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''Degrassi'' is a Canadian
teen drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional te ...
television franchise created by Kit Hood and
Linda Schuyler Linda Schuyler (; née Bawcutt; born February 12, 1948) is a Canadian television producer. She is best known for being the co-creator and producer of the ''Degrassi'' franchise, which has spanned five series over four decades. She is a co-found ...
, that follows the lives of youths attending the eponymous secondary school in
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
. Each entry since 1987 has taken place in the same continuity. Outside of television, the franchise comprises a variety of other media, such as companion novels, graphic novels, documentaries, soundtracks, and non-fiction works. In 1979, Schuyler and Hood adapted the Kay Chorao book ''Ida Makes a Movie'' into a live-action short film, and expanded upon its universe with a series of subsequent installments until 1982, when it evolved into the critically acclaimed children's series ''
The Kids of Degrassi Street ''The Kids of Degrassi Street'' is a Canadian children's television series created by Kit Hood and Linda Schuyler. The first entry in the ''Degrassi'' franchise and the only one to focus on children instead of teenagers, it follows the lives of a ...
'', which aired for 26 episodes until 1986. That year, the duo developed '' Degrassi Junior High'', which focused on the teenage demographic they felt was underserved by contemporary media. Running for three seasons (1987–1989), it became one of Canada's most popular television series and was highly regarded for its realistic portrayal of adolescence and serious social issues; this was followed by '' Degrassi High'' (1989–1991), which chronicled the cast's high school years and met similar critical and commercial success. The initial run of the franchise ended with the controversial television film ''School's Out'' (1992), which received mixed reviews but drew double the average viewership of the series, followed by the docuseries '' Degrassi Talks'' (1992), in which actors spoke to teens nationwide about various issues. In the 1990s, the series increasingly developed a cult following through re-runs, and a successful televised cast reunion in 1999 helped spark the franchise's revival with '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' (2001–2015), which originally aired on CTV in Canada and
The N The N (standing for Noggin) was a prime time and late-night block programming, programming block on the Noggin (brand), Noggin television channel, aimed at preteens and teenagers. It was launched on April 1, 2002, by MTV Networks and Sesame Works ...
in the United States. It focused on a new generation of students, augmented by select original characters in supporting roles. It was similarly critically and commercially successful, especially in the United States, and launched the careers of musician
Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...
and actress
Nina Dobrev Nikolina Kamenova Dobreva (; born January 9, 1989), known professionally as Nina Dobrev ( ), is a Canadian actress. She is known for portraying Elena Gilbert and Katherine Pierce in The CW's supernatural drama series ''The Vampire Diaries'' (20 ...
. After nine seasons, ''The Next Generation'' was rebranded to ''Degrassi'' and changed to a
telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar Drama (film and television), drama genres around the w ...
-style format. After five more seasons, it was cancelled in 2015. It was superseded by '' Degrassi: Next Class'' (2016–2017), a short-lived
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
co-production geared toward
Generation Z Generation Z (often shortened to Gen Z), also known as zoomers, is the demographic cohort succeeding Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1990s as starting birth years and the early 2 ...
, whose cancellation was revealed in 2019. In January 2022, a new series was announced for
HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...
in which Schuyler would not be involved; it was cancelled in November following a lack of updates, though
WildBrain WildBrain Ltd. is a Canadian media, animation studio, production company, production, and brand licensing company, mostly associated as an entertainment company. The company is known for owning the largest independent library of Children's tel ...
later indicated that they still intend to produce the series. ''Degrassi'' is regarded as one of Canada's greatest television achievements and is one of the most successful media franchises in Canadian history. It has been widely acclaimed over its four-decade history for its approach to adolescence and serious issues faced by adolescents. It has courted controversy on several occasions for episodes depicting teenage pregnancy,
abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...
, and
LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...
issues, with various episodes facing some form of editing or censorship outside of Canada since the late 1980s. Among the awards and accolades it has received include numerous
Gemini Awards The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in th ...
, two International Emmys in 1985 and 1987, and a
Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...
in 2010. The franchise was inducted into
Canada's Walk of Fame Canada's Walk of Fame () in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a walk of fame that acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of Canadians who have excelled in their respective fields. It is a series of maple leaf-like stars embedded in 13 de ...
in December 2023.


