In the newest season of Degrassi: Next Class — debuting Monday at 10 p.m. on Family Channel — Belgium is rocked by a terror attack. Within days, student Goldi has her hijab ripped from her head while walking home.
Meanwhile, T-shirts in solidarity with Belgium pop up around the school. Saad, a Syrian refugee, tries to explain why he doesn’t feel comfortable putting one on. Continue reading.Â
This Canada Day long weekend, Family Channel is heading back to the classroom, bringing fans across the country a brand new season of Degrassi: Next Class. Premiering  Monday, July 3 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, season four of the critically acclaimed teen drama takes a look at some of the most relevant issues affecting today’s youth, exploring important topics such as mental illness, gender identity and cultural adjustment. Following the premiere, new episodes of Degrassi: Next Class will air weeknights at 10 p.m. ET/PT. For fans who’d prefer to spend their long weekend binge-watching, all 10 episodes will be available on The Family Channel App beginning Friday, June 30.
Season four of Degrassi: Next Class picks up with the students returning to school from their winter break, many for their final semester. Still reeling from the reality of Maya’s accident, Degrassi Community School is carefully monitoring everyone’s mental health and ensuring that all students have someone to talk to. While exploring situations teens commonly struggle with today, such as break ups and make ups, peer pressure and balancing academia with personal life, season four also continues to focus on the lives of the Syrian refugees as they try to find their place at Degrassi. The new season also marks the graduation of some of the series’ most beloved characters, but not before a beautiful yet dramatic prom.
A special treat for fans in honour of the Canada Day long weekend, on Friday, June 30, the entire fourth season will be available on The Family Channel App, along with exclusive behind-the-scenes extra content. For those who are new to the series, missed a few episodes or simply want to re-watch all the Next Class drama, seasons one through three are currently available on The Family Channel App and on Family OnDemand.
Reprising their roles for season four of Degrassi: Next Class are Amanda Arcuri as Lola Pacini; Amir Bageria as Baaz Nahir; Soma Bhatia as Goldi Nahir; Jamie Bloch as Yael Baron; Chelsea Clark as Esme Song; Reiya Downs as Shay Powers; Ana Golja as Zoe Rivas; Nikki Gould as Grace Cardinal; Ricardo Hoyos as Zig Novak; Ehren Kassam as Jonah Haak; Andre Kim as Winston Chu; Lyle Lettau as Tristan Milligan; Spencer Macpherson as Hunter Hollingsworth; Eric Osborne as Miles Hollingsworth III; Parham Rownaghi as Saad Al’Maliki; Dante Scott as Vijay Miraj; Olivia Scriven as Maya Matlin; Sara Waisglass as Frankie Hollingsworth; Richard Walters as Deon “Tiny†Bell; Dalia Yegavian as Rasha Zuabi and Stefan Brogren as Principal Simpson.
Degrassi: Next Class is produced by DHX Media, in association with Family Channel and Netflix. The series was co-created by Linda Schuyler who is also Executive Producer with Stephen Stohn, Sarah Glinski and Matt Huether.
Writers for Wynonna Earp, Letterkenny, X Company and Degrassi: Next Class were among the winners at the 21st Annual Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriting Awards in Toronto on Monday night.
The event, held at the Telus Centre for Performance and Learning’s Koerner Hall, celebrated the country’s screenwriting talent in television and film. Wynonna Earp writer Alexandra Zarowny (pictured above) won Best Script from a Rookie Series for her Season 1 script “Bury Me With My Guns On,” and thanked her fellow writers and fans for their support.
“There is an entire writing room behind this award,” she said. “This goes to James Hurst, Brendan Yorke, Caitlyn D. Fryers and Emily Andras. I love you, Em, and as the last five years have shown, I’ll follow you anywhere. And to all our social media fans, Wynonna Earp is the little engine that could and I’m so proud of this little demon-hunting show and the LGBTQ community was a huge, fierce, loud and proud part of that. They got a second season made.”
Letterkenny‘s Jared Keeso and Jacob Tierney won the TV Comedy for their Season 1 script, “Super Soft Birthday,” while X Company‘s Stephanie Morgenstern and Mark Ellis took home a trophy for the Season 2 episode, “August 19th.”
Letterkenny’s Jacob Tierney and Jared Keeso
Comedian and writer Laurie Elliott hosted, getting the night off on the right foot. “To all the writers in the room, look at us in our outside clothes!” she began. “This is a fancy party to celebrate writers.”
Andrew Wreggitt was the recipient of The Denis McGrath Award for his service to the Writers Guild of Canada, Aaron Martin was given the Showrunner Award, Diana Frances the Sondra Kelly Award and Daniel Whidden the Jim Burt Screenwriting Prize.
The television category winners are:
Children’s Odd Squad, Season 2 “Drop Gadget Repeat,” written by Tim McKeon
Movie of the Week & Miniseries Bruno & Boots: Go Jump in the Pool, written by Adam Barken
Best Script from a Rookie Series Wynonna Earp, Season 1 “Bury Me With My Guns On,” written by Alexandra Zarowny
TV Comedy Letterkenny, Season 1 “Super Soft Birthday,” written by Jared Keeso and Jacob Tierney
TV Drama X Company, Season 2 “August 19th,” written by Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern
Tweens & Teens Degrassi: Next Class, Season 1 “#TeamFollowBack,” written by Ian MacIntyre
Link: The world of Degrassi according to Snake
It’s been three decades since Stefan Brogren played Archie “Snake†Simpson on CBC’s Degrassi Junior High. But he will forever be known as the guy who was the first to use the F-bomb on Canadian television.
“I was actually so excited to say it,†says Brogren. “We had two versions. One where I say ‘Screw it.’ The other was when I used the F-word. I didn’t know which one CBC went with until they broadcast the show. There was a huge uproar.†Continue reading.
