Degrassi: The Next Generation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Common rating | |
|---|---|
| Australia | PG |
| Canada | PG |
| United States | TV-PG |
Degrassi: The Next Generation (sometimes abbreviated DTNG or D:TNG) is a Canadian television series, produced by Linda Schuyler and Stephen Stohn, which follows the lives of a group of high school students. In the United States, it is commonly known as simply "Degrassi."
Degrassi: The Next Generation continues the popular Degrassi series, and is preceded by Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High, as well as The Kids of Degrassi Street. Rather than do a show focusing just on the (now adult) characters, the creators decided to stay true to the original series and retain its focus on the issues and challenges of real teen life, bringing in a slew of new teen actors to star in the show. Several characters from the earlier series reprise their roles on DTNG as parents or teachers of the new students and have plot lines of their own which tend to intermix with the stories of the younger generation.
Degrassi: The Next Generation details the lives of many different characters as they go through their high school years, and since the first season the characters have grown in many different ways. The show has dealt with many issues familiar to teenagers (a complete list can be found at List of issues addressed in Degrassi: The Next Generation).
In the first three seasons, the show's theme song is sung by a children's chorus. In seasons 4-5, the theme song is performed by Canadian industrial/pop group Jakalope. For season six, the theme song is remixed, and stripped of the vocals.
Season 7 has been approved and ordered and will have 24 episodes.
Contents |
[edit] Taglines
These are the taglines that have been used by The N.
Seasons 1 & 2: If your life was a TV show, this would be it.
Season 3: Degrassi, 100% Intense.
Season 4 & 5: Degrassi, It Goes There.
Season 6: Degrassi, It Goes There, Again.
[edit] Cast and characters
[edit] Starring (in current credits order)
- Miriam McDonald – Emma Nelson
- Cassie Steele – Manuella "Manny" Santos
- Daniel Clark – Sean Cameron (Seasons 1–4, 6-)
- Stacey Farber – Eleanor 'Ellie' Nash (recurring Season 2, Seasons 3–)
- Lauren Collins – Paige Michalchuk
- Aubrey Graham – James "Jimmy" Brooks
- Jake Epstein – Craig Manning
- Shane Kippel – Gavin "Spinner" Mason
- Shenae Grimes – Darcy Edwards (recurring Seasons 4-5, Seasons 6-)
- Mike Lobel – Jason "Jay" Hogart (recurring Seasons 3-4, Seasons 5–)
- Deanna Casaluce – Alex Nuñez (recurring Seasons 3-4, Seasons 5–)
- Stefan Brogren – Archibald Archie "Snake" Simpson
- Amanda Stepto – Christine "Spike" Nelson (recurring Seasons 1-2, 3-)
- Jake Goldsbie – Tobias "Toby" Issacs (Seasons 1-5
- Ryan Cooley - JT Yorke (Seasons 1-6)
- Sarah Barrable-Tishauer – Liberty Van Zandt
- Melissa McIntyre – Ashley Kerwin (Seasons 1–4, 6-)
- Jamie Johnston – Peter Stone (Seasons 5–)
- Melissa DiMarco – Principal Daphne Hatzilakos (recurring Seasons 2-4, Seasons 5–)
- Adamo Ruggiero – Marco Del Rossi (recurring Season 2, Seasons 3-)
[edit] Regulars, but not mentioned in the credits
- Dalmar Abuzeid – Danny Van Zandt (recurring Seasons 4–5, Season 6-)
- John Bregar – Dylan Michalchuk (recurring Seasons 3–5, Season 6-)
- Marc Donato - Derek Haig (recurring Seasons 5, Season 6-)
[edit] Recurring
- Steve Belford – Jesse Stefanovic (Seasons 6-)
- Shalaan Powell- Eric Henson (Upcoming Season 7)
- Devon Bostick – Nic (Seasons 6-)
- Bailey Corneal – Amy Peters Hoffman (Seasons 3–4)
- Nina Dobrev – Mia Jones (Seasons 6-)
- Ephraim Ellis – Rick Murray (Seasons 3–4)
- Marcus Grant - Mazz Adams (Seasons 6-)
- Kristen Holden-Reid – Scott "Tracker" Cameron (Seasons 1-4)
- Alex House – Tim (Season 5)
- Christopher Jacot – Matt Oleander (recurring Seasons 4-5)
- Jonathan Keltz - Nate (season 4)
- Michael Kinney – Mr. Armstrong
- Katie Lai – Kendra Mason (Seasons 2–3)
- Linlyn Lue – Ms. Kwan (Season 1-)
- Jajube Madiela – Chantay (Season 4-)
- Elisa Moolecherry – Sydney (Seasons 3-4)
- Daniel Morrison – Chris Sharpe (Seasons 3–4)
- Philip Nozuka – Chester Hosoda-Bloom (Season 4)
- Jennifer Podemski – Ms. Sauve (Seasons 3-)
- Aislinn Paul - Clare Edwards (Seasons 6-)
- Shawn Roberts – Dean Walton (Seasons 2-4)
- Maria Ricossa – Kate Kerwin (Seasons 1-4)
- Alex Steele – Angela Jeremiah (cameo in pilot, (Seasons 2-4)
- Maria Vacratsis – Sheila the Lunch Lady (Seasons 1–3)
- Kit Weyman – Sully (Seasons 2-3)
- Genelle Williams - Clara (Season 6-) and Mia (Season 5)
