This year’s Kingston Canadian Film Festival (KCFF) will shine a spotlight on one of Canada’s most influential television legacies with a special screening of Degrassi: Whatever It Takes, the new documentary from director Lisa Rideout.
Following its high-profile premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025, the film continues its festival run by bringing Degrassi’s story to Kingston audiences.
More than just a retrospective, the documentary explores how a modest Canadian teen drama grew into a global cultural phenomenon. For over four decades, Degrassi distinguished itself by portraying adolescence with unusual honesty, tackling topics many shows avoided and giving young viewers characters who felt real and relatable.
Its KCFF screening offers both longtime fans and new audiences a chance to revisit the franchise’s origins, its cultural impact, and the people who helped shape its enduring legacy.
What Is Degrassi: Whatever It Takes?
Directed by Lisa Rideout, Degrassi: Whatever It Takes is a feature-length documentary that examines the origins, evolution, and lasting cultural impact of the Degrassi television franchise. Running 111 minutes, the film brings together voices from across multiple generations of the series, including creators, cast members, and cultural figures whose lives were shaped by its stories.
Produced by Peacock Alley Entertainment and WildBrain, the documentary traces Degrassi’s journey from its early beginnings as a small Canadian production to one of the longest-running youth drama franchises in television history.
The film highlights how the show evolved alongside its audience, reflecting the changing realities of teenage life across decades.
The documentary also features appearances from key figures associated with the franchise, including co-creator Linda Schuyler and actor-musician Drake, who portrayed Jimmy Brooks before launching his global music career.
Their reflections, along with those of fellow cast members and collaborators, help illustrate how Degrassi became more than just a television show; it became a cultural touchstone that influenced generations of viewers in Canada and beyond.
Why Degrassi Changed Teen Television Forever
Long before Degrassi, most teen characters on television were simplified versions of adolescence, carefree, polished, and rarely forced to confront serious consequences.
The franchise, created by Linda Schuyler and her collaborator Kit Hood, broke away from that formula by presenting teenagers as they actually were: uncertain, flawed, and navigating complicated emotional and social realities.
Beginning with The Kids of Degrassi Street in 1979, the series introduced a new kind of storytelling rooted in authenticity. Drawing from her experience as a teacher, Schuyler aimed to reflect the lives of real students rather than idealized television archetypes.
That commitment to realism carried through later series like Degrassi Junior High, Degrassi High, and Degrassi: The Next Generation, each continuing to follow students as they faced challenges both ordinary and extraordinary.
What set Degrassi apart was its willingness to address difficult subjects that were rarely explored in youth programming at the time. Storylines involving teen pregnancy, abortion, racism, bullying, sexuality, and violence were handled with emotional honesty and without easy resolutions.
These narratives did not present clear moral lessons or tidy endings; instead, they emphasized consequences, personal growth, and emotional complexity.
This approach helped viewers see themselves reflected on screen in ways that had rarely been possible before. For many young audiences, Degrassi offered validation during moments of confusion, isolation, or transition. Over time, its influence extended beyond Canada, helping shape future generations of teen dramas and setting a new standard for realism in youth-oriented television.
How the Documentary Tells the Story
Rather than presenting a straightforward chronological history, director Lisa Rideout structures Degrassi: Whatever It Takes around the franchise’s most defining and controversial moments. These pivotal storylines, referred to as “pillar episodes,” serve as anchor points for exploring how Degrassi consistently pushed the boundaries of what teen television could address.
In an interview with POV Magazine, Rideout explained that identifying these key episodes helped shape both the narrative and the voices included in the film. “We identified what we called our ‘pillar episodes’—the moments that pushed boundaries or broke new ground—and built the story around those,” she said.
This approach allows the documentary to move fluidly between different eras of the franchise, connecting early episodes from the 1980s with later storylines that addressed contemporary issues. Rather than focusing solely on production history, the film emphasizes the emotional and cultural impact of these stories on both the actors and the audience.
Rideout also highlights the unique experience of growing up on screen, as many young performers navigated the same milestones as their characters.
By combining behind-the-scenes insight with personal reflection, the documentary presents Degrassi not just as a television series but as a shared experience, one that evolved alongside its viewers and helped define how adolescence could be portrayed on screen.
Representation, Imperfections, and Honest Reflection
While Degrassi: Whatever It Takes celebrates the franchise’s groundbreaking achievements, director Lisa Rideout also takes care to present a balanced and honest portrait. The film acknowledges that even as Degrassi pushed television forward, it was not without its limitations, missteps, and growing pains.