History


1979–1986: ''The Kids of Degrassi Street''

In 1976,
Linda Schuyler Linda Schuyler (; née Bawcutt; born February 12, 1948) is a Canadian television producer. She is best known for being the co-creator and producer of the ''Degrassi'' franchise, which has spanned five series over four decades. She is a co-found ...
, a Grade 7 and Grade 8 media teacher at Earl Grey Senior Public School in Toronto, founded Playing With Time Inc. with her partner Kit Hood. Schuyler had met Hood, who had a career in editing television commercials, when she needed help from an experienced editor to save the "muddled footage" of one of her projects. As a media teacher, Schuyler encouraged her students to use video as a narrative tool. Bruce Mackey, Earl Grey's librarian and a friend of Schuyler, procured her several books about filmmaking upon her request, one being ''Ida Makes a Movie,'' by the American author Kay Chorao. Mackey did not realize that it was a children's book and discarded it, but Schuyler developed an interest in adapting the book into a film. Before leaving, Schuyler sought legal advice from Stephen Stohn, a young entertainment lawyer who had recently graduated from law school, and who would eventually become her producing partner and husband. Stohn recalled in his 2018 memoir ''Whatever It Takes'' that he advised Schuyler that being out of print, buying the rights to the book on her own would be "relatively straightforward", and that involving lawyers would make the process "unnecessarily complicated." Stohn instead gave Schuyler a boilerplate form for permission to take with her to New York. Schuyler purchased the rights for $200. The feline characters were changed into human children, and the story was also largely repurposed. The film featured production techniques that Schuyler and Kit Hood felt were missing from children's programming: it was shot in a cinéma vérité style, with handheld camera work and entirely on-location shooting. Mackey offered his home, 98 De Grassi Street, as a filming location. ''Ida Makes a Movie'' premiered on
CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...
on December 8, 1979. Over the next couple of years, the network ordered two more short films. By 1982, they ordered five more episodes, developing the series of short films into a television series named ''The Kids of Degrassi Street.'' In 1985, the episode ''Griff Gets A Hand'' (which starred future "Wheels" actor Neil Hope as Griff) received an International Emmy for Best Program for Children and Young People.