[edit] Formerly starring
- Andrea Lewis - Hazel Aden (recurring Season 1, Seasons 2-5)
- Pat Mastroianni – Joseph "Joey" Jeremiah (Series Premiere, Seasons 2–5)
- Stacie Mistysyn – Caitlin Ryan (Series Premiere, recurring Season 2, Seasons 3–5)
- Christina Schmidt – Terri McGregor (Seasons 1–3)
- Dan Woods – Principal Daniel "Dan" Raditch (Seasons 1–4)
- Ryan Cooley - J.T. Yorke (Seasons 1-6)
[edit] Rise in popularity
In the United States, Degrassi: The Next Generation airs on cable channel The N (which runs as Noggin for pre-schoolers during the daytime hours). Noggin is owned by Viacom (the same company that owns Nickelodeon). Nickelodeon at one time aired Degrassi in their TEENick block. In Australia it is aired by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) as part of its "ABC Kids" lineup. Before some episodes are shown in Australia, a warning is broadcast that the program may not be suitable for younger children. Repeat episodes have also screened on Nickelodeon Australia.
Several factors, including Degrassi:TNG's award-winning writing and heavy exposure on The N have made it surprisingly popular in the United States. A March 2005 article on this growing "south of the border" popularity in the Ottawa Sun notes that it is by far the most popular show on The N and has outperformed U.S. youth-oriented non-cable prime-time shows like Joan of Arcadia and 8 Simple Rules (both shows have since been canceled) which is about 4-5 million viewers, even though only a relatively small portion of the U.S. has access to The N cable channel (which in many areas is only available via satellite dish or premium cable).[citation needed] This is even more remarkable considering how few TV shows from other English-speaking countries -- besides those geared towards young children such as Thomas the Tank Engine, Teletubbies, or The Wiggles -- have succeeded with a U.S. audience. Other successful English-language shows from outside the U.S. have generally been from the United Kingdom rebroadcast on PBS or BBC America; despite the close proximity, Canadian television is almost never rebroadcast to the U.S., allowing Degrassi:TNG to be one of the most successful Canadian TV shows ever in America. Many American fans are only aware of the new Degrassi series, having never been exposed to the original (PBS briefly showed the original Degrassi series in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but today's Degrassi:TNG fans for the most part were too young to have watched it then or possibly were not even born yet). This success has caused The N to begin broadcasting episodes of Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High in October 2005. These episodes were rebranded as Degrassi, Old School.
American actor and film director Kevin Smith made a three-episode story arc guest appearance at the very end of Season 4 (West End Girls, Goin' Down The Road) and re-appeared in a two-episode arc (Lexicon of Love) in Season 5. A fan of both the original and current shows (as a teen he was one of the many viewers of the old PBS broadcasts), Kevin Smith named a character in Clerks Caitlin for the character of the same name in Degrassi.
[edit] Critical response
In July 2005, Degrassi: The Next Generation won the award for "Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming" at the Television Critics Association (TCA) Awards in Los Angeles. This is just the second time that a non-American series has won an award in this category (the first time was Degrassi Junior High, which won in 1988). Three weeks later, Degrassi: The Next Generation won the Teen Choice surfboard as "Choice Summer Series" at the Teen Choice Awards. That was the first time a Canadian series had ever been nominated — and won — in that category.[1]
However, while some media outlets have praised Degrassi, others have criticized the show for over-dramatizing teenage life. One article for example, believes the show is irresponsible by scandalizing high school life in exaggerated terms, and that it does not teach life lessons. It has been compared to soap operas such as Beverly Hills 90210.
[edit] Departure of Ryan Cooley
At the end of the sixth season Ryan Cooley left the show due to the murder of his character. Ryan was considering attending university and after he found out that his character might be dying, he decided to go. The executive producer of the show had said that when the season first started production, they weren't sure if they were going to completely kill him off.
