'Degrassi' franchise in elite company hitting 400-episode landmark

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Actors, clockwise from left, Luke Bilyk, Aislinn Paul, AlexSteeler, Melinda Shankar, Annie Clark, Jordan Todosey, Jahmil French and Munro Chambers from "Degrassi: The Next Generation," are shown at a screening event, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012, at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, N.J. On Friday, "Degrassi," which premiered on CTV in 2001 and now airs on MuchMusic, presents its 300th episode. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP Photo/StarPix, Dave Allocca

In Canadian television circles, getting an original scripted show launched is an impressive achievement, a second season is a shocker and a third a miracle.

A 400-episode run? Impossible.

Or it seemed so until now. On Friday, "Degrassi," which premiered on CTV in 2001 and now airs on MuchMusic, presents its 300th episode. If you add the 100 episodes of the various "Degrassi" incarnations of the late-'70s and the '80s ("The Kids of Degrassi Street," "Degrassi Junior High" and "Degrassi High"), the franchise total stands at 400, according to a breakdown provided by "Degrassi."

That puts it in rare company among all scripted shows in North America. "Gunsmoke" (1955-75) stands as the U.S. scripted series with the most episodes ever (635), followed by "Lassie" (588, if you count all its various incarnations). Then there's "The Simpsons" (510 and counting), "Law & Order" (456 over its 20-year run), "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" (435) and "Bonanza" (430).

The combined "Degrassi" score tops such long-running U.S. hits as "Dallas" (357) and "Knots Landing" (344).

In Canada, it eclipses "The Beachcombers," which began airing on CBC 40 years ago this month. That lighthearted drama, which starred Bruno Gerussi as a B.C.-based log salvager, ran from 1972 to 1990, amassing 387 episodes.

"Having a fan base that really cares" is what has kept "Degrassi" going, says Stefan Brogren, who played Snake on "Degrassi Junior High" and "Degrassi High" and a high school principal in the current series. He's also a director and producer on the series, as well as for Epitome Pictures' series on The CW, "The L.A. Complex."

"We do try to keep the show fresh and grow with the times," he says, noting how the young cast members turn over every time another season ends and more kids "graduate."

"It's already getting a little emotional right now with people set to leave at the end of the season.

"There will be some surprises."

The franchise, created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood, began in 1979 as a series of CBC specials. Schuyler continues as executive producer along with her husband, former Juno Awards executive producer Stephen Stohn.

"Degrassi," as it's now called (it was "Degrassi: The Next Generation" until a few seasons ago), shoots 40 episodes a year. The expanded schedule of daily, half-hour episodes, premiering in the summer months, was part of a switch to a telenovella or soap format adopted when the series migrated off the main CTV network to MuchMusic in 2010. While the series continues to sell well internationally, ratings in Canada had been dwindling during those last few CTV seasons.

Neil Staite, vice president and general manager of music and entertainment at MuchMusic parent Bell Media, remembers watching the original "Degrassi" when he was in high school. The series remains one of Much's "tent pole" shows, he says, noting how it remains a driving force on social media.

"We bring in cast members to tweet and interact with audience members," he says, pointing to outdoor summer screenings which attract fans from across Canada and the U.S.

Staite says mail comes in "from kids all around the world who want to come to Canada because they see it as this place where everyone is accepted."

The Peabody Award-winning series has never backed off tackling taboo subjects, with some episodes deemed too intense for consumption south of the border on TeenNick and in syndication. Topics such as drug use, homophobia and teen pregnancy date back to the original series, with teen suicide also shaking up viewers.

"They tackle a lot of topics that are broader than a young audience," says Staite. "This season they've been getting into gender identification and gender equity. You wouldn't see that on many other shows."

Staite won't say how much longer the series could run, just that MuchMusic is "super happy with it" so far.

Brogren expects to be "Snake" for a while longer, pointing to how popular the series remains as a Canadian TV export.

"The equation is simple," he says. "Teenagers are teenagers. We don't have vampires on our show but it doesn't matter if you're a kid from Israel or a kid from Russia, you're going to see kids from your high school on our show."

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Bill Brioux is a freelance TV columnist based in Brampton, Ont.