Degrassi: The Next Generation: Difference between revisions
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==Trivia== |
==Trivia== |
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*Five characters from [[Degrassi Junior High]]/[[Degrassi High]] have made regular appearances on the show: [[Archibald Simpson | Snake]], Spike, [[Joey_Jeremiah | Joey]], [[Caitlin Ryan | Caitlin]] and Mr. Raditch. Others have made guest appearances or cameos when circumstances have called for it. |
*Five characters from [[Degrassi Junior High]]/[[Degrassi High]] have made regular appearances on the show: [[Archibald Simpson | Snake]], [[Spike]], [[Joey_Jeremiah | Joey]], [[Caitlin Ryan | Caitlin]] and Mr. Raditch. Others have made guest appearances or cameos when circumstances have called for it. |
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*[[J.T. Yorke | J.T.]]'s full name, James Tiberius, is a reference to [[Captain Kirk | Captain James Tiberius Kirk]] from [[Star Trek]] ([[1966]]). |
*[[J.T. Yorke | J.T.]]'s full name, James Tiberius, is a reference to [[Captain Kirk | Captain James Tiberius Kirk]] from [[Star Trek]] ([[1966]]). |
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*In Canada, seven episodes have [[Censorship_in_Canada | viewer discretions]] on them, "Time Stands Still (Part 2)" (school-shooting), "Shout (Parts 1 & 2)" ([[rape]]), "Secret (Parts 1 & 2)" ([[oral sex]] and [[gonorrhea]]), and "Don't You Want Me (Parts 1 & 2)" ([[stripping]]). However, in the United States, only "Shout" came with a viewer discretion warning. |
*In Canada, seven episodes have [[Censorship_in_Canada | viewer discretions]] on them, "Time Stands Still (Part 2)" (school-shooting), "Shout (Parts 1 & 2)" ([[rape]]), "Secret (Parts 1 & 2)" ([[oral sex]] and [[gonorrhea]]), and "Don't You Want Me (Parts 1 & 2)" ([[stripping]]). However, in the United States, only "Shout" came with a viewer discretion warning. |
Revision as of 09:45, 1 August 2007
Degrassi: The Next Generation | |
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File:Degrassi Season 6.jpg | |
Created by | Yan Moore Linda Schuyler |
Starring | 6th Season Dalmar Abuzeid Sarah Barrable-Tishauer John Bregar Stefan Brogren Deanna Casaluce Daniel Clark Lauren Collins Melissa DiMarco Marc Donato Jake Epstein Stacey Farber Jake Goldsbie Aubrey Graham Shenae Grimes Jamie Johnston Shane Kippel Mike Lobel Miriam McDonald Melissa McIntyre Adamo Ruggiero Cassie Steele Amanda Stepto |
Opening theme | "Degrassi Theme" Children's chorus (Seasons 1-3) "Degrassi Theme" Jakalope (Seasons 4-5) "Degrassi Theme" (remix) Jakalope (Season 6) |
Country of origin | Canada |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 143 (as of season 7) (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Linda Schuyler Stephen Stohn |
Running time | 22 minutes (Half-hour including commercials) |
Original release | |
Network | CTV The N |
Release | CTV: October 14, 2001–Present The N: April 1, 2002 – Present |
Template:Infobox TV ratings 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. The show is more 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 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 junior high and 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 and seven, the theme song is remixed, and stripped of the vocals.
Taglines
The following taglines 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.
Season 7:You Won't Believe Who Goes There.
