Degrassi: The Next Generation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Degrassi: The Next Generation
Logo used in seasons 1–5 and 8 & 9
Also known asDegrassi (seasons 10–14)
GenreTeen drama
Telenovela
Created by
StarringMain cast
Theme music composer
  • Jody Colero
  • Ben Nelson
  • Jim McGrath
  • Stephen Stohn
Opening theme"Whatever It Takes"
by Lisa Dalbello
Composers
  • Jim McGrath
  • Tim Welch
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons14
No. of episodes385 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
Production locationsToronto, Ontario
Cinematography
  • Gavin Smith
  • John Berrie
  • Jim Westenbrink
  • Alwyn J. Kumst
  • Mitchell T. Ness
Editors
  • Stephen Withrow
  • Jason B. Irvine
  • D. Gillian Truster
  • Gordon Thorne
  • Nicholas Wong
Running timeapprox. 22 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network
ReleaseOctober 14, 2001 (2001-10-14) –
August 2, 2015 (2015-08-02)
Related
Degrassi franchise

Degrassi: The Next Generation (renamed to Degrassi for seasons 10 to 14) is a Canadian teen drama television series created by Yan Moore and Linda Schuyler. It is the fourth series in the Degrassi franchise and a revival of Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High. It premiered on CTV on October 14, 2001 and concluded on August 2, 2015 on MTV Canada.

The series centers around a new ensemble cast of students at the fictional Degrassi Community School who face challenges such as sex, teen pregnancy, bullying, date rape, drug abuse, body image, homosexuality, domestic violence, gang violence, self-injury, suicide, abortion, mental disorders, and others. Various characters from the previous two series also returned as adults in recurring or guest roles.

The series was created by Linda Schuyler and Yan Moore, who was previously the head writer of Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High. This was the first series to feature no involvement from Kit Hood, who was a co-creator and director of all previous Degrassi series. It was produced by Epitome Pictures (now a subsidiary of WildBrain) in association with Bell Media.

The series premiered to mixed reviews, with some critics expressing doubts about whether the show would achieve the same impact as its predecessors. However, it would ultimately garner both critical and commercial success similar to its forerunners. It received favourable reviews from critics of Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, and AfterElton.

In its initial years, the show was frequently the most watched domestic drama series in Canada. In the United States, it became the highest-rated show on Noggin's teen block The N. By 2004, the series had averaged nearly a million viewers in Canada and half a million viewers in the United States. In Canada, the series received awards from the Geminis, Writers Guild of Canada, and the Directors Guild of Canada. Internationally, it also won several Teen Choice Awards, Young Artist Awards, and Prix Jeunesse. The episode "My Body Is a Cage", in which a character is outed as transgender, won a Peabody Award in 2011.[2]

During its later seasons, the show's format underwent several changes following Viacom's involvement. In the tenth season, the airing schedule transitioned to a telenovela format during the summer months before returning to its standard schedule for the fall and spring.[3] The series was also moved to MuchMusic in Canada.

The thirteenth season reverted to a weekly schedule and, part way through, it had moved to MTV Canada, where it aired until its final episode on August 2, 2015, after fourteen seasons. The show was followed by Degrassi: Next Class, which followed the remaining underclassmen characters from the show's later seasons as well as introducing newer ones, in 2016.

Production[edit]

Concept[edit]

The Degrassi universe was created in 1979 by Playing With Time, a production company owned by former schoolteacher Linda Schuyler and her partner Kit Hood. The franchise began with The Kids of Degrassi Street, which was spawned out of three half-hour short films, and came to prominence with the critical and commercial successes of Degrassi Junior High, which debuted in 1987, and Degrassi High, which premiered in 1989. The two series followed an ensemble cast of students attending the titular schools as they confronted various issues. It became an international sensation, with the shows experiencing upwards of a million viewers on average in Canada, and received numerous accolades. The telemovie School's Out, which concluded the franchise, aired in 1992.[4]

Schuyler and original Degrassi series head writer Yan Moore began developing a new television drama in 1999, following a reunion of the original Degrassi cast on the CBC series Jonovision. As the months progressed, they began to think about what had happened to the original characters to develop a school-reunion theme. However, they decided that a series would not work effectively if based around adults instead of children. Moore realized that the character Emma Nelson, born to character Christine "Spike" Nelson at the end of Degrassi Junior High's second season, would soon be entering junior high school, and development for the series took a new direction by focusing on Emma and her school experiences.[5][6] Schuyler's husband Stephen Stohn suggested Degrassi: The Next Generation as the name for the new sequel series, which borrowed from Star Trek: The Next Generation.[7]

Pitching[edit]

Schuyler pitched the new series to a number of television networks, with CTV and CBC (the franchise's former network) vying as the top contenders. CTV won through, offering $10 million for a fifteen-episode season.[8] The project was greenlit in May 2000, with the originally planned reunion episode serving as the pilot to the new series.[6] CTV announced the new series at its annual press conference in June 2001, and said the pilot would air in the fall.[9] Soon after, Degrassi crew members attended a conference in New York to find an American partner for the show.

On one panel was Meeri Park Cunniff, from the newly formed Noggin channel at Viacom. Noggin had a double mandate: preschool programming in the morning and adolescent programming in the afternoon. At the panel, an audience member asked Meeri what sort of programming she would be considering for the new adolescent schedule. Without missing a beat, Meeri said, 'A few years back, there was a great series on PBS called Degrassi. That's exactly the kind of show we are looking for.'

Linda Schuyler[10]

In her memoir, Linda Schuyler explained how the conference went. An American channel called Noggin "had a double mandate: preschool programming in the morning and adolescent programming in the afternoon."[10] Noggin was looking for educational teen shows for the adolescent schedule, and its employees mentioned the original Degrassi as "exactly the kind of show we are looking for."[10] To their surprise, Degrassi distributor Ken Faier was at the conference and responded, "Do I have the show for you: it's called Degrassi." Noggin quickly signed on as the show's American distributor.[11]

In October 2001, the first episode aired on CTV in Canada, and the magazine Kidscreen confirmed that the show was "set to air in Q1 2002 on Noggin in the U.S."[12] In a press release titled "Noggin Tackles Tween Issues with Degrassi: The Next Generation," Noggin announced that the series would premiere on April 1, 2002, as part of its new teen block called The N (standing for Noggin).[13]

Executive producers, script-writers and directors[edit]

Produced by Epitome Pictures Inc, in association with CTVglobemedia, Degrassi: The Next Generation received funding from the Canadian Television Fund, BCE,[14] the Shaw Rocket Fund,[15] Mountain Cable Program and the Royal Bank of Canada, the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund,[16] and the Cogeco Program Development Fund.[17]

Linda Schuyler and Stephen Stohn served as executive producers throughout its run. Other Epitome Pictures employees and series crew members were also credited as executive producers, including Sara Snow, Brendon Yorke, James Hurst, Aaron Martin,[18] and Sarah Glinski.

Story editors included Sarah Glinski and Matt Huether, Shelley Scarrow, James Hurst, Aaron Martin, and Sean Reycraft. Frequent directors included Phil Earnshaw, Stefan Scaini and Bruce McDonald.[18] When production of season three began, a user on the official Degrassi: The Next Generation website with the alias "ExecProducer" began a forum thread titled "Shooting Season 3",[19] revealing production details, guest actors, scheduling information and DVD release details. He referred to himself as "Stephen Stohn" in one post, although it was not until the release of Degrassi: Generations – The Official 411 in 2005, that Stohn confirmed he was the poster and it was not an imposter.[20]

Episode format[edit]

The episodes are written following the same formula with two or three storylines (Plot A, Plot B and Plot C). The main storyline, A, opened and closed the episode, and was usually driven by a single character. Plot B was usually more comedic in tone and sometimes slightly intertwined with the other stories, often moving story arcs forward. Plot C was usually used sporadically in a season-long arc, but would eventually settle as comedic relief.[21] The problems presented in the episode were not always resolved by the end of the episode, and were carried over to the next, or created a mini-arc over several episodes. The majority of the episodes were named after songs from the 1980s,[22] and since the tenth season, the episodes were named after songs from the 1990s to the present, which represented the entering of a new decade and a completely different cast from the earlier seasons. For the first nine seasons, Degrassi: The Next Generation had been produced as a weekly half-hour teen comedy-drama series, with each season consisting of between fifteen and twenty-four episodes.[20][23]

Due to falling viewing figures between seasons six and nine,[24][25] the series developed a daily soap opera format for the summer run of the tenth season, and increased the number of episodes to forty-four.[26][27] The tenth season also dropped the tagline "The Next Generation", with only one original cast member remaining, and due to the young audience unfamiliar with the past generation, referring to the series as "Degrassi". Season 13 reverted to airing episodes weekly, but still produced more episodes than prior to the soap opera format, airing a block in the summer of 2013 to the summer of 2014.

