Degrassi: Now or Never—Season Eleven, Part One

Winner of Peabody, Emmy, and Gemini awards, the long-running Canadian teen series Degrassi continues with this first set of 29 episodes from the 2011-12 11th season. Kicking off with the two-part special “Degrassi Spring Fever,” the action centers on a confrontation between Drew (Luke Bilyk) and his wild girlfriend Bianca (Alicia Josipovic), whose criminal gang-filled past catches up with her and results in a deadly tragedy at a Keke Palmer concert (on a lighter note, Palmer guest stars as a version of herself who chats up overachiever Sav, played by Raymond Ablack). Other storylines throughout the season follow couple K.C. and Jenna (Sam Earle, Jessica Tyler) as they struggle with balancing the stress of their newborn child, and the hysteric on-again/off-again drama between wishy-washy Clare (Aislinn Paul) and emo Eli (Munro Chambers)—which turns into a quadrangle with the addition of romantic interests in Clare's mother's boyfriend's son Jake (Justin Kelly) and the quirky and stalker-ish Imogen (Cristine Prosperi). Also covering topics including a teen fight club, LGBT and transgender issues, a teacher affair, gambling, and adoption, this timely series runs the subject area gamut: witness a single episode that incorporates frantic cocaine use sparked by stress over college acceptance, a blame-game bedbug infestation, and a kid with Asperger's stealing clothes from the girls locker room. Kids these days! Easily addictive, easily recommended. (J. Williams-Wood)