Low-budget Degrassi Junior High broke the mold for teen dramas

When I was a kid in the 1980s, nostalgia meant things like the Beatles, Woodstock and hippies.

It wasn’t until the release of the Netflix show Stranger Things a few years back that I realized that people were suddenly looking back at the 1980s in the same way I looked at the '60s.

And a huge part of 1980s nostalgia involves Degrassi Junior High, the seminal Canadian TV show with a tiny budget and huge cultural impact.

Unlike its glitzy Hollywood counterparts like Beverly Hills 90210, Degrassi featured normal teens with relatable problems in a way few other shows dared.

The result was a global phenomenon that has yielded several spinoffs, including Degrassi: The Next Generation.

Fans of the show can relive the era Sunday at Cambrian College, which is hosting NostalgiaCon, put on by Northern Gaming Events.

The event features retro video games, comics, art, cosplay and some retro toys, but the star attractions are Degrassi’s own Pat Mastroianni (Joey Jeremiah) and Stacie Mistysyn (Caitlin Ryan).

The pair will do a panel, taking questions from the audience. Ahead of the event, Mastroianni told CTV News that NostalgiaCon is a celebration of the past in a post-pandemic world.

“All this weekend is all about is just celebrating our past, celebrating things that we grew up with in the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s and looking back at a simpler time,” he said.

“Our world today is digitized, right? That's obvious. And whenever I speak publicly, I always talk about how Gen X were the last of the analog generation.”

Mastroianni said he recently found a Sony Walkman in his closet and it made him smile.

“It brings back memories and that's the wonderful thing about all these pop culture conventions that we appear at across North America,” he said.

“It’s people just gathering and just celebrating.”

He said people still tell him how the original Degrassi spoke to them and what was going on in their lives at the time.

“The storylines were relatable, the characters were relatable,” Mastroianni said.

“They all knew a Joey Jeremiah or a Snake, or a Wheels or Caitlyn. I think people would gravitate to a certain character and want to follow that storyline -- not just for that episode but for years.”

Many fans just want to show gratitude for the show and characters being there for them during difficult times growing up.

“For some of us, it was an awkward time,” Mastroianni said.

“And they got through it and (people) just want to say, hey thank you for being there for us. You know when I was going through that awkward phase in my life, I felt less alone knowing that there were people on TV that were going through similar situations.”

When they were making the show, he said they had no idea of how many people were watching, let alone what sort of impact it was having.

Pat Mastroianni says fans were able to relate to Degrassi Junior High in a way they couldn't with other, high-profile shows. (Photo from video)

“Like we weren't curing cancer, right?” he said.

“But at the same time, we weren't 90210. We weren't slick. We weren't polished. The camera work was maybe a little bit fuzzy so and again as actors we were learning on the job, as well. This was my first acting role ever and I was just blessed that the writers and the producers allowed me and my character a chance to shine.”

Meeting fans at events like NostalgiaCon can bring out a lot of emotions, Mastroianni said.

“Sometimes there's hugs involved,” he said.

“Sometimes there's tears. Like, people can get very emotional sometimes when they meet us because we're triggering memories. We’re triggering emotions that maybe they haven't thought about for years, just like an old song can do.”

In addition to the Degrassi stars, the event will include a generational cosplay contest (1970s to now) as well as a version of the smash hit TV show, video and arcade Top 10. It begins at 11 a.m. and runs until 5 p.m.

Click here for more details on NostalgiaCon, including how to get tickets.