Opening sequence[edit]

Logo used in seasons 13–14

The opening sequence followed a two- to three-minute cold open. During the first five seasons these credits showed the characters on the school premises and followed a mini storyline.[28] Seasons six and seven featured titles with the actors breaking the fourth wall and facing the camera, over a montage of character videos from past seasons, saturated with blue colour and gold outlines.[29] The montages behind the characters depicting a major event in that character's storyline. For the eighth season, the show abandoned the style of titles used for the previous two seasons and returned to the original form of showing the characters at school while participating in school-related activities.[30] Season thirteen dropped the opening credits, replacing it with an eleven-second montage. This continued into season fourteen. Instead of listing every ensemble actor, after the montage, season thirteen and fourteen episodes credit only the regular actors appearing in that episode.

The theme music, "Whatever It Takes", was composed by Jim McGrath, with lyrics written by Jody Colero and Stephen Stohn. The song include lines such as, "Whatever it takes, I know I can make it through/Be the best, the best I can be", to convey what Colero calls, "a sense of joy and optimism."[31] Lisa Dalbello performed the lyrics with a children's choir over a 1980s pop music style tune during the first three seasons.[31] Dave Ogilvie and Anthony Valcic of Canadian industrial-pop group Jakalope reworked and performed the song with a heavier sound to reflect the growing maturity of the characters in season four.[31] For seasons six and seven, the theme—still performed by Jakalope—was remixed and stripped of vocals.[32] A fourth version of the theme song, with lyrics sung by Jeen O'Brien, was introduced for the eighth season, and a fifth version of the theme, performed by the in-show band "Stüdz" was used for the ninth and tenth seasons. For seasons eleven and twelve, a sixth version of the theme song was used, performed by Alexz Johnson.[33] Seasons thirteen and fourteen featured a truncated version of the Alexz Johnson theme.

Music[edit]

Jim McGrath created the musical score for each episode using an instrumental version of the theme music. He also worked with actors such as Jake Epstein, Melissa McIntyre and Jamie Johnston, when writing music for their characters Craig Manning, Ashley Kerwin, and Peter Stone to perform in the bands Downtown Sasquatch, Paige Michalchuk and the Sexkittens (PMS), Hell Hath No Fury, and Stüdz.[34][35][36] In addition to being scored, Degrassi featured a mix of original emo, alternative rock and pop music. Popular songs were used sparingly in the series, mainly because of budget constraints. Usually, music supervisor Jody Colero selected songs from little-known, unsigned Canadian artists.[31] When these songs were included, they originated from a diegetic source. Examples of this could be seen in the first-season episode "Jagged Little Pill", when well-known songs were played during Ashley's house party, at the wedding reception in the fifth-season episode "Weddings, Parties, Anything", and during the party scene in the seventh-season episode "Everything She Wants".[37][38][39]

The Epitome Pictures studio where Degrassi: The Next Generation was filmed, pictured in August 2004.

Filming locations[edit]

The Degrassi universe was set on De Grassi Street in Toronto, Ontario. The three previous series were filmed on and near the street.[40] However, The Next Generation was filmed at Epitome Pictures' four soundstages and backlot located at the company's 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m2) production studios in Toronto.[41] The facade of Degrassi Community School was the exterior of Studio C, and used the same colours and glass pattern as Centennial College, which was used to depict the school in Degrassi High. The area in front of this facade featured a "hoarding area" where students gathered, and a street and a bus stop across the road.[41] The studio's backlot was used for exterior shots of the characters' houses, where each unit was dressed differently for each house, and The Dot Grill.[42] The building for The Dot was the only one on the backlot that was large enough to allow filming inside, while scenes that took place inside the school and house interiors were filmed on one of four sound stages.[41]

Studio A contained sets for the school's hallways, washrooms, cafeteria and classrooms.[41] The hallways were stenciled with phrases such as "the perfect human being is all human", which were found at the Etobicoke School for the Arts, one of the many schools that set designers used during their original research. The washroom set had graffiti on the walls to look authentic, and the urinals are installed and removed as needed. The set used for the cafeteria was designed to be "purposefully bland to take the edge off the rest of the school looking so beautiful."[43] It was also used as the studio's cafeteria where the cast and crew eat.[43]

In addition to being used as the exterior of the school, Studio C held sets for the school's entrance foyer, the gymnasium, the media lab and a hallway with lockers.[41] As the series progressed and the budget increased, a stairway and balcony were installed in the foyer in an attempt to get characters off the floor and not all appear in the same geometric plane. For the first few seasons, the gym floor was made of real wooden floorboards; due to warping, it was replaced by concrete painted to look like wood.[44]

Studio B contained the sets for the characters' houses and The Core newspaper office which was introduced in season six. The fourth studio, Studio D, housed all of the production offices, dressing rooms, and make-up and hair departments. The pool hall and university campus club sets were built in Studio D for the seventh season.[41]

York University's Keele Campus in Toronto served as the location for various sites at Smithdale University.[45]

Episodes[edit]

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
115October 14, 2001 (2001-10-14)March 3, 2002 (2002-03-03)
222September 29, 2002 (2002-09-29)February 23, 2003 (2003-02-23)
322September 17, 2003 (2003-09-17)April 5, 2004 (2004-04-05)
422September 7, 2004 (2004-09-07)February 14, 2005 (2005-02-14)
519September 19, 2005 (2005-09-19)March 20, 2006 (2006-03-20)
619September 29, 2006 (2006-09-29)May 14, 2007 (2007-05-14)
724October 5, 2007 (2007-10-05)June 23, 2008 (2008-06-23)
822October 5, 2008 (2008-10-05)August 14, 2009 (2009-08-14)
923October 4, 2009 (2009-10-04)July 16, 2010 (2010-07-16)
1044July 19, 2010 (2010-07-19)April 22, 2011 (2011-04-22)
1145July 18, 2011 (2011-07-18)May 18, 2012 (2012-05-18)
1240July 16, 2012 (2012-07-16)June 21, 2013 (2013-06-21)
1340July 11, 2013 (2013-07-11)July 29, 2014 (2014-07-29)
1428October 28, 2014 (2014-10-28)August 2, 2015 (2015-08-02)

Cast[edit]

Main roles[edit]

Main[edit]

For the new generation of students, producers auditioned over six hundred school-aged children in an attempt to provide characters to which the teenaged target-audience could relate.[46] The decision to cast age-similar actors was purposeful to contrast the series from other shows of the same period such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dawson's Creek, which had cast actors in their twenties as teenagers.[47]

Eleven children were given star billing in the first season. Sarah Barrable-Tishauer portrayed the lonely high-achiever Liberty Van Zandt.[47] Daniel Clark played bad-boy Sean Cameron.[48] Lauren Collins was cast as Paige Michalchuk, the school's head cheerleader and queen bee. Ryan Cooley portrayed class clown James Tiberius "J.T." Yorke,[49] with Jake Goldsbie cast as J.T.'s best friend, Toby Isaacs, a computer geek.[49] Aubrey Graham portrayed basketball star Jimmy Brooks, who came from a wealthy family. Shane Kippel played school bully Gavin "Spinner" Mason. Miriam McDonald was cast as Emma Nelson, an environmental rights activist, with Cassie Steele cast in the role of Emma's best friend, promiscuous high school cheerleader Manuela "Manny" Santos.[49] Melissa McIntyre portrayed Ashley Kerwin, the perfect girl who attracted the popular boys, and who the other girls are jealous of.[50] Christina Schmidt portrayed the overweight and insecure Terri McGreggor.[51][52]

Providing ties to the previous series in the Degrassi universe, Stefan Brogren was approached to play his old character Archie "Snake" Simpson, now working at the school as the media immersion teacher.[53] Dan Woods reprised his role as English teacher Mr. Raditch, who was promoted to school principal,[54] and Pat Mastroianni returned to his role as Joey Jeremiah.[55] Amanda Stepto also returned to the franchise to play her character Christine "Spike" Nelson as a recurring role.[56][57][58]

In the pilot episode, former Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High actors Danah Jean Brown (Trish Skye), Darrin Brown (Dwayne Myers), Michael Carry (Simon Dexter), Irene Courakos (Alexa Pappadopoulos), Chrissa Erodotou (Diana Economopoulos), Anais Granofsky (Lucy Fernandez), Rebecca Haines (Kathleen Mead), Sarah Holmes (Alison Hunter), Neil Hope (Derek "Wheels" Wheeler), Kyra Levy (Maya Goldberg), Cathy Keenan (Liz O'Rourke), Stacie Mistysyn (Caitlin Ryan), and Siluck Saysanasy (Yick Yu) reprised their roles for the class reunion storyline.[59]

