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Something that bothered me when I first saw this and continued to bother me now on this rewatch...in what universe does Clare consider abortion? I know she had some sort of crisis of faith after her parents divorce, but she and the family were always written as very devout. She was VERY quick to jump to abortion and she never even brings up religion when talking about her choices. All of a sudden Clare is pro choice? I don't buy it. 

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8 hours ago, sara416 said:

Something that bothered me when I first saw this and continued to bother me now on this rewatch...in what universe does Clare consider abortion? I know she had some sort of crisis of faith after her parents divorce, but she and the family were always written as very devout. She was VERY quick to jump to abortion and she never even brings up religion when talking about her choices. All of a sudden Clare is pro choice? I don't buy it. 

I can believe it. 1. Claire has matured and become more open minded over the years, 2. She’s pregnant from a one night stand with DREW. 
 

I know a lot of women who would’ve never identified as pro-choice but the second they didn’t want to be pregnant any more abortion was their first instinct. 

 

It happens. I can also see her changing her mind when thinking about the fact that cancer may return and she might not have the option to be pregnant again 10 years from now. 

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Hunter Hollingsworth really scares me. He’s got so much anger, I could see him becoming a terrorist in 10yrs. Miles is messed up but he’s more of a danger to himself than the general public. 

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On 7/21/2020 at 7:49 AM, Scarlett45 said:

I can believe it. 1. Claire has matured and become more open minded over the years, 2. She’s pregnant from a one night stand with DREW. 
 

I know a lot of women who would’ve never identified as pro-choice but the second they didn’t want to be pregnant any more abortion was their first instinct. 

 

It happens. I can also see her changing her mind when thinking about the fact that cancer may return and she might not have the option to be pregnant again 10 years from now. 

I know for sure that there are women who would never identify as pro-choice until it happened to them. But it felt weird that the religious aspect wasn't even mentioned. And nothing by her mom either when she found out she was pregnant. 

On another note, I think the casting of Tiny and Vince was really spot on. They look like they could absolutely be brothers and their voices even have a similar quality to me. 

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Starting Season 2. I stand by my posts that are vaulted from 2016- Frankie should’ve known better (but I’m not surprised she didn’t).
 

Shay “not getting it” didn’t seem authentic. I know Canada isn’t the USA, but it’s close enough historically and culturally, black children are taught from the age of 4 or 5 how the world sees them and the history of depicting us as apes to justify slavery and second class citizenship. I just don’t believe Shay didn’t get it. I think it would’ve been more realistic for her to be offended but conflicted from the get go because she does love her friends. 
 

Of course Hunter should be receiving mental help. He brought a weapon to school with the intention of hurting people. Because he was suspended for THREATENING Maya! Wtf. 

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14 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

Shay “not getting it” didn’t seem authentic. I know Canada isn’t the USA, but it’s close enough historically and culturally, black children are taught from the age of 4 or 5 how the world sees them and the history of depicting us as apes to justify slavery and second class citizenship. I just don’t believe Shay didn’t get it. I think it would’ve been more realistic for her to be offended but conflicted from the get go because she does love her friends. 

I thought it was pretty authentic, particularly for a black kid raised in predominantly white neighborhood and school (I know Degrassi is supposed to be "diverse"....) where everything is done through a white gaze. Her asking her parents about it rang true for me, as I myself have had to explain many a time to black and brown students in my programs why something said by one of their white friends that they found funny was actually pretty damn offensive and/or racist. If you haven't been taught oppression, sometimes you just don't know, even as a black kid. You certainly recognize when you get treated differently from the other folks in your group, but you can't always put your finger on it.  Especially as a kid or teen living in a household where those things aren't always discussed. For many of us, we don't even get a "race" talk until some issue pops up. This is certainly changing now with the zeitgiest of a "woke" culture where these conversations are happening everyday, everywhere and very publicly.  But you couldn't say the same for even 5 years ago.  

Edited by luckyroll3
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1 hour ago, luckyroll3 said:

I thought it was pretty authentic, particularly for a black kid raised in predominantly white neighborhood and school (I know Degrassi is supposed to be "diverse"....) where everything is done through a white gaze. Her asking her parents about it rang true for me, as I myself have had to explain many a time to black and brown students in my programs why something said by one of their white friends that they found funny was actually pretty damn offensive and/or racist. If you haven't been taught oppression, sometimes you just don't know, even as a black kid. You certainly recognize when you get treated differently from the other folks in your group, but you can't always put your finger on it.  Especially as a kid or teen living in a household where those things aren't always discussed. For many of us, we don't even get a "race" talk until some issue pops up. This is certainly changing now with the zeitgiest of a "woke" culture where these conversations are happening everyday, everywhere and very publicly.  But you couldn't say the same for even 5 years ago.  

