Degrassi is a Canadian teen drama television franchise created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood. From 1979 to 2017, there have been five main series.
Degrassi may also refer to:
Degrassi Junior High is a Canadian television series created by Kit Hood and Linda Schuyler. The second series in the Degrassi franchise and the first to be set in a universe that has spanned multiple decades, it aired on the CBC from 18 January 1987 to 27 February 1989, and on PBS in the United States starting from September 1987. A non-union show, it was primarily produced by Playing With Time with involvement from WGBH. Although not generally acknowledged by the mainstream, it has been frequently referred to as a pioneer of the teen drama genre that prefigured later and better-known series such as Beverly Hills, 90210 and Dawson's Creek.
Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian teen drama television series created by Yan Moore and Linda Schuyler. It is the fourth series in the Degrassi franchise and a revival of Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High. It premiered on CTV on October 14, 2001, and concluded on August 2, 2015, on MTV Canada. The series centers around a new ensemble cast of students at the fictional Degrassi Community School who face challenges such as sex, teen pregnancy, bullying, date rape, drug abuse, body image, homosexuality, domestic violence, gang violence, self-injury, suicide, abortion, mental disorders and many other issues. Various characters from the previous two series also returned as adults in recurring or guest roles.
Degrassi is a Canadian television franchise, created by Kit Hood and Linda Schuyler, that began with the children's series The Kids of Degrassi Street in 1979. Since 1987, it has been a teen drama, with each subsequent series set in the same timeline. Outside of television, the franchise comprises companion novels, graphic novels, documentaries, soundtracks, and non-fiction works. Having won numerous awards, nominations, and honours across its four-decade run, Degrassi is regarded as one of Canada's greatest television achievements and one of the most internationally successful franchises in Canadian history.
The Kids of Degrassi Street is a Canadian children's television series created by Kit Hood and Linda Schuyler. The first entry in the Degrassi franchise and the only one to focus on children instead of teenagers, it follows the lives of a group of children living on De Grassi Street in Toronto. It was produced by Hood and Schuyler's independent company Playing With Time. The series originated as a collection of annual standalone short films that started with Ida Makes a Movie, a live-action adaptation of the Kay Chorao book which premiered on the CBC on December 8, 1979. It became a full series in 1982 when the CBC ordered five more episodes.
Degrassi High is a Canadian television series created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood. The third entry in the Degrassi teen drama franchise and the direct continuation of Degrassi Junior High, it aired on the CBC for two seasons from November 6, 1989 to February 28, 1991 and on PBS in the United States starting from January 13, 1990. Like its predecessor, it was produced by Playing With Time with involvement from WGBH.
Stacie Moana Mistysyn is an American and Canadian actress who is best known for her role as Caitlin Ryan throughout multiple incarnations of the Degrassi teen drama franchise, from Degrassi Junior High through Degrassi: The Next Generation. She previously played Lisa Canard in The Kids of Degrassi Street from 1982 to 1986.
Pasquale Mastroianni, known professionally as Pat Mastroianni, is a Canadian actor who is best known for his role as Joey Jeremiah in the Degrassi television franchise, playing the role as a student in Degrassi Junior High (1987–89) and Degrassi High (1989–91), and then reprising the role as an adult on Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–06). In 1988, he received a Gemini Award for Degrassi Junior High.
Anais Granofsky is an American-born Canadian actress, screenwriter, producer and director, who is best known for playing the role of Lucy Fernandez in the Degrassi television franchise, appearing as a main character in Degrassi Junior High (1987–89) and Degrassi High (1989–91). She reprised the role in two episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–02).
Stefan Brogren is a Canadian actor, director, and producer who is best known for his mainstay role as Archie "Snake" Simpson in the Degrassi television franchise. First appearing as a student in the second series Degrassi Junior High (1987-89) and continuing into Degrassi High (1989-91), Brogren played the role of Snake throughout every subsequent entry in the franchise, reprising his role in the revival Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001-15) as a teacher and later principal, and again in Degrassi: Next Class (2016-17).
Amanda Felicitas Stepto is a Canadian actress who is best known for her role as Christine "Spike" Nelson in the Degrassi television franchise, which she portrayed from 1987 to 1992, and again as an adult from 2001 to 2008. Having no previous acting experience, Stepto rose to prominence as Spike in the critically and commercially successful CBC series Degrassi Junior High (1987–89) and its follow-up Degrassi High (1989–91).
Linda Schuyler is a Canadian television producer. She is best known for being the co-creator and producer of the Degrassi franchise, which has spanned five series over four decades. She is a co-founder of Playing With Time, Inc., and Epitome Pictures, the production companies involved with the franchise over its 40-year-long history respectively.
Christopher Hood, known professionally as Kit Hood, was a Canadian director, editor, writer, and producer who is best known for being the co-creator of the Degrassi television franchise. He was the co-creator and a major creative force of the first three series of the franchise, The Kids of Degrassi Street (1979–86), Degrassi Junior High (1987–89), and Degrassi High (1989-91). As a director, Hood won a Gemini Award in 1987 for the Degrassi Junior High episode "It's Late".
Christine "Spike" Nelson is a fictional character from the Degrassi teen drama franchise. Portrayed by Amanda Stepto, Spike appeared throughout Degrassi Junior High (1987–89), Degrassi High (1989–91), and the first nine seasons of Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–10). Starting as an unnamed extra before being given a name and storyline, Spike's character largely revolves around her teenage pregnancy and motherhood.
Epitome Pictures Inc. was a Canadian film and television production company based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded by Linda Schuyler and Stephen Stohn in 1992, the company is best known for producing Degrassi: The Next Generation and Degrassi: Next Class, the fourth and fifth respective entries of the Degrassi teen drama franchise, of which was co-created by Schuyler. Other television series produced by Epitome include Liberty Street,Riverdale, and The L.A. Complex. In 2016, Epitome was absorbed into DHX Media and the Epitome name and branding ceased.
"Mother and Child Reunion" is the two-part pilot episode of the Canadian teen drama television series Degrassi: The Next Generation, which premiered on October 14, 2001 on the CTV Television Network. The episode was written by story editor Aaron Martin and series co-creator/creative consultant Yan Moore, and directed by Bruce McDonald. As with the majority of Degrassi: The Next Generation episodes, "Mother and Child Reunion" takes its title from a pop song, "Mother and Child Reunion", written and performed by Paul Simon.
De Grassi Street is a side street located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was named after Captain Filippo "Philip" De Grassi, an Italian-born soldier who immigrated to Canada with his family in 1831 and settled in York, Upper Canada. He later became a member of the Family Compact.
Degrassi: Next Class is a Canadian television series primarily created by Linda Schuyler. The fifth and to date most recent series in the Degrassi franchise and a direct sequel to Degrassi: The Next Generation, it premiered on Family's new teen programming block F2N in Canada on January 4, 2016, and was released on Netflix internationally on January 25, 2016.