In season two, Mastroianni returned to the Degrassi franchise in a starring role as Joey Jeremiah, a car salesman and single father of two children.[60][61] Joey's stepson, musician Craig Manning, played by Jake Epstein, was a new student at Degrassi Community School.[62] Three other new characters were introduced in season two in recurring roles. Stacey Farber played Ellie Nash, a goth whose home life was in turmoil,[63] and Adamo Ruggiero portrayed Marco Del Rossi, who was struggling to accept the reality that he is gay.[64] Melissa Di Marco was cast as science and gym teacher Daphne Hatzilakos.[65] Mistysyn also returned to her former Degrassi role as Joey's ex-high school sweetheart, Caitlyn Ryan, who in the years following graduation had become a world-renowned journalist.[63]

In season three, Farber, Ruggiero and Mistysyn were given regular roles, as were Andrea Lewis (Hazel Aden) and Stepto, who had held recurring roles since the first season. Mike Lobel (Jay Hogart), Deanna Casaluce (Alex Nuñez), Ephraim Ellis (Rick Murray) and John Bregar (Dylan Michalchuk) were introduced in recurring roles as new students. Towards the end of the season, Schmidt's character, Terri McGreggor, was written out of the show when her possessive boyfriend Rick pushed her to the ground and knocked her head against a rock, causing her to fall into a coma.[66]

Some of the cast of season eight make an appearance at the eTalk Festival Party during the Toronto International Film Festival

Over the course of the ten seasons of Degrassi: The Next Generation, there have been several departures from the series. Season six depicted the first death of one of the show's main characters when J.T. Yorke was stabbed and killed.[67] Clark's character Sean Cameron has been written out of the show twice. He left the series during the fourth season in the wake of the death of Rick Murray, and returned for the sixth season,[68] but departed the series again at the end of the season.[69] At the end of season five several main characters graduated from Degrassi Community School, and either left the series or went on to university.[32] Six new characters were introduced in season seven in a storyline where nearby rival high school Lakehurst merged with Degrassi following a fire.[70][71]

Season eight saw many changes when many of the existing cast members, including Collins, Farber, Graham, Stepto, Ruggiero, and DiMarco either moved to recurring status or left the series entirely. The exodus of several major cast members was reportedly an executive decision that left the actors and producers on bad terms, with Graham stating in an interview with Vibe that "[the producers] did us foul."[72] Thirteen actors were added to the main cast to replace them.[73] By season nine, Brogren, McDonald, Steele and Kippel were the only actors from season one who remained in the series as storylines began to focus on a new generation of children attending the school.[74] This was done to avoid moving the show to a primarily college setting, as the first generation cast aged or "graduated" out of Degrassi Community School into college.

As of season 10, none of the characters from the earlier seasons remained, with the exception of Brogren, whose character was promoted to the principal of Degrassi Community School.

Guest roles[edit]

Besides Brogren, Mistysyn, Stepto, and Mastroianni having starring roles, other actors from Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High had returned to guest star in their old roles throughout Degrassi: The Next Generation's run. As well as the pilot episode featuring the return of many Degrassi alumni,[59] Granofsky made a second guest appearance during the second season in the episode "White Wedding" when her character attended the wedding of Spike and Snake.[75] Neil Hope, who portrayed Wheels in the original series, returned for a brief cameo in a third-season episode centered around Snake's battle with leukemia. In a fifth-season episode, Keenan guest starred when her character returned to console Spike after her marriage with Snake broke down.[76]

Movie director Kevin Smith and actor Jason Mewes guest starred as themselves in the final three episodes of the fourth season. The plot for these episodes involved the pair working on Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh!, a fictional feature film in the View Askewniverse, using Degrassi Community School as a filming location.[77][78] Singer Alanis Morissette, who had worked with Smith, also guest stars in "Going Down the Road Part One" as herself, acted as the school principal in Smith's film.[79][80] Smith and Mewes also return to Degrassi: The Next Generation as themselves for two episodes in season five. The storyline in the episodes was of the premiere of Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh! Smith and Mewes guest starred a third time for four episodes in season eight when many of the characters travelled to Hollywood, Los Angeles. In the episodes, Mewes was the writer-director and protagonist of Mewesical High, which starred a number of Degrassi Community School students. Smith appeared in the episodes to support Mewes as he makes his directorial debut.[81]

Other guest actors who appeared in Degrassi: The Next Generation included Jayne Eastwood as Sean Cameron's mother,[82] Billy Ray Cyrus as Duke, a limousine driver who got arrested, which resulted Jimmy, Hazel, Paige, and Spinner being left stranded in the street.[82] Season seven featured appearances from Shirley Douglas as a university professor,[83][84] Free The Children founder Craig Kielburger, and English pop singer Natasha Bedingfield as themselves.[85] Jonathan Torrens guest starred as Emma's father, Shane, in the two-part season three premiere. The character had been played by Bill Parrott in the original series, but he decided not to return the former role.[82][86] In season 10, ballroom dancer Jean-Marc Généreux appeared as a teacher during the episode "My Body Is a Cage". After the series had moved to MuchMusic cameos became more frequent; Keke Palmer, Ben Mulroney, Chaz Bono, Hedley, and Fefe Dobson also made appearances in the show.

Broadcast and distribution[edit]

First-run broadcast[edit]

While Degrassi originally aired in Canada on CBC, Degrassi: The Next Generation was broadcast on Bell Media-owned stations. Until mid-season 9, it aired on CTV. It moved to sister network MuchMusic in 2010.[26][27] In 2013, following a revamp of MuchMusic's schedule,[87] the show moved to MTV in Canada.[88] It currently airs on ABC Spark, Disney Channel, CMT and YTV as of 2020.

In the United States, it aired on Noggin's programming block for teenagers, The N.[11][13] By 2004, it had become the highest-rated show on the block; an episode that aired July 2, 2004 was watched by a record 300,000 people, and Nielsen Media Research called it "the No. 1 program for Noggin viewers 12 to 17."[89] Seasons 6 and 7 premiered on The N before they aired on CTV.[90][91] During mid-season 9, the show was carried over to TeenNick, a channel that merged the programming of two Viacom-owned teen blocks (Noggin's The N and Nickelodeon's TEENick).

Before season 10, CTV executives told the production crew that they were cancelling the show due to a decline in viewing figures since season 7.[24][25] The co-creator Linda Schuyler and executive producer Stephen Stohn were unsure of the fate of the show after this meeting. At the same time, Stohn had recently been in talks with his American partners at Viacom about creating a brand-new telenovela-style show for the TeenNick channel. Instead of making a new show, he pitched a revamp of Degrassi with a telenovela format.[92] Combined with marketing efforts and support from Viacom, the show avoided cancellation. During this time, the show was re-titled as Degrassi.[93]

The show's cancellation was announced in June 2015.[94] That same month, on June 9, Epitome Pictures announced that a sequel series, Degrassi: Next Class, would premiere on Family Channel, owned by DHX Media, and streamed outside of Canada on Netflix. Episodes became available on Netflix in Canada following the conclusion of the first season.[95][96]

Post-broadcast distribution[edit]

In Canada, stripped reruns of Degrassi: The Next Generation have aired on CTV Two and MTV2, which are owned by Bell Media.[97] In the United States, independent distributor Program Partners and Sony Pictures Television, announced on September 24, 2006, that they acquired the syndication rights to the first 119 episodes of the show in the United States, and any subsequent new episodes.[98][99]

In December 2006, Sony Pictures Television and Program Partners had reached agreements with the Tribune Company for every station it owned, The CW Plus affiliated stations, and many other stations owned by major media conglomerates. Degrassi: The Next Generation was cleared in 60% of the country including all five of the top five media markets.[100] By March 2007, Program Partners had cleared it in over 70% of the country after stations owned by Hearst-Argyle Television, Capitol Broadcasting Company, and ACME Communications purchased the syndication.[101] The series met the US FCC's educational and informational guidelines towards children's programming.[102]

In October 2019, as part of a content deal struck between Viacom and WildBrain, a channel dedicated to Degrassi was added to Pluto TV on channel 172 (now channel 144) of the free, advertiser-supported streaming service's entertainment tier, offering episodes of Degrassi, with a limited number of episodes—including those that consisted of portions of two-part episodes, such as "Bitter Sweet Symphony (Part 1)"—omitted from the episode rotation.[103]

As of July 2021, reruns of Degrassi: The Next Generation continue to air on certain Canadian television networks owned by Corus Entertainment, including ABC Spark, CMT, and YTV.

