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Degrassi: The Next Generation season 7

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Degrassi: The Next Generation
(season 7)
Season 7
Degrassi: The Next Generation Season 7 DVD Digipak
No. of episodes24
Release
Original networkCanada CTV
United States The N
Original release5 October 2007 (2007-10-05) –
23 June 2008 (2008-06-23)
Season chronology
← Previous
6
Next →
8
List of episodes

The seventh season of Degrassi: The Next Generation commenced airing in Canada on 14 January 2008, concluded on 23 June 2008, and consists of twenty-four episodes. Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian serial teen drama television series. Season seven takes place during the second semester of the 2006–07 school year,[1] and continues to depict the lives of a group of high school students and college freshmen as they deal with some of the challenges and issues young adults face, such as violence, relationships, drug abuse, cancer, rape, and HIV. Production took place in Toronto, Ontario between April and December 2007.[2]

Season seven aired Mondays at 7:30 p.m. (7:00 p.m. in Quebec) on CTV, a Canadian terrestrial television network. In the United States it aired Fridays at 8:00 p.m. on The N, a digital cable network aimed at teenagers and young adults. Season seven premiered in the U.S. three months before it began broadcasting in Canada, on 5 October 2007.[3] In total sixteen episodes aired in the U.S. before they did Canada. Further to being broadcast on television, episodes were made available for free streaming on CTV's website;[4] registered users of the Canadian and U.S. iTunes Stores are also able to purchase and download the season for playback on home computers and certain iPods.[4][5]

In addition to the twenty-four regular episodes, two "special episodes" were produced, not part of the Degrassi continuity. The first, "Degrassi in Kenya" depicted the cast members travelling to Africa to assist the building of a school.[6][7] It aired 18 October 2007 on MTV Canada, and 14 March 2008 on The N.[8] The second, "Degrassi of the Dead", was a Halloween special, and featured the characters being turned into zombies.[9] It aired on 26 October 2007 on The N, and four days later on CTV.[10]

Viewing figures for season seven were not as high as previous seasons; by the twelfth episode, figures were down to 314,000 viewers, a 46% decrease from the season premiere which was watched by 585,000 viewers. Despite the decrease in viewers, however, reviews for the season were of praise, rather than criticism.

Cast

The seventh season had twenty actors receive star billing. Continuing in their roles from the previous season, the teenagers were portrayed by Sarah Barrable-Tishauer as Liberty Van Zandt, Lauren Collins as Paige Michalchuk, Stacey Farber as Ellie Nash, Aubrey Graham as Jimmy Brooks, Shenae Grimes as Darcy Edwards, Jamie Johnston as Peter Stone, Shane Kippel as Gavin "Spinner" Mason, Mike Lobel as Jay Hogart, Miriam McDonald as Emma Nelson, Adamo Ruggiero as Marco Del Rossi, and Cassie Steele as Manuela "Manny" Santos.[11] As the adults in the series Stefan Brogren played the part of Archie "Snake" Simpson, Melissa DiMarco played Principal Daphne Hatzilakos, and Amanda Stepto played Spike Nelson. Brogren and Stepto had played the same characters in Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High, two of the preceding series in the Degrassi franchise.[12] Charlotte Arnold, Shalaan Powell, Mazin Elsadig and Paula Brancati were introduced as Holly J. Sinclair, Damien Hayes and Jane Vaughn, and Eric Henson respectively, who are new students to Degrassi Community School as a result of the recent closure of their former school, Lakehurst. Dalmar Abuzeid, Marc Donato and Nina Dobrev, portraying Danny Van Zandt, Derek Haig and Mia Jones respectively, were promoted from recurring cast members to the main cast list.[13]

Returning in their recurring roles were Jake Goldsbie as Toby Isaacs, Melissa McIntyre as Ashley Kerwin, Scott Paterson as Johnny DiMarco, Steve Belford as Jesse Stefanovic, Linlyn Lue as Ms. Kwan, and Jennifer Podemski as Ms. Sauve.[14][15] Raymond Ablack, Marc Minardi and Samantha Munro were introduced in recurring roles as former Lakehurst students Sav Bhandari, Lucas Valieri and Anya MacPherson. Nathan Stephenson also joined the roster of recurring cast members as Griffin, the new roommate in Ellie, Marco and Paige's apartment.[15][16] Deanna Casaluce, who had appeared as Alex Nuñez since season three, appeared in the second and third episodes before leaving the series.