1986–1990: ''Degrassi Junior High, Degrassi High,'' and international success

A new ''Degrassi'' series began development in 1986, this time with new characters and centered around the fictional eponymous school near the same street. The first actor to audition for the new ''Degrassi'' series was Pat Mastroianni, who would later win the role of Joey Jeremiah. Several of the actors from ''The Kids of Degrassi Street'' would return with new roles, including Neil Hope, Stacie Mistysyn, Anais Granofsky, and Sarah Charlesworth. It was at this time that Playing With Time Inc. started a repertory company, with fifty children selected from auditions. The workshops would be repeated at the beginning of production for each season, as new cast members joined, and existing cast members underwent more advanced workshops. The repertory company also meant that even major characters could be relegated to the background if not the main focus of the episode, which according to Kathryn Ellis, was "nearly unheard-of on other television shows." Conversely, a background character could later be given more lines or a full role. The cast would have significant input into the writing of their characters, with Schuyler seeking opinions during every
read-through The read-through, table-read, or table work is a stage of film, television, radio, and theatre production when an organized reading of the screenplay or script is conducted around a table by the actors with speaking parts. In addition to the ...
, and cast members often talking about their experiences to writer Yan Moore, who would eventually adapt said experiences to their characters. The resulting series, ''Degrassi Junior High'', premiered on CBC on January 18, 1987. The series marked the beginning of the franchise's canon, as characters from this series would appear as adults in later installments. The show also aired on PBS in the United States starting from September 1987. The show would feature one of the franchise's most well-known and influential storylines, in which 14 year old Christine "Spike" Nelson, portrayed by Amanda Stepto, becomes pregnant. The episode in which she discovers her pregnancy, " It's Late"'','' the eleventh episode of the show's first season, would win an International Emmy, for which Emma Nelson, Spike's daughter and central character of the later series, was named. The popularity of the show led to international publicity tours by members of the cast throughout North America and parts of Europe. Upon its debut, it immediately garnered critical acclaim in Canada, where it was considered to be an alternative to the American sitcoms of the era that were perceived as unrealistic and heavy-handed in their portrayal of societal issues. Although not as well known in the United States, it drew similar praise from the American media. Initially aired on Sundays at 5:00pm, Canadian critics believed the show deserved a better timeslot; Ivan Fecan, then the programming chief for CBC, was also a champion of the series, and had the series moved to primetime on Mondays at 8:30pm, in between '' Kate & Allie'' and '' Newhart''. When Fecan called Schuyler to inform her of the move, she reportedly disagreed, feeling that the series wasn't ready for prime time. She eventually agreed to the decision, under the condition that if the move was unsuccessful, the series wouldn't be cancelled and instead be moved back to its original timeslot. After its move to prime time, the viewership increased by 40%, and by August 1988, it had become the highest-rated Canadian-made drama in Canada. The series also premiered in the United Kingdom on
BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...
in 1988, where it drew in a reported six million viewers, making it the highest-rated children's television series in the country and the show's largest audience. However, in spite of a publicity tour by actress Amanda Stepto, controversial episodes from its first season, including those centred on Stepto's character's pregnancy, were aired in a later timeslot on
BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...
, and the network did not air its second and third seasons. The series established the franchise's popularity and longevity. By the time its follow-up began, it amassed over a million viewers weekly in Canada. In November 1988, after the premiere of the third and final season of '' Degrassi Junior High'', Linda Schuyler alluded to the potential of a high-school followup when discussing the direction of the franchise with the
Montreal Gazette ''The Gazette'', also known as the ''Montreal Gazette'', is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper which is owned by Postmedia Network. It is published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the only English-language daily newspape ...
, although she was unsure if it would go forward. It was decided to continue into high school as the actors were becoming older, which would also make way for more controversial topics, including
abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...
, which was addressed in the series premiere. According to Schuyler: "As the kids get older, the only way we can remain true to this age group is by growing with them. Therefore, the issues get more complex." In the series finale of ''Degrassi Junior High'', the titular school is destroyed in a fire. To keep the entire cast together, a creative decision was made to move the younger students displaced by the fire to the new school to join those that had already graduated. Conversely, the grade 7 students introduced in the third season of ''Degrassi Junior High'' were accelerated to grade 9 for an unspecified reason. To give the series a "harder-edged feel", several older characters were introduced. Reflecting the growing independence of the aging characters, ''Degrassi High'' began to give more focus to the characters' lives outside of school, with scenes taking place at nighttime, on the street, or at the characters' jobs. In contrast to ''Degrassi Junior High'', in which the extras were still made known to the viewers, the newer series would include a team of "extra extras", who would simply appear for no other purpose than to fill the background. ''Degrassi High'' notably tackled
HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...
, with the character Dwayne Myers ( Darrin Brown), and
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
with the character Claude Tanner (David Armin-Parcells). Despite continued success and demand from CBC, WGBH was finding it increasingly difficult to fund the show from the children's department of PBS, and were forced to back out. Combined with creative exhaustion, it was decided to end ''Degrassi'' ''High'' after its second season, and filming wrapped in October 1990. In November 1990, Schuyler explained to the Canadian Press that they wanted to end the series "while we were still feeling good about what we were doing." In addition, she noted that most of the cast were occupied with post-secondary education, and that she felt the show had already tackled what they had aimed to. Schuyler informed Ivan Fecan, then the programming chief of CBC and long-time supporter of ''Degrassi'', of their decision to end the series and suggested a feature-length finale as a compromise, which Fecan enthusiastically accepted and offered funding for.


1991–1998: ''Degrassi Talks,'' ''School's Out'', and hiatus

During development of the television movie in early 1991, six Degrassi actors – Amanda Stepto, Pat Mastroianni, Stacie Mistysyn, Rebecca Haines, Siluck Saysanasy, and Neil Hope – travelled around Canada to interview teenagers about various health and social issues for the six-part documentary series '' Degrassi Talks'', which aired on CBC in six installments from February 29 to March 30, 1992, each tackling a specific issue that the series had portrayed. Each actor was chosen specifically for their character's relation to each topic. The series was personally funded by then- Minister of Health Benoît Bouchard, who contributed $350,000. The six actors conducted interviews in 26 cities, including bigger and smaller towns. The series also featured archive footage from the series, vox pop interviews and on-screen statistics. While it was well received by critics, it proved less popular with teenage viewers, who felt it to be redundant and at times perpetuating certain stereotypes. Principal photography began on ''School's Out'', the television movie, on July 21, 1991, and it premiered on CBC on January 5, 1992. The movie, which mostly focused on a love triangle between Joey, Caitlin (Mistysyn), and Tessa Campanelli (Kirsten Bourne), garnered a positive, yet mixed reception. It garnered controversy for its unusual characterization of certain popular characters as well as the catastrophic events experienced by other characters. It was also notable for its use of the word "fuck", first said by Stefan Brogren and then Stacie Mistysyn, that are claimed to be the first uses of the word in Canadian television history. Despite the mixed reception, the film drew an estimated 2.3 million viewers: double that of the average audience that ''Degrassi High'' received. The movie did not air in the United States until over two years later, when it premiered on PBS on June 20, 1994. Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood dissolved their partnership in the early 1990s but continued to own Playing With Time. In July 1998, Hood revealed the company was "virtually dormant." He continued to rent the company's former offices as a battered women's shelter, before retiring to Nova Scotia for the remainder of his life. In 1992, Schuyler and Stephen Stohn founded Epitome Pictures, the company which would produce all future ''Degrassi'' series. In 1994, Epitome Pictures produced the television movie ''X-Rated'', which centred on a group of young adults living in an apartment complex; the movie starred Stacie Mistysyn. ''X-Rated'' was the pilot for the series ''Liberty Street'', which starred Pat Mastroianni and aired on the CBC for two seasons in 1995. In 1997, Epitome Pictures produced the soap opera ''Riverdale''; its set, located on 220 Bartley Drive in Toronto, was re-used as the set for ''Degrassi: The Next Generation''.


1999–2019: ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'' and ''Degrassi:'' ''Next Class''

In 1999, a televised reunion of the ''Degrassi Junior High'' cast took place on the CBC youth show ''
Jonovision ''Jonovision'' was a Canadian television talk show aimed toward teenagers. The show aired for five seasons, from 1996 to 2001, on CBC Television. ''Jonovision'' was nominated for 7 Gemini Awards. It reached the top of its popularity at the begin ...
'', hosted by Jonathan Torrens. The reunion became particularly popular, with the live taping drawing in audience members from as far as
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
. The success of the reunion inspired Yan Moore and Linda Schuyler, now running Epitome Pictures, to develop an interest in creating a new ''Degrassi'' series by December 1999. They had originally planned to create an unrelated teen drama titled ''Ready, Willing And Wired''. Moore noted that Emma, Spike's daughter, would be entering junior high school by the new millennium, and the show was retooled to centre around Emma and her friends attending Degrassi. Epitome would propose the idea of ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'' to CTV in October 2000, and Ivan Fecan, now CEO of CTV's parent company, ordered thirteen episodes of the new show. Filming began on July 3, 2001, and the show premiered on CTV on October 14, 2001. Although the original ''Degrassi'' series were widely popular in Canada, ''The'' ''Next Generation'' was particularly successful in the United States. During the show's ninth season, the producers were informed in a meeting with CTV executives that the network did not plan to renew the show. At the same time, Stephen Stohn was in talks with TeenNick to produce 48 episodes of a
telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar Drama (film and television), drama genres around the w ...
-style teen show, which he later pitched as the tenth season of ''Degrassi: The Next Generation''. To promote the series on the new network, TeenNick commissioned a promotional music video, set to "
Shark in the Water "Shark in the Water" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter V V Brown for her debut studio album ''Travelling Like the Light''. It was released on 6 July 2009 by Island Records as the album's third single. The song is a metaphorical reco ...
" by
V V Brown Vanessa Brown (born 24 October 1983), known professionally as VV Brown, is a British indie pop singer-songwriter, model and record producer. Early life Vanessa Brown was born in Northampton, England. She is the eldest of six siblings; her mot ...
and themed around a carnival and circus, which contained clues foreshadowing later events of the season. The promo was extremely successful. According to Stephen Stohn, MuchMusic, the network that the series moved to from CTV in Canada, cited the promo as having improved the network's ratings significantly. Season 10 premiered on July 19, 2010, and marked a change in production style to a telenovela/soap opera format, and for the first time, episodes airing in Canada and the United States on the same day. "The Next Generation" was also dropped from the title, which became simply ''Degrassi''. ''Degrassi'' was cancelled after fourteen seasons, and a spin off series called '' Degrassi: Next Class'' aired on
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
for four seasons from 2016 to 2017. Season one was released on Netflix January 15, 2016, and started airing January 4, 2016, on
Family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
's new teen programming block, ''F2N''. Fourteen cast members from season 14 of ''Degrassi'' also reprised their roles. On March 7, 2019, Stefan Brogren alluded to the show's cancellation in a tweet. Sara Waisglass, who played Frankie Hollingsworth, recalled to the ''
Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...
'' in 2022 that she was disappointed at the cancellation and recalled: "They never told us anything. We had our contracts and the way it worked was they had to tell you by a certain date if we were picked up or not. We just never heard from them again." On January 20, 2020, ''Degrassi'' co-creator Kit Hood died of a brain aneurysm at his home in Nova Scotia, aged 76.