DVD releases[edit]

The first twelve seasons of Degrassi: The Next Generation have been released on DVD. The box sets are released in Canada by Alliance Home Entertainment. In the United States, FUNimation Entertainment released the first six seasons and Echo Bridge Entertainment released seasons seven through twelve. Each season boxset includes extra features such as pictures, karaoke sessions, audition tapes, bloopers, deleted scenes and more.[104][105] In Australia, seasons 1 to 4 were released by Umbrella Entertainment in 2010 and 2011. These DVDs are compatible with the region 4 code,[106] which is in use in, Oceania and Latin America.

The three-episode story arc from the fourth season in which Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes guest star has also been released as a single disc Region 1 DVD. FUNimation Entertainment released the disc on November 8, 2005, in two versions: the first subtitled as "Uncut, Uncensored and Unrated",[107] and the second, "Rated."[108] Each release has the same DVD extras, including an interview with Kevin Smith, bloopers and a Jay and Silent Bob Photo Album. The Unrated release also features episode commentaries by Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Stacie Mistysyn, the associate producer Jim Jackman and writer Aaron Martin.[107]

Streaming[edit]

Degrassi: The Next Generation has been made available over various streaming platforms over the years. During the show's original run, episodes were uploaded to CTV and The N's websites in Canada and the United States respectively.[109][110] It was also made available on iTunes in North America.[111] In 2007, Puretracks in Canada offered episodes for download as a media file that could be only burned or copied three times.[112] In the US, Zune sold the full series.[113] All 14 seasons were made available to stream on HBO Max on March 25, 2022.[114]

Complete Season DVD Release
Release Ep # Release dates Special Features
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
Canada United States
Season One 15 October 19, 2004 September 28, 2004 May 3, 2007

Degrassi Karaoke, Degrassi Photo Album, Character Descriptions, Cast Biographies, Deleted Scenes, Oops and Bloopers, Original Television Promos, and Audition Tapes.

Season Two 22 June 21, 2005 September 8, 2010

130+ Deleted/Extended Scenes and Bloopers, Cast Audition Tapes, Season 2 Second Call Back Tapes, "Poor Thing" Karaoke, Interactive Fan Quiz, Degrassi Yearbook, Snake and Spike's Wedding Album, Student and Adult Profiles, and Cast Biographies.

  • Note: Region 4 DVD Release Only Has 72 Deleted Scenes
Season Three 22 March 28, 2006 April 13, 2011

Audio Commentaries ("Accidents Will Happen" and "Pride"), Deleted Scenes, "Rock and Roll High School" Karaoke, Season 3 Interactive Quiz, CTV Degrassi Promo, Degrassi Yearbook, and Character and Cast Biographies.

Season Four 23 October 24, 2006 November 28, 2006 April 13, 2011

Audio Commentaries ("Time Stands Still" and "Secret"), Deleted Scenes, Blooper Reel, Original Cast Auditions, Season 4 Interactive Quiz, Character and Cast Biographies, Jay and Silent Bob Flipbook, Degrassi Yearbook, and PAX Gun Violence Prevention Public Service Announcements.

  • Note: Audio Commentary on "Secret" is only available on the United States release.
Season Five 19 July 3, 2007

Deleted Scenes, Blooper Reel, Original Cast Auditions, Interview with Cassie Steele, Character and Cast Biographies, Degrassi Yearbook, Simple Plan Music Video and Interview, and Trailers.

Season Six 19 May 27, 2008

Deleted Scenes, Bloopers, Original Auditions, Character and Cast Biographies, Degrassi Yearbook, and Trailers.

Season Seven 24 May 26, 2009 March 17, 2009

Bloopers, Deleted Scenes, Photo Gallery, Webisodes, and "On The Set".

Season Eight 23 September 1, 2009

"Degrassi Goes Hollywood" The Movie, Bloopers, Deleted Scenes, Podcasts, Webisodes, "On The Set" Webisodes, and "My Window" Music Video.

Season Nine 23 July 20, 2010

"Degrassi Takes Manhattan" The Movie, Bloopers, Deleted Scenes, Webisodes and Minis, and Music Videos.

Season Ten 44 October 18, 2011 September 13, 2011

Episode Commentaries ("My Body Is A Cage" and "Umbrella"), Music Videos, Bloopers, and Webisodes.

Season Eleven 45 December 3, 2013

Meet the New Kids, The Gallery Shoot, Set Tour, Parking Lot Tour, From Rehearsal to Shooting, Goodbyes, Behind the Scenes, Deleted Scenes, Bloopers, and Webisodes.

Season Twelve 40 October 29, 2013

Back to Degrassi, New Kids on the Block, Shooting the Opening Sequence, 300th Episode Celebration, A Day with the Ice Hounds, Goodbye Uniforms, Inside Fiona's Birthday Brawl, Say Cheese: Photoshoot with Demetrius, Vanessa and Justice, The Making of Romeo & Jules, Bloopers, The Inside Look and The Table Read – Bitter Sweet Symphony, Graduation Day, Prom Night, The One and Only – Dylan Everett, Eli's Short Film – LIFE, Eli's Short Film – NYU Portfolio, Video Yearbook, and Episode Commentary.

Season Thirteen 40 To Be Announced
Season Fourteen 28 To Be Announced

Impact and reception[edit]

Critical reception[edit]

Degrassi: The Next Generation has received generally positive reviews. Entertainment Weekly has called it "a cult hit", and The New York Times named it "Tha Best Teen TV N da WRLD (The best teen TV in the world)".[115][116] Of the first season, The Ottawa Citizen's Tony Atherton had mixed feelings of the new incarnation, saying it "has a cleaner, more polished look, has lost its edge [and offers] nothing new to viewers familiar with the groundbreaking preceding series, nor to anyone else who has watched the deluge of teen dramas since ... there is a sense of déjà vu with regards to the plots and characters".[117] He did, however, praise the show for having "the same simple narrative told from a kid's viewpoint, and the same regard for unvarnished reality [as Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High]".[117]

Before its debut in the United States, The Seattle Times' Melanie McFarland wondered whether the series would do well, writing: "soft-pedaling through the issues might work for today's family of viewers, but what's gentle enough for Mom and Dad's peace of mind might not be enough to hook Junior or the original Degrassi's older fans".[118] The issues that the characters experience have often been commented on in the media. It has been noted that the series never attempts to hide from depicting honest accounts of the trials and tribulations that real teenagers may often experience. Sarah Liss from CBC News said that despite often being corny and soap opera-y, Degrassi: The Next Generation tackles issues that other genre series prefer to gloss over, and was part of her essential viewing.[119] She named the series one of "the [ten] most important television shows of the 2000s", and was the only children's series, and the only Canadian television series, to appear on the list, which included Mad Men, Lost, the CSI franchise, and Sex and the City.[119]

In 2008, Jeffrey Bento-Carrier described one storyline that showed a teacher being accused of sexually assaulting one of his students as "shock[ing]", adding that "Degrassi is not for everyone, mainly because it's an honest account what it's like to be a teen in a society which values cliques and confrontation over truth and real growth."[120] Brian Orloff of the St. Petersburg Times echoed the sentiments, and praised the series for "stay[ing] in touch with teens' lives".[121]

In spite of these comments, The N held back one of the more controversial episodes of the first season, which showed a character losing control after taking an ecstasy pill, and refused to broadcast it until it was presented with an edited copy from the producers.[116][122][123] The N also refused to broadcast two episodes from the second season that featured a storyline about date-rape until suitable edits could be made,[124][125] and withheld other episodes from season three that showed a fourteen-year-old character having an abortion after having consensual sexual intercourse with her boyfriend, and feeling no regrets.[126] The decision caused an uproar amongst fans who organized a petition that caught the attention of the New York Times, as well as CBC, the National Post and the London Free Press in Canada.[124][125][127] The episodes eventually aired three years later as part of an "every episode ever" marathon, with very little advertisement from the network.[128] Another storyline was featured in the media after ten children from a Québécois school were found to have a number of cuts on their bodies. They said they had copied the show when one character began self harming herself in an episode.[129]

Comparisons between Degrassi: The Next Generation and other genre specific series have also been made throughout the run. Jake Surette, a writer with AfterElton.com, a website which focuses on the portrayal of homosexual and bisexual men in the media, reported on the portrayal of two Degrassi: The Next Generation gay characters. "Degrassi features ongoing stories of real-life teen dilemmas—including intense gay and lesbian storylines—and does it without the righteous, 'On a Very Special Blossom' endings that many teen dramas and sitcoms thrive on."[130] Kevin Thompson of The Palm Beach Post said the series "is told from a teenager's point of view since the writers have no interest in appealing to a broad-based demographic like the writers on, say, Fox's The O.C. ... it connects with teens on their level".[131] PopMatters's Jodie Janella Horn also compared it with The O.C., saying that while scenes from Degrassi could be "actual scenes from my actual teenage life ... The O.C. will never remind me of anything in my life", adding that it is the most unnervingly accurate series ever of the high school genre.[132]

