Degrassi: The Next Generation season 5

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Degrassi: The Next Generation
Season 5
DTNG season-5.jpg
Degrassi: The Next Generation Season 5 DVD
No. of episodes19
Release
Original network CTV
Original release19 September 2005 (2005-09-19) 
20 March 2006 (2006-03-20)
Season chronology
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List of episodes

The fifth season of Degrassi: The Next Generation commenced airing in Canada on 19 September 2005, concluded on 20 March 2006 and contains nineteen episodes. Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian serial teen drama television series. This season depicts the lives of a group of high school sophomores, juniors and seniors as they deal with some of the challenges and issues teenagers face such as body image, teenage pregnancy, drug dealing, coming out, sexual identity, religion, eating disorders and relationships.

Contents

Filming took place between May 2005 and November 2005. [1]

Season five aired Mondays at 8:30 p.m. on CTV, a Canadian terrestrial television network. In the United States, it was broadcast on the Noggin cable channel during its programming block for teenagers, The N. The season was released on DVD as a four disc boxed set on 3 July 2007 by Alliance Atlantis Home Entertainment in Canada, and by FUNimation Entertainment in the US. The season is also available on iTunes. The N Soundtrack was released on 1 August 2006, following this season.

The fifth season of Degrassi: The Next Generation was the most successful season to date, averaging 767,000 viewers in Canada, and had one episode watched by a million viewers. It received praise for its depiction of a relationship between two gay characters, but mixed reviews for highlighting the issue of anorexia and bulimia in teenage girls.

Cast

Crew

The season was produced by Epitome Pictures in association with CTV. Funding was provided by The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit, the Canadian Television Fund and BCE-CTV Benefits, The Shaw Television Broadcast Fund, the Independent Production Fund, Mountain Cable Program, and RBC Royal Bank. [4] [5]

The executive producers were Epitome Pictures' president Stephen Stohn, and CEO Linda Schuyler, the co-creator of the Degrassi franchise. James Hurst served as the creative producer, David Lowe was the line producer and Sean Reycraft served as the executive story editor. Brendon Yorke and Alexandra Zarowny served as story editors. The editor was Stephen Withrow, Stephen Stanley was the production designer, and the cinematographer was Gavin Smith. [5] The writers for the season are Avra Fein, James Hurst, Aaron Martin, Miklos Perlus, Sean Reycraft, Shelley Scarrow, Brendon Yorke and Alexandra Zarowny. Phil Earnshaw, Eleanore Lindo, Ron Oliver and Stefan Scaini directed the episodes. [5] [6]

Reception

The fifth season of Degrassi: The Next Generation had an audience average of 767,000 viewers, [7] had an increase of twenty-four per cent over the previous season, and was Canada's most watched Canadian drama series. [8] The second episode of the season was watched by over one million Canadian viewers; it was the first time the series had reached that figure. [8]

A two-part episode, aired to coincide with the Canadian National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, earned mixed reviews. [9] Laura Betker of the Winnipeg Sun said "Thankfully, the show moves far away from the health-class ideal that anorexia and bulimia simply stem from self-conscious teens. Rather, it displays it as the ugly disease that it truly is... All aspects of the story were done well. The plot was realistic. The display of the disease was truthful and progressive, while the acting was at an all time high... Miriam McDonald's performance was phenomenal. [She] performs with strength and credibility." [10] Bill Harris of the Toronto Sun criticized the episodes' "ham-fisted handling of anorexia" and wrote: "It's just that, well, the Degrassi foray, while well-intentioned, leaves you hungry for a fresh insight, some relevant information, a compelling storyline, good writing, believable dialogue, anything." Harris even went as far as saying, "That Degrassi episode was so bad it made me want to throw up." [11]

The show's treatment of the gay characters avoids being heavy handed or reducing their characters to little more than clichéd archetypes, such as the 'tragic' one, or the 'funny side kick', or the 'bitchy' one. Nor are these characters just the colourful friends and unpaid therapists of the straight girl. As much as we all love the antics of Jack on Will and Grace, Degrassi has a broader vision, less about the stereotype and more about the realities of growing up gay. This depiction is certainly pink, but without being rose colored.