Cast and characters
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
- 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" Isaacs (Seasons 1-5, recurring Season 6-)
- Sarah Barrable-Tishauer – Liberty Van Zandt
- 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-)
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-)
- Jake Epstein – Craig Manning (Seasons 2-5, recurring Season 6-)
- Melissa McIntyre – Ashley Kerwin (Seasons 1–4, recurring Season 6-)
Recurring
- Raymond Ablack - Sav (Upcoming Season 7-)
- Charlotte Arnold -Holly J. (Upcoming Season 7-)
- Steve Belford – Jesse Stefanovic (Seasons 6-)
- Paula Brancati - Jane (Upcoming Season 7-)
- Bailey Corneal – Amy Peters-Hoffman (Seasons 3–4)
- Hugh Dillon - Albert Manning (Season 2)
- Nina Dobrev – Mia Jones (Seasons 6-)
- Travis Donegan - Trey "Towerz" Hightower (Season 3)
- Ephraim Ellis – Rick Murray (Seasons 3–4)
- Nigel Hamer - Jeff Isaacs (Seasons 1-2)
- Kristen Holden-Ried – Scott "Tracker" Cameron (Seasons 1-4)
- Alex House – Tim (Season 5)
- Christopher Jacot – Matt Oleander (Seasons 4-5)
- Jonathan Keltz - Nate (season 4)
- Michael Kinney – Coach Darryl Armstrong (Seasons 1-)
- Katie Lai – Kendra Mason (Seasons 2–3)
- Linlyn Lue – Ms. Kwan (Season 1-)
- Jajube Madiela – Chante Black (Seasons 4-)
- Elisa Moolecherry – Sydney (Seasons 3-4)
- Daniel Morrison – Chris Sharpe (Seasons 3–4)
- Samantha Munro- Anya (Upcoming Season 7-)
- Jennifer Podemski – Ms. Sauve (Seasons 3-5)
- Aislinn Paul - Claire Edwards (Seasons 6-)
- Shalaan Powell - Eric Henson (Upcoming Season 7)
- Shawn Roberts – Dean Walton (Seasons 2-4)
- Maria Ricossa – Kate Kerwin (Seasons 1-4)
- Alex Steele – Angela Jeremiah (cameo in pilot, Seasons 2-5)
- Maria Vacratsis – Sheila the Lunch Lady (Seasons 1–3)
- Kit Weyman – Sully (Seasons 2-3)
- Genelle Williams - Clara Carlisle (Season 6) and Mia (Season 5)
- Mony Yassir - Nadia Jamir (Seasons 2-3)
Formerly starring
- Ryan Cooley - J.T. Yorke (Seasons 1-6)
- 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)
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. However, no episodes after Season 3 have been shown.
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.
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. It was only 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 teen soap operas such as Beverly Hills 90210.
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. Despite those factors, the program has been cleared in nearly 80 percent of the country in advance of its September 2007 schedule.
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. The N recently announced in a promotion for "Show Us Your Degrassi Month" that the show will regularly air again sometime this summer.It has now been confirmed that Degrassi will return its airing in the US June 29 2007.
Season 7 is scheduled to start in Canada in Fall 2007 after Season 5 of Dancing With The Stars is finished.[3]
Degrassi: The Next Generation is currently broadcast in over 70 countries across the globe.
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 3 2007 (Canada) | ||
5 | 19 | 2005 – 2006 | July 3 2007 | ||
6 | 19 | 2006 – 2007 | [TBA] | ||
7 | 24 | 2007 – 2008 | [TBA] |
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.[4] 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.[5]
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 disappearance 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. It is mentioned that Paige still communicates with her via Instant Messager. In real life, Christina wanted to leave so she could become a plus-sized model for Torrid.
Daniel Clark played Sean Cameron from the show's beginning in 2001. However, 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 (Due to her busy college workload.)
Ryan Cooley played JT Yorke on the show. He was murdered in season six episode "Rock This Town" by being stabbed in the back by students from Degrassi's rival school 'Lakehurst'. He is the only departed character that was murdered, making his death the third on Degrassi (Mr. Manning, Rick, and JT). Ryan Cooley plans on attending college and will continue to act.
Unexplained absences
- Terri MacGregor (Christina Schmidt)-She was introduced in episode two of season one and was a series regular throughout season 1 & 2 but in season 3, she was put into a coma and absent from the series for some time. Then, in "I Want Candy", Ashley, Paige, and Gavin skip school and visit Terri. Ashley talks to her and then leaves. Terri was only mentioned a few times after that episode. It was rumored that she was transferred to a private school because of the coma.
(In the Season 4 deleted scenes section, Marco and Alex confront the principal of Degrassi regarding the return of Rick, they later remind the principal that Terri's absence was due to the transfer to another school based on fear.)