Stacie Mistysyn, who portrayed Caitlin Ryan in the earlier incarnations of Degrassi, as well as seasons one to five of Degrassi: The Next Generation, guest starred in episode eight, "Jessie's Girl".[17] Jake Epstein, who had appeared in seasons two through five in a starring role as Craig Manning, guest starred in the fourteenth episode "Bust a Move, Part Two", which also featured a guest appearance from Shirley Douglas as Smithdale University's Professor Dunwoody.[18][19] Episode twenty featured a guest appearance from Free The Children founder Craig Kielburger as himself, and Daniel Clark returned to play Sean Cameron. English pop singer Natasha Bedingfield appeared in the season finale performing her songs "Unwritten" and "Pocketful of Sunshine" at the graduation prom.[20]

Crew

The season was produced by Epitome Pictures in association with CTV. Funding was provided by The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit, the Canadian Television Fund and BCE-CTV Benefits, The Shaw Television Broadcast Fund, the Independent Production Fund, Mountain Cable Program, and RBC Royal Bank.[15]

Linda Schuyler, co-creator of the Degrassi franchise and CEO of Epitome Pictures, was an executive producer of season seven, as were Stephen Stohn (Epitome Pictures' president) and Brendon Yorke. David Lowe served as producer, and Stefan Brogren as co-creative producer. In several episodes James Hurst was credited as executive creative consultant. Vera Santamaria was executive story editor, with Duana Taha serving as story editor. The editor was Stephen Withrow, Stephen Stanley the production designer, and the cinematographers were Gavin Smith and John Berrie.[15]

The writers for season seven were Emily Andras, Nicole Demerse, Brian Hartigan, Matt Huether, James Hurst, Aaron Martin, Kate Miles Melville, Vera Santamaria, Sara Snow, Duana Taha, and Brendon Yorke.

Directors of the episodes include Phil Earnshaw, Sturla Gunnarsson, Eleanore Lindo, Graeme Lynch, Bruce McDonald, Stefan Scaini, Gilbert Shilton, and Pat Williams.[15]

Reception

Viewing figures of the seventh season of Degrassi: The Next Generation did not fare as well as previous seasons. The first twelve episodes averaged only 455,000 viewers, compared to the same number of episodes in season six, which averaged 500,000 viewers.[21] The season premiere achieved the highest figures with 585,000 viewers.[22] This progressively dropped over the forthcoming weeks from 446,000 viewers on 28 January 2008,[23] to 407,000 viewers on 11 February 2008,[24] and continued to fall to 314,000 viewers over forthcoming weeks.[25]

Despite the poor ratings, the mass media still reacted positively to the season. Joel Rubinoff of the Waterloo Region Record praised the show for "remaining consistent ... [in] its ability to shock and surprise in a way that never lets us [the viewers] down ... Shenae Grimes, whose complex portrayal of a young woman in mental pain—and the conflicting emotions that entails—makes her depiction not only believable, but to those who have had similar experiences, entirely relatable."[26] Raju Mudhar of the Toronto Star also had praise for the season, commenting that "the way that it has managed to deal with aging—which has been the destruction for many of its peers, and the level of honesty and attempted authenticity has always set Degrassi apart. The fact that show has always cast actors within a year or two of their characters' ages has always helped."[27] AfterElton.com, a website which focuses on the portrayal of homosexual and bisexual men in the media, and owned by MTV Networks' Logo cable television network, named the character Marco del Rossi as one of their "Top 25 Gay TV Characters".[28]

