Blame Canada

"Flying Death Monkeys!"


I have a confession to make: I'm hooked on Degrassi: The Next Generation, the Canadian teen soap dramedy (airs all the time on The N, check local listings). It's one of those guilty pleasures where I don't know if I enjoy it on an ironic level or on a sincere level. All I know is that it is truly compelling. And Canadians talk funny.

Oh, and if you tune in and don't like one episode, watch a couple more. The ensemble is so big, that characters and stories may pop up in one half hour, and then vanish entirely for several episodes, and not all characters/plot lines are created equal on Degrassi, so give several a chance.

And if you happen to run The N, please play the aborted abortion episode here! If the Canadians can handle it, so can we! Other than that one programming gaffe on the part of The N, I gotta respect them for tackling all kinds of teen issues that Saved By The Bell never dreamed of (Jessie Spano may have gotten hooked on caffeine pills, but Degrassi's resident straight-A'er took ecstasy) in a not overly preachy way.