We have an official date!! Executive producer Stephen Stohn announced on Twitter moments ago that Degrassi will return Friday, February 11th with episode 1033/1034 “When Love Takes Over Part 1 & 2.” A Valentines Day themed episode perhaps? Mark your calendars!
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An amazing new interview with Degrassi executive producers Linda Schuyer & Stephen Stohn has surfaced tonight from Toronto Star columnist Corey Mintz. Linda & Stephen discuss tough topics like abortion & suicide, plans for season 11, the telanovela format, consequences to the issues, and much more. I love interviews with Linda & Stephen, because they provide so much creative insight into the making of Degrassi. In particular, this conversation seems so honest. It’s fascinating to read about the behind the scenes aspect of this show & their careers.
The interview starts with Linda & Stephen discussing the most difficult topics to deal with on Degrassi. They both agree that suicide is always a challenge. Abortion is another topic that can be “untouchable.” Linda Schuyler explains why The N [now TeenNick] was reluctant to air the abortion episode:
SCHUYLER: The final shot is her walking through the door, going to get the abortion … And it’s very interesting. Because in the states they said, we could have shown that show, IF, at the very last shot, she showed remorse. She can’t be resolute. She has to be remorseful. If she was remorseful, we could show the shot.
MINTZ: So, if you cut to her crying …
SCHUYLER: Exactly. And we wouldn’t do that.
MINTZ: Really?
SCHUYLER: Absolutely not. What kind of message is that for young girls?
On bringing in the new generation of characters:
STOHN: And our ratings started to go down a little bit. And the network came to us and said, we still love you. You’re still our number one show. But you know what, we’ve got to prepare for a soft landing. All our research shows, seven years is it. So let’s start developing some other things. And finally, Linda and I, and I’ll actually in this case give credit to both of us on this, because the writers loved writing for those characters. So the thought of bringing in new characters, they would say yes, but they wouldn’t do it. And we finally just said, no, these characters are gone. We are not writing about them again. There’s a whole bunch of new characters. You’ve got to bring in six new characters. And then all the sudden the ratings started to go back up like that. You realize, that the way, Linda, you put it, is, first of all, there are different metaphorical ways you can say it, that the school is the main character. And so we were losing that by going beyond the school.
SCHUYLER: Much as they love the characters, they weren’t that intrigued with them after they left high school.
Season 11 is on everybody’s minds these days, as we’ve heard about early brainstorming sessions with the writers. And now we’re hearing about a new generation of grade 9’s that are to be introduced! Of course the question everybody wants to know…
MINTZ: What happens in season eleven?
SCHUYLER: Most people don’t believe us but we don’t know until we get in that room. We don’t have a plan. All we know is that halfway through season eleven, the current gang that are in twelfth grade are gonna graduate at the end of our twenty-four part telenovella. At that point we’ll bring in a whole bunch of ninth graders who will be new to the school.
This is just a brief snippet of all sorts of interesting topics brought up in this interview. Read the entire conversation (it is worth your while) by visiting Corey Mintz’s blog.
Edit: You can also read the full article on The Toronto Star’s website.
Yesterday it was reported that the FFAil claimed that Kodak stopped advertising during Degrassi because of the FFAil’s offensive email campaign. Word quickly spread, with Perez Hilton even picking up the story. Kodak soon fought back, sending out this email to Degrassi fansites and other bloggers:
Our new ‘So Kodak’ advertising campaign, featuring Rihanna, Trey Songz, Pitbull and Drake (who–we know!–started his career on Teen Nick), will continue to run on Degrassi. What you’re seeing is a planned pause in our media schedule. We’ll be back on next week, so keep an eye out for us!
Despite their mistake, the FFAil doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. They are continuing their email campaign to Degrassi’s advertisers, encouraging people to visit their website and voice their concerns over Degrassi’s “irresponsible content.” My personal opinion is that this is just a way to get our attention and upset Degrassi’s growing fanbase.