2022–present: Planned second revival and documentary series

On January 13, 2022, it was announced that
HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...
gave a series order to '' Degrassi'', a new series in the franchise consisting of 10 hour-long episodes set to premiere in 2023. It was announced that the new series would be helmed by Lara Azzopardi and Julia Cohen, who previously wrote the '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' episode "Heat of The Moment." Linda Schuyler, franchise co-creator, and Stephen Stohn, creative partner on ''The Next Generation'', issued a joint statement confirming that they would not be involved in the new series, stating that the "time is perfect to pass the baton" to Azzopardi and Cohen. On February 23, 2022, casting commenced for the series with a search for 13- to 20-year-old youth of all backgrounds. Filming was scheduled to begin July 1, 2022, and end November 30, 2022, However, in August 2022, reports surfaced of the restructuring of HBO Max, which led to fears of the reboot's potential cancellation. In November 2022,
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
reported that the new ''Degrassi'' series would not be moving forward amid the Warner Bros. merger. However, multiple statements from Schuyler and WildBrain have indicated that there are still plans to produce the series; on the day of the cancellation's announcement, WildBrain stated they were "committed to the future of Degrassi" and that "discussions concerning the contract with WarnerMedia are ongoing." In April 2023, Schuyler told the ''Toronto Star'' that WildBrain considered the failed HBO deal a "false start." Schuyler maintained her optimism in an August 2023 podcast interview, but revealed that the
2023 SAG-AFTRA strike From July 14 to November 9, 2023, the American actors' union SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) went on strike over a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Pro ...
had been impacting plans to go forward. On December 6, 2023, WildBrain announced a three-part documentary series about the franchise, produced in co-operation with Peacock Alley. The series is set to examine the franchise's 40-year history in depth and features new cast interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. A release date has not yet been announced.


