Mr. Daniel Raditch (-5): Down five because he’s still riding the bottom! Why is her a series regular? He doesn’t carry story. He is not that impactful. Are there secret Degrassi bylaws that mandate the principal is a series regular? He simply does not matter to me or really to the show. We are moving on.

Terri McGreggor (-5): Last season, we saw Terri go from central player to barely a regular. This season got even worse. Though she was the center of 1.5 episodes of the show, she barely appeared otherwise. Add to that how reactive she was in her own stories, this was not someone who wielded influence on the show. In fact, Rick’s legacy is probably bigger than hers. This character will mostly be remembered for being the first departing cast member. I am 0% surprised it was the “fat” girl.

Toby Isaacs (-9): And what do you know, we’re giving up on the fat boy too. Toby is so interesting to me, because I actually think he can carry a decent amount of story. He occupies an unique place in the Degrassi canvas - weird nerd - but that’s a place Degrassi always struggles with. I think a lot of it comes down to how much this is a dating show, and the inability of the writers to imagine Toby as someone who could have a textured romantic life. It’s something I want to keep an eye on with Degrassi’s future nerds. For now, Toby is an also ran.

Christine “Spike” Nelson (first season): Making her jump into series regular status, Christine starts the season strong, but somewhat fades. That said, she is, in a lot of ways, the ideal adult regular to me. She makes a meal out of her appearances, especially in the season opener and in her support of Manny, but she doesn’t demand focus. If all of the adult leads were playing by those rules, she’d probably be at the top. I suppose this is a low placement, but it is a correct placement for this type of character.

Jimmy Brooks (-5): Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy. He had his moments this year. I liked how he supported Marco. He got to anchor the season finale. He somewhat reliably popped up all over the place. But did he really have a story? Who is Jimmy right now? What’s the point of Jimmy? I think this was the least annoyed I’ve been with him yet. I’m surprised that didn’t reflect better in the ranking. But at the end of the day, I think the writers never quite know what to do with Jimmy. Unlike Toby and Terri, they want to know what to do with him. It’s one of the many factors that leads to what comes next.

Liberty van Zandt (-8): Are you worried about a pattern? Sorry to say that yes. First we get the students who are not skinny, then we get the students with darker skin. I miss Liberty. No A story this season, and B stories that fall a little flat. I do love her crush on Sean, but otherwise, where was my girl? The answer to that is that she was doing what she’s always been best at - popping into random scenes in other characters’ stories. She’s great for filling out the roster, but didn’t get a star moment this season. Beats Jimmy on pure likeability, but it’s close.

Joey Jeremiah (-1): I like Joey! I have fun with Joey! He stood out for me less this season than last, mostly because he was often the straight man to Caitlyn and Craig, but I still dig the guy. I wish I had more to say. Being a big player in a two part episode is nothing to scoff at. But his storyline with Caitlyn felt so removed from the rest of the show, it’s hard to consider it powerful.

Caitlyn Ryan (first season): And then all of that one more time, but Caitlyn is the POV for the romance arc with Joey. She’s more fun than Joey. And she manages to play support in both Emma and, more unexpectedly, Ellie’s, storyline. I could have personally used a little less of her focal point energy, but it was undeniably focal.

Hazel Aden (first season): Okay look. This is probably not correct. She should probably be below Joey and Caitlyn. But it’s all down hill for this character and I wanted to find some chance to give her some flowers, because I do think she’s pretty great! Hazel is Grade 10’s best supporting player. She can pop in as a sounding board in just about anyone’s story, and does. Her detention appearance is fun. I like that she stays chill all the time. I really wish the show was more interested in her experience as a Muslim woman in the popular circles of this school because I am. That feels especially timely for the 00s.

Archie “Snake” Simpson (+1): Gaining ground in a season with five new cast members is impressive. And even if it’s only one slot, it’s one slot gained by a grown up character. Simpson got a lot of screen time this season, and I simply have to respect it. His cancer storyline was emotional and did good things for both him and Emma. I think, in other seasons, Simpson as a teacher feels no more important than the other recurring teachers. This season, they relied on him a lot. His big story was linked in enough with a student’s story that I’m even okay with it getting as much time as it did. Good job, Mr. Simpson. Feel free to sneak into the shadows now that you’re well.

James Tiberius “JT” Yorke (-4): He’s dropped back down again, but I think JT actually had a very good season. His placement is a factor of two newbies and a few other climbers. JT is cool enough to get story and lame enough for that story to be interesting. The season really seems to get how likable he is, and how that gets him somewhere with a lot of different characters. His dynamic with Manny is cute. That said, no JT A-story episode this season. It’s hard to rank him higher than this with that in mind.