[edit] Broadcast history
While the earlier Degrassi series all aired in Canada on the CBC, Degrassi: The Next Generation airs on CTV. In the States, where former Degrassi series aired on PBS, Degrassi: The Next Generation airs on digital cable network The N/Noggin; in Latin America, DTNG is broadcast on MTV Latinoamérica and in Poland on VIVA music channel. In Flanders, Belgium Degrassi: The Next Generation is broadcast on the public children's station Ketnet. The DVDs are distributed in the US by Funimation Entertainment in unedited and uncut format.
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, an 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.[2] 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.
Season 6 began airing in the United States on The N before it did on CTV in Canada (the first time during the series). However, episodes were put on a hiatus by The N in mid-November and they aired only one more episode on February 16, 2007, before taking a break. CTV began airing Season 6 on November 28, 2006 with the first eight episodes of the season, followed by four more episodes on January 2 & 9, 2007 before taking a hiatus to air American Idol. Two more episodes will air on March 28, & April 4, 2007, only, because American Idol is extending its Wednesday episodes to an hour.[3] The N has not yet disclosed when they will be regularly airing episodes again, if at all.
Degrassi: The Next Generation is currently broadcast in over 70 countries across the globe.
[edit] Episodes
Most Degrassi: The Next Generation episode titles come from song names, mainly 80s songs, hinting at Degrassi's popularity in the 80s. In some cases, however, names of 90s songs have been used, such as "Jagged Little Pill" (an Alanis Morissette album), which dealt with ecstasy, and "Wannabe" (Spice Girls), which dealt with defining one's identity. In one case, an episode was named after an 80s band (Weddings, Parties, Anything), in which Craig's band has a gig at a wedding and in another case the episode that deals with sexuality is named after the name of an album "The Lexicon of Love". Another exception is "Going Down The Road," named after a 1970 Canadian movie, in which a movie was filmed at Degrassi (the school). Season 6 episode "What's It Feel Like to Be a Ghost?" (Taking Back Sunday, who guest starred in Part 2 of the episode), though named after a song, is not an 80s reference, either. The episode was originally named after the 1985 Depeche Mode song, "Shake The Disease".
[edit] DVD Releases
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | DVD release date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | 2001 – 2002 | September 28, 2004 | ||
| 2 | 22 | 2002 – 2003 | June 21, 2005 | ||
| 3 | 22 | 2003 – 2004 | March 28, 2006 | ||
| 4 | 22 | 2004 – 2005 | October 24, 2006 (United States) April 3rd 2007 (Canada) |
||
| 5 | 19 | 2005 – 2006 | June 25, 2007[4] | ||
| 6 | 19 | 2006 – 2007 | [TBA] | ||
| 7 | 24 | 2007 – 2008 | [TBA] | ||
[edit] Television ratings
Degrassi: The Next Generation is Canada's most-watched domestic drama series. It has been hosting a constantly growing audience; its fifth season saw a 24% increase in the number of viewers, sending its audience count past one million for the first time. After premiering in the United States on The N on April 1, 2002, it soon became the network's most-watched series.[5] With characters from preceding Degrassi series being featured in The Next Generation (i.e. Spike, Snake, Joey, and Caitlin), viewers of the older series now in their 20s and 30s make up a dedicated fan base. Approximately 40% of the show’s average number of viewers are outside of The Next Generation's 12-17 year-old target audience.[6]
[edit] Cast Member Departures
Christina Schmidt played character Terri MacGreggor from the show's beginning until the end of season three. In season three, her character got in an abusive relationship and was put in a coma. She was no longer in the show post-season three, with her disappearence never fully explained on the show. According to degrassi.tv, her character was sent to a private school by her dad due to some slight brain damage and to get away from Rick. In real life, Christina wanted to leave so she could become a plus-sized model for Torrid.
Daniel Clark played character Sean Cameron from the shows beginning (2001). However, eventually, Clark planned on attending college full time during the fall 2004 year of Degrassi, which was the show's fourth season. Daniel Clark kept his plan on college and left the show after the third season (2003-2004). So, during the show's fourth season, (2004-2005) the character of Sean had gone through a severely traumatic stage, in which he unintentionally killed student Rick Murray (Ephraim Ellis), and this storyline was used to write Clark out of the show, creating a script that sends Sean back to Wasaga Beach, his hometown, and live with his parents.
His exit episode was intended to be the season three finale, however, the producers wanted to include a school shooting issue during the fourth season, so this was used as an excuse to bump Clark off the show. His exit episode was 409 "Back in Black". Years went by and Daniel Clark had an offer to return to the show's sixth season, which is indeed what he did. Clark is now re-casted in Degrassi, and is currently a part of the cast as of season six.