Maybe it really does depend on the family you grew up in because these talks were common place in my home from the time I was very small (4 or 5, much less 15). Although I admit I grew up in a black family who talked about EVERYTHING we were a chatty bunch, I joke “black parents will tell it like it is!”🤣 Of course there isn’t a monolith even within the black community. And yes Canada isn’t the USA. 

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45 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

Maybe it really does depend on the family you grew up in because these talks were common place in my home from the time I was very small (4 or 5, much less 15). Although I admit I grew up in a black family who talked about EVERYTHING we were a chatty bunch, I joke “black parents will tell it like it is!”🤣 Of course there isn’t a monolith even within the black community. And yes Canada isn’t the USA. 

I hear you! And I think it does depend on your family too.  I grew up in the islands where black was the majority. So when I moved to the states as a kid, it was a startling difference to often times be the only black kid. And while my family talked about everything, I don't remember them ever talking about race much, probably because we came from a place where it wasn't unusual to see black folks in positions of power or have black bodies valued, so it may have been that they didn't think those things needed to said. Except that one time when I showed up on the first day of school expecting to be in 5th grade and I was instead in a 4th grade class and they told us I couldn't possible be ready for 5th grade given that I was from the islands.  My parents put a cussing on the principal's backside the next morning and within minutes I was moved (only to realize that all the stuff they were doing in 5th grade I had already done in my "shitty" island school education). 

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36 minutes ago, luckyroll3 said:

I hear you! And I think it does depend on your family too.  I grew up in the islands where black was the majority. So when I moved to the states as a kid, it was a startling difference to often times be the only black kid. And while my family talked about everything, I don't remember them ever talking about race much, probably because we came from a place where it wasn't unusual to see black folks in positions of power or have black bodies valued, so it may have been that they didn't think those things needed to said. Except that one time when I showed up on the first day of school expecting to be in 5th grade and I was instead in a 4th grade class and they told us I couldn't possible be ready for 5th grade given that I was from the islands.  My parents put a cussing on the principal's backside the next morning and within minutes I was moved (only to realize that all the stuff they were doing in 5th grade I had already done in my "shitty" island school education). 

I was thinking because Shay grew up in a predominately white neighborhood her parents would be MORE likely to have these talks with her, so she would be on the lookout and know how to protect and advocate for herself. My parents felt that growing up in an integrated space was what was best for me (they didn't have much exposure to integrated spaces until college/medical school in the late 1960s and 1970s) and while they enforced that the boomers fought hard to end segregation the struggle was not over. I wasn't the only black kid in my classrooms but I was one of the few. I was often the only one at bday parties etc. 

 

I know if someone had drawn me as an ape my Mom would've been LIVID. I just don't understand why Frankie couldn't say "you know what, I didn't think of what the poster would mean, it was stupid and thoughtless, I am sorry."- THE END rather than trying to keep justifying her behavior. Had she actually just done that right off it would've been over. But I see how her parents missed this one with Hunter bringing weapons to school (thank goodness they dealt with that) and Miles' emotional problems. 

 

Also the boy Lola found on Teendr didn't look a thing like Tiny- they were just both black boys the same age with a streak of color in their hair. I do think Tiny is a handsome boy, and he will be more handsome when he is 40 or so and fills out a bit. I am now on the episode with the Alumni- I didn't catch that they mentioned Terri McGreggor! And what happened to Miriam McDonald's face. She was such an attractive woman, I know she struggled with a eating disorder, I hope she didn't have a relapse during the filming of this episode. 

WHERE is Charlotte Arnold and why is she not acting???

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Season 3- so if I recall correctly Tristian was in a coma for the last episodes of this series because Lyle Lettau wanted to do other stuff during filming. The development of the Miles/Tristian relationship has been good. When they first got together in season 14, Miles was using him for an ego boost and was very messed up (although he was certainly attracted to him). Tristian got some self confidence and quit putting up with that crap. They actually talked out things (like sex) and now Miles feels incredibly guilty for wanting to LIVE while Tristian was in the coma. Miles is a good brother, and I appreciated that he fucking apologized for being an absolute ASS to Lola because he felt guilty. I can see Eric Osborne’s development as an actor. 
 

Shallow bus- I like Maya’s hair better with the curls. I think it frames her face   in a nice way. I remembered she and Adam were in a band together. Didn’t Whisper Hug fall a part because Adam died & Mo graduated?