Season seven also won awards for its gay-oriented storylines; it was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award in the Best Drama Series category, alongside Dirty Sexy Money, Greek, The L Word and the winner, Brothers & Sisters.[29][30] In the U.S., The N was presented with The Trevor Commitment Award by The Trevor Project for breaking new ground in the positive representation of gay and questioning youth.[31] The season was also nominated for a Teen Choice Award in the Choice TV: Comedy category, but lost to Hannah Montana.[32] In the 2008 Directors Guild of Canada Awards, which were held on 8 November, "Standing in the Dark" Part Two was nominated in the Television Series Sound Editing category.[33] "Pass the Dutchie", directed by Patrick Williams, won the award for best direction in the Team Television Series – Family category.[34] In the 2008 Gemini Awards the season picked up four nominations. The series won the award for Best Children's or Youth Fiction Program or Series; Shane Kippel and Lauren Collins were vying for the award for "Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series" for their performances in the episodes "Death or Glory Part Two" and "Talking in Your Sleep", respectively, but ultimately lost to Alexz Johnson from Epitome Pictures' Instant Star; and Phil Earnshaw was nominated for Best Direction in a Children's or Youth Program or Series for "Standing in the Dark Part One".[35][36][37]

Episodes

Season seven premiered on The N two months before its CTV debut;[3][38] Canadian viewers had to wait until the thirteenth episode to watch an episode before American viewers. The N broadcast the season in three separate blocks, airing the first seven episodes from 5 October to 16 November 2007, before putting the show on hiatus. It returned on 8 February 2008, and went off air 9 May, before returning once again on 11 July for the remaining six episodes. In Canada, the season premiere aired 14 January 2008 and aired a new episode each week until the season finale on 23 June.

The N aired episode 718, "Another Brick in the Wall" before 717, "Talking in Your Sleep", and 721, "Everything She Wants" before 720, "Ladies Night".[39] CTV held back episode 703, "Love is a Battlefield," and broadcast it after episode 719, "Broken Wings".[40]

This list is by order of production, as they appear on the DVD.

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DVD release

The DVD release of season seven was released online and in select stores by Echo Bridge Home Entertainment in the U.S. on 17 March 2009, this is the first season not to be released by Alliance Atlantis Home Entertainment in Canada, or by FUNimation Entertainment in the U.S.. As well as every episode from the season, the DVD release features bonus material including deleted scenes, bloopers and behind-the-scenes featurettes.

The Complete Seventh Season
Degrassi: The Next Generation season 7 DVD digipak Set details Special features


  • Bloopers
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Commentary
  • Photo Gallery
  • Webisodes
  • Documentaries
  • Shop Now!
  • Uncut Edition
Release dates
 United States
17 Mar 2009

