Drake and Other Degrassi Stars Look Back at the ‘Big Granddaddy’ of Teen TV in New Doc

Degrassi fans are being given the whole story about the monumental teen drama and what went down behind the scenes.

Stars of the Canadian teen drama, including Amanda Stepto, Drake, Stefan Brogren, Shenae Grimes-Beech, Jake Epstein, Miriam McDonald and more appear in the trailer for a new documentary diving deep into the show.

The beloved series began with Kids of Degrassi Street, which aired from 1979 to 1986. It was followed by Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High, the casts of which included Brogan and Stepto. Those two helped bring the series into the new millennium as part of the cast of Degrassi: The Next Generation, which included talent such as McDonald, Drake, Cassie Steele, Grimes-Beech and Nina Dobrev, from 2001 to 2015. The most recent iteration, Netflix’s Degrassi: Next Class, aired from 2016 to 2017.

Degrassi: Whatever It Takes delves behind-the-scenes of the Degrassi franchise, covering moments that ranged from raw to troubling, while celebrating the powerful legacy of a show that made teens feel seen in a way no other TV series had before it.

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The trailer begins with Drake telling his hiring story. He says, “I didn’t have a great time in high school. I just didn’t really fit in.”

McDonald is seen discussing her “awkward cocoon stage,” while Stepto recalls learning about auditions from a flyer at her performing arts high school.

The story returns to Drake, who says, “Then one day, my mom called me and told me, ‘You got the role.’ And I just grabbed my bag and left. And man, what a wild journey that started.”

The teen drama covered topics that were once taboo on TV, like teen pregnancy, drug use, domestic abuse and mental health. The documentary will show the impact making such raw and honest television had on the young actors who brought Degrassi to life.

Schyuler appears in the trailer, remarking, “Have we always gotten it right? Probably not. Have we told our stories with the best of intentions? Yes, we have.”

The trailer also features a clip from an interview where Dawson’’s Creek alum Joshua Jackson remarks, “When people talk about my old show, on Dawson’s, or they talk about Beverly Hills, 90210, they don’t know that the big grandaddy is Degrassi.”

Produced by WildBrain and Peacock Alley Entertainment, and directed by Lisa Rideout, Degrassi: Whatever It Takes features interviews and insights on the show’s legacy from creator Linda Schuyler, executive producer Stephen Stohn and superfans, including filmmaker Kevin Smith. Members of the cast from throughout the Degrassi timeline will appear.

Rideout says: “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, adds: “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 honoring a piece of the Canadian identity.”

Degrassi: Whatever It Takes will premiere on Saturday, Sept. 13 at the Toronto International Film Festival as a TIFF 50 Official Selection.