Degrassi
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The Degrassi series is originally a Canadian drama that followed the lives of a group of children and teenagers who lived on De Grassi Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The two main series were Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High. The early Degrassi series were produced by the small production company Playing With Time. However, a current version of Degrassi, Degrassi: The Next Generation, airs on CTV in Canada and is rebroadcast on The N in the United States.
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[edit] Origin
Linda Schuyler, a former teacher, and Kit Hood, a video editor and former child actor, first established the Playing With Time company in 1976. The first few productions were fun, educational videos for children and adolescents in junior high school. After their adaptation of the children's book Ida Makes A Movie by Kay Chorao, the idea for the mini-series The Kids of Degrassi Street was born.
In 1980, CBC Television and Magic Lantern agreed to give partial funding to make the mini-series of six episodes, initially intended to continue on from Ida Makes A Movie. Several years passed before Playing With Time was able to afford the seven episodes per year deal, and by 1986, 26 episodes of The Kids of Degrassi Street had been produced. They auditioned a small group of young actors with little, if any, acting experience and on a modest budget started filming around the area where their company was located. This series focused on elementary and primary school children, and when all the characters reached grade six, the series finished. The production company began work on a sequel-like series, Degrassi Junior High, re-using seven of the actors who had acted on the original series, but with different character names. The series focused on more adult issues and used a larger cast. The show aired on CBC in Canada, PBS in the United States, and in Australia with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
[edit] Degrassi Junior High & Degrassi High
Degrassi Junior High first aired in 1987 on CBC in Canada and PBS/WGBH Boston in the United States. It delivered 26 episodes in the first two seasons (1987, 1988) and sixteen in the third season (1989), developing a cult following for its realistic and gritty portrayal of teenage life, without resorting to melodrama. It should be noted that these seasons typically began in the winter of their respective years. There is some speculation whether the producers intentionally tried to conceal the series' Canadian identity in the earlier episodes. For example, in one episode, a Canadian $20 bill is replaced with an American one in the version that was aired in the United States. USA Today news paper machines are seen on the street in the first season which is not normal for Canada and the character of Lucy throws out a Village Voice paper she is reading in the second episode of the Junior High series.
After the cast of Degrassi Junior High grew a few years older, their stories continued in the spin-off series, Degrassi High, where the cast was once again expanded and a larger building was used to portray the high school. Degrassi High aired on CBC and PBS / WGBH Boston for two years until early 1991. These series are often compared to Beverly Hills, 90210, a much more melodramatic series, which began airing in the United States at the same time, except 90210 used actors who were in their twenties to play teenagers, where as Degrassi uses people who are the age they are playing. This series is also compared to Saved by the Bell. Like Saved by the Bell, this series follows teenagers going through everyday normal teen social issues. But unlike Saved by the Bell, problems are not solved within the episode; some plotlines often continue through multiple episodes.
A few months later, the 90-minute Degrassi made-for-TV film School's Out was produced, which concluded the series. It sparked controversy and anger amongst fans and critics for the unusual characterization of familiar characters and infamous scenes of sexuality and coarse language. U.S. viewers saw a toned-down version when it aired in 1993, which did not feature the infamous "F-bombs" Canadian viewers got to see (WGBH released the uncensored version of the film onto video). A six-part documentary series entitled Degrassi Talks was aired soon after to moderate success.
Hood and Schuyler subsequently worked on a similar series, Liberty Street, which applied the Degrassi format to a series about twentysomethings living on their own for the first time. Pat Mastroianni, one of the most famous actors from the Degrassi series, appeared in Liberty Street as well, although playing a different character.
[edit] Degrassi: The Next Generation
Almost a decade later, the Degrassi series was revived by Schuyler and Stephen Stohn as Degrassi: The Next Generation. During the series "Degrassi Junior High" Spike gave birth to a baby girl named Emma making her the catalyst for the whole show. This Degrassi series deals with similar issues as its predecessor, yet in a more contemporary setting. It has been extremely successful thus far and has grown its own distinct cult following amongst teenagers and adults alike. This series is broadcast on CTV in Canada and rebroadcast to the United States on the cable channel The N, to Australia on the ABC and Nickelodeon, and to Mexico, Peru and Chile on the cable channel MTV Latin America.
