Degrassi High: Season 01 (1989)

With virtually all of our favorite DeGrassi Junior High kids entering high school at the beginning of the series' fourth season, it was necessary to change the title to -- surprise, surprise -- DeGrassi High (besides, the old junior high building had burned to the ground at the end of season three). In addition to such familiar characters as Joey (Pat Mastroianni), Michelle (Maureen McKay), Snake (Stefan Brogren), Wheels (Neil Hope), and Spike (Amanda Stepto), two new cast members join the show this season: David Armin-Parcells as Claude and Byrd Dickens as Scott. The first day of high school turns out to be a bad news-bad news situation for Joey, who must not only deal with his old tormentor Dwayne (Darrin Brown), but also with his least favorite junior-high teacher, who has accepted a job at DeGrassi High; later on, Joey must endure the humiliation of being sent to remedial classes when he's diagnosed with a learning disorder. In other developments: Erica (Angela Deiseach) finds out she is pregnant, whereupon her twin sister, Heather (Maureen Deiseach), tries to talk her out of having an abortion. When her parents separate, Michelle moves in with her bigoted father, who disapproves of her black boyfriend, BLT (Dayo Ade) -- forcing her to find an apartment of her own. Arthur (Duncan Waugh) moons over Caitlin (Stacie Mistysyn), who has fallen for Claude -- who, in turn, seems willing to let her take the rap when they're caught spray-painting anti-war slogans at a nearby factory. Kathleen (Rebecca Haines) regrets going out with Scott when he becomes possessive and physically abusive. Single mom Spike must fend off boys who assume that she's "easy" and is later uncomfortably reunited with Shane, the father of her child, who had attempted suicide one year earlier. L.D. (Amanda Cook) faces an uncertain future when she is diagnosed with cancer. And toward the end of the season, Michelle puts her academic career on the line when she protests the dismissal of her favorite teacher, Ms. Avery (Michelle Goodeve). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi