Even in 2025, Degrassi remains the cultural gold standard for pushing boundaries in Canadian television. In a recent feature for The Hamilton Spectator, writer-director Jacob Tierney (best known as the co-creator of Letterkenny) cited the franchise as the bar to clear for his new Crave series, Heated Rivalry.
The new six-episode series, based on the novel by Rachel Reid, follows two male hockey players engaged in a secret, steamy romance. When asked if the project could be the “raciest Canadian TV show ever made,” Tierney offered a nod to the original Junior High era.
The Degrassi Comparison
Acknowledging the history of Canadian media, Tierney joked that his show has stiff competition from a specific 1987 storyline:
“Our big competition is that episode of ‘Degrassi’ where Spike gets pregnant, so if we can get this right, then I think there’s a big future for us.”
— Jacob Tierney, The Hamilton Spectator (Dec 2, 2025)
The episode referenced is, of course, “It’s Late” (Degrassi Junior High, Season 1, Episode 11), which aired nearly 40 years ago. The fact that creators are still referencing Spike’s pregnancy as the definitive moment of risky, “real” Canadian storytelling speaks to the franchise’s enduring legacy.
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