Co-creator Linda Schuyler drew upon the experience of her sister, who became pregnant at 15 and was sent to a maternity home, as inspiration for the teenage pregnancy storyline.

After a period of deliberation in which other characters were considered, Spike, who up to that point had been a nameless extra, was selected for the storyline due to her lack of prior development and unassuming nature.

As Christine "Spike" Nelson and Shane McKay are kissing near the door of a bedroom, Joey Jeremiah and Derek "Wheels" Wheeler tease the two.

A short time later, Erica and Heather Farrell are leaving and call Spike from the room, but notice the door is locked and receive no answer.

[9] Caitlin Ryan (Stacie Mistysyn) was put forward as another option, but Schuyler rejected it, feeling that the character wasn't ready for such a storyline.

"[9] In contemporary interviews, it was explained that she was chosen for the storyline because she was a "nice, quiet character that everybody liked" and wouldn't be expected to deal with such an issue.

[6][8] When presenting an episode of the non-fiction docuseries Degrassi Talks, Stepto admitted in her opening monologue that she initially thought the storyline was unrealistic because of the wealth of information on sexually transmitted diseases and contraception.

[1] "It's Late" was one of several Degrassi Junior High episodes withheld by the BBC from regular broadcast in the United Kingdom, due to parental complaints about its content.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, she called it "kinda silly"[13] and elaborated that "The issues we've been dealing with in the episodes they wouldn't show happen everywhere and people are going to find out about them sooner or later.

In his review for The Globe and Mail, John Haslett Cuff stated that the episode "takes to the issue with remarkable intelligence and compassion",[16] and particularly praised Kit Hood's writing, stating it "manages to weave enough different reactions to Spike's situation to provide its young audience with an informed but never moralistic sense of the dilemma.

"[16] Jim Bawden of the Toronto Star was similar in his praise, remarking that "So-called adult TV movies have dealt with the same subject but never as sensitively".

[19][20] Miriam McDonald, the actress who would play Spike's daughter Emma in Degrassi: The Next Generation, has said she watched "It's Late" in health class prior to getting the role.

[22][9] Upon accepting the International Emmy, Degrassi co-creator Kit Hood announced that if Spike's baby were to be a boy, it would be named after Ralph Baruch, the president of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Emma, who first appears as a baby in the third season, would become the central character of Degrassi: The Next Generation, with Amanda Stepto returning in a recurring role as Spike.