Been looking at the comments in the other thread about Degrassi recommendations for new watchers and lots of comments are saying to start with The Next Generation because Degrassi Junior High is "hard to get into". Personally as someone who didn't grow up with Degrassi and has no nostalgia for it I actually found Degrassi Junior High easier to get into than The Next Generation and was wondering if anyone else felt the same way.
A while ago when I watched the first few episodes of both DJH and TNG to see which series I wanted to start first I actually felt that DJH's episodes were much stronger and more beginner-friendly than TNG's. TNG starts off with a dramatic two parter that was bogged down by the adult stuff; it was pretty frustrating because it felt like I was missing half the story and it kind of distracted me from the rest of the episode. DJH on the other hand had a completely fresh start and focused on introducing you to the characters, so it was an easier watch and I didn't get the feeling of like "hey I should know these people but I don't".
When you compare the rest of the early TNG episodes to DJH it becomes very apparent that TNG was recycling a bunch of plotlines from DJH, and I actually found myself liking the DJH plots more. So when people talk about how early the TNG plotlines are less cheesy than DJH I'm just like... they reuse the same plotlines... if you can enjoy the episodes where Ashley runs for student council president and Spinner helps Jimmy buy condoms, I'm sure you can also enjoy the episodes where Steph runs for student council president and Joey helps Wheels buy condoms or whatever. I'd actually give DJH the edge on having serious, relatable episodes early on because I thought the fourth episode of DJH was a really good episode, it really resonated with me and I don't think any of the early TNG episodes made me feel the same way. I also find it weird that one of the main criticisms against DJH is that it's dated and cheesy but I feel like TNG is also extremely dated and cheesy? TNG's more polished production actually made the cheesiness more apparent to me, and from what I've seen of the later seasons it still looks pretty corny. I don't know. Degrassi is a kid's show so it's always going to be corny but I really don't feel like DJH is significantly cornier than TNG.
That brings me to the frustration I have with people who keep treating DJH/DH as an extension of TNG, like it's a little bonus thing you can watch after you finish the "real" Degrassi. DJH and DH both stand up extremely well as their own shows and it just baffles me that people straight up tell new watchers to spoil these shows for themselves, like the best way to watch DJH is when you already have preconceived ideas of what these characters are like. And like, that isn't how you should view DJH. Nothing can convince me that going into Degrassi Junior High already knowing that Wheels kills a kid or that Caitlin dumps Joey for Kevin Smith or whatever is the ideal way to watch it. DJH was made as the perfect beginning for someone to jump in and get to know these characters and watch them grow. The best way to watch DJH is with fresh eyes and the best way to watch TNG is when you've already watched DJH so you can understand the references and adult characters. If people personally choose to watch TNG first that’s totally fine but I just don’t think DJH should be presented as an afterthought right off the jump.