Degrassi is a Canadian teen drama franchise created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979. The franchise spans five main series: The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, Degrassi High, , and , as well as several made-for-television movies, web miniseries and novelizations. Beginning as a series of short films about children who live on or near De Grassi Street in Toronto, Ontario, starting with Degrassi Junior High, the franchise began to focus on an ensemble cast of students attending various schools with the Degrassi name as they confront various issues and challenges. Also starting from Degrassi Junior High, the franchise became a cultural phenomenon in Canada and a cult hit in the United States, garnering critical acclaim for its realistic portrayal of adolescence.[1] [2]
Throughout the years, the franchise (save Next Class) has seen numerous releases to VHS and DVD. In the United States, Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High were initially distributed in the late 1980s by mail order from Direct Cinema Ltd. for educational use.[3] Large VHS box sets of Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High were released in 1999 and 2000 by WGBH Boston Home Video, followed by DVD releases in 2005 and 2007, respectively. Degrassi: The Next Generation was distributed on home video in Canada by Alliance Home Entertainment, and in the United States by FUNimation Entertainment and later Echo Bridge Entertainment, with all but it's thirteenth and fourteenth seasons released to DVD.
| "Ida Makes A Movie"/"Cookie Goes To Hospital"/"Irene Moves In" | 3 | 2000 | |
| "Lisa Makes The Headlines"/"Noel Buys A Suit" | 2 | 2000 | |
| "Ryan Runs For Help"/"Martin Hears The Music" | 2 | 2000 | |
| "Billy Breaks The Chain"/"Catherine Finds Her Balance" | 2 | 2000 | |
| "Sophie Minds The Store"/"Casey Draws The Line" | 2 | 2000[4] | |
| "Rachel Runs For Office"/"Griff Makes A Date" | 2 | 2000 | |
| "Connie Makes The Catch"/"Karen Keeps Her Word" | 2 | 2000 | |
| "Pete Takes A Chance"/"Chuck Makes A Choice" | 2 | 2000[5] | |
| "Martin Meets The Pirates"/"Connie Goes To Court" | 2 | 2000 | |
| "Lisa Gets Her Picture"/"Griff Gets A Hand" | 2 | 2000 |
| Degrassi Junior High: Term 2 | 13 | 1988[7] | |
| Degrassi Junior High: Term 3 | 16 | 1988 |
| "Kiss Me Steph"/"The Big Dance" | 2 | 1999[8] | |
| "The Experiment"/"The Cover-Up" | 2 | 1999[9] | |
| "The Great Race"/"Rumor Has It" | 2 | 1999[10] | |
| "The Best Laid Plans"/"Nothing To Fear" | 2 | 2000 | |
| "What A Night!"/"Smokescreen" | 2 | 2000 | |
| "It's Late"/"Parent's Night" | 2 | 2000 | |
| "Revolution/"Eggbert" | 2 | 2000 | |
| "A Helping Hand"/"Great Expectations" | 2 | 2000 | |
| "Dinner And A Show"/"Stage Fright" | 2 | 2000 | |
| "Fight!"/"Bottled Up" | 2 | 2000 | |
| "Sealed With A Kiss"/"Dog Days" | 2 | 2000 | |
| "Censored"/"Trust Me" | 2 | 2000 | |
| "He's Back"/"Pass Tense" | 2 | 2000 | |
| "Can't Live With 'Em, Parts 1 & 2" | 2 | 2000 | |
| "A Big Girl Now"/"Seasons Greetings" | 2 | 2000 | |
| "Loves Me, Loves Me Not"/"He Ain't Heavy" | 2 | 2000 | |
| "The Whole Truth"/"Star-Crossed" | 2 | 2000 | |
| "Food For Thought"/"Twenty Bucks" | 2 | 2000 | |
| "Taking Off, Parts 1 & 2" | 2 | 2000 | |
| "Pa-Arty!"/"Bye Bye Junior High" | 2 | 2000 | |
| 21 Video Set | 42 | March 7, 2000[11] [12] |
| Season | Set details | DVD release dates | Special features | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||||
| Degrassi Junior High: Season One |
| February 1, 2005 | April 30, 2007[14] | 2005-2006 | Region 1:
| |
| Degrassi Junior High: Season Two |
| June 7, 2005[16] | 2005 | Region 1:
| ||
| Degrassi Junior High: Season Three |
| September 27, 2005 | 2005 | Region 1:
| ||
| The Complete Collection/Series |
| October 25, 2005October 11, 2016 | Special features from individual sets | |||
| The Complete Degrassi High (Degrassi High & Degrassi Junior High) |
| November 2, 2016 |
| |||
In 2019, Encore+, the YouTube channel of Canada Media Fund, made the entirety of Degrassi Junior High available free to view, in both English and French.[18]
