Wildbrain’s Degrassi: Whatever It Takes trailer takes us back to when Canada ruled the high school drama genre
Wildbrain will serve a hefty pile of nostalgia alongside the infamous cafeteria mystery meat when its documentary, Degrassi: Whatever It Takes, brings fans of the Canadian high school drama franchise back to the hallowed halls of yesteryear. In today’s Degrassi: Whatever It Takes trailer, Wildbrain invites creators, superfans, and stars from across the eras, including Aubrey Drake Graham, Kevin Smith, Shenae Grimes-Beech, and more, to delve deep into all things Degrassi!
Produced by WildBrain and Peacock Alley Entertainment, the TIFF 50 Official Selection makes its World Premiere on September 13!
Degrassi: Whatever It Takes dives into the behind-the-scenes truth of the Degrassi franchise—raw, real, and sometimes troubling—while celebrating the powerful legacy of a show that made teens everywhere feel seen.
Whatever It Takes celebrates the groundbreaking legacy of Degrassi. This fearless teen drama tackled taboo topics and changed TV forever, while uncovering the behind-the-scenes tensions and personal sacrifices that shaped Canada’s most iconic franchise.
If you grew up obsessing over shows like My So Called Life, Saved by the Bell, Dawson’s Creek, A Different World, and Beverly Hills 90210, you should know that Degrassi helped lay the genre’s foundation. Though not always perfect, Degrassi spoke to generations of disaffected teens by tapping into the culture, fashion, and social pressures of the 1980s and beyond. While many studio execs were afraid to tackle taboo subjects, Degrassi went there, and television owes the groundbreaking show a debt of gratitude.
Produced by WildBrain and Peacock Alley Entertainment, and directed by Lisa Rideout (Sex with Sue, This is Pop), Degrassi: Whatever It Takes features interviews and insights on the show’s legacy from creator Linda Schuyler, executive producer Stephen Stohn, superfans, including filmmaker Kevin Smith, and cast of the Degrassi universe, including Dayo Ade, Stefan Brogren, Amanda and Maureen Deiseach, Aubrey Drake Graham, Shenae Grimes-Beech, Jake Epstein, Shane Kippel, Miriam McDonald, Stacie Mistysyn, Melinda Shankar, Amanda Stepto, Jordan Todosey and more.
Rideout said: “Degrassi changed the landscape of television with real, unvarnished storytelling and did it unapologetically from a teenage perspective. I was inspired by how fearless the series was in tackling issues that others wouldn’t touch. 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.”
Carrie Mudd, Executive producer for Peacock Alley, said: “Degrassi is more than a TV show—it’s a time capsule of growing up, full of heart, honesty and every ‘first’ experience you can think of. Nothing then, or now, has captured the teenage experience in a more raw, authentic or unfiltered way. Degrassi is one of Canada’s biggest cultural exports, which helped shape four decades of TV and touched multiple generations of kids around the world. Telling its story felt like honouring a piece of the Canadian identity.”
Regarding Degrassi‘s 40-year legacy:
Always tuned in and never afraid to speak the truth, Degrassi is one of the most enduring franchises in the history of youth programming. For over four decades, watching Degrassi has been a rite of passage for teenagers everywhere, providing a mirror on their passions, struggles and triumphs as they navigate high school and the road to selfhood. Always at the vanguard of inspiration, education and entertainment, Degrassi has been unafraid to tackle even the most challenging stories, from teen pregnancy to racism to gender identity and more. Degrassi has been recognized with dozens of awards, including two International Emmy Awards, two Teen Choice Awards, and a Peabody.
Is Wildbrain’s Degrassi: Whatever It Takes trailer taking you back to when days were golden? Considering how difficult high school was for some, I doubt it. However, it’s great to be back with the Degrassi cast members. Hearing their personal stories and revelations should serve as a powerful time machine and show us how far we’ve come as people, taking life one day at a time.
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