Franchise overview


Main television series


Television movies


Documentaries and specials


Books and other print media

During The Kids of Degrassi Street's run, a series of eight books based on episodes from the series were published by James Lorimer & Co. The books were written by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood, with help from Eve Jennings. Two of the books, ''Casey Draws The Line'' and ''Griff Gets A Hand'', were later reprinted with an updated cover with a similar style to the ''Degrassi Junior High'' and ''Degrassi High'' books. Between 1988 and 1992, James Lorimer & Co. published a series of eleven paperback books based on the characters of ''Degrassi Junior High'' and ''Degrassi High'' to accompany the two series''.'' Each book focused on a different character, such as Spike, Joey, Caitlin, Wheels, and Snake, often expanding on their storylines or following new ones entirely. Another novel, ''Exit Stage Left'', was an original story focused on multiple characters. One book, focused on the characters of Arthur Kobalewscuy and Yick Yu, was written, but not released. To coincide with the debut of ''Degrassi Talks'' in February 1992, Boardwalk Books published companion books based on the six episodes. The books, which contain more content than the television series, feature an image the host of the episode, usually while holding camera equipment on the front cover, and a preface written by ''Degrassi'' writer Catherine Dunphy, profiling the actor who hosted the episode. The books also feature expanded versions of several interviews seen in the series, as well as other interviews that were not shown in the series due to time constraints. From 2006 to 2007, four graphic novels based on ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'' were released as part of the ''Extra Credit'' series, with the books centering on the characters Ellie Nash, Emma Nelson, Spinner Mason, and Marco Del Rossi respectively. There were also several other non-fiction books based on the franchise, including ''The Official 411: Degrassi Generations'', a behind-the-scenes history book written by Degrassi writer and publicist Kathryn Ellis released to celebrate the franchise's 25th anniversary in September 2005, and ''Growing Up Degrassi: Television, Identity and Youth Cultures'', an anthology of scholarly essays on the franchise, edited by Michelle Byers. A memoir by Schuyler, titled ''The Mother Of All Degrassi'', was released on November 15, 2022.


Planned ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'' film

During 2005 and 2006, a feature film adaptation of ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'' was in development. American filmmaker
Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget buddy comedy film ''Clerks (film), Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted i ...
, a longtime fan of the franchise, was slated to direct the movie. By September 2005, the film was awaiting a green light from
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
, with a script written by Aaron Martin and Tassie Cameron, and was set to begin filming in May 2006. Smith told ''Playback'' that he had considered getting
Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educatio ...
to cameo in the movie, but decided against it. The project eventually came to be unrealized. In 2022, Smith revealed to ''
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'' that the movie would have heavily centred on Drake's character Jimmy Brooks "getting up and walking." Smith claims that they incorporated elements from the script into a future episode of the television series.


Critical reception and impact


Critical reception

The ''Degrassi'' franchise has been critically lauded for virtually its entire existence. The Canadian press was celebratory of ''Degrassi Junior High'''s local and international success, and believed it to be one of the most groundbreaking children's television series of all-time; in the lead-up to its American debut, Fred M. Hechinger of the ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' pondered; "Can teen-agers be won over to entertainment that is not mindless, violent or sexually irresponsible?". In 1989 the series was profiled by John Fisher Burns, also of the New York Times, who asserted it was "remolding the pat-a-cake image of what the industry, with at least some sense of paradox, likes to call ''children's television.'' Its sequel, ''Degrassi High'', garnered similar praise. In 1990, Lynne Heffley of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' called ''Degrassi'' one of the "gutsiest shows on television." Kelli Pryor of
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
called it the "'' thirtysomething'' of the book-bag set." While met with some skepticism, including from ''The Ottawa Citizen'''s Tony Atherton and ''The Seattle Times''' Melanie McFarland, ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'' also went on to receive critical acclaim. ''Entertainment Weekly'' called it "a cult hit", and ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' named it "Tha Best Teen TV N da WRLD." AOL TV ranked it as the sixth TV's Biggest Guilty Pleasure.


