After nearly forty years, the Degrassi franchise continues to expand with a new installment HBO Max. The newly green-lit show, Degrassi, is coming to the streaming platform in 2023 and is set to bring a level of drama, self-discovery, and teenage moodiness that only Degrassi High is capable of.
Like the previous incarnations of the show, HBO Max’s Degrassi is a character-driven show that explores the tumultuous lives of the students and faculty of the infamous Toronto high school that gave the franchise its namesake.
Beginning in 1979, Degrassi has solidified itself as one of the most well-known, and certainly the longest-running, teenage dramas on television. Considered a Canadian institution, Degrassi was originally created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood and has a total of six series, over 500 episodes, and four TV movies as well as numerous awards and nominations. Known for its frank portrayal of controversial situations (who can forget Emma getting gonorrhea or Manny’s emotional abortion) Degrassi pushed the boundaries of teen TV.
Throughout ten hour-long episodes, viewers will be introduced to a new group of characters living in the shadow of events that both bind them together and tear them apart. Produced by WildBrain Studios, Lara Azzopardi (The Bold Type) and Julia Cohen (Riverdale) have signed on as showrunners and executive producers, with filming to begin in Toronto later this year.
Although there’s still some time to wait for the new series, Degrassi: The Next Generation will be available to stream on HBO Max in the spring. Spanning 14 seasons, Degrassi: The Next Generation is the longest and most popular installment of the franchise. Iconic in its own right, The Next Generation also famously launched the careers of pre-Drake Aubrey Graham and pre-Vampire Diaries Nina Dobrev.