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1 minute ago, sara416 said:

I liked Maya's hair better with the curls too. Also on the shallow bus...Craig Manning. Yum. 

 

Jake Epstein isn’t a bad looking man but I think he peaked at like 20. Back then he was CUUUUTTE, now he’s just ok. 

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Anyone else getting sad our rewatch is almost over? This show was on half of my life!! I wouldn’t be surprised if it came back in 10-15yrs with... Adamo Ruggiero (Marco) as principal. 
 

Zoë’s mom is awful (and will continue to be more awful if I remember how this series ends), but Rasha was right- Zoë had no business putting Rasha in that position, (First off) and she should’ve put on the dress her mother wanted her to wear and kept her mouth shut during the wedding. Grace really has been a good friend to everyone- giving Zoë a place to stay. 
 

Also- Miles and Lola hooking up. I don’t think Tristian would be mad (but yes him finding out in a room full of people is not ideal). It’s not as if they were married (they are in HS for Pete’s Sake!), and even with married people I think most would be forgiving in that situation. Again they are in high school. 

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I finished last night. I forgot how much I liked Lola as a character. She was really intuitive about people for the most part and I don't think her friends gave her enough credit. Esme was a mess. They kept trying to say it was after they found Maya on the roof that she went downhill but she was a mess her entire time on the show. I wish we would have had more about her backstory other than just being told it. 

I realized that I wasn't as attached to these people at the end of the season when they graduated as I have been with previous classes. I'm not really sure why, other than I feel like we only had a few of them for the entirety of high school. The refugee storyline was current, but I think I would have felt more about these characters if the show would have gone on and we would have gotten to know them more. 

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11 hours ago, sara416 said:

I finished last night. I forgot how much I liked Lola as a character. She was really intuitive about people for the most part and I don't think her friends gave her enough credit. Esme was a mess. They kept trying to say it was after they found Maya on the roof that she went downhill but she was a mess her entire time on the show. I wish we would have had more about her backstory other than just being told it. 

I realized that I wasn't as attached to these people at the end of the season when they graduated as I have been with previous classes. I'm not really sure why, other than I feel like we only had a few of them for the entirety of high school. The refugee storyline was current, but I think I would have felt more about these characters if the show would have gone on and we would have gotten to know them more. 

Lola was amazing. The actress showed up in a few episodes of the Party of Five reboot (so sad it was cancelled) and she was charming. Esme was a mess. She felt like a plot device for both Miles and then Zig. I think the actress couldve handled more material but for some reason they always made her the girlfriend (like Jonah was the boyfriend). 
 

I felt attached to the last graduating class, but I think they knew the show wasn’t coming back because outside of the rising Grade 12s we didn’t really know anyone. They should’ve introduced more new characters in season 4. Also these Netflix seasons were SHORT, especially compared to the tele-novela style seasons we got season 10-13(?) with 30 plus episodes. Recently feel like each character had an arch that lasted all season and was either the A, B or C plot depending on what else was going on (like Frankie and the prank, Shay and track etc). 

 

Also I have been enjoying "On the Red Couch" series where Adamo (Marco) interviews ppl from Next Class right before the series ended. its pretty good. Each episode is about 20min, its on the official Degrassi Youtube Channel. 

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I love the dresses Zoë and Goldi wore to prom. Esme’s dress was amazing too (she needed serious help, the fact that after she pushed Zig she didn’t get help just paced in the woods????)

 I also loved that Miles and Winston went to Europe together. It was the right thing that Tristian and Miles broke up, but their “prom” was a sweet end to the relationship. 
 

Lyle did a great job portraying Tristian in his recovery, the way he held his body and his speech patterns. 
 

The box of identity documents- damn. Poor Zoë. And she sent her husband to drop off the documents and didn’t even do it herself. Wtf. Let’s not forget this woman was a stage mother who made a pretty penny off of Zoë throughout her entire childhood through her acting, yet wouldn’t even face her. 
 

Aww it’s over! Thanks for watching with me guys! I appreciate it. These forums are always such a happy place for me, and during the pandemic you all are great company. 

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On 7/30/2020 at 9:02 AM, Scarlett45 said:

Lola was amazing. The actress showed up in a few episodes of the Party of Five reboot (so sad it was cancelled) and she was charming. Esme was a mess. She felt like a plot device for both Miles and then Zig. I think the actress couldve handled more material but for some reason they always made her the girlfriend (like Jonah was the boyfriend). 

I absolutely loved Lola!  She was a great character.  The one thing I'm sad about with not having more seasons was the ability to continue to see her evolution as a person.  Everyone else in her year were pretty much douches or super judgemental assholes.  Particularly Hunter and Baaz....gosh, if they were real, they would be on track to become awful, awful adults! 