The San Jose Mercury News has said "If they [Everwood, The O.C., and One Tree Hill] want to be taken seriously, the shows could take a cue from Canadian drama Degrassi: The Next Generation, which ... addresses the same gritty teen issues without being far-fetched".[133] The New York Times has also made favourable reviews of the series in comparison to Everwood, The O.C., and One Tree Hill, as well as Beverly Hills, 90210, Gilmore Girls, Dawson's Creek, and adult series such as Sex and the City, Maude, and Six Feet Under.[134] AOL TV ranked it as the sixth TV's Biggest Guilty Pleasure.[135]

Television ratings[edit]

With characters from Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High appearing in Degrassi: The Next Generation, viewers of the earlier series who were in their 20s and 30s made up a dedicated fan base of the current incarnation. Approximately 40% of the series' viewers are outside of Degrassi: The Next Generation's 12- to 17-year-old target audience.[136] Degrassi: The Next Generation averaged 365,000 viewers aged 12–20 years old in season one, and became the most watched domestic drama in Canada.[137] By the end of season two, it had become the most popular Canadian show for the three youngest age groups (children aged 2–11, teenagers aged 12–17 and young adults aged 18–34).[138]

In the third season, Degrassi: The Next Generation was again the most-watched all-Canadian drama series, and the most watched Canadian drama among adults 18–49.[139] A season four episode that featured a school shooting received 930,000 viewers; at that time it was the programme's highest-ever rating.[140] A second episode in the same season that featured a storyline about oral sex also earned just under 1,000,000 viewers.[141] Overall, the season averaged 600,000 viewers, and was again the top Canadian drama for teens aged 12–17, and adults in three age brackets 18–34, 18–49 and 25–54.[140][141] It averaged 250,000 viewers in the US in 2004 and was the highest rated digital cable series in the US in 2006.[115] While that figure was still far lower than successful shows on the "big four" networks (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC), the premiere episodes of earlier seasons had achieved higher audience numbers with females aged 12–34.[98] 2004 also saw the school-shooting episode receive more than half a million US viewers.[142] The fifth season drew in an average of 767,000 viewers,[24] with episode two of the season was seen by 1,000,000 viewers.[143]

Ratings began to decline halfway through the series' run. In Canada, season six was watched by fewer viewers than had watched season five;[24] episode fourteen was the highest-viewed episode of the season, with a total of 645,000 viewers.[144] The season finale was watched by 520,000 viewers, and the season overall averaged 522,000 viewers.[24] The average viewing figures fell again during the seventh season. The season premiere achieved the highest figures with 585,000 viewers.[145] This progressively dropped over the coming weeks, from 446,000 total viewers for the third episode,[146] to 407,000 total viewers for the fifth episode,[147] and continued to fall to a low of 314,000 viewers by the tenth episode.[148] Overall, the first twelve episodes of the season averaged 455,000 viewers, 45,000 less than the same number of episodes from the season six.[24]

Viewing figures continued to fall throughout season eight; Bill Brioux, the television columnist for The Canadian Press, was surprised that Degrassi: The Next Generation had even reached its eighth season with such poor ratings, asking "What other show in the history of Canadian or American television has so consistently drawn so few viewers yet gets renewed year after year?"[149] The season premiere was watched by 398,000 viewers,[149] almost 200,000 viewers fewer than what the premiere of season seven achieved. Viewing figures continued to drop when episodes two and six were both watched by an average of 220,000 viewers.[150][151] At the time they were the lowest figures Degrassi: The Next Generation has ever received;[150] however, they continued to fall and by episode eleven, overnight ratings indicated it had received 139,000 viewers.[152]

The overall number of viewers rose slightly for the thirteenth episode, the first of a two-parter, when it was watched by 157,000 people, but the viewing figures for the key 18–34 demographics was at a low of 81,000.[153] The following week, the episode that concluded the two-parter picked up viewers, reaching an estimated total of 206,000.[25] Brioux commented again about Degrassi: The Next Generation still being on the schedules, wondering when CTV was going to announce its cancellation and noting that The Amazing Race, which follows it in the scheduling, was watched by ten times the number of Degrassi's viewers.[25] That pattern was repeated the following week, when Degrassi: The Next Generation was watched by 222,000 viewers, compared to 1,834,000 viewers for The Amazing Race, 1,579,000 viewers for Desperate Housewives and 1,106,000 viewers for The Mentalist, which were broadcast by CTV later in the evening.[154]

CTV aired two episodes back-to-back in the first half of season nine, and the scheduling had improved ratings. The first two episodes earned a combined figure of 471,000 viewers,[155] and the third and fourth episodes retained them; they were watched by a combined 475,000 viewers.[156] The following week, the total viewing figures for episodes five and six had increased to 608,000,[157] and remained high as the season went into hiatus in November with 572,000 total viewers.[158]

Awards[edit]

Degrassi: The Next Generation has received numerous awards and nominations. The Writers Guild of Canada awarded its Canadian Screenwriting Awards to the writers of two episodes. In 2004, Aaron Martin, James Hurst and Shelley Scarrow won the "Best Youth Script Award" for "Pride".[159] The following year, the Scarrow-penned episode "Secret" vied with "Mercy Street", written by James Hurst and Miklos Perlus for the "Best Youth Script Award".[160] "Mercy Street" won.[161] The series has been nominated for fourteen Directors Guild of Canada Awards. In the "Outstanding Achievement in a Television Series – Children's" group category, the Bruce McDonald helmed "Mother and Child Reunion" (nominated 2002) and "When Doves Cry" (nominated 2003) were winners.[162][163]

"White Wedding", also directed by McDonald, won the award in 2003 for "Outstanding Achievement in Direction – Television Series".[163] McDonald's "Holiday" (nominated 2004), and Stefan Scaini's "Time Stands Still, part 2" (nominated 2005) won the group categories for "Outstanding Achievement in a Television Series – Family".[164] "Can't Hardly Wait" and "Pass the Dutchie" were also nominated in that category in 2007 and 2008, respectively, but failed to win the awards.[165][166] Stephen Withrow picked up two awards in the "Outstanding Achievement in Picture Editing" category, for "Mother and Child Reunion" in 2002 and "When Doves Cry" in 2003.[162][163] Degrassi: The Next Generation had won seventeen Gemini Awards since 2002, and had been nominated in twenty-six other categories.[167] In 2010, producer Linda Schuyler received the Academy Achievement Award.[168]

Linda Schuyler and Jordan Todosey holding award at the 70th Annual Peabody Awards

Degrassi: The Next Generation had also seen awards success internationally. It was nominated for a "Best Children's Television Programme" Prix Jeunesse in Germany in 2004,[169] and has been nominated at the GLAAD Media Awards four times. In 2004, the show received a nomination in the Outstanding Drama Series category,[170] but lost to the sports drama Playmakers.[171] It was nominated in the same category again in 2008, but lost to Brothers & Sisters.[172][173] In 2005, Degrassi: The Next Generation won the Television Critics Association Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming." It was only the second time that a non-United States series has won an award in this category (the first time was Degrassi Junior High in 1988).[174]

The Young Artist Awards had been recognising actors in the Degrassi franchise since 1987. Degrassi: The Next Generation was nominated for four awards in its first year. Ryan Cooley and Jake Goldsbie were nominated in the "Best Leading Young Actor Performance in a TV Comedy Series" category, but lost to Frankie Muniz from Malcolm in the Middle. The series won the award for "Best Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama TV Series" category.[175] A year later, Jake Epstein won the Young Artist Award in the category for "Best Leading Young Actor Performance in a TV Comedy Series".[176] In 2005, Christina Schmidt tied with Alia Shawkat of Arrested Development to win the award for "Best Supporting Young Actress Performance in a TV Comedy Series",[177] and Jamie Johnston won the 2008 category for "Best Leading Young Actor Performance in a TV Series".[178] Young Artist Awards were awarded again in 2012, with both Cristine Prosperi and A.J. Saudin winning awards in the Lead Young Actress and Recurring Young Actor categories respectively. However, they both tied with another in their category.[179]

