It seems that Degrassi will be back in session once again. According to Deadline, HBO Max will bring back to classic Canadian teen drama in 2023. The streamer has also acquired the rights to all 14 seasons of Degrassi: The Next Generation, which is set to stream in the spring.
Lara Azzopardi (The Bold Type) and Julia Cohen (Riverdale) will serve as showrunners and executive producers for the series. Filming is set to begin this summer in Toronto, and WildBrain, the company that owns the Degrassi franchise, will return to produce the new series.
“Series after series, the Degrassi franchise continues to make an indelible impact on young viewers looking for trustworthy and authentic storytelling,” Warner Bros. Head of Kids and Family Programming, Amy Freidman, told Deadline. “WildBrain continues to artfully capture high school life in a compelling format that can be experienced seamlessly on HBO Max.”
The new revival will follow the same premise of its predecessors: the lives of the students and faculty at Degrassi High as they live in the shadow of events that both bind them together and tear them apart. According to Deadline, the new series will go deep into the hearts and homes of the main characters as they struggle to find their new normal, reaching for hope, redemption, and love.
This will be yet another revival coming out of the Degrassi franchise. The franchise goes back as far as the 80s, starting with The Kids of Degrassi Street, then Degrassi: Junior High and Degrassi High. The sequel series, The Next Generation, premiered in 2001 and lasted for 14 years. This series is best known for starting the career of rapper Drake (credited as Aubrey Graham in the series). Netflix revived the franchise with Degrassi: The Next Class, which is still available to stream on the platform.
HBO Max went to social media to announce the new series.
The next class of students arrives in 2023. A new Degrassi series is coming to HBO Max. pic.twitter.com/ROCMtvzwt1
— HBO Max (@hbomax) January 13, 2022