Degrassi is getting a reboot on HBO Max, which is scheduled to premiere in 2023 with one-hour serialized episodes. Wildbrain’s Degrassi franchise, created by Kit Hood and Linda Schuyler, began in 1979 with The Kids of Degrassi Street. The show featured a diverse cast of kids and adults alike and was praised for its depiction of real issues kids and teens face. The series spawned four other series, Degrassi Junior High, Degrassi High, Degrassi: The Next Generation, and Degrassi: Next Class.
Each series is set in Toronto and depicts real-life issues and the journey from childhood to adulthood and has had an enormous impact on teen television. The most popular show, Degrassi: The Next Generation, aired for an impressive 14 seasons with a number of recurring cast members staying on the show for 8 seasons. Many Degrassi actors have gone on to have success afterward, including chart-topping musician Drake, The Vampire Diaries star Nina Dobrev, 90210 star Shenae Grimes, and Broadway actor Jake Epstein. The franchise has become a pop-culture staple and each generation serves as a reflection of society and the issues faced at the time.
Eric Goldman shared a press release from HBO Max announcing a reboot of Degrassi, which is scheduled to premiere in 2023 with 10 one-hour serialized episodes. The series will be helmed by two showrunners, Lara Azzopardi from The Bold Type and Julia Cohen of Riverdale and The Royals. As of now, the series has an exclusive U.S. HBO Max distribution deal with all 14 seasons of Degrassi: The Next Generation coming to the platform later this year as well.
The decision to change the format of the show to one hour may come as a shock to fans of the original show as the previous series' episodes were only 30 minutes. Exceptions came in the form of tv movie specials or multi-part episodes. Degrassi followed the format of daytime soap operas more so than primetime tv dramas which added to the immersive feeling of watching the show as a teen. The longer episode length tightens the cast size and narrows the storylines to fit a serialized structure that follows popular teen dramas like One Tree Hill or Euphoria.
There is no surprise, however, in HBO Max’s decision to pick up the series with its reboot of Gossip Girl breaking streaming records for the network. Euphoria season 2 is starting off strong for the streaming platform. With the Pretty Little Liars reboot also on its way, HBO Max has found a prominent audience in teen dramas similar to the Warner Brothers and ViacomCBS network, The CW. News of The CW's profitability struggles could mean that HBO Max may serve as the replacement for television series for audiences 15-25. Production on the reboot is set to start in the summer of 2022 and fans of Degrassi can enjoy all 14 seasons of Degrassi: The Next Generation while they wait when it comes to the platform in the spring.
Source: Eric Goldman/Twitter