| Degrassi High: Term 4 | 13 | 1990 | |
| Degrassi High: Term 5 | 16 | 1990 |
| Season | Set details | DVD release dates | Special features | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||||
| Degrassi High: The Complete Series |
| October 9, 2007 December 13, 2016 | Region 1:
| |||
| Degrassi High Collection |
| March 12, 2008[19] | N/A | |||
| Release | Distributor | Release date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| School's Out: The Degrassi High Graduation Special | WGBH Boston Home Video (United States) | 1992 | |
| Degrassi High: School's Out | ABC Video/Roadshow Entertainment (Australia)[20] | 1993 | |
| Degrassi High: School's Out | WGBH Boston Home Video (United States) | March 7, 2000 |
| Complete Season DVD Release | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release | Ep # | Release dates | Special Features | ||||
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | |||||
| Canada | United States | ||||||
| 15 | October 5, 2004 | September 28, 2004 | May 3, 2007 (ABC DVD)September 8, 2010 (Umbrella Entertainment)[22] | Degrassi Karaoke, Degrassi Photo Album, Character Descriptions, Cast Biographies, Deleted Scenes, Oops and Bloopers, Original Television Promos, and Audition Tapes. | |||
| 22 | June 21, 2005 | September 8, 2010 | 130+ Deleted/Extended Scenes and Bloopers, Cast Audition Tapes, Season 2 Second Call Back Tapes, "Poor Thing" Karaoke, Interactive Fan Quiz, Degrassi Yearbook, Snake and Spike's Wedding Album, Student and Adult Profiles, and Cast Biographies.
| ||||
| 22 | March 28, 2006 | April 13, 2011 | Audio Commentaries ("Accidents Will Happen" and "Pride"), Deleted Scenes, "Rock and Roll High School" Karaoke, Season 3 Interactive Quiz, CTV Degrassi Promo, Degrassi Yearbook, and Character and Cast Biographies. | ||||
| 23 | October 24, 2006 | November 28, 2006 | April 13, 2011 | Audio Commentaries ("Time Stands Still" and "Secret"), Deleted Scenes, Blooper Reel, Original Cast Auditions, Season 4 Interactive Quiz, Character and Cast Biographies, Jay and Silent Bob Flipbook, Degrassi Yearbook, and PAX Gun Violence Prevention Public Service Announcements.
| |||
| 19 | July 3, 2007 | Deleted Scenes, Blooper Reel, Original Cast Auditions, Interview with Cassie Steele, Character and Cast Biographies, Degrassi Yearbook, Simple Plan Music Video and Interview, and Trailers. | |||||
| 19 | May 27, 2008 | Deleted Scenes, Bloopers, Original Auditions, Character and Cast Biographies, Degrassi Yearbook, and Trailers. | |||||
| 24 | May 26, 2009 | March 17, 2009 | Bloopers, Deleted Scenes, Photo Gallery, Webisodes, and "On The Set". | ||||
| 23 | September 1, 2009 | "Degrassi Goes Hollywood" The Movie, Bloopers, Deleted Scenes, Podcasts, Webisodes, "On The Set" Webisodes, and "My Window" Music Video. | |||||
| 23 | July 20, 2010 | "Degrassi Takes Manhattan" The Movie, Bloopers, Deleted Scenes, Webisodes and Minis, and Music Videos. | |||||
| 44 | October 18, 2011 | September 13, 2011 | Episode Commentaries ("My Body Is A Cage" and "Umbrella"), Music Videos, Bloopers, and Webisodes. | ||||
| 45 | December 3, 2013 | Meet the New Kids, The Gallery Shoot, Set Tour, Parking Lot Tour, From Rehearsal to Shooting, Goodbyes, Behind the Scenes, Deleted Scenes, Bloopers, and Webisodes. | |||||
| 40 | October 29, 2013 | Back to Degrassi, New Kids on the Block, Shooting the Opening Sequence, 300th Episode Celebration, A Day with the Ice Hounds, Goodbye Uniforms, Inside Fiona's Birthday Brawl, Say Cheese: Photoshoot with Demetrius, Vanessa and Justice, The Making of Romeo & Jules, Bloopers, The Inside Look and The Table Read - Bitter Sweet Symphony, Graduation Day, Prom Night, The One and Only - Dylan Everett, Eli's Short Film - LIFE, Eli's Short Film - NYU Portfolio, Video Yearbook, and Episode Commentary. | |||||
| 40 | |||||||
| 28 | |||||||
As of, there have been no future Degrassi home media releases beyond the twelfth season of Next Generation. In 2015, Stephen Stohn stated on Twitter that they had delivered the elements for the season 13 DVD release, but the distributor changed.[23]