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Degrassi: The Next Generation

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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. In the United States, it is commonly known as simply "Degrassi."

Degrassi: The Next Generation
Created byYan Moore
Linda Schuyler
Starring6th Season
Dalmar Abuzeid
Sarah Barrable-Tishauer
John Bregar
Stefan Brogren
Deanna Casaluce
Daniel Clark
Lauren Collins
Ryan Cooley
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 originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes119
(list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersLinda Schuyler
Stephen Stohn
Running time22 minutes
(Half-hour including commercials)
Original release
NetworkCanada CTV United States The N
ReleaseCTV: October 14, 2001–Present
The N: April 2002 –
Present

Degrassi: The Next Generation continues the popular Degrassi franchise, 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, such as body image, peer pressure, drug dealing, abuse, teen drinking, grades, college, stress, rape, child abuse, pedophilia, teen pregnancy, abortion, adoption and childbirth, sexuality, hate crimes, homophobia, puberty, cutting, death, rumours, domestic violence, arrest, confession, infidelity, cancer, theft, mental illness, race relations, pornography, plastic surgery, religion, penis size, visible erections, nocturnal emission, erectile dysfunction, and school rivalry

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.

Cast and characters

Main article: Degrassi: The Next Generation characters

Starring (in current credits order)

Regulars, but not mentioned in the credits

Recurring

Formerly starring

To join

Rise in popularity

File:Degrassi1.jpg
Degrassi Season 4 Cast

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). 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). 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 1980's and early 1990's, 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 and re-appeared in a two-episode arc in Season 5. A fan of both the original and current shows (as a teen he was one of the few 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. 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].

Censorship in the United States

The American broadcaster of Degrassi, The N, has repeatedly censored episodes, editing them in small ways. This has included:

  • blurring posters that advocate condom use from campaigns that have not paid The-N for the advertisement (since restored)
  • Removal of explicit sexual scenes (since restored)
  • changing use of the word "fag" to "gay" or cutting the word "faggot" entirely

(since restored)

  • softening intense violence (since restored)
  • cutting a scene showing Spinner's erection (since restored)
  • suicidal Craig playing "chicken" with a train (a scene also not shown on CTV, but left intact on the DVD. The scene has now been restored on The N)
  • Dean spitting out a condom wrapper (since restored)
  • Ellie cutting her arms
  • Darcy calling Paige a "low grade ho"
  • Ash and Jimmy attempting to have sex

Sometimes these edits are inconsistent with the airing of an episode and are not used in every broadcast.

The N had previously refused to air the season 3 two-part episode 314-315 "Accidents Will Happen" in which Manny discovers she is pregnant and, in the end, has an abortion (they did, however, air the sub-plots as ""never before seen mini-episodes"). This angered many American viewers, as well as Linda Schuyler, creator of the show. Both episodes are available on P2P file sharing networks such as Kazaa and LimeWire or consumer media companies such as YouTube. The N has shown clips that originate from the episode on the "Behind the Scenes" special (it shows Manny doing some backflips, as seen in the episode). In August 2006 The-N showed the full episode during its "100 Episodes, Every Degrassi Episode Ever" marathon.

DVD releases of the show in U.S. are not handled by The N and are edit free.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation also refused to air the two-part episode, "Accidents Will Happen."

In contrast to the treatment of earlier episodes, The N did not exclude Season 4 episodes that featured intense themes like oral sex and school shootings. Editing has also been kept to a minimum (if at all). For example, a scene showing Craig and Ashley renting a hotel room to have sex in "Voices" was kept with a scene showing them putting their clothes back on afterwards. Another example was in the episode "Secret" which was presented in its entirety on The N (as seen on CTV) including the reference to "Accidents Will Happen" kept in, along with Jay's use of the word blow job for oral sex. Another very minor example is a public service announcement by Aubrey Graham and Ephraim Ellis at the end of "Time Stands Still" against gun violence, which is cut out entirely in the United States. (This public service announcement was shown on in the U.S. on The N network. It featured Aubrey Graham only.)

Recently The N has re-broadcast three episodes unedited as a special called Degrassi: The Director's Cut. The episodes that have been aired unedited during this special are now seen unedited in rebroadcasts. A list of the featured episodes and their additional footage:

Episode Number Episode Title Restored Footage
102 "Mother & Child Reunion," Pt. 2
  • Caitlin saying "He’s not always such an ass." during bathroom scene where she is cleaning up Joey is restored.
  • A poster with the text "The Pill is not enough!" in the bathroom where Caitlin and Joey are talking is shown.
  • Jordan turns the camera on and says to Emma "Your mother is at her reunion, we have hours." is restored.
  • Jordan molesting and kissing Emma is restored.
205 "Weird Science" Spinner’s erection is restored.
303 "U Got The Look" The shot of Manny’s thong is extended to its original length.