Authenticity

Linda Schuyler explained to ''Entertainment Weekly'' in 2012 that "the show set out to be an authentic — and I use the word authentic very carefully; I don't use the word realistic –- an authentic portrayal of teenage years." Authenticity is regarded as a major tenet of ''Degrassi's'' identity, and is a frequent talking point in critical and fan discourse about the franchise''.'' In their book ''Canadian Television Today'', Bart Beaty and Rebecca Sullivan wrote how ''Degrassi'' touted itself as an "a honest, unflinching look at growing up"; in the book ''Programming Reality: Perspectives On English-Canadian Television'', Michele Byers wrote that the series is "often heralded as speaking to rather than for young people." Throughout the years, it has commonly been contrasted with similar teen shows produced in the United States that are perceived to value style over substance. Filmmaker and ''Degrassi'' fan
Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget buddy comedy film ''Clerks (film), Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted i ...
wrote in ''TV Guide'' of watching ''Degrassi Junior High'': "These were ordinary-looking ... kids like I had been in high school ... dealing with real problems—not that '' 90210'' kinda TV problem-crap ... I could identify with these kids ... These non-glamorous, unpolished, awkward, age-appropriate-for-the-roles actors made me believe that I was a kindred spirit to the characters they played." ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'', while being the most successful of the series and generally considered by many to share the same qualities, is frequently criticized for its higher production value and gradual shift towards soap opera-style sensationalism like that of other teen drama series. ''Degrassi'' is also noted for its casting of real teenagers, as opposed to the common practice of casting much older actors: something often cited when discussing the franchise's authenticity. During development of ''Degrassi Junior High'', Schuyler observed that "so much of the American stuff set in high schools is played by late teens and early 20s – and then some." She further elaborated to '' IndieWire'' in 2016: "I like to talk about the fact that you can take a 25-year-old who looks 15 and have them play a role, but that actor is bringing 10 more years of life experience to that role. By having our cast be age-appropriate, they bring the freshness and the authenticity of that age."


Censorship

The franchise has been the subject of numerous controversies and censorships since the 1980s. In the United Kingdom, several episodes of ''Degrassi Junior Highs first season, including the International Emmy award-winning episode "It's Late", were not aired in its regular place on the children's timeslot at 5pm on BBC1 due to complaints from parents that their content "too strong for oung children, and were instead shown at 6pm on the BBC2 teen block DEF II. The network did not air its second and third seasons. The two-part premiere of ''Degrassi High'', " A New Start", which centered around a character becoming pregnant and ultimately choosing to get an abortion, aired uncensored in Canada in November 1989, but was edited by PBS for its January 1990 American premiere to remove the episode's final scene depicting said character fighting through
anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its Abortion by country, legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in r ...
picketers outside of a clinic. This decision was met with backlash from the show's producers, with co-creator and director Kit Hood lambasting the network for giving the episode "an American ending, happy, safe but incomplete..." and requested his name be removed from the credits. In 2004, Noggin's
The N The N (standing for Noggin) was a prime time and late-night block programming, programming block on the Noggin (brand), Noggin television channel, aimed at preteens and teenagers. It was launched on April 1, 2002, by MTV Networks and Sesame Works ...
block decided to postpone an episode of ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'' revolving around abortion, titled " Accidents Will Happen." The two-part episode focused on a character who becomes pregnant and decides to have an abortion. The N's decision prompted backlash from fans. A subsequent petition from fans condemned the decision as "unjust and asinine", and argued that the episode did not espouse any forceful opinions about the subject, and that the fans had the right to watch the series in an uncensored, unaltered form. Conversely, CTV in Canada showed the episode twice.


Reception from LGBT groups

''Degrassi''s portrayal of LGBT youth was viewed by critics as groundbreaking. Linda Schuyler said that the impetus for the show's inclusion of LGBT themes stemmed from her colleague Bruce Mackey, who was central to the early development in the franchise, and who hid his sexuality from his professional life. Schuyler said: "It made me so sad to see somebody who had to live duplicitously like that, that it kind of has been right from the very beginning of this show, it's been a very important mandate for me." The tenth season of ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'' introduced the female-to-male transgender character Adam Torres, played by Jordan Todosey, who by 2011 was the "only transgender regular or recurring character on scripted television" according to
GLAAD GLAAD () is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization. Originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals in the media and entertainment industries, it has since ...
. A central episode involving Adam's struggles with dysphoria, " My Body Is a Cage", won a
Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...
that year.


