Just days after its cancellation in Canada on MTV, Degrassi has found a new life on Netflix.
“Degrassi graduates to Netflix. Meet the Next Class, coming in 2016,” the U.S. video streamer said Tuesday on its Twitter account. Netflix and Canada’s Family Channel have ordered 20 episodes of Degrassi: Next Class, the latest incarnation of the franchise from Canadian indie producer Epitome Pictures.
“And now the rest of the story… Degrassi signs to Family Channel in Canada and worldwide on Netflix, Degrassi: Next Class debuts early 2016,” Stephen Stohn, executive producer of theDegrassi franchise along with Linda Schuyler, tweeted Tuesday.
Netflix will become the worldwide home for Degrassi: Next Class, excluding Canada, Australia and France, where the series will stream on Netflix at later dates. The new series will continue to be shot in Toronto.
The latest incarnation of the Degrassi franchise, first launched in 1980 by Epitome Pictures, will tell the stories of Generation Z, the producers said Tuesday, as the young characters start their journey into adulthood. Subjects to be tackled in Degrassi: Next Class will include homophobia, racism, substance abuse, body issues and heartbreak.
“The series strives to entertain its post-millennial audience, while always reinforcing its core principle: You are not alone,” the producers said in a statement on Tuesday.
Degrassi has aired on TeenNick in the U.S. and is licensed in more than 140 territories around the world. The series has also been licensed to Amazon Prime for streaming in the U.S. market.
The 14th and final season of Degrassi on MTV in Canada debuts on July 20. Netflix is also currently streaming another Canadian teen drama, Between, which stars Jennette McCurdy and which airs on City north of the border.
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The Hollywood Reporter goofed it big on a portion of that article. The Degrassi franchise was actually launched in 1979 by a different company, Playing With Time Inc.