Esme was such a total mess!  Just because.  I actually have this really vague memory from an article about the upcoming season before Imogen was introduced that Imogen was supposed to have a characterization very similar to how Esme was portrayed.  I remember it because I was super excited about the portrayal of an "actual" bad girl on the show (because we all know none of the previous bad girls were actual bad girls, or stayed bad girls for long), but then was super disappointed because it seemed that they'd abandoned everything about the character, instead choosing to focus on her quirkiness.  And then here comes Esme several seasons later with same character traits that were talked about, but super one-dimensional.  It seems like they were trying to get there when they revealed her mom had also OD'd and maybe because she had actually flunked, they were planning to bring her back the following season.  I don't know, but overall she was super unlikeable.  I couldn't even get into her "owning" her sexuality because there was never any follow-through on why she was doing the things she did.  Again, they seemed to be getting there with her using sex to keep Zig interested, but it would have also been just as awesome if she just liked sex.  They didn't really take the time to develop her other than that she was "wild".

I definitely felt sort of sentimental when this class graduated though.  Although if I had to hear Maya's song one more damn time......

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On 7/30/2020 at 8:48 PM, Scarlett45 said:

Aww it’s over! Thanks for watching with me guys! I appreciate it. These forums are always such a happy place for me, and during the pandemic you all are great company. 

Same!  Glad I could crash your rewatch.  It was fun! What's next?

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*whisper* I actually like Last Exit. 

I need something else to rewatch for sure. I don't have the brainpower to start something new and teen based television that I have seen before seems exactly the speed I need right now. A friend of mine has been watching Alexa and Katie with her daughter and loves it, but I actually have to pay attention to it because I've never seen it before. Schitt's Creek has been my go to. 

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@luckyroll3 and @sara416 I am starting a rewatch of Switched at Birth, and we will be discussing it in that thread. Or I will be I am not sure how many people will join. 
 

If you all aren’t familiar it’s a great show! Great representation- deaf/hard of hearing culture, actors of color, familial relationships, teen stuff. The beautiful Constance Marie & Marlee Matlin are in it!

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11 hours ago, sara416 said:

*whisper* I actually like Last Exit. 

I need something else to rewatch for sure. I don't have the brainpower to start something new and teen based television that I have seen before seems exactly the speed I need right now. A friend of mine has been watching Alexa and Katie with her daughter and loves it, but I actually have to pay attention to it because I've never seen it before. Schitt's Creek has been my go to. 

 I liked the song too.  It was just a bit of overkill.  

Alexa and Katie is a great show, and you don't need too much brain power to watch.  

9 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

@luckyroll3 and @sara416 I am starting a rewatch of Switched at Birth, and we will be discussing it in that thread. Or I will be I am not sure how many people will join. 
 

If you all aren’t familiar it’s a great show! Great representation- deaf/hard of hearing culture, actors of color, familial relationships, teen stuff. The beautiful Constance Marie & Marlee Matlin are in it!

I'm was very much a fan of Switched at Birth, especially the earlier seasons.  I will join you over there.  

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On 7/24/2020 at 8:41 PM, Scarlett45 said:

I can tell these Next Class episodes are designed for Netflix, they are very binge able(is that a word?). 

I tried to watch the newer seasons on Netflix but I just could never get into them. 

I remember watching the original show when I was a kid (I am talking about the series when Spike, Joey and Snake were in school).  It was a trip to see them as adults on Next Generation.  I enjoyed Next Generation for the most part but I was more of a fan of the earlier seasons of Next Generation.  I still cannot believe that Drake is Jimmy Brooks.

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On 3/2/2021 at 4:14 PM, luckyroll3 said:

I was excited to see so many former Degrassi actors in Ginny and Georgia only to learn that Jahmil French passed away today. 😢

https://deadline.com/2021/03/jahmil-french-dead-degrassi-the-next-generation-actor-was-29-1234704994/

I have had a lot of "life" going on, but yes! So sad to hear about Jahmil. I did not know there were a number of Degrassi actors in Ginny & Georgia, maybe I will check it out.

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Lots of Degrassi alums are in Netflix's "Ginny and Georgia" series. I found myself getting distracted trying to shift from thinking of them as their Degrassi roles. They all play characters who are extremely different than what they were playing on Degrassi, so I did eventually get past it. 

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For my fellow Degrassi lovers: if you haven't already, check out Genera+ion on HBOMax. I love it so much and it also reminds me a lot of of Degrassi. I keep thinking this is what Degrassi would have been like if it was on a pay-channel. The pilot episode is a bit wild, but the rest of the season was very enjoyable. I've seen folks compare it to Euphoria, but this show isn't as dark and heavy; it has more levity.

