Degrassi: The Next Generation had a simple tagline: “It goes there.” If you know anything about the Canadian teen drama—besides that it gave Drake his big break in the biz—you know that’s true. Degrassi tackled topics like school shootings, domestic abuse, child predation, gender identity, sexual assault, and teen pregnancies that resulted in young parenthood, adoption, and even abortion. All of those episodes were totally acceptable to The N, the American distributor that aired the show stateside, except one.
For two years, American audiences were denied the opportunity to see the two-part episode “Accidents Will Happen,” in which a character named Manny, a freshman in high school, defies her sort-of boyfriend’s wishes and procures an abortion. She does deliberate, and even considers going through with the pregnancy, but ultimately finds support from her mother when she decides she’s not ready for motherhood. The show depicts the conflicting forces in her life in a realistic way. Her best friend, for instance, is opposed to abortion because she herself was born to a teen mom—but ultimately defends Manny’s right to make the choice.
Where to stream: Degrassi: The Next Generation is streaming on HBO Max.
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