When Drake wheeled Jimmy offset it crippled the entire show.
Seasons 8-9 were a really bad time for the show because it wasn't about the original cast anymore but they didn't want to let them go yet, so they gave them those
college storylines. Plus, the new main characters weren't established that much yet, or at all. They turned bench players into starters because they had no other choice.
Seasons 10-12 were when Degrassi really started to get back into the swing of things. It wasn't like the old Degrassi, but it didn't need to be. The existing characters became more developed, the stories were fresher, and the new characters they added made the show better.
Seasons 13-14 were weird. I say this is when Degrassi started to get more pop. I remember seeing the first promo for season 13 and just being disgusted at how sugary it looked. It got better as it went on, and season 14 was pretty good but the show was definitely on the verge of changing.
The first season of Next Class was gold and I really thought being on Netflix with a different way of telling stories would restore the feeling. But then it turned to shyt quickly. The writers haven't gotten used to working with only 10 episodes at a time, because stories start and stop so abruptly. Characters get together for no reason, too many characters are part of the LGBT community, and you can tell they are way more focused on checking off social issues every episode than being entertaining.