Degrassi
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The Degrassi series is a Canadian drama that follows the lives of a group of teenagers who lived on or near De Grassi Street in Toronto, Ontario. The three main series were The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High. The early Degrassi series were produced by the small production company Playing With Time Inc. The current version of Degrassi, Degrassi: The Next Generation, airs on CTV (Original version) and on VRAK.TV (French language dubbed) in Canada and is rebroadcast on The N (and in syndication) in the United States.
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[edit] The Kids of Degrassi Street
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.
[edit] Junior High and 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. Eventually, the show's Canadian identity became obvious by the second season with such images as Canadian maps and Ontario licence plates being made visible.
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] 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" Christine "Spike" Nelson gave birth to a baby girl named Emma making her the center 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 Brazil on the cable channel Multishow, to Australia on the ABC and Nickelodeon, to Mexico, Peru and Chile on the cable channel MTV Latin America, and to Poland on the Canal+'s channel ZigZap.
This newer, hipper version of Degrassi has thus far dealt with more mature topics, such as homosexuality, rape, abortion, various sex-related subjects, self-harm, eating disorders, drugs, school shootings and relationships, and most recently, murder. Some have criticized the show for being a little too "dramatic" and a bit less realistic than the original; the huge range of issues covered in The Next Generation may make for more interesting television, but some have claimed that it's highly unlikely that these events would all happen at one school in four-five years to such a small group of characters.
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 showing 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. In 2006 and 2007, Degrassi: The Next Generation aired on several local channels throughout the United States at varying times.
[edit] References
- ^ Broadcasting & Cable Breaking News articleFlat CA6374579. Retrieved on 2006-10-07.
[edit] External links
- Degrassi.tv
- CTV- Degrassi: The Next Generation
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation- Degrassi: The Next Generation
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