Gavin “Spinner” Mason (+1): Once again I ask, what am I actually measuring here? If it’s likability, Spinner should be lower. He’s a nightmare this season. Rude, homophobic, disrespectful to women, and perpetually given a pass on all of it. If it’s impact, he should maybe be higher. Spinner appears in more episodes this season than any other character. He only anchors one A story, the one about his homopho— okay fine. That’s probably technically a Marco episode. But that’s sort of the thing about Spinner! He’s everywhere in the A stories, just never the lead. I hate this dumbass, and he won’t leave me alone. So yeah, you combine all of that, shake it up in my head, compare it to others and here you go. Spinner is number 9. I can’t think about him any more.

Ashley Kerwin (-7): I’m devastated. I don’t even really know what happened here. Ashley spent two seasons as such a fully realized character. And this season, she’s just okay. She spends the first half of the season as Craig’s girlfriend, often silent, other times nagging. Her initial A-story about sex is textured, but I don’t think she comes out of it looking great. She spends the back half of the season as a sad sack. Similar to Spinner, her frequent A-story appearances are often in supporting roles. Weirder, the show doesn’t turn to her as support Terri, Ellie, or Paige, her good friends. Ashley climbed to the top last season on the strength of her season arc, and she falls this time on her absence of one. But make no mistake, Ashley Kerwin remains one of the show’s more interesting players.

Paige Michalchuk (-4): Literally why did Paige get so little story of her own this season? It’s so weird because the show is obsessed with her. She’s everywhere, even showing up as a major supporting player in Manny and Ellie’s stories, two characters who don’t really like her. Spinner beats her in appearances by one episode, but Paige does anchor her own A story, but then that A story is kind of about Terri. Paige proved last season that she is a leading lady. The show went back to treating her how they did in season one. She’s dropped down a bit. She will rise.

Marco Del Rossi (first season): Marco started this exercise lower on my list. And then I realized that’s because I don’t like him very much. He is so weird and whiny this season. He is going through an understandably rough transition but, my god, get away from the people who make you feel like shit. But let’s look at the numbers here. Marco anchors 2-3 A stories depending on how you count Pride Part 2. Marco is a big sounding board for Ellie, for Craig, and yes, for Spinner. Marco gets the series logo shot in the opening! Marco is a force. I can’t deny that just because I wish he had a little more backbone.

Craig Manning (-1): A drop of a single ranking while still being close to the top feels so right for Craig. Craig is not the new shiny object anymore, but he’s certainly a shiny object. His struggles to remain faithful, and their consequences, are the engine for a ton of story this season. Boy do I struggle with this kid, but that’s mostly because he’s such a kid. He has zero impulse control, and that’s being a teenaged boy. Bless him! I still think he should have lost that band contest.

Emma Nelson (-2): Look. She was almost number 2 again. It’s hard to pull specific examples from the text for this, but Emma is still the undeniable center of the ensemble. She’s just Emma. She always will be. We will always check in on her. She will always feel a little bit like the sun. But this season, her stories weren’t really her own. One was Sean’s, one was Simpson’s, one was Manny’s. That’s a lot of big stories to play a very big role in, don’t get me wrong, but Emma felt less like she was dictating the agenda this season. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing.

Ellie Nash (first season): God, I love Ellie. I just think she’s a great character! Sue me! Ellie is all over the place this season, but in a good way. Support for Marco and Ashley, her own story about self-harm, the detention episode, her relationship with Sean. She is so textured. Her home life, her hobbies, the way she engages with her friends. And it’s very easy to root for her. She’s got a big heart, a smart mouth, and so much drive. She was almost higher than our next entry, but at the end of the day, we do lose her a bit as the season winds to a close. She start playing second fiddle to someone else.

Sean Cameron (+3): A three point jump with five new characters in the mix is a feat, imo, and it’s one Sean kind of deserves. Sean has always had a well-defined character struggle, but this season that crystallized into a great arc. We saw Sean descend into villainy. Stealing that laptop was cruel. The way he treated Emma, who we like, is cruel. But it all lead to great growth and transformation for the character. Sean almost needed to become the person who everyone acted like he was so that he could convince himself that he’s not actually that person. The way Ellie and supportive teachers help pull him out of that hole is really nice, and a not-so-subtle political statement. I’m glad things are looking up for our boy.

Manuela “Manny” Santos (+7): But was there any doubt? This season was unquestionably Manny’s season. Manny leapt out of Emma’s shadow into a spotlight all her own. Manny was messy and slutty and pick me. And she was also bold and brave and always came back to her heart. She is the fuel in the engine of this season. She is the person I most wanted to check in on, even when she was behaving badly. She went through multiple huge transitions - first into a hot girl and then into something of an outsider - that felt real and earned. I’m so happy she got to a good place by the end of it all. I wanted that for her, which is a feat considering some of her mishaps along the way. I talked yesterday about how, in my head, season three is when the show really got going. I think what I was actually remembering was that season three is when Manny, one of the series’s most iconic characters, starts being Manny.