Degrassi saved from the dead by Netflix
Was that the shortest summer break ever or what? Days after TeenNick announced Degrassi was ending after 14 years, Netflix has stepped in to give the long-running show new life.
“We are energized and excited to work with Family Channel as we tell stories for the new post-millennial teen cohort known as Generation Z, most of whom weren’t even born when Degrassi returned in 2001,” said Linda Schuyler, Degrassi co-creator and executive producer, in a statement. Netflix will air 20 new episodes of the show, in conjunction with Canada’s Family Channel, starting in 2016.
Degrassi graduates to Netflix. Meet the Next Class, coming in 2016 pic.twitter.com/FhUZJ3ZiiL
— Netflix US (@netflix) June 9, 2015
Much of the current cast will make the move, but there is one semi-significant change: The show will now go by Degrassi: Next Class. It is just the latest in many names the teen drama has gone by since its inception as The Kids of Degrassi Street in 1979. The current version premiered in 2001 and is the longest-running dramatic series in Canadian television history.