At the Teen Choice Awards, children aged between twelve and nineteen vote for each category's winner. The series was nominated three times in the "Choice Summer TV Show" category, and won twice, in 2005 and 2007.[180][181] The episode "My Body Is a Cage", where Adam was outed as transgender, earned a Peabody Award,[2] and a Creative Arts Emmy Award nomination in 2011.[182]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ "What's Shooting". ACTRA Toronto. Archived from the original on September 22, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  2. ^ a b 70th Annual Peabody Awards Archived April 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, May 2011.
  3. ^ "Degrassi: The Next Generation: TeenNick Series Ending; No Season 15". TV Series Finale. June 4, 2015. Archived from the original on March 18, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  4. ^ Ellis 2005, pp. 8–13
  5. ^ Ellis 2005, p. 12
  6. ^ a b "How It All Happened". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on October 21, 2007. Retrieved October 21, 2007.
  7. ^ Stohn, Stephen (March 11, 2003). "Degrassi Epis". Epitome Pictures. Archived from the original (Note: Requires registration) on July 29, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2008.
  8. ^ Yaffe, Samantha (September 3, 2001). "Degrassi finds its place in the 21st century". Playback. Brunico Communications.
  9. ^ Honey, Kim (June 7, 2001). "CTV's high-school reunion". The Globe and Mail. Toronto, Ontario: CTVglobemedia. p. R.3.
  10. ^ a b c Schuyler, Linda (November 15, 2022). The Mother of All Degrassi: A Memoir. ECW Press. p. 180. ISBN 9781778520389. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ a b Connell, Mike (February 3, 2002). "Noggin has tween educon on the brain". Kidscreen. Archived from the original on July 22, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  12. ^ Connell, Mike (October 1, 2001). "Degrassi comeback goes for dual-demo appeal". Kidscreen. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Noggin Tackles Tween Issues with "Degrassi: The Next Generation"" (Press release). Viacom. March 27, 2002. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  14. ^ "BCE-CTV Benefits" (PDF). Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. 2003. p. 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 29, 2007. Retrieved October 21, 2007.,
  15. ^ "Rocket Fuelled Projects 2007". Shaw Rocket Fund. 2007. Archived from the original on November 7, 2007. Retrieved October 21, 2007.
  16. ^ "Funded Projects". Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund. October 10, 2007. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved October 21, 2007.
  17. ^ "Degrassi: The Next Generation Credits". Epitome Pictures. Archived from the original on May 29, 2008. Retrieved April 27, 2008.
  18. ^ a b Ellis 2005, pp. 20–21
  19. ^ Stohn, Stephen (May 23, 2003). "Shooting Season 3". Epitome Pictures. Archived from the original (Note: Requires registration) on July 29, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2008.
  20. ^ a b Ellis 2005, pp. 12–13
  21. ^ Ellis 2005, p. 22
  22. ^ Ellis 2005, p. 179
  23. ^ Ellis 2005, pp. 176–189
  24. ^ a b c d e f Bailey, Patricia (March 27, 2007). "CTV ups its order for Degrassi". Playback. Toronto, Ontario: Brunico Communications. Archived from the original on March 18, 2024. Retrieved March 30, 2008.
  25. ^ a b c d Brioux, Bill (March 10, 2009). "CBC Throws in Designer Towel on Steven and Chris". TV Feeds My Family. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
  26. ^ a b Vlessing, Etan (March 19, 2010). "Canuck broadcasters add episodes for ratings". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  27. ^ a b Dixon, Guy (March 16, 2010). "A Double Dose of Teen Angst". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  28. ^ Yan Moore (co-creator); Linda Schuyler (co-creator, executive producer); Stephen Stohn (executive producer) (2001–2006). Degrassi: The Next Generation (Seasons 1–6) (DVD). Alliance Atlantis.
  29. ^ Yan Moore (co-creator); Linda Schuyler (co-creator, executive producer); Stephen Stohn (executive producer) (2006–2008). Degrassi: The Next Generation (Seasons 6–7). Alliance Atlantis/Echo Bridge Entertainment.
  30. ^ Yan Moore (co-creator); Linda Schuyler (co-creator, executive producer); Stephen Stohn (executive producer (2009). Degrassi: The Next Generation (Season 8). Echo Bridge Entertainment.
  31. ^ a b c d Ellis 2005, p. 128
  32. ^ a b James Hurst (writer); Brendon Yorke (writer); Phil Earnshaw (director) (September 29, 2006). "Here Comes Your Man". Degrassi: The Next Generation. Season 6. Episode 1. The N.
  33. ^ Lisa (June 24, 2011). "See the new Degrassi intro – Right now". Blog. TeenNick. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
  34. ^ "Jake Epstein (Craig)". Degrassi Unscripted. Episode 4. September 17, 2004. The N.
  35. ^ "Melissa McIntyre (Ashley)". Degrassi Unscripted. Episode 8. June 17, 2005. The N.
  36. ^ The-Mary (host); The-Seth (host) (August 19, 2008). "Jamie Johnston Cares About Your Feet". The N-Sider. The N. Archived from the original on January 25, 2009.
  37. ^ Aaron Martin (story, teleplay); James Hurst (story); Bruce McDonald (director) (March 3, 2002). "Jagged Little Pill". Degrassi: The Next Generation. Season 1. Episode 15. CTV.
  38. ^ James Hurst (story, teleplay); Alexandra Zarowny (story); Phil Earnshaw (director) (October 17, 2005). "Weddings, Parties, Anything". Degrassi: The Next Generation. Season 5. Episode 5. CTV.
  39. ^ James Hurst (story, teleplay); Alexandra Zarowny (story); Phil Earnshaw (director) (June 2, 2008). "Everything She Wants". Degrassi: The Next Generation. Season 7. Episode 21. CTV.
  40. ^ Ellis 2005, pp. 106–111
  41. ^ a b c d e f "Studios - In Production". WildBrain. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  42. ^ Ellis 2005, pp. 116–117
  43. ^ a b Ellis 2005, p. 115
  44. ^ Ellis 2005, pp. 112–114
  45. ^ "YFile » Degrassi transforms York's Keele campus into a television set".
  46. ^ Atherton, Tony (June 7, 2001). "Degrassi High Cast Set To Return This Fall". Ottawa Citizen. Canwest. Some of the original teen cast, now in their late '20s, were on hand yesterday to offer advice to the 11 youngsters chosen from among 600 who auditioned for the series of half-hour shows.
  47. ^ a b McGrath, Stephanie (September 21, 2001). "Degrassi's Got a Whole New Student Body". Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on April 29, 2002. Retrieved December 12, 2007.
  48. ^ Baldwin, Carol (October 14, 2001). "Local Actor's Role Links New and Old Degrassi". Beaver Entertainment.
  49. ^ a b c Honey, Kim (June 7, 2001). "CTV's high-school reunion". The Globe and Mail. Yesterday morning was devoted to Degrassi, with appearances by ... Miriam McDonald, who plays Spike's daughter, Emma, as well as Ryan Cooley, Jake Goldsbie and Cassie Steele, all of whom were just signed last week.
  50. ^ Scapillato, Joan (October 14, 2001). "Port Teen Wins Lead Role in Degrassi's Next Generation". Welland Tribune. Osprey Media.
  51. ^ "Degrassi Sequel Is Big Break For K-W's Chrissy Schmidt". Kitchener-Waterloo Record. Torstar. October 14, 2001.
  52. ^ Ellis 2005, pp. 52–59, 66–71, 74–77, 80–82
  53. ^ Ellis 2005, pp. 48–49
  54. ^ Ellis 2005, pp. 50–51
  55. ^ Landau, Emily (September 2012). "Teenage Dreams". The Walrus. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013.
  56. ^ Ellis 2005, pp. 46–47
  57. ^ Brown, Dan (June 7, 2001). "The Sopranos, Degrassi Highlights of CTV Lineup Jason Alexander's New Show Also Gets a Look-In". National Post. Canwest.
  58. ^ Palmer, Karen (October 11, 2001). "Kids of Degrassi Street Grow Up: Next Generation, Debuting Sunday, Slicker Than Beloved Original". Canadian Press.
  59. ^ a b Aaron Martin (story); Yan Moore (story, teleplay); Bruce McDonald (director) (October 14, 2001). "Mother and Child Reunion". Degrassi: The Next Generation. Season 1. Episode 1. CTV.
  60. ^ Atherton, Tony (December 27, 2002). "Degrassi High Steps Into the Next Television Generation". The Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa, ON: Canwest.
  61. ^ Faulder, Liane (September 29, 2002). "Degrassi's Joey Returning, But Show Is an Original Aeries, Though He's Older, Wiser and Without Hair". Edmonton Journal. Canwest. p. B5.
  62. ^ Ellis 2005, pp. 62–63
  63. ^ a b Ellis 2005, pp. 64–65
  64. ^ Ellis 2005, pp. 78–79
  65. ^ Ellis 2005, p. 90
  66. ^ Ellis 2005, pp. 60–91
  67. ^ "Rock This Town". Degrassi: The Next Generation. Season 6. Episode 11. January 9, 2007. CTV.
  68. ^ Aaron Martin (writer); Miklos Perlus (writer); Ron Murphy (director) (October 19, 2004). "Back In Black". Degrassi: The Next Generation. Season 4. Episode 8. CTV.
  69. ^ "Don't You Want Me, Part Two". Degrassi: The Next Generation. Season 6. Episode 19. May 17, 2007. CTV.
  70. ^ Jancelwicz, Chris (January 7, 2008). "Q&A: 'Degrassi:TNG's' Nina Dobrev Talks Mia". AOL. Archived from the original on April 25, 2010. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
  71. ^ "Standing in the Dark, Part One". Degrassi: The Next Generation. Season 7. Episode 1. October 5, 2007. The N.
  72. ^ Garraud, Tracy (February 25, 2009). "Drake Day". Vibe. Archived from the original on March 13, 2009. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