This newer, hipper version of Degrassi has thus far dealt with very mature topics, such as homosexuality, rape, various sex-related subjects, suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, drugs, school shootings and relationships and most recently, murder.
Although US rights are exclusively owned by The N, there could be a market for this show on broadcast syndication as it would meet the criteria for E/I programming. On September 25, 2006 Program Partners, a American company whose Canadian-produced programs are distributed through Sony Pictures Television, announced that they have acquired the syndication rights to the show, which will start stripping daily on local stations in the US during the early evening fringe hours (between 5 and 7 pm) beginning in September 2007 [1]. The requirement of using the E/I bug throughout the entire show, along with limits on the amount of commercial advertising may be factors against broadcast stations using Degrassi to fulfill E/I requirements.
[edit] Plot rules
Each episode of Degrassi Junior High, Degrassi High and Degrassi: The Next Generation following a plot formula as well as a set of plot rules that was created by the writers. In Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High, the plot formula consists of three plots, Plot A, B and C. Plot A takes place within one week and comes to a resolution at the end of the episode. Plot A is often the most serious or focal plotline and the episode always begins and ends with Plot A. Plot B often has a connection to Plot A. Plot C often finishes or sets up an on-going storyline or is used for comic relief. One rule that was always enforced except for on two occasions is that no adult can appear in a scene without a Degrassi kid present.
Degrassi: The Next Generation operates on a similar plot formula. There are usually three plots, the Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary. The Primary opens and closes an episode, and is the most focal, usually driven by one character. The Secondary is usually a separate plotline, sometimes slightly intertwined with the other plots. The Tertiary (or last plotline) is usually more comedic or less impacting, and is used to move the other plotlines forward, typically the Primary. Like Degrassi Classic, the show ends and begins with the Primary however, the problem and issues presented in it are not always resolved at the end of each episode.
Most the titles from Degrassi: The Next Generation are taken from 80's Songs like Karma Chameleon, Eye of the Tiger, and plenty more. However, there are some, such as High Fidelity that are music-related but not actual song titles, or What's It Feel Like To Be A Ghost?, which is a song that came out in 2006 by Taking Back Sunday.
[edit] Trivia
- Lemon Demon wrote a song about the Degrassi; Next Generation series, which has a song download and a video by redk0de
- Skankin' Pickle has a song about Amanda Stepto's character entitled "I'm In Love With A Girl Named Spike".
- Rachel Blanchard, of Clueless and Road Trip fame, got her start on The Kids of Degrassi Street as an eight year old.
- Gertie Fox, a Los Angeles rock band makes reference to "Degrassi Jr. High" at the end of the closing track of their album "An Imaginary Meeting in the Woods".
- The Canadian punk rock group Propaghandi has a song entitled "Degrassi Jr. High Dropouts."
- A Degrassi: The Next Generation episode titled "What's It Feel Like to Be a Ghost? Pt. 2" features American rock band Taking Back Sunday.
- Wish You Where Here Productions produced and wrote a play called Searching For Degrassi about the iconic first series
- Kevin Smith makes various references to the Degrassi series' in many of his movies including Mallrats and Chasing Amy. He also appeared in 3 episodes on Degrassi: The Next Generation as himself, filming the fictional movie Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh!
[edit] Airdates
The individual TV series and their original air dates are as follows:
- The Kids of Degrassi Street (1979–1985)
- Degrassi Junior High (1987–1989)
- Degrassi High (1989–1991)
- Degrassi Talks (1992)
- Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001-present)
[edit] External links
- Degrassi.tv
- CTV- Degrassi: The Next Generation
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation- Degrassi: The Next Generation
