2008 Woodie Awards
Watch This Space
Sheila Seles
Issue date: 2/17/05 Section: Arts
- Page 1 of 1
For as much as we make fun of Canada, our neighbors to the north have produced some quality television. From "SCTV" to "The Kids in the Hall" to "You Can't Do that on Television" to "Degrassi Junior High," Canadian shows that make the trip south of the border are often funnier and edgier than the typical American fare. Maybe it's time for us Americans to accept that we're just "Shatner-Stealing-Mexico-Touchers" (one of my favorite lines from the always insightful "Simpsons") and tune into some fine Canadian television. A good place to start is the return of "Degrassi: The Next Generation," which returns to Nickelodeon's The N network Friday at 8 p.m.
For anyone who isn't familiar with The N, it's Nickelodeon's nighttime network aimed at teenagers. During the day, the station functions as Noggin, which airs pre-school entertainment like "Blue's Clues" and "Dora the Explorer." But at 6 p.m., the station becomes The N. Along with "Degrassi: The Next Generation," The N airs such perennial favorites as "Daria," "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and "Moesha."
"Degrassi: The Next Generation" doesn't bear much resemblance to the syndicated American shows The N runs. "Degrassi" is a forward-thinking and almost realistic soap opera about teenagers at Degrassi Community School in Toronto. One of my favorite things about Degrassi is that the actors are actually playing their own age. The show follows kids from as young as seventh grade, and we're privy to all the awkward pubescent angst we would expect from real junior high and high school students - their voices change, their bodies change and they wear awkward clothing. Degrassi more resembles my high school experience than the perfectly coiffed and styled 20-somethings posing as high school students on "The O.C."
Perhaps its realism is why I enjoy "Degrassi," even though I'm older than the targeted demographic. The kids on the show deal with the perils of being a teenager and the genius of the show lies in its variety of scope. The trivial, which is not so trivial to teenagers, exists right next to bigger issues. One episode centers around an election for school president, another minor plot line focuses on an adolescent boy's need for deodorant and in the final episodes of the last season, Degrassi experiences a school shooting and explores the ways this violence reverberates through the community. Some of Degrassi's story lines get more dramatic than the banalities of typical high school life, but these young actors work hard to make every event important and all-consuming in a way that perfectly encompasses being a teen. "Degrassi" is not "Saved by the Bell" or any of its subsequent incarnations. Instead, "Degrassi: The Next Generation" joins the ranks of such wonderfully crafted high school shows as "My So-Called Life" and "Freaks and Geeks." Like these programs, "Degrassi" speaks with an authentic adolescent voice.
The N will be running the last four episodes of the fourth season of "Degrassi" over the next four weeks. We pick up with the characters after the school shooting. One character is in the hospital with a bullet wound and the other characters are feeling the strain that this tragedy has put on their relationships. Tune in. Americans and American networks should sit up and take note of this gem from the Great White North.
For anyone who isn't familiar with The N, it's Nickelodeon's nighttime network aimed at teenagers. During the day, the station functions as Noggin, which airs pre-school entertainment like "Blue's Clues" and "Dora the Explorer." But at 6 p.m., the station becomes The N. Along with "Degrassi: The Next Generation," The N airs such perennial favorites as "Daria," "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and "Moesha."
"Degrassi: The Next Generation" doesn't bear much resemblance to the syndicated American shows The N runs. "Degrassi" is a forward-thinking and almost realistic soap opera about teenagers at Degrassi Community School in Toronto. One of my favorite things about Degrassi is that the actors are actually playing their own age. The show follows kids from as young as seventh grade, and we're privy to all the awkward pubescent angst we would expect from real junior high and high school students - their voices change, their bodies change and they wear awkward clothing. Degrassi more resembles my high school experience than the perfectly coiffed and styled 20-somethings posing as high school students on "The O.C."
Perhaps its realism is why I enjoy "Degrassi," even though I'm older than the targeted demographic. The kids on the show deal with the perils of being a teenager and the genius of the show lies in its variety of scope. The trivial, which is not so trivial to teenagers, exists right next to bigger issues. One episode centers around an election for school president, another minor plot line focuses on an adolescent boy's need for deodorant and in the final episodes of the last season, Degrassi experiences a school shooting and explores the ways this violence reverberates through the community. Some of Degrassi's story lines get more dramatic than the banalities of typical high school life, but these young actors work hard to make every event important and all-consuming in a way that perfectly encompasses being a teen. "Degrassi" is not "Saved by the Bell" or any of its subsequent incarnations. Instead, "Degrassi: The Next Generation" joins the ranks of such wonderfully crafted high school shows as "My So-Called Life" and "Freaks and Geeks." Like these programs, "Degrassi" speaks with an authentic adolescent voice.
The N will be running the last four episodes of the fourth season of "Degrassi" over the next four weeks. We pick up with the characters after the school shooting. One character is in the hospital with a bullet wound and the other characters are feeling the strain that this tragedy has put on their relationships. Tune in. Americans and American networks should sit up and take note of this gem from the Great White North.