  73. ^ "Get Ready As A New Class Of Degrassi Students Enroll On The New Season Of CTV's Hit Teen Drama, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Friday, 10 Oct., At 8:00 p.m. (ET)" (Press release). PR Newswire. September 25, 2008. Archived from the original on June 2, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
  74. ^ Demara, Bruce (October 5, 2008). "DeGrassi Enrols a New Class". Toronto Star. Torstar. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved October 14, 2008.
  75. ^ Aaron Martin (story, teleplay); Tassie Cameron (story) (September 29, 2002). "White Wedding". Degrassi: The Next Generation. Season 2. Episode 12. CTV.
  76. ^ Aaron Martin (story); Brendon Yorke (story); Stefan Scaini (director) (January 30, 2006). "I Against I". Degrassi: The Next Generation. Season 5. Episode 14. CTV.
  77. ^ "West End Girls". Degrassi: The Next Generation. Season 4. Episode 20. January 31, 2005. CTV.
  78. ^ "Going Down the Road, Part One". Degrassi: The Next Generation. Season 4. Episode 21–22. February 7–14, 2005. CTV.
  79. ^ Kevin Smith (actor, writer, director); Scott Mosier (producer) (November 12, 1999). Dogma (Motion picture). Lions Gate Entertainment.
  80. ^ Kevin Smith (actor, writer, director); Scott Mosier (producer) (August 22, 2001). Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Dimension Films.
  81. ^ Salem, Rob (August 30, 2009). "Degrassi Love Affair All Started At the Quick Stop ..." Toronto Star. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  82. ^ a b c Ellis 2005, p. 93
  83. ^ Peesker, Saira (December 11, 2007). "Epstein Set For Real-Life Graduation". CTV. Archived from the original on December 15, 2007. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
  84. ^ "Shirley Douglas Guest Stars On Degrassi". CTV. Archived from the original on March 18, 2008. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
  85. ^ Warner, Tyrone (December 5, 2007). "Natasha Bedingfield Talks Degrassi". CTV. Archived from the original on December 8, 2007. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
  86. ^ Brioux, Bill (December 24, 1999). "Back To Degrassi St". Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2008.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  87. ^ "Fall is Fresh on Much with Exclusive Season Premieres of Hit Series TOSH.0 and SOUTH PARK, beginning September 3". Bell Media Press Room. August 26, 2013. Archived from the original on May 14, 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  88. ^ "Degrassi to warp the concept of reality on MTV Canada". Canada.com. September 23, 2013. Archived from the original on November 22, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  89. ^ Scott, Tracy (September 26, 2004). "Series Reaches the 'Next Generation'". The Washington Post.
  90. ^ "The N's Degrassi: The Next Generation Premieres Friday, September 29" (Press release). The Futon Critic. September 6, 2006. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  91. ^ "Degrassi Season 6 Premieres Nov. 28" (Press release). TV Eh?. November 6, 2006. Archived from the original on February 17, 2007. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  92. ^ Ajello, Erin. "The oral history of the 'Shark in the Water' promo that saved 'Degrassi' and changed TV forever". Insider. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  93. ^ "Why 'Degrassi: The Next Generation' Had a Different Name After Season 9". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. July 7, 2021. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  94. ^ "MTV Bids Farewell to Degrassi Following Season 14, Beginning July 20" (Press release). Bell Media. June 4, 2015. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  95. ^ "DHX Media buys Degrassi TV studio". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  96. ^ "Degrassi: Next Class to debut on Family Channel, Netflix". CBC News. June 9, 2015. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  97. ^ "A TV Schedule". A. Archived from the original on September 12, 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2008.
  98. ^ a b Benson, Jim (September 24, 2006). "Degrassi Kids Get Stripped". Broadcasting & Cable. NextTV. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  99. ^ "Program Partners to Syndicate Degrassi: The Next Generation" (Press release). Program Partners. September 25, 2006. Archived from the original on December 13, 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2007.
  100. ^ "Break-Out Drama Tops 60% Clearance for September 2007 Launch" (Press release). Program Partners. December 12, 2006. Archived from the original on December 13, 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2007.
  101. ^ "Program Partners Clears Degrassi: The Next Generation in Over 70% of the U.S." (Press release). Program Partners. March 6, 2007. Archived from the original on December 13, 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2007.
  102. ^ Eggerton, John (December 18, 2008). "'Degrassi' Renewed Through 2011 In 60% Of Country". Broadcasting & Cable. NextTV. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  103. ^ Clarke, Stewart (October 1, 2019), "Viacom-Owned Streamer Pluto TV Launches 'Degrassi' Channel", Variety, Variety Media, LLC, archived from the original on October 2, 2019, retrieved October 3, 2019
  104. ^ "Releases for Degrassi: The Next Generation". TVShowsOnDVD. Archived from the original on May 24, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  105. ^ "Degrassi: The Next Generation Season 9". Amazon.com. July 20, 2010. Archived from the original on March 18, 2024. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  106. ^ "Umbrella Entertainment". Archived from the original on May 13, 2013. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  107. ^ a b "Degrassi: The Next Generation – Jay and Silent Bob Do Degrassi (Director's Cut: Uncut, Uncensored and Unrated) DVD Information". TVShowsOnDVD. Archived from the original on October 20, 2007. Retrieved October 25, 2007.
  108. ^ "Degrassi: The Next Generation – Jay and Silent Bob Do Degrassi (Director's Cut) DVD Information". TVShowsOnDVD. Archived from the original on October 20, 2007. Retrieved October 25, 2007.
  109. ^ "Degrassi On Demand". CTV. Archived from the original on October 21, 2007. Retrieved October 23, 2007.
  110. ^ "Degrassi - Videos". The N. Archived from the original on November 20, 2005. Retrieved October 23, 2007.
  111. ^ "Degrassi: The Next Generation". iTunes Store. October 13, 2001. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  112. ^ "Finally, fans can download "Degrassi" episodes" (Press release). CTV. August 16, 2007. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved September 20, 2007.
  113. ^ "Degrassi: The Next Generation". Zune. Archived from the original on August 12, 2010. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
  114. ^ Hailu, Selome (January 13, 2022). "'Degrassi': New Series Greenlit at HBO Max, 'Next Generation' to Stream in Spring". Variety. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  115. ^ a b Armstrong, Jennifer (October 1, 2004). "Behind the scenes at Degrassi: The Next Generation". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  116. ^ a b Neihart, Ben (March 20, 2005). "DGrassi Is tha Best Teen TV N da WRLD!". The New York Times. p. 5. Retrieved December 12, 2007.
  117. ^ a b Atherton, Tony (October 14, 2001). "Degrassi Returns With New, Old Faces: Unfortunately, the Stories Are Stuck In the Same Old Ruts". The Ottawa Citizen. Canwest. p. A12.
  118. ^ McFarland, Melanie (March 30, 2002). "Degrassi Back In a New Generation". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on September 29, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  119. ^ a b Liss, Sarah (November 4, 2009). "Essential Viewing: The 10 Most Important Television Shows of the 2000s". CBC News. Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  120. ^ Bento-Carrier, Jeffrey (May 14, 2008). "Degrassi Is Our Greatest Television Export". The Tribune. Brunswick News. p. B4. Archived from the original on June 17, 2008. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  121. ^ McKay, John (July 7, 2003). "Degrassi stays in touch with teens' lives". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on September 23, 2003. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  122. ^ Gayle, MacDonald (October 31, 2002). "For a Few Bucks, We'll Launder Your Movie For You". The Globe and Mail. CTVglobemedia. p. R1.
  123. ^ "Degrassi: The Next Generation" (Press release). ABC. November 1, 2002.
  124. ^ a b "Degrassi Abortion Episode Sparks Fan Outcry in US". CBC. July 20, 2004. Archived from the original on December 10, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2008.
  125. ^ a b McKay, John (July 19, 2004). "American Teen Channel Delays Abortion-Themed Degrassi Episode". National Post.
  126. ^ Kok, Dina (September 2004). "Abortion Issue On Popular TV Show". The Interim. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved September 20, 2007.
