“Degrassi” is a large Canadian teen drama franchise created by Kit Hood and Linda Schuyler. In 1979, the first real “Degrassi” installment appeared on television called, “The Kids of Degrassi Street.” The franchise would go on to push out four other series—“Degrassi Junior High,” “Degrassi High, Degrassi: The Next Generation,” and “Degrassi: Next Class”— non-consecutively up until 2017. Over the years, the name and characters have become a staple of teen dramas; with news of the latest revival coming to HBO in 2023, the production of “Degrassi” content does not seem to be letting up anytime soon.  

After being announced on Jan. 13 showrunners, Lara Azzopardi and Julia Cohen described the new series as “a reprise of the original teen drama” that will cover a new generation of students and administration “living in the shadow of events that both bind them together and tear them apart.”  

The first season is reported to be comprised of at least 10 episodes that span 1 hour. According to TV Line, this change “excites [the showrunners] most.”  

As reported by Today, the CEO of WildBrain—the Canadian production company that owns the franchise—Eric Ellenbogen states, “I’m delighted that our first-ever commission from HBO Max is “Degrassi,” a truly venerable franchise with a highly devoted and passionate audience.” Ellenbogen describes the property as “evergreen.” The filming is set to begin in Spring 2022 in Toronto.   

Amid the news of this revival, HBO announced that “Degrassi: The Next Generation” will be available to stream on their platform this spring. As of now, it is available on YouTube, Amazon Prime and Tubi.

Fans of the show have expressed their hopes for the series and expressed their need to see old beloved characters come back and reprise their roles.