Gayle MacDonald of the Globe and Mail interviews The Best Years creator Aaron Martin:

• It’s like Degrassi, only older and set in Boston
  Martin believes his new series will target a slightly older demographic than Degrassi’s. “We want teens, but we’re looking for women in their 20s, 30s and 40s as well.”

Vinay Menon of the Toronto Star is less than impressed with The Best Years:

• More like the bland years
  “The rich blond who turns out to be a mean girl? Check. The gifted black athlete from the shattered neighbourhood? Check. The geeky Asian friend desperate to fit in? Check. The meta-wink show within a show? Check. The hipster score? Check. The transparent courting of young viewers? Check. Okay, so The Best Years isn’t exactly striving for originality. So what? When it comes to building these shows, a formulaic, derivative blueprint is a moot point so long as the finished structure is compelling on its own terms. Alas, this is where the trouble begins.”

Bill Harris of the Toronto Sun finds The Best Years is nearly the worst:

• ‘The Best Years’ a total misnomer: Global series compares unfavourably with, well, just about anything else out there
  ” Sadly, The Best Years makes the recently cancelled Falcon Beach look like Masterpiece Theatre. Here’s one positive: Charity Shea, who plays Samantha, has a smile that truly lights up a TV screen. There isn’t much else to smile about, though. “

Elizabeth Withey of The Edmonton Journal interviews Niall Matter, star of The Best Years:

• From the rigs to TV: Edmonton-born actor stars in new drama The Best Years
  “Matter, 26, plays Trent Hamilton, a rebellious bartender and part-time student who has a cocaine problem. ‘What guy wouldn’t want to play the bad boy on a TV show?’ Matter said. ‘It’s a primal thing with guys. They want to be bad.'”

Adam Gonshor of andPop interviews Degrassi writer, The Best Years creator Aaron Martin:

• Aaron Martin Graduates from Degrassi
  “‘When I went and developed this show, looking back at why so many college shows don’t work is because you really need a strong central character to make a college show work,’ Martin says.”