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. 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 Programming 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 [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.

Degrassi: The Next Generation is currently broadcast in over 70 countries across the globe.[3].

Television Ratings

Degrassi: The Next Generation is Canada's most-watched domestic drama series[3]. It has been hosting a constantly growing audience; its fifth season saw a 24% increase in the number of viewers[3], sending its audience count past 1 million for the first time[3]. After premiering in the United States on The N on April 1, 2002, it soon became the network's most-watched series[3]. 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[4].

Chuck Cunningham Syndrome

Although not seen as a big deal, this show is sometimes diagnosed with Chuck Cunningham Syndrome. Certain people, some who were very important on the show, have just disappeared and are never talked about again. Some examples include:

  • The character Terri has been on the show for the first 3 seasons. She left Degrassi after being put into a coma by her abusive boyfriend, Rick. It was explained once that Terri moved on to private school in the episode "Mercy Street", but after Time Stands Still pt. 2, she is never mentioned again. Even after the shooting, Terri still wasn't mentioned or given an opinion. Her last appearnce was in "I Want Candy", in season 3.
  • The character Kendra was introduced in season 2 and stayed in the show until the last episode of season 3. Although she never really added much, she was still Spinner's sister and even dated Toby for a while. But after season 3, she was never seen again. On the season 4 season premiere, Toby explained that he broke up with Kendra during the summer, but that was the last time she was mentioned. Even after her brother, Spinner, was expelled from Degrassi, we never heard Kendra's input and feeling. Kendra's not even seen in the halls of Degrassi. She mysteriously disappeared from this universe. With Kendra, the character Nadia also hasn't been seen since season 3.
  • The character Chris was introduced in season 3 and was on the show until the end of season 4. He was Emma's boyfriend, after her breakup with Sean. They were seen together throughout season 3, until their breakup was revealed in season 4. The character had his own episode that dealt with Emma's and Chris' relationship, but soon was not seen again until he made an appearance in "Modern Love". That was the last time we saw him. Now, he's never mentioned or seen and has pretty much faded out of the Degrassi universe.
  • Another important character was Chester. Although he was only featured in season 4, he sparked lots of gossip when he and Emma had a moment in the episode "Modern Love". Although it seemed like a relationship would happen between them, it hasn't been talked about on the show and Chester hasn't been seen since then.
  • Many important adult characters have been missing from the Degrassi universe which includes Ellie's mom, Toby's dad, and Spinner's mom.
  • Some lesser known characters have also disappeared. Although their roles were never really big, they still made some impact on Degrassi. The characters include Mohammed, Dean, Sully, Towerz, Amy, Nate, Jordan, and Fareeza.
  • Lastly, some characters have been discussed once, but never discussed in later episodes. For example, JT says he has a sister in "Secrets and Lies", but the sister is never mentioned again. Manny also says she had a brother in "Family Politics", but is never talked about again. Paige says in "The Mating Game" that her 'oldest' brother is gay, indicating that there was another brother born between her and Dylan but he was never talked about again. Instead in "Careless Whisper" it was changed to 'older' brother.

Soundtrack

Degrassi: The Next Generation released a soundtrack in 2005, featuring the following songs:

Trivia

  • All titles of episodes from Season Two onward are named after songs
  • Kevin Smith wrote his own dialogue for his three episode guest appearance as himself.
  • Degrassi St. got its name from Captain Filippo De Grassi, a soldier who became a member of the infamous Family compact one of the Tory compact governments that controlled Upper Canada in the nineteenth century.
  • Degrassi Junior High won an Emmy for the controversial "Spike gets pregnant" storyline. Spike's baby was named Emma to commemorate the award.
  • Season 6 will be the first season broadcast first on The-N, before CTV.
  • Degrassi: The Next Generation is the only live-action television show to be distributed by FUNimation Entertainment, a company that focuses mainly on anime and Nicktoons.
  • The character, Heather Sinclair is mentioned frequently on Degrassi: The Next Generation, but is never actually shown on the show.

References

  1. ^ "CTV.ca Degrassi: The Next Generation HD". Retrieved 2006-10-07.
  2. ^ "Broadcasting & Cable Breaking News articleFlat CA6374579". Retrieved 2006-10-07.
  3. ^ a b c d e "CTV.ca - Degrassi: The Next Generation Graduates to the Century Club as One Hundredth Episode and Season Finale Air March 20 on CTV--Feb. 28, 2006 - CTV News, Shows and Sports -- Canadian Television:". Retrieved 2006-10-07.
  4. ^ "Channel Surfing for Nostalgia". Retrieved 2006-10-07.

See also


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