Degrassi creator Linda Schuyler participated in The National Post’s Culture Club column this week. The topic was series longevity. With The Office entering its eighth season, the panel discusses why North American TV shows seem to last so long even after they have run their course. With Degrassi about to enter its 11th season this summer, Linda comments on the secret to its longevity:
Linda: As we head into our 11th season of Degrassi: The Next Generation, (and the 31st year of the franchise!) for me, the secret to longevity has been to have the courage to let characters grow, evolve and eventually leave the show. Our circumstances are somewhat unique, in as much as we have an environment that relies on characters growing each year, responding to each year’s hierarchy within the politics of school setting, and heading eventually to graduation. When our first group of characters graduated from Degrassi: The Next Generation, we were worried that we had audience loyalty to these characters and would need to find a way to keep them part of the show. To this end, we moved our first set of graduates into a shared house as they attended university. With our second tranche of grads we moved them into a university dorm. When our research came in, we found that these storylines were the least satisfying of all our storylines. We learnt, that for all our audience love our characters, they are tuning in for the high school experience and want stories grounded in that world. They look forward to a new crop of Grad Nines as a new school year begins and enjoy, in a bittersweet way, saying goodbye to their favourite grads. We have one added advantage that helps with longevity and that is, as we constantly repopulate the school, our audience is always renewing itself.
Linda also talks about other series she has worked on, and when it’s time to pull the plug. Check out the full discussion right here!
will eli and clare get back together? if you can’t tell me then can you at least give me a hint thank you! ♥ <333
will eli and clare get back together? if you can’t tell me then can you at least give me a hint thank you! ♥ <333