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A new 'Degrassi' reboot is coming. Here's everything we know so far.

Jan 15, 2022, 03:09 IST
Insider
"Degrassi" is coming back in 2023.WildBrain
  • The "Degrassi" franchise was picked up for a new series years after the previous one wrapped.
  • The HBO Max reboot is set to premiere in 2023, and filming will begin this summer in Toronto.
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HBO Max just announced that it's picking up the long-running "Degrassi" franchise.

A brand-new reboot is set to air in 2023, and the streaming platform gained the rights to all 14 seasons of the franchise's longest-running installment, "Degrassi: The Next Generation," which will be available in the spring.

Here's everything we know about the reboot so far:

The reboot is airing on HBO Max in 2023

The reboot is set to premiere in 2023 with 10 one-hour episodes.

The franchise originally began in 1979 and was divided into three consecutive parts, "The Kids of Degrassi Street," "Degrassi Junior High," and "Degrassi High," which collectively aired over 70 episodes by 1991.

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The franchise wasn't rebooted again until 2001 with "Degrassi: The Next Generation" (rebranded as "Degrassi" on later seasons), which produced 385 episodes over 14 seasons before ending in 2015.

Netflix then picked up the series, rebooted as "Degrassi: Next Class," and released four 10-episode seasons from 2015 to 2017. It was not renewed for a fifth season.

Executive producers Lara Azzopardi and Julia Cohen previously worked on 'Degrassi'

Longtime "Degrassi" showrunners Linda Schuyler and Stephen Stohn are stepping back from the franchise after decades of writing, directing, and producing.

Stohn announced the news in a series of tweets that mentioned how proud he and Schuyler are of the new executive producers, Azzopardi and Cohen, who wrote together on an earlier season of "Degrassi."

Azzopardi also previously wrote and produced on Freeform's "The Bold Type," Showcase's "Lost Girl," and Fresh TV's "Backstage" along with several directing credits.

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Cohen has worked as a writer and producer on E!'s "The Royals," The CW's "Riverdale," and ABC's "A Million Little Things."

The format of the show is changing from half-hour to hour-long episodes

Past seasons of "Degrassi" aired half-hour episodes.Epitome Pictures

In addition to finding a new home on HBO Max, the reboot is changing the franchise's original half-hour format to hour-long episodes.

In a joint statement on the series' press release, Azzopardi and Cohen said, "What excites us maybe the most about reviving this beloved franchise is turning it into a truly serialized one-hour drama."

The franchise has always been fond of two-part, half-hour episodes, and later seasons of "Next Generation" even attempted to make a similar shift into a longer, more dramatic series. But outside of made-for-TV movies, the show hasn't produced true hour-long episodes before.

The reboot is being filmed in Toronto this summer

WildBrain, the production company behind the reboot, announced that filming for the series will begin in Toronto this summer.

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The show also takes place in Toronto, just like previous iterations, which were largely filmed at Epitome Studios.

The previous 'Degrassi' set was sold, so the reboot's will likely be new

Degrassi Community School has been the main set of past series.Epitome Pictures

Some key set and prop pieces from the previous iterations of "Degrassi" were auctioned off in 2019, which made some fans pessimistic about their chances of ever getting another reboot.

With the show now returning in 2023, it's likely that the major sets for the series — such as Degrassi Community School itself and popular hangout spots like The Dot — will need to be recreated or reimagined.

There's no cast list yet, but several former stars have tweeted their support for the reboot

Actors from multiple generations of "Degrassi" have posted their support of the next iteration.

Ana Golja, who played Zoe Rivas on "Degrassi" and "Degrassi: Next Class," quote-tweeted HBO Max's Twitter announcement and wrote, "Soooo….Zoe Rivas is going to be the Drama class TA? ..."

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Daniel Clark, who played Sean Cameron on early seasons of "Next Generation," shared a Hollywood Reporter article announcing the reboot on Twitter and added, "It's official."

Lauren Collins, who played Paige Michalchuk on "Next Generation" quote-tweeted the announcement from Deadline and wrote, "If any streamers are interested in the pilot I wrote about this exact moment in my life, it's available!!" with three zany-face emojis.

Several former stars also commented on the official "Degrassi" Instagram account's announcement post.

Miriam McDonald, who played Emma Nelson, commented "Incredible news!" with a series of emojis.

Raymond Ablack, who played Sav Bhandari, commented, "Stüdz rules! This is awesome," in reference to his character's band on the show.

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Paula Brancati, whose character, Jane Vaughn, was in the same band, replied, "stüdz forever" to Ablack's comment. And Shane Kippel, who played Gavin "Spinner" Mason added, "Bring back Studz 100%."

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