— Jake Surette, AfterElton.com, April 24, 2006. [12]

Other storylines were well received, however. AfterElton.com, a website which focuses on the portrayal of homosexual and bisexual men in the media, and owned by MTV Networks' Logo cable television network, reported on the portrayal of two Degrassi: The Next Generation gay characters. "Degrassi features ongoing stories of real-life teen dilemmas—including intense gay and lesbian storylines—and does it without the righteous, 'On a Very Special Blossom' endings that many teen dramas and sitcoms thrive on." [12] The Gonzaga Bulletin, the student newspaper for Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, reported on the show's popularity amongst its students. [13]

Despite being well received by audiences and the generally good reviews, season five received only two nominations for awards. At the Gemini Awards, Jim McGrath won the category for "Best Original Music Score for a Dramatic Series". [14] The younger members of the cast were nominated for a Young Artist Award in the "Best Young Ensemble Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama)" category. [15]

Episodes

In a change to previous seasons, CTV broadcast episodes one and two over two weeks, as opposed to an hour-long special. [16] In the United States, Noggin's "The N" block aired the episodes as an hour-long special on 7 October 2005. [17] The N proceeded to broadcast the next ten episodes, and then put the season on hiatus until 7 April 2006, when it returned with another hour-long special.

  1. City of Toronto Film and Television Office (16 January 2006). "2005 Production List" (PDF). City of Toronto. p. 18. Retrieved 24 March 2008.
  2. Sean Reycraft (writer); Stefan Sciani (director) (3 October 2005). "Death of a Disco Dancer". Degrassi: The Next Generation. Season 5. Episode 3. CTV.
  3. Sean Reycraft (story, teleplay); Kate Miles Melville (story); Phil Earnshaw (director) (28 November 2005). "The Lexicon of Love Part One". Degrassi: The Next Generation. Season 5. Episode 11. CTV.
  4. "Rocket Fuelled Projects 2005". Shaw Rocket Fund. 2005. Archived from the original on 1 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-21.
  5. 1 2 3 Linda Schuyler (co-creator, co-executive producer); Yan Moore (co-creator); Stephen Stohn (co-executive producer) (3 July 2007). Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season 5 DVD Boxset (DVD). Alliance Atlantis Home Entertainment.
  6. Ellis, p. 96
  7. Bailey, Patricia (27 March 2007). "CTV ups its order for Degrassi". Playback . Toronto, Ontario: Brunico Communications. Retrieved 30 March 2008.
  8. 1 2 "Degrassi: The Next Generation 100th episode" (Press release). CTV. 16 March 2006. Archived from the original on 10 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  9. "Eating Disorder Awareness Week: February 5 - 11, 2006". National Eating Disorder Information Centre. Archived from the original on 19 February 2006. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
  10. Betker, Laura (21 February 2006). "Degrassi: Our lips are sealed". Winnipeg Sun . Sun Media Corporation. Archived from the original (Note: Fee required) on 9 May 2006. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
  11. Harris, Bill (19 February 2006). "'Degrassi' tackles the issue of anorexia". Canoe.ca. Quebecor Media. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. 1 2 Surette, Jake (24 April 2006). "Degrassi: The Next Generation: Television's Best Portrayal of Gay Teens". AfterElton.com . Archived from the original on 22 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  13. Shea, Nick (17 February 2006). "TV's 'Degrassi' finds adult following". Gonzaga Bulletin. Spokane, Washington: Gonzaga University. Archived from the original on 29 April 2009. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
  14. "ACCT Canadian Awards Database History Search for "Degrassi, 2006"". Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television . Archived from the original on 30 April 2009. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
  15. "27th Annual Young Artist Awards". Young Artist Awards . Archived from the original on 4 July 2010. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
  16. "Award-winning franchise celebrates 25th Anniversary as original CTV documentary The Degrassi Story is set to air Sept. 17" (Press release). CTV.ca. 1 September 2005. Archived from the original on 5 September 2005. Retrieved 8 February 2008.
  17. "The N Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of Degrassi". The Futon Critic. 13 September 2005. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  18. 1 2 3 "Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season 5". TVShowsOnDVD . Archived from the original on 28 February 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
No. in
season
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal airdateOriginal U.S. airdateProd.
code
821"Venus: Part 1"Phil EarnshawStory by: Sean Reycraft & Shelley Scarrow
Teleplay by: Shelley Scarrow
19 September 2005 (2005-09-19)7 October 2005501

In her pursuit to become a Hollywood actress, Manny contemplates getting plastic surgery after a casting agent criticizes her weight, and it doesn't sit well with her parents. Meanwhile, it's Craig's birthday, and Ellie decides to hide the fact that Ashley has a new boyfriend and is staying in London.


Note: This episode marks the first appearance of Jamie Johnston as Peter Stone.
832"Venus: Part 2"Phil EarnshawStory by: Sean Reycraft & Shelley Scarrow
Teleplay by: Shelley Scarrow
26 September 2005 (2005-09-26)7 October 2005502
When Manny rejects him, Peter releases the video of Manny flashing her breasts to the entire student body, which causes her whole life to fall apart. Meanwhile, Ellie and Craig are still mad at each other but later form a connection when she becomes Downtown Sasquatch's new drummer.