Degrassi High
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Degrassi High | |
|---|---|
| Format | Teen drama, Soap Opera, Melodrama |
| Created by | Linda Schuyler, Kit Hood |
| Starring | Dayo Ade Sara Ballingall Kirsten Bourne Stefan Brogren Darrin Brown Andy Chambers Amanda Cook Angela Deiseach Maureen Deiseach Craig Driscoll Chrissa Erodotou Michelle Goodeve Anais Granofsky Rebecca Haines Neil Hope John Ioannou Cathy Keenan Niki Kemeny Kyra Levy Arlene Lott Pat Mastroianni Maureen McKay Stacie Mistysyn Bill Parrott Siluck Saysanasy Amanda Stepto Nicole Stoffman Duncan Waugh Dan Woods |
| Country of origin |  Canada |
| No. of episodes | 28 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes (including commercials) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBC Television |
| Original run | November 6, 1989 – January 28, 1991 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Degrassi Junior High |
| Followed by | Degrassi: The Next Generation |
Degrassi High is the third television show in the Degrassi series of teen dramas about the lives of a group of kids living on or near Degrassi Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It first aired from 1989 to 1991 and followed the kids from Kids of Degrassi Street and Degrassi Junior High through high school.
Degrassi High was rebranded to Degrassi, Old School when it began to broadcast on The N in the United States. It dealt with issues ranging from AIDS, abortion, abuse, alcoholism, cheating, sex, death and suicide, dating, depression, bullying, gay rights, homophobia, racism, the environment, drugs, and eating disorders. Many hail the series as a classic for being a realistic and often raw portrayal of teen life.[citation needed]
Contents |
[edit] Censorship
The first two episodes sparked controversy in the United States over the issue of abortion. The character Erica had scheduled to get an abortion and Canadian viewers saw the full non-edited episode where Erica battles her way through pro-life protesters, one of which is holding up a plastic fetus, saying "Please don't do it, it's your last chance". The American version, which originally aired on PBS, was edited not to show the protesters and no final decision on whether to get the abortion was ever made.[citation needed]
As of October 2005, the American broadcaster, The N, made the decision not to air episodes 101 and 102 "A New Start Parts 1 & 2" due to the subject of abortion.[1][2] The N made the decision not to air episode 103 "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" due to the references of the abortion made in the previous episode.[3]
In Australia, all episodes originally aired unedited in their original run throughout the 1990s, but were however censored when repeated on Nickelodeon Australia. The episode "A New Start" was edited in such a way that it appeared Erica was never pregnant by the end of the episode, abruptly ending after a joke between Wheels, Joey and Snake, although the scene of Erica reading her pregnancy test was kept as a still over the credits. The entire second episode was removed altogether, a similar situation that occurred with "Showtime Parts One and Two"[citation needed]. These episodes deal with teen suicide. However when the episodes were repeated in 2007 on ABC2 the original, unedited episodes were shown.
[edit] Episodes
[edit] DVD Release
On October 9, 2007, WGBH Boston Home Video released Degrassi High: The Complete collection on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| The Complete Collection | 28 | October 9, 2007 |
[edit] Trivia
 |
Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- The show was filmed in downtown Toronto and at Centennial College.
- Many of the actors didn't have any previous acting experience and were cast because of their realistic and unpolished appearances.
- The "official" school colors were blue and purple.
- Everybody's favorite bands during the five year run of Degrassi Junior High/Degrassi High were the fictional rock bands 'The Savages' and 'Gourmet Scum', and real-life Irish/English rockers The Pogues.
- Neil Hope who played Derek 'Wheels' Wheeler played a teenager who lost his parents in a car accident. In real life, Hope lost his father a couple of months prior to shooting the funeral scene and struggled to keep from crying throughout.
- Stacie Mistysyn and Pat Mastroianni still remain good friends to this day. They played on-again, off-again lovers, Caitlin Ryan and Joey Jeremiah whose storyline was continued for a few seasons on Degrassi: The Next Generation.
- Siluck Saysanay who played Yick Yu, lied to his parents that his character had to wear an earring in order to get his ear pierced in real life. Later, writers for Degrassi wrote his earring into the show as Yick Yu was becoming more of a rebel on the show.
- Anais Granofsky who played Lucy Fernandez is now a director and has appeared in several movies.
- The impact of the show on Canadian identity is a topic discussed in the September 2007 issue of (Cult)u're Magazine.
[edit] References
- ^ A New Start (1). TV.com. Retrieved on 2005-10-12.
- ^ A New Start (2). TV.com. Retrieved on 2005-10-12.
- ^ Breaking Up Is Hard To Do. TV.com. Retrieved on 2005-10-12.
[edit] External links
- Episode guide for Degrassi High
- Pat Mastroianni's official website
- Unofficial Degrassi fansite
- Official Degrassi: The Next Generation website
- A totally rad Degrassi zine
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