Degrassi: The Next Generation is a landmark Canadian teen drama television series that follows the lives of a new generation of students attending Degrassi Community School. As the fourth series in the long-running Degrassi franchise, the show realistically tackles complex and often taboo adolescent issues including teen pregnancy, sexuality, mental health, substance abuse, bullying, racism, and suicide. The series is renowned for casting age-appropriate actors and allowing its characters to age in real time, growing from junior high into high school and eventually college or early adulthood. Notable characters like Jimmy Brooks, Emma Nelson, Manny Santos, and Spinner Mason navigate the tumultuous waters of teenage life under the watchful eye of former students turned staff, such as Snake Simpson, creating a deeply connected and nostalgic universe that bridges the original 1980s continuity with modern youth struggles.