- Kendra Mason (Katie Lai)-the younger sister of Spinner, was introduced in season two, as a recurring character. Although Kendra was Toby's girlfriend for a while, she was never seen after "I Want Candy". 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)-introduced in season three as Emma's new boyfriend. He made his last appearance in "Secret" never to be seen or mentioned thereafter. In fact, when we first see Peter in the season five premiere, Emma says he's the first guy she's liked since Sean, even though she dated Chris after breaking up with Sean.
- Chester Hosoda (Philip Nozuka), Emma's new neighbour, appeared in two season four episodes. He seemingly disappeared afterwards.
- Hazel Aden (Andrea Lewis)Paiges best friend appering from seasons 1-5 after graduation she is never heard from again
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 an older brother in "Family Politics", but neither are ever seen on screen and are never mentioned again. Paige says in "Secrets & Lies" 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.
The-N and 2 Part Episodes
The-N often combines a 2 part episode into a one-hour special for the U.S.
The Season 6 Break
On June 29, 2007 The N aired the episode "Free Fallin'" as the season 7 premiere, but this episode is actually the fourteenth episode of season six. The N split Season 6 because the episode "If You Leave' had more closure than "Don't You Want Me", which is the season 6 finale in Canada. This season break confused many American viewers due to the fact that JT Yorke was murdered in the season 6 episode "Rock This Town" and is still featured in the opening credits of "Free Fallin.'"
Future Spinoff?
There has been talk among Degrassi: TNG fans that producer Linda Shuyler and Stephen Stohn are planning to create yet another spinoff series. The catalyst for the future spinoff would likely be Jack Nelson. (son of Christine Nelson and Archie Simpson, and half-brother of Emma Nelson, who was the catalyst for The Next Generation).[citation needed]
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. Alanis Morissette, a friend of Smith and co-star in two of his previous films also made a cameo appearance in one episode. 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.
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.
Trivia
- Five characters from Degrassi Junior High/Degrassi High have made regular appearances on the show: Snake, Spike, Joey, Caitlin and Mr. Raditch. Others have made guest appearances or cameos when circumstances have called for it.
- J.T.'s full name, James Tiberius, is a reference to Captain James Tiberius Kirk from Star Trek (1966).
- In Canada, seven episodes have viewer discretions on them, "Time Stands Still (Part 2)" (school-shooting), "Shout (Parts 1 & 2)" (rape), "Secret (Parts 1 & 2)" (oral sex and gonorrhea), and "Don't You Want Me (Parts 1 & 2)" (stripping). However, in the United States, only "Shout" came with a viewer discretion warning.
- In the episode "White Wedding", Snake's speech to his class starts off: "Love: exciting and new..." which are the lyrics to the theme song to The Love Boat (1977).
- Kevin Smith wrote his own dialogue for his three episode guest appearance as himself.
- As of 2007 there have been 3 deaths: Craig's dad (car wreck), Rick (school shooting), and J.T. (murdered by Lakehurst thug).
- Filmed at Malvern Collegiate Institute in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- In the episode "Love My Way", Paige Michalchuk makes a comment "Move over Antonio Banderas" a nod to Lauren Collins's movie, Take the Lead, (2006) in which Antonio is her dance teacher.
References
- ^ "Degrassi:TNG Awards". Retrieved 2006-10-07.
- ^ "Broadcasting & Cable Breaking News". Retrieved 2006-10-07.
- ^ "CTV Fall Schedule". ChannelCanada.com. Retrieved 2007-06-05.
- ^ "Degrassi: The Next Generation Graduates to the Century Club". Retrieved 2006-10-07.
- ^ "Channel Surfing for Nostalgia". Retrieved 2006-10-07.
- http://www.people.com/people/quiz/0,,20043681,00.html
- "Degrassi trivia". Retrieved 2007-07-21.
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External links
- Official CTV site
- The N website - American broadcaster
- ABC Website - Australian broadcaster
- Zig Zap Website - Polish broadcaster
- Degrassi: The Next Generation Hangout - Popular Degrassi Fan Site
- Degrassi: The Next Generation at IMDb
- Template:Tv.com show