Degrassi canon and continuity
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The Degrassi canon consists of official works where the characters, events, settings, etc., are considered to have existence within the Degrassi fictional universe. These works include Degrassi Junior High, Degrassi High, School's Out, and Degrassi: The Next Generation.[1] (As The Kids of Degrassi Street shares actors but not characters with the later series, it is generally not considered to exist in the same continuity.) All other Degrassi stories which have been properly licensed are considered apocrypha.[citation needed]
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[edit] Non-canon / out of continuity
Degrassi Talks and Degrassi Unscripted clearly occur outside canon and continuity, as they are documentaries featuring commentaries from the actual castmembers as themselves. However, some materials occur within Degrassi continuity without automatically being considered canon.
[edit] Degrassi Minis
Some of these webisodes released by CTV and The N are in continuity with the rest of Degrassi: The Next Generation, while others are entirely (and explicitly) out of it. The in-continuity episodes occur during Season 5 and Season 6, as their production blocks coincided with the filming of those seasons, and generally have episode titles following the convention typical to episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation (i.e. they are named after songs).
In-continuity episodes include (in order of production):
- Degrassi Minis Season 1
- "Don't You Forget About Me, Part 1"
- "Notorious"
- "Bizarre Love Triangle"
- "Don't You Forget About Me, Part 2"
- "Man in the Mirror"
- "Bigmouth Strikes Again"
- "The Lovecats"
- "Hey Ladies"
- Degrassi Minis Season 2
- "Sean In Prison"
- "Two's Company"
- "Dating 4 Dudes"
- "Be Aware of Heather Sinclair"
- "The Diary of Jay Hogart"
- "Toby Dynamite"
- "Bring It On"
- "I Won't Forget"
- "DeView"
- "Jimmy Walks"
These minis are not necessarily canon, and may (or may not) be considered apocryphal by the producers of the series. The aired episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation do form the backbone upon which their plot and character developments occurring are based, but notably, the events occurring therein are not mentioned in the main series. The episodes "Dating 4 Dudes," "Be Aware of Heather Sinclair," and "The Diary of Jay Hogart" are also filmed differently from the aired episodes, with "Dating 4 Dudes" and "The Diary of Jay Hogart" shot in a mockumentary style (possibly breaking the fourth wall) and "Be Aware of Heather Sinclair" shot from a first-person perspective.
Other Degrassi Minis occur completely out of continuity with the series, and are easily considered non-canon. These webisodes include a blooper reel ("What's My Line") and several hypothetical scenarios:
- "What if Paige was Liberty and Liberty was Paige?"
- "What if Jimmy was never shot?"
- "What if Emma was Jay and Jay was Emma?"
- "What if Craig picked Emma?"
- "What if Zombies Took over Degrassi?"
- "Adam Lazzara From Taking Back Sunday Married My Mom!"
Although the last of these is close to being a parody (shot in the style of a sitcom), the previous four adhered to the standard scene format of Degrassi: The Next Generation, and it is possible that at least some of them are in continuity with one another.
[edit] Degrassi: Extra Credit
The graphic novel series based upon Degrassi: The Next Generation expands on pre-established characters, plots, and events from the series.[2] However, the comics are merely used to "fill in the gaps,"[3] and have not been mentioned in the aired episodes thus far.
Two recent Degrassi Minis, "Confusionville" and "Punked," are actually "mangasodes" based on scenes from Book One ("Turning Japanese") and Book Two ("Suddenly Last Summer") of Degrassi: Extra Credit.
[edit] Promotional clips
At the end of episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation as aired on CTV, promotional clips are often featured to advertise and provide information on the next episode, typically showing a character (who will be featured predominantly in the upcoming plotline) commenting in character on their role, intent, and/or feelings about events in the next episode. Although the actual characters (as opposed to the castmembers) are speaking, these clips are not considered canon as they break the fourth wall and address the audience.
[edit] References
- ^ P., Ken, FilmForce Weekend Shopping Guide 12/16/05: Grimm Holiday, Ign.com (December 16, 2005): "That it also treated the original Degrassi as canon – bringing many of the actors back as their original characters – was also a delightful plus."
- ^ Furey, Emmett, CCI Xtra: "Degrassi: Extra Credit" Crew Talk Graphic Novels, CBR.cc (July 27, 2006): "And writer and artist both are nothing if not attentive to detail when it comes to continuity. Some stories in the comic pick up the very moment a scene from the series leaves off..."
- ^ Epitome Pictures, Degrassi Graphic Novels, The Official Degrassi: TNG site from FUNimation (November 17, 2006): "Degrassi: Extra Credit graphic novels fill in those gaps! The original storylines in each volume -- written by award-winning graphic novel and comic book writer J. Torres in collaboration with the television show's creative staff -- pick up where the show left off, expanding on plot elements from Degrassi: The Next Generation and weaving new adventures, challenges and life experiences seamlessly into the DNG story."
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