  127. ^ McKay, John (July 20, 2004). "Degrassi Episode Causes Stir in US". The London Free Press. London, ON: Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2008.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  128. ^ Drumming, Neil (June 11, 2004). "Abortion too honest for American audience". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 25, 2007. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  129. ^ Czekaj, Laura (May 29, 2004). "Mutilation Blamed On TV Show". Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  130. ^ Surette, Jake (April 24, 2006). "Degrassi: The Next Generation: Television's Best Portrayal of Gay Teens". AfterElton.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2008. Retrieved March 29, 2008.
  131. ^ Thompson, Kevin D. (July 1, 2005). "Teen-Focused Drama Degrassi Connects With Teens On Their Level". The Palm Beach Post. Cox Enterprises.
  132. ^ Horn, Jodie Janella (June 2, 2005). "The Armchair Anthropologist: High School of Hard Knocks". PopMatters. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  133. ^ "Unreality TV". San Jose Mercury News. MediaNews Group. May 18, 2004. Archived from the original on June 23, 2004. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  134. ^ Aurthur, Kate (July 18, 2004). "Television's Most Persistent Taboo". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 2, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  135. ^ "TV's Biggest Guilty Pleasures". AOL TV. January 2, 2008. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  136. ^ Ages, Jonathan (March 24, 2005). "Channel Surfing for Nostalgia". NYU Livewire. New York University. Archived from the original on June 2, 2008. Retrieved April 25, 2008.
  137. ^ Williamson, Kevin (December 7, 2001). "Degrassi Keeps On Growing". Calgary Sun. Sun Media.
  138. ^ Faulder, Liane (January 5, 2002). "Snake and Spike Get Hitched: Surprise In Store as Degrassi Favourites Head For the Altar". Edmonton Journal. Canwest.
  139. ^ "Degrassi Pushes the Limits Even Further for Season 4, Premiering 7 September on CTV". CTV. September 1, 2004. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
  140. ^ a b "New York Times Magazine Declares "DGrassi is tha Best Teen TV N da WRLD!"" (Press release). CTV. March 21, 2005. Archived from the original on March 4, 2008. Retrieved October 21, 2007.
  141. ^ a b "School's Back at Degrassi: TV's Most-Watched Canadian Drama Returns Sept. 19 on CTV". CTV. April 21, 2010. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved February 8, 2008.
  142. ^ "Sabrina is Making Magic in New York!!" (Press release). Cynopsis Media. December 15, 2004. Archived from the original on November 27, 2007. Retrieved October 21, 2007.
  143. ^ "Degrassi: The Next Generation 100th episode" (Press release). CTV. March 16, 2006. Archived from the original on February 10, 2008. Retrieved March 29, 2008.
  144. ^ Strauss, Marise (April 3, 2007). "Juno ratings plunge, but by how much?". Playback. Toronto, Ontario: Brunico Communications. Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  145. ^ Brioux, Bill (January 23, 2008). "The Degrassi Myth". TV Feeds My Family. Archived from the original on June 5, 2008. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  146. ^ Brioux, Bill (January 31, 2008). "jPod gets jPasted". TV Feeds My Family. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  147. ^ Brioux, Bill (February 14, 2008). "MVP Needs Performance Enhancement". TV Feeds My Family. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
  148. ^ Brioux, Bill (March 19, 2008). "Mercer Tops CBC Winter Numbers". TV Feeds My Family. Archived from the original on May 27, 2008. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  149. ^ a b Brioux, Bill (October 6, 2008). "Degrassi: The Lost Generation". TV Feeds My Family. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  150. ^ a b Brioux, Bill (October 14, 2008). "Wheels Fall off Degrassi". TV Feeds My Family. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  151. ^ Brioux, Bill (November 19, 2008). "Grace Park Behind Border Jump". TV Feeds My Family. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  152. ^ Brioux, Bill (February 9, 2009). "Global's Grammy no Whammy". TV Feeds My Family. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  153. ^ Brioux, Bill (March 2, 2009). "Trump Fires Up Canadian Numbers Game". TV Feeds My Family. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  154. ^ Brioux, Bill (March 17, 2009). "Single Female Voter Wins in a Landslide". TV Feeds My Family. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
  155. ^ Brioux, Bill (October 5, 2009). "Two Million Catch Battle of the Blades Debut". TV Feeds My Family. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  156. ^ Brioux, Bill (October 13, 2009). "CBC Gives Thanks As Blades Stays Sharp". TV Feeds My Family. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  157. ^ Brioux, Bill (October 19, 2009). "Canuck TV Scores With Flash, Blades, Heart". TV Feeds My Family. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  158. ^ Brioux, Bill (November 23, 2009). "CBC Battles On Without Blades". TV Feeds My Family. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  159. ^ "2004 Winners". Writers Guild of Canada. Archived from the original on March 15, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2007.
  160. ^ "Degrassi: The Next Generation – What's New". CTV. Archived from the original on May 17, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2007.
  161. ^ "2005 Winners". Writers Guild of Canada. Archived from the original on March 5, 2008. Retrieved December 7, 2007.
  162. ^ a b "2002 Directors Guild of Canada Awards". Directors Guild of Canada. 2002. Archived from the original (Flash) on November 23, 2007. Retrieved December 8, 2007.
  163. ^ a b c "2nd Directors Guild of Canada Award Winners Announced" (PDF). Directors Guild of Canada. October 5, 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 27, 2008. Retrieved December 8, 2007.
  164. ^ "Degrassi: The Next Generation – Awards". CTV. Archived from the original on December 16, 2007. Retrieved December 4, 2007.
  165. ^ "2007 DGC Awards". Directors Guild of Canada. 2007. Archived from the original on March 1, 2008. Retrieved March 30, 2008.
  166. ^ "2008 DGC Awards Nominees". Directors Guild of Canada. 2008. Archived from the original on December 12, 2008. Retrieved September 22, 2008.
  167. ^ "Canadian Awards Database History". Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. 2009. Archived from the original on September 3, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  168. ^ "2010 Gemini Awards Presented in Drama, Children's and Youth, Comedy, and Variety Categories" (PDF). Gemini Awards. November 3, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 16, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
  169. ^ "CTV's Prime Time Drama, Degrassi: The Next Generation Named Best Family Television Series" (Press release). May 11, 2004. Archived from the original on November 21, 2007. Retrieved December 8, 2007.
  170. ^ "Nominees for the 15th Annual GLAAD Media Awards". Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. December 8, 2003. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2007.
  171. ^ "Antonio Banderas, John Waters, Bend it Like Beckham, Angels in America, Honored at 15th Annual GLAAD Media Awards Presented by ABSOLUT VODKA in Los Angeles". Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. March 28, 2004. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2007.
  172. ^ "19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards – Complete List of Award Recipients". Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. April 22, 2008. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  173. ^ "'Ugly Betty' & 'Desperate Housewives' Among GLAAD Awards Nominees". Access Hollywood. January 21, 2008. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  174. ^ "Past winners of the TCA Awards". Television Critics Association. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
  175. ^ "23rd Annual Young Artist Awards". Young Artist Awards. 2002. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2007.
  176. ^ "24th Annual Young Artist Awards Nominations". Young Artist Awards. Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2007.
  177. ^ "26th Annual Young Artist Awards – Nominations & Special Awards". Young Artist Awards. Archived from the original on July 16, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2007.
  178. ^ "29th Annual Young Artist Awards – Nominations / Special Awards". Young Artist Awards. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  179. ^ "33rd Annual Young Artist Awards Nominations". Young Artist Awards. 2012. Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
  180. ^ "Canadian First: Degrassi: The Next Generation Wins Teen Choice Award as Series Gears Up for 25th Anniversary Season on CTV". CTV. August 16, 2005. Archived from the original on September 10, 2005. Retrieved December 8, 2007.
  181. ^ "Degrassi Wins Teen Choice Award". CTV. August 27, 2007. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved December 8, 2007.
  182. ^ "Outstanding children's program 2011". 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards. Emmys. July 14, 2011. Archived from the original on July 4, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2011.

References[edit]

External links[edit]