Melissa McIntyre played Ashley Kerwin on the show. Her character left to go to England in the season four finale, due to the fact that in real life, Melissa wanted to go to college. In the season five premiere, it was stated that her character wanted to stay in England. She returned in the season five finale and is a recurring cast member on the show as of season six.
[edit] Unexplained Absence
- Kendra Mason (Katie Lai), the younger sister of Spinner, was introduced in season two, as a recurring character. Although Kendra was Toby's girfriend for a while, she was never seen again after season three. The last reference to Kendra was made by Toby in season four, when he mentioned that they broke up the previous summer. Concurrent with Kendra, the character Nadia was never seen again.
- Chris Sharpe (Daniel Morrison) was introduced in season three as Emma's new boyfriend. He made his last appearance in "Modern Love", never to be seen or mentioned thereafter. In fact, when we first see Peter Stone in the season five premiere, Emma says he's the first guy she's liked since Sean Cameron, even though she dated Chris after breaking up with Sean.
- Chester Hosoda (Philip Nozuka), Emma's new neighbour, appeared in two season four episodes. However, he was never seen or mentioned thereafter.
Some characters have been discussed on screen, but are never mentioned or seen in later episodes. For example, JT says he has a sister in "Secrets and Lies" and Manny claims she has a brother in "Family Politics", but they are both never seen on screen and are never mentioned again. Paige says in "The Mating Game" that her 'oldest' brother (Dylan) is gay, indicating that there was another brother born between her and Dylan, but he was also never seen or mentioned in later episodes; and in the episode "Careless Whisper", the line was changed to her 'older' brother.
[edit] Kevin Smith
The most notable booster of the Degrassi series is popular director Kevin Smith. His first exposure to the Degrassi series came when he worked at a Quick Stop in Leonardo, New Jersey around 1990. His friend, actor Jason Mewes, who was also his co-worker at the time, became a fan after being introduced to the series by Smith. Every Sunday morning at work, Smith and Mewes watched re-broadcasts of Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High. Drawn by the drama of the Degrassi series, Smith became an obsessed fan. The climax of his Degrassi obsession was realized when he landed guest appearances on Degrassi: The Next Generation while writing all his dialogue for the shows he appeared in. He first appeared in a three episode story arc to conclude season four. In those episodes, Smith, portraying himself, visited the school to work on the (fictional) film Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh!. Smith re-appeared in a two episode arc in season five when the film premiered in theatres. Mewes also landed guest appearances with Smith in four of those episodes, three of them as their characters, Jay and Silent Bob. Smith was originally slated to play the part of Caitlin's fiance in the original pilot episode, but, due to filming commitments, the role was recast with Canadian director Don McKellar. A fan of both the original and current shows, Kevin Smith pays homage to Degrassi by making reference to it in several of his films. An example of this is when he named Caitlin Bree from the movie Clerks after his favourite Degrassi character, Caitlin Ryan. He also had Shannen Doherty's character Rene wear a Degrassi jacket throughout his Mallrats film.
[edit] Soundtrack
In November 2005, a soundtrack for the show was released by Orange Records Canada. It was entitled Songs from Degrassi: The Next Generation. The N released their own version in the summer of 2006 with Nick Records, entitled The N Soundtrack.
[edit] Trivia
- Degrassi St. was named after Captain Filippo De Grassi, a soldier who became a member of the Family compact, one of the Tory compact governments that controlled Upper Canada in the nineteenth century.
- In 1987 Degrassi Junior High won an International Emmy in the Children and Young People category for the episode "It's Late", where Christine (Spike) Nelson gets pregnant. Spike's baby was named, Emma, to commemorate the award.
[edit] References
- ^ Degrassi:TNG Awards. Retrieved on October 7, 2006.
- ^ Broadcasting & Cable Breaking News. Retrieved on October 7, 2006.
- ^ Channel Canada. Retrieved on March 28, 2007.
- ^ Season 6 DVDs. Retrieved on March 31, 2007.
- ^ Degrassi: The Next Generation Graduates to the Century Club. Retrieved on October 7, 2006.
- ^ Channel Surfing for Nostalgia. Retrieved on October 7, 2006.
[edit] External links
- Official Degrassi Myspace
- Official CTV site
- The N website - American broadcaster
- ABC Website - Australian broadcaster
- Zig Zap Website - Polish broadcaster
- Degrassi: The Next Generation at the Internet Movie Database
- Degrassi: The Next Generation at the Notable Names Database
- Degrassi: The Next Generation at TV.com
Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since March 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Degrassi: The Next Generation | Children's television series in Canada | CTV network shows | Gemini Award winners | The N channel shows | 2001 television program debuts | Television spin-offs | Television series by Sony Pictures Television | Australian Broadcasting Corporation shows | Teen dramas | Toronto television series