Notes

  1. ^ The-Mary (host); The-Seth (host) (2007-01-26). "Linda Schuyler Created Degrassi For You". The N-Sider. The N.
  2. ^ City of Toronto Film and Television Office (2008-01-07). "2007 Production List" (PDF). City of Toronto. p. 16. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  3. ^ a b The-Mary (2007-09-07). "The Degrassi Premiere is Moved to October 5th!". The N. Retrieved 2008-02-08.
  4. ^ a b "Degrassi Season 7 returns with 24 new episodes; eight hot young actors join cast". Channel Canada. 2007-12-20. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
  5. ^ Epitome Pictures. "Degrassi: The Next Generation" (Note: Requires iTunes software). The N. iTunes Store. Retrieved 2008-02-06.
  6. ^ Warner, Tyrone (2007-08-31). "Degrassi helps build a school in Kenya". CTV. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
  7. ^ Stohn, Stephen (2007-09-27). "Shooting Season 3" (note: requires registration). Degrassi Message Boards. Epitome Virtual Reality. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
  8. ^ Stohn, Stephen (2007-10-14). "Shooting Season 3" (note: requires registration). Degrassi Message Boards. Epitome Virtual Reality. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
  9. ^ "Degrassi of the Dead". MSN. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
  10. ^ Stohn, Stephen (2007-10-24). "Shooting Season 3" (note: requires registration). Degrassi Message Boards. Epitome Virtual Reality. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
  11. ^ Ellis 2005, pp. 52–53, 56–57, 64–65, 68–71, 74–75, 78–81, 84–85
  12. ^ Ellis 2005, pp. 42–49, 90
  13. ^ Jancelewicz, Chris (2008-01-07). "Q&A: 'Degrassi:TNG's' Nina Dobrev Talks Mia". AOL Canada. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
  14. ^ Ellis 2005, pp. 66–67, 76–77, 86–87, 89–90
  15. ^ a b c d e Schuyler, Linda (co-creator, co-executive producer); Moore, Yan (co-creator); Stohn, Stephen (co-executive producer) (2007-10-05). Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season 7. Epitome Pictures.
  16. ^ "Actors". CTV Television Network. Retrieved 2008-04-01.
  17. ^ Vera Santamaria (story, teleplay); Aaron Martin (story); Phil Earnshaw (director) (2008-02-08). "Jessie's Girl". Degrassi: The Next Generation. Season 7. Episode 8. The N. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Peesker, Saira (2007-12-11). "Epstein set for real-life graduation". CTV Television Network. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  19. ^ "Shirley Douglas guest stars on "Degrassi"". CTV Television Network. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  20. ^ Warner, Tyrone (2007-12-05). "Natasha Bedingfield talks 'Degrassi'". CTV Television Network. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  21. ^ Bailey, Patricia (2007-03-27). "CTV ups its order for Degrassi". Playback. Toronto, Ontario: Brunico Communications. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
  22. ^ Brioux, Bill (2008-01-23). "The Degrassi Myth". TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  23. ^ Brioux, Bill (2008-01-31). "jPod gets jPasted". TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  24. ^ Brioux, Bill (2008-02-14). "MVP Needs Performance Enhancement". TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  25. ^ Brioux, Bill (2008-03-19). "Mercer Tops CBC Winter Numbers". TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  26. ^ Rubinoff, Joel (2008-02-01). "Keeping it real". Waterloo Region Record. Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario: Metroland Media Group. Retrieved 2008-04-01.
  27. ^ Mudhar, Raju (2008-01-03). "Same old Degrassi – but darker". Toronto Star. Toronto, Ontario: Star Media Group. Retrieved 2008-04-01.
  28. ^ Jensen, Michael (2007-11-29). "Readers' Choice: The Top 25 Gay TV Characters Revealed!". AfterElton.com. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  29. ^ Lam, Eva (2008-04-23). "'Degrassi: TNG' Nominated For GLAAD Award". andPOP. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  30. ^ "The 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards". 2008-06-27. Bravo. {{cite episode}}: External link in |transcripturl= (help); Missing or empty |series= (help); Unknown parameter |transcripturl= ignored (|transcript-url= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ Halterman, Jim (2008-07-03). "Supporters of gay youth honored at the Trevor Project Gala". AfterElton.com. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  32. ^ "Teen Choice 2008 Winners" (PDF). Teen Choice Awards. 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  33. ^ "2008 DGC Awards Nominees" (PDF). Directors Guild of Canada. 2008. p. 9. Retrieved 28 March 2009.
  34. ^ "2008 DGC Awards Winners" (PDF). Directors Guild of Canada. 2008. p. 2. Retrieved 28 March 2009.
  35. ^ "23rd Annual Gemini Awards Nominations" (PDF). Gemini Awards. 2008-09-10. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
  36. ^ "Degrassi: The Next Generation 23rd Gemini Nominations". Gemini Awards. 2008-09-10. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
  37. ^ "23rd Annual Gemini Awards – Lifestyle, Children's and Youth Gala". Gemini Awards. Retrieved 28 March 2009.
  38. ^ "Degrassi: The Next Generation Premieres on a New Day, Jan. 14". CTV.ca. 2008-01-03. Retrieved 2008-02-08.
  39. ^ "Degrassi: The Next Generation on The N". TV Guide. Time Inc. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
  40. ^ Stohn, Stephen (2008-05-07). "Shooting Season 3" (Note: Requires registration). Degrassi.tv. Epitome Virtual Reality. Retrieved 2008-08-08.

References

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