Legacy and honours

''Degrassi'' has been cited as the potential starting point for the modern television
teen drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional te ...
, and it is said to have influenced shows including ''
Beverly Hills, 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to as ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling via his production company Spelling Television. The series ran for 10 seasons on Fo ...
'' and ''
Dawson's Creek ''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college. It aired from January 20, 19 ...
.'' Allegedly, American television producer Aaron Spelling unsuccessfully sought to adapt ''Degrassi'' for the American market before producing ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', a story Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood have both denied. The franchise has won numerous
Gemini Awards The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in th ...
, several
Teen Choice Award The Teen Choice Awards were an annual awards show that aired on the Fox television network between 1999 and 2019. The awards, based on a popularity vote that could be overridden by the producerswho reserved the right to choose the winnerscovered ...
s and Young Artist Awards, two International Emmys, and a
Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...
, among other awards and nominations. ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'' became notable for featuring several actors who went on to achieve wider recognition and stardom since their time on the series, most notably actor-turned-rapper
Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...
, who played Jimmy Brooks, a basketball star who became physically disabled after he was shot by a classmate. When asked about his early acting career, Drake replied, "My mother was very sick. We were very poor, like broke. The only money I had coming in was
rom Rom, or ROM may refer to: Biomechanics and medicine * Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient * Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac * ...
Canadian TV."
Nina Dobrev Nikolina Kamenova Dobreva (; born January 9, 1989), known professionally as Nina Dobrev ( ), is a Canadian actress. She is known for portraying Elena Gilbert and Katherine Pierce in The CW's supernatural drama series ''The Vampire Diaries'' (20 ...
, who portrayed Mia Jones in later seasons, went on to star as the lead character of the popular
supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...
teen drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional te ...
television series '' The Vampire Diaries''. The music video to Drake's song " I'm Upset" (2018) features a reunion of the ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'' cast. In 2012, the ''Degrassi'' franchise surpassed ''
The Beachcombers ''The Beachcombers'' is a Canadian comedy drama television series that ran on CBC Television from October 1, 1972, to December 12, 1990. With over 350 episodes, it is one of the longest-running dramatic series ever made for Canadian English-langu ...
'' as the longest-running Canadian drama by episode count.


Honours

After the death of co-creator Kit Hood in January 2020, a bench with a memorial plaque was installed in various locations important to the original ''Degrassi'' series, including
Vincent Massey Junior School Vincent Massey Junior School (Vincent Massey JS, VMJS or Massey), formerly Daisy Avenue Public School is located at 68 Daisy Avenue in the Long Branch, Toronto, Long Branch area of Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. This school has kindergarten through ...
(the location of ''Degrassi Junior High'') and the Centennial College Story Arts Centre (the location of ''Degrassi High''). In 2021, Hood's daughter Georgia started an online petition to have the laneway behind the former Playing With Time production office named after him. In December 2023, the franchise was inducted into
Canada's Walk of Fame Canada's Walk of Fame () in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a walk of fame that acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of Canadians who have excelled in their respective fields. It is a series of maple leaf-like stars embedded in 13 de ...
.


Home media and streaming


Physical releases

Each ''Degrassi'' series has seen home media release over the years. Initially available by mail-order for educational institutions, ''Degrassi Junior High'' and ''Degrassi High'' were given a commercial home video release by WGBH in 2000. ''Junior High'' was released on DVD in North America and Australia in 2005, while ''Degrassi High'' was released on DVD in North America and Australia in 2007 and 2008 respectively. Each season of ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'' was released on DVD by
Alliance Atlantis Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. (commonly known as Alliance Atlantis) was a Canadian media company that operated primarily as a specialty service operator in Canada. Alliance Atlantis also had offices in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Los ...
each year throughout the 2000s in big box sets that contained a variety of bonus content, including audition tapes, deleted scenes, and bloopers. These annual DVD releases stopped after season twelve of ''The Next Generation.''


Streaming

''Degrassi Junior High'', ''Degrassi High,'' and ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'' have variously been available to stream online over the years, including on Canada Media Fund's Encore+ and the official ''Degrassi'' YouTube channel. It was announced in June 2023 that each series, including ''Kids of Degrassi Street'' and ''Degrassi Talks'' and bar ''Next Class'' would be made available on Amazon Prime Canada in July.


References


Sources

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External links


Official Degrassi website
{{Degrassi 1970s Canadian teen drama television series 1980s Canadian teen drama television series 1990s Canadian teen drama television series 2000s Canadian teen drama television series 2010s Canadian teen drama television series Canadian television soap operas Degrassi WildBrain franchises Television franchises introduced in 1979 Television shows set in Ontario Personal development television series