm just saying that this article needs to be a lot less biased when it comes to comparing two shows.

February 1, 2012 1:54 AM
KDog
Reply

This whole article is stupid. Glee and Degrassi are completely different shows. Degrassi is a teen show for teens, Glee is an adult show about teens. Degrassi is a teen drama, Glee is a comedy musical drama. Degrassi is for kids, Glee just has a lot of kid fans. And also, would you actually case real highschoolers in a show like Glee that would require 16 hour weekdays, tours and such?

Are you serious?

February 1, 2012 7:16 AM
Crim
Reply

There is nothing adult about Glee anymore. It's been chasing those kid fans for a long time, and lost of its edge. I used to be a fan and I still like the (old) cast, but Glee is not the show it was when it started out.

February 1, 2012 11:09 AM
7Costanza
Reply

I've never been into Glee. Personally, I think Fame did it better.

February 1, 2012 3:06 PM
Lil Gee
Reply

I agree that Glee and DeGrassi are two completely different shows, and can't really be compared. I liked Glee alot when it started, but the whole show wore thin quickly for me. Yet I never got the impression Glee was trying to tackle any teen issues seriously or realistically. It isn't that show. I loved DeGrassi since the 80's and think overall it is the better show. I can't even watch Glee anymore, but I will still watch DeGrassi!

February 1, 2012 7:53 PM
chid
Reply

This is biased. I love both shows but come on Glee and Degrassi is not really compatible. Glee is about a show choir with misfits kids. This is just unfair and biased. People that actually like music watch glee, Degrassi is all drama but Glee is funny. I love both shows but this is just crap. Degrassi and nothing on Glee. Degrassi is amazing, Glee is amazing. Lets leave it like that.

February 1, 2012 7:54 PM
chid
Reply

This is biased. I love both shows but come on Glee and Degrassi is not really compatible. Glee is about a show choir with misfits kids. This is just unfair and biased. People that actually like music watch glee, Degrassi is all drama but Glee is funny. I love both shows but this is just crap. Degrassi and nothing on Glee. Degrassi is amazing, Glee is amazing. Lets leave it like that.

February 1, 2012 10:07 PM
Helen
Reply

Degrassi isn't anywhere near perfect. It isn't always consistent, not all characters are interesting, and certain situations/plotlines are laughably unrealistic. The fact that Degrassi STILL beats out Glee in every one of the addressed categories says a lot.

February 1, 2012 11:24 PM
Mike
Reply

Finn a lowly burger flipper, keep dreaming. The show writers don't hate him like you do. So even if you think that is "realistic" for him probably won't happen.

February 1, 2012 11:27 PM
Jon
Reply

Who cares about a new cast, the current cast is what makes this show great.

February 2, 2012 10:19 AM
urban catsnake
Reply

Aw, a picture of Holly J! I miss her already.

February 2, 2012 10:19 AM
urban catsnake
Reply

Aw, a picture of Holly J! I miss her already.

February 2, 2012 10:28 AM
RJ
Reply

All I know is, I watched one episode of Glee and wondered what all those college kids were doing hanging around a high school.

February 2, 2012 7:46 PM
VJ
Reply

First of all let me say, Degrassi is not very diverse. For a show that is shot in Toronto; a multi-ethnic city it lacks the diversity. Yes I understand that white kids are their major viewing audience but I believe there is more than one black or asian kid in high school. I can't remember a time Degrassi used a kid who had braces or acne, as a matter of fact the actors like Luke Bilyk and Alicia Josopovich are pretty a little too pretty if you ask me. Glee is entertaining where as Degrassi's stories are ll regurgitated.

February 15, 2012 3:15 PM
This Girls
Reply

Okay, I agree Degrassi has had issues INITIALLY with dropping plots SOMETIMES, but some things that you guys are addressing as major issues were resolved. For example Jay Cody, no Paige didn't not get HIV, she said she was clean and Ellie and Marco clearly states at the end of the episode that the problem was too much dependency on each other, even for intimate reasons. (is this realistic? Yes, that's where friends with benefits come from!!!) Also, someone mentioned Emma's eating disorder, that actually lasted for a good three or four episodes. All I'm saying is that Degrassi does resolve and commit to most of their plots and subplots. Sometimes they aren't that great, granted for the most part they are relate-able, realistic, and/or entertaining. I simply cannot say the same for Glee, it's full of cliches and unrealistic events.

February 18, 2012 2:03 AM
TL
Reply

Wait, Glee's supposed to be realistic?!?!?!

March 4, 2012 6:14 AM
VLK
Reply

This article is completely biased. I like both shows, but for completely different reasons. Glee is a comedy for all ages, Degrassi is a teen drama for teens...comparing them like this is like comparing Law and Order to CSI...similar shows, but still very different. Also, if Glee was cast with actual high schoolers, it would suck and be lame. Also, as a young adult, I can't take Degrassi seriously as they look too young and the drama is annoying. With Glee, its a comedy so I don't have to.

March 4, 2012 9:09 PM
somethinginoticed
Reply

Bad article. The point of Glee and the point of Degrassi are completely different. Glee is a COMEDY and DRAMA that airs on a major american tv station, Fox. Kids, Teens, Adults, and older people all watch it. The point of the show is to be funny, dramatic, and entertaining. It doesn't care about being "realistic" for teens, that's not the point. Now Degrassi is a TEENDRAMA, airing on teennick (in the US, and much in Canada). This show is watched by TEENS, not adults.The point is to be a somewhat educational show showing teens a realistic portrayal of their life. See, DIFFERENT!

March 20, 2012 11:22 AM
Ouch
Reply

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March 27, 2012 10:56 AM
armando
Reply

the other answers given are good too (How I Met Your Mother, Scrubs, JONAS, Sonny with a Chance, Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, Suite Life on Deck, etc) but a lot of ABC flamiy shows are popular with teens: Secret Life of the American Teenager or GreekCW Shows: Gossip Girl, 90210, Melrose Place, Smallville, Life Unexpected

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May 22, 2012 10:01 AM
Rebecca
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I really like this article; I was actually thinking about something similar. While Degrassi and Glee differ in many ways, I think the latter can learn a lot from the former if they want this show to last and stay relevant.

A show like Glee can only last if the characters keep rotating. If not, then this show will grow stale and I would hate for a wonderful show like this to outstay its welcome.

The issue is, American TV (and movies) tend to cast 20-something year olds to play high schoolers. They want beautiful, sexy people to play sophomores, meanwhile the average 15 year old is probably going through an awkward stage with acne and braces. Also, we all grow attached to our favorite characters so phasing them out and bringing new cast members in may be met with strong resistance from long time fans.

Will the Degrassi formula work for Glee? Guess we'll have to stay tuned and wait for what Ryan Murphy brews up.

May 22, 2012 3:23 PM
Chip N Dales
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Zune and iPod: Most people compare the Zune to the Touch, but after seeing how slim and surprisingly small and light it is, I consider it to be a rather unique hybrid that combines qualities of both the Touch and the Nano. It's very colorful and lovely OLED screen is slightly smaller than the touch screen, but the player itself feels quite a bit smaller and lighter. It weighs about 2/3 as much, and is noticeably smaller in width and height, while being just a hair thicker.

May 22, 2012 10:20 PM
5Linx Scam
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Hands down, Apple's app store wins by a mile. It's a huge selection of all sorts of apps vs a rather sad selection of a handful for Zune. Microsoft has plans, especially in the realm of games, but I'm not sure I'd want to bet on the future if this aspect is important to you. The iPod is a much better choice in that case.

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