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On 7/9/2021 at 3:46 PM, luckyroll3 said:

For my fellow Degrassi lovers: if you haven't already, check out Genera+ion on HBOMax. I love it so much and it also reminds me a lot of of Degrassi. I keep thinking this is what Degrassi would have been like if it was on a pay-channel. The pilot episode is a bit wild, but the rest of the season was very enjoyable. I've seen folks compare it to Euphoria, but this show isn't as dark and heavy; it has more levity.

Oh cool thank you. I’ll add it to my watch list and follow the discussion on the forums. 

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I wanted to put this in the thread- 

 

I will be watching this one, but I can’t do Christmas movies until after Thanksgiving  I will just wait. 
 

Our Sav is in a Hallmark Christmas movie!

Boyfriends of Christmas Past
Stars: Catherine Haena Kim, Raymond Ablack, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee
Airs: Saturday, October 23 at 8 p.m. ET

 

Edited to add- Annie Clark (Fiona) is also doing a Christmas movie: Ghosts of Christmas Past (lifetime) December 14th. 

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Raymond is having a moment here. I really liked Boyfriends of Christmas Past. I haven’t seen Ginny and Georgia but now that I hear so many Degrassi folks in it, maybe I will. But I thought Raymond was excellent in Maid.

 

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I was recently on a vacation and I met two guys from Toronto at the resort. They asked if I'd ever been and I said no, that I'd like to, and then said jokingly that I'm a big Degrassi fan, so that counts, right? The guy I was talking to went to high school with Charlotte Arnold! He said she's really nice and down to Earth. It made me happy to hear that and I thought you guys would appreciate it. 

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On 11/1/2021 at 11:35 AM, sara416 said:

I was recently on a vacation and I met two guys from Toronto at the resort. They asked if I'd ever been and I said no, that I'd like to, and then said jokingly that I'm a big Degrassi fan, so that counts, right? The guy I was talking to went to high school with Charlotte Arnold! He said she's really nice and down to Earth. It made me happy to hear that and I thought you guys would appreciate it. 

Such fun!

On 10/31/2021 at 8:40 PM, memememe76 said:

Raymond is having a moment here. I really liked Boyfriends of Christmas Past. I haven’t seen Ginny and Georgia but now that I hear so many Degrassi folks in it, maybe I will. But I thought Raymond was excellent in Maid.

 

My Mom saw Maid and said “He is a nice looking boy!”🤣 

 

I wanted to share that Andrea Lewis (Hazel) got married! She looks beautiful. 

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‘Degrassi’ Revival Series Ordered By HBO Max; ‘Next Generation’ To Stream This Spring
 

Quote

HBO Max has given a series greenlight to a new Degrassi series, and announced the entire 14-season library of Degrassi: The Next Generation will be available for streaming on the platform this spring.

Degrassi, the new teen and family series from WildBrain, helmed by showrunners Lara Azzopardi (Backstage, The Bold Type, Mary Kills People) and Julia Cohen (Riverdale, A Million Little Things, The Royals) will include 10 hour-long episodes and is expected to launch in the US exclusively on HBO Max in 2023.

 

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It's not great that it's on HBO Max. I haven't lasted more than a handful of episodes with their other high school dramas (Euphoria, Generation, Gossip Girl). Their only show I liked is The Sex Lives of College Girls.

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On 1/14/2022 at 12:22 PM, luckyroll3 said:

I'm always excited and game for more Degrassi! 

addicted-just.gif

But this now makes so much sense why Generation was cancelled after just 1 season. 

Great minds think a like. I was just about to say this!!!

I wonder if Adam Ruggerio would come back as a teacher. I think he would if he did Not have another job lined up- he hosted that entire sofa series on YouTube for Degrassi long after his character was written off. 

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21 hours ago, memememe76 said:

When I heard that Mia’s kid would already have graduated from high school, I felt sooo old. 
 

I am interested. I wonder how Canadian it will be?

It is set in Toronto, so I think they would keep it somewhat Canadian just because the property has so much nostalgia and die hard fandom.

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I enjoyed Next Class, even though it definitely wasn't up to the same quality as prior seasons, so I was bummed when it was canceled. I'm skeptical about this revival, since I haven't been impressed with HBO Max's original programming, and it doesn't seem like many Degrassi people are yet involved. Linda Schuyler and Stephen Sohn haven't seemed to be mentioned, and Stefan Brogren who is ride or die with the franchise hasn't acknowledged it.

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