Network: CTV Television Network
Broadcast Run: 2001 to 2015
Broadcast Medium: Television
The popular CBC Degrassi series of the 1980s and 1990s – Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High – enjoyed a surprise rebirth when CTV announced that Degrassi: the Next Generation, with many of the original stars of the popular CBC series, would be joining the CTV network schedule in the fall of 2001.
The cast of the new series included Pat Mastroianni (Joey), Stefan Brogren (Snake), Amanda Stepto (Spike), and Miriam Macdonald (Emma), and co-creator Linda Schuyler returned to produce Next Generation.
Degrassi: The Next Generation debuted on CTV at 7:00pm on Sundays in the fall of 2001. In the fall of 2002 it moved to 7:30pm Sundays, and in the fall of 2003 to 8:30pm on Wednesdays. In the fall of 2004 it began a short season on Mondays at 8:30pm, and it returned to the CTV Fall schedule for 2005-2006. In March 2006 the season concluded with the 100th episode in the series.
Season Six debuted on November 28th 2006 at 8:00pm., with some of the cast returning for their final year of high school, while others were moving on to university. Season Seven began on Monday January 14th 2008.
Other members of the cast included Sarah Barrable-Tishauer (Liberty), Deanna Casaluce (Alex), Lauren Collins (Paige), Ryan Cooley (JT), Jake Epstein (Craig), Stacey Farber (Ellie), Jake Goldsbie (Toby), Shane Kippel Gavin) and Jamie Johnston (Peter).
The series was produced for CTV by Epitome Productions. The Degrassi franchise celebrated 25 years on Canadian television in 2005, and in that year was awarded the newly-created $50,000 Shaw Rocket Prize for the best in independently produced Canadian children’s and youth television.
In late 2006 it was announced that in 2007 Degrassi: The Next Generation would be seen in syndication as a strip in over 60% of U.S. markets.
New episodes continued to be produced in succeeding years, and the series returned for its ninth year on CTV at 7pm on Sunday October 4th 2009.
A further group of new episodes returned on May 30th 2010 on Sundays at 7 and 7:30pm. The series ended on CTV in June 2010, and returned on July 19th on CTV-owned MuchMusic.
On June 2nd, CTV announced that Degrassi would be included four nights a week at 7:00pm in the newly rebranded CTV Two (formerly “A”) schedule.
On July 16th 2012, by which time the series had reverted to its basic Degrassi title, new episodes of Degrassi began to air weeknights, Monday-Thursday, starting on MuchMusic and MuchMusic.com.
.The thirteenth season reverted to a weekly schedule and, part way through, moved to MTV Canada.
MTV Canada and TeenNick announced the show’s cancellation in 2015, and the final episode of The Next Generation aired on August 2, 2015. However, on January 3rd 2016, it was announced that the show, now to be known as Degrassi: Next Class, would return on the Family Channel, and would also be streamed on Netflix, though not in Canada until later in 2016).
Degrassi was produced by Epitome Pictures in association with MuchMusic/CTV. The series was co-created by Linda Schuyler, co-producer of the original DEGRASSI series and Yan Moore. Schuyler and Stephen Stohn served as Executive Producers. Sarah Glinski executive produces. Distribution company for the series was Echo Bridge Entertainment.