The Best 'Degrassi' Moments From The Drake Era

If you're a Degrassi fan, you've probably already heard the bad news: The show that has spanned nearly two decades is finally getting ready to come to an end. On Thursday, TeenNick announced that Degrassi is ending after 14 seasons, which seems impossible considering the fact that it's become an institution in teen TV. As someone who spent every summer break of high school on the couch watching Degrassi marathons, I'm pretty bummed that my future children will never be able to enjoy that same binge-watching experience with their own generation of cast members, but I have a feeling I'd be even more upset if I'd kept up with more current episodes. To me, Degrassi is the OG cast: Emma, Manny, Jimmy, Ellie, Spinner — you know who I'm talking about. I will never forget those early 2000s episodes, and that's what I'll miss most.

(Update: Entertainment Weekly reports that while new episodes of Degrassi will no longer air on Teen Nick after Season 14, the series will continue on a “yet-to-be-named” network: “The network announced today that it will air its last episodes of Degrassi this summer. (The show is not leaving the air altogether; it will continue to be produced, and later episodes will air on a yet-to-be-named US broadcaster.)”)

So to commemorate 14 seasons of helping teens cope with the tough parts of growing up, here's a list of the most memorable moments you'll cling to if you were a huge fan in what I like to refer to as "the Drake era." Degrassi, I will never forget wishing I lived in Canada so I could go to your wonderful school... or laughing at how the cast members pronounced the word "about."

1. Liberty Getting Pregnant

Oh, Liberty Van Zandt. Perfect student, perfect daughter, fell in love with J.T. and never looked back. Although can you blame her? J.T. was hot. And then, Liberty unexpectedly became pregnant and ultimately decided to give her baby up for adoption, and we got a harsh look at the realities of teen pregnancy before 16 & Pregnant was ever a thing.

2. Emma's Hair Mishap

When I was younger, I was obsessed with curly hair, because my hair has always been naturally stick straight. I begged and begged for a perm, and my mom always said no — and it wasn't until I saw Emma get one and regret it that I understood why. Who could forget Emma's gigantic hair?

3. Jimmy

I know it's all anyone talks about in reference to Degrassi, but this list wouldn't be complete without bringing up the fact that Drake used to be Aubrey Graham, who played wheelchair-bound basketball player turned rapper Jimmy Brooks.

4. That Time Nina Dobrev Played A Teen Mom

Mama Mia, as her fellow Degrassi students called her. Long before she was on Vampire Diaries, Dobrev was a regular on Degrassi, and she was one of my favorite characters. And obvs, she was a way better teen mom than Farrah Abraham will ever be.

5. Ellie And Craig's Doomed Love Story

They were best friends, they were in love, they were wrong for each other, they couldn't live without each other — isn't that what true love really looked like from your couch in the early 2000s? I dreamed and dreamed for a love story like Ellie and Craig's... of course, until I grew up and realized it was pretty unhealthy and likely doomed from the start.

6. The Thing With Manny And The Thong

The first time I saw the episode where Manny was judged for wearing a thong, I had never actually worn a thong or felt a desire to experiment with underwear that my mom hadn't purchased for me in packs of six. The entire school was practically scandalized by a pair of undies to the point that switching from briefs turned Manny into an overnight diva. Imagine my surprise when I, too, bought my first thong and realized it didn't instantly transform me into J. Lo.

7. J.T. Getting Stabbed

Sorry, I saved the worst for last. Was J.T.'s shocking stabbing episode not the biggest tragedy of your childhood, though?

Image: TeenNick