The documentary explores how the show navigated complex issues of race, identity, and representation, sometimes successfully, and other times imperfectly. Actors reflect on their experiences portraying sensitive storylines, while also noting that meaningful representation was still evolving both within the franchise and across the television industry as a whole.
Rideout emphasized that these multiple perspectives were essential to understanding the show’s full story. “I think multiple things can be true, and there were so many different experiences: If you were an actor on the set, or if you were Linda who was running this big production, or if you were Kit Hood, whose voice we didn’t get to hear. [Hood passed in January 2020.] But it was a time where there was nothing else like Degrassi on television” she explained. (Source: POV Magazine interview with Lisa Rideout)
The documentary also gives space to co-creator Linda Schuyler to reflect on the franchise’s legacy, including both its successes and its shortcomings. Schuyler sought to create stories that reflected real classrooms and real students. At the same time, the film acknowledges the challenges of maintaining authenticity while producing a long-running television series within the constraints of its era.
By presenting both praise and critique, the documentary reinforces what made Degrassi unique: its willingness to evolve, learn, and engage with difficult conversations, even when the answers were not simple.
Controversy Before the Premiere
In the days leading up to its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival, Degrassi: Whatever It Takes became the subject of unexpected legal attention. Co-creator Linda Schuyler filed a lawsuit against the film’s producers, seeking to delay its premiere over concerns about how certain aspects of the show’s production history were portrayed.
The lawsuit centered on claims that the documentary could give viewers the impression that cast members from Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High were underpaid without acknowledging the broader support systems that had been established. Schuyler argued that the portrayal lacked important context, particularly regarding financial and educational benefits made available to young actors during the show’s early years.
The dispute was resolved just days before the scheduled premiere, allowing the film to proceed as planned. As part of the resolution, the filmmakers agreed to include additional context clarifying the support structures that had been created for cast members, including initiatives such as scholarship opportunities and long-term financial programs.
Despite the controversy, the documentary premiered successfully and was well-received by audiences. The incident ultimately underscored one of the film’s central themes: that the story of Degrassi is complex, shaped by both its groundbreaking achievements and the realities of producing an ambitious television series over several decades.
Why the KCFF Screening Matters
The inclusion of Degrassi: Whatever It Takes in this year’s Kingston Canadian Film Festival lineup highlights both the documentary’s cultural importance and Degrassi’s lasting place in Canadian storytelling. As the world’s largest film festival dedicated exclusively to Canadian cinema, KCFF provides a platform for films that reflect the country’s creative identity, making it an ideal venue for a documentary about one of Canada’s most influential television franchises.
Running from February 25 to March 1, the 2026 festival will feature more than 100 films alongside live performances, panel discussions, and industry events. Within that lineup, the Degrassi documentary stands out as a celebration of a uniquely Canadian phenomenon, one that grew from a modest educational project into a globally recognized series.
The KCFF screening also represents an important opportunity for audiences outside major international festivals to experience the film. While its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival introduced the documentary to industry audiences and critics, KCFF brings the story closer to home, allowing Canadian viewers to reflect on a franchise that helped shape the country’s cultural landscape.
The Lasting Legacy of Degrassi
More than four decades after its debut, Degrassi remains one of the most influential youth television franchises ever produced. What began as a small Canadian series rooted in educational storytelling grew into a global phenomenon spanning multiple generations, over 500 episodes, and countless characters whose stories reflected the realities of growing up.
Director Lisa Rideout emphasizes that the franchise’s impact extends far beyond entertainment. By presenting teenage life without simplification or judgment, Degrassi created space for viewers to see their own struggles reflected on screen. Its influence can still be seen in modern teen dramas, many of which follow the path Degrassi helped establish by prioritizing realism and emotional honesty.
The documentary ultimately reinforces why the franchise continues to matter today. Degrassi did more than tell stories; it gave generations of young people the reassurance that they were not alone in their experiences. Its legacy is not only defined by its longevity, but by its willingness to explore the complexities of adolescence with empathy, courage, and truth.
Wrapping Up
The KCFF screening of Degrassi: Whatever It Takes offers fans and newcomers a unique opportunity to reflect on the cultural legacy of a series that has shaped generations. From its early days portraying authentic teenage life to its evolution into a globally recognized franchise, Degrassi has continually pushed the boundaries of teen television, addressing complex social issues with honesty and empathy.
Lisa Rideout’s documentary not only celebrates the show’s achievements but also explores its imperfections and the challenges behind the scenes. By weaving together stories from creators, cast members, and fans, the film presents a nuanced portrait of a franchise that dared to go where few others would.