Concept Degrassi: Next Class was intended to be the fifteenth season of
Degrassi: The Next Generation. When
Degrassi: The Next Generation ended its run on
TeenNick in the United States, the producers sought out other means to distribute the Next Class series and later made a deal with
Netflix.
Crew The series was created and executive produced by
Linda Schuyler,
Stephen Stohn, Sarah Glinski, and Matt Huether and produced by
DHX Studios Toronto (a subsidiary of
DHX Media).
Epitome Pictures,
DHX Media, and
Netflix jointly produced the series with funding from the Shaw Rocket Fund,
Royal Bank of Canada and the Cogeco Program Development Fund. Continuing with
Next Class, Sarah Glinski and Matt Huether served as head story editors for the show. Other writers included Courtney Jane Walker, Alejandro Alcoba, Cole Bastedo. Jennifer Kassabian and Ian MacIntyre. Other directors for the series included cast member and producer Stefan Brogren, Eleanor Lindo, Phil Earnshaw, and Rt!.
Episode format Each episode of
Degrassi: Next Class is written following the same formula with three storylines (Plot A, Plot B and Plot C). The problems and issues presented in the episode are not always resolved by the end of the episode, and are carried over throughout the season, creating a mini-arc. With
"Next Class", some episodes have the plots follow a common theme. This concept originated in
Degrassi Junior High and
Degrassi High. Episode titles feature a "
#" in the front of each episode title and occasionally refer to social media trends of the time.
Opening sequence The opening sequence of
Next Class adopted a 30-second format, in contrast to the heavily abridged sequence in the later seasons of
The Next Generation. Stephen Stohn explained to
TV Insider that while they wouldn't be necessarily returning to the "little vignettes of the characters" from earlier seasons, the new opening sequence would be "very reflective of Generation Z and how tuned-in they are to technology." The opening comes after a two-to three-minute
cold open but does not follow the characters around the school. Instead, a montage of videos and pictures from the characters social media accounts cycle across the screen. Like the final two seasons of
Degrassi, instead of listing every ensemble actor in the opening, episodes only credit the regular actors appearing in that episode. The opening sequence features a "more amped up, more electronic" update of "Whatever It Takes", the theme music written for
Degrassi: The Next Generation, this time produced by
Rob Wells and Shobha, with the latter on vocals. The studio's backlot was used for exterior shots of the characters' houses, which was one unit dressed differently for each house, and The Dot Grill. The building for The Dot was the only one on the backlot large enough to allow filming inside; scenes taking places inside the school and house interiors were filmed on one of four sound stages. It was also used as the studio's cafeteria where the cast and crew eat. Studio B contained the sets for the characters' houses. The fourth studio, Studio D, housed all the production offices, dressing rooms, and make-up and hair departments. For the new series,
Next Class, the interior of the school set saw a major facelift. New doors were added for all classrooms, room numbers were placed on doors, classrooms were remodeled to be more modern which included new "smart-boards" and
high-definition television sets (also placed throughout the hallways, cafeteria and gym), and the lockers were repainted for a more "retro" look. Several new sets were also added which include: a new student lounge room, an area called the "conversation pit", a remodeled classroom for Digital arts, and a restaurant called "Lola's Cantina".
Cancellation In March 2019, Stefan Brogren alluded to the show's cancellation in a tweet. ==Premise==