However, this afternoon on Twitter, Stephen Stohn came up with a clever way that we can all fight back. All you have to do is visit FFAil’s Degrassi page and then click on the link that says “Click Here.” Put in your name and email address and change the subject line to something like “Thank you for supporting Degrassi!” Stephen suggests the text be something like this:
My family and I are so supportive of this wonderful series which empowers teens as they face an increasingly complex and diverse world. Thank you for your support of this groundbreaking series which for 30 years has been applauded worldwide for its morals and storytelling.
Send it, and it will go to all of Degrassi’s main advertisers!
As Degrassi is about to be presented with a 30 year tribute at the Gemini Awards tomorrow, I think it’s obvious that only shows that truly mean something are able to survive that long. Degrassi has touched all of us with its honest and thought-provoking storylines. From those of us who have been watching for the full 30 years, to the fans who only just discovered Degrassi this season, Degrassi fans are a passionate and loyal group of people. We will continue to support Degrassi for years to come.
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Degrassi executive producer Stephen Stohn is being inducted into the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame! Stohn, along with rock legends Bachman & Turner and broadcast pioneer Bill Evanov, will be honoured for his contribution to Canada’s musical heritage. The celebration will take place during the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Awards gala on March 10th, 2011 in Toronto.
The press release calls Stohn “a pillar of Canadian show business” and says:
As a lawyer, his clients have included numerous recording artists, songwriters and record companies. But Stohn also helps bring Canadian music to the world in other ways. As President of Epitome Pictures Inc. and Executive Producer of all its productions, he has for many years overseen the television series Degrassi (in its current incarnation extending over ten seasons and over 200 episodes). He also executive-produced four seasons of the dramatic music series Instant Star. Over the years these series have licensed nearly a thousand tracks of independent Canadian music, and in turn showcase that music in over 140 countries worldwide. And they have also served as a launching pad for the careers of many young actors and musicians (including Drake, who starred in Degrassi for eight seasons.)
Congratulations Stephen! We’re all so proud of you!!
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A new interview with Stephen Stohn has surfaced today, and it’s actually quite amazing. 3 pages long and with a lot of detail, Stephen talks about how Degrassi (ie Kids of Degrassi St.) first began, the inspiration behind The Next Generation, the current generation of characters, the new opening credits, ratings, use of social media, AND MORE. You should all definitely read this interview. I thought I knew a lot about the history of Degrassi, but some of this is even new to me!
You can click here to read the full interview. It’s 3 pages long, but totally worth it. If you’re interested in a lot of the behind the scenes production decisions on this show, it’s a must read!
Stephen Stohn has written another article about the need for strict copyright legislation in Canada. You can read what he has to say right here. In the article he talks specifically about Degrassi, and also mentions the leaked episodes problem. This is what he had to say about that:
Leaked episodes challenge Degrassi’s entire method of production. When episodes are leaked before they are broadcast, my primary concern is for the fans. We work extremely hard to develop storylines that are full of intrigue and suspense and build the anticipation by releasing sneak previews to our viewers.
It’s an art, and one of the ways to develop fan loyalty. Leaked episodes or portions thereof, spoil it for our fans and definitely lessen the impact of the story. No one ever wants to know the ending before the tale begins.
On a personal note, I hope that fans will refrain from sharing leaked episodes when Degrassi starts up again this fall. With episodes returning to a weekly format, I know that this will probably be impossible. But there are lots of fans who enjoy watching the episodes for the first time on TV unspoiled. We should respect their (& Epitome’s) wishes.
Part 2 of DJGENERAL’s interview with Stephen Stohn is now online at Degrassiblog.com. In this part, Stephen discusses JT’s death, his favourite season, storyline regrets, and also… episode titles for the next half of season 10!!! It’s definitely very interesting to read. Check it out right here!
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Check out this amazing new interview with Degrassi executive producer Stephen Stohn as conducted by DJGENERAL. Stephen answers a lot of the big questions that fans have such as whether or not there will be a spinoff, plans for a third 2 hour movie, if Spinner and Emma will ever return, the music used on the show, removing the freeze frame, and more! And this is only the first part of the interview!
You guys are definitely going to want to read this, which you can do over at Degrassiblog.com!