Most people have heard of Degrassi, even if they don’t watch it, but for those people who go crazy every time a new episode is released, there are several obvious reasons that people love it almost as much as food, sleep, air, Foxy Bingo (c’mon, you know it, I know it) and milkshakes. Here’s our five:

1) The drama. Whether it’s about relationships, friendships, money, drugs – there’s rarely a calm day in the world of Degrassi, and it means you’ll never be bored watching it.

2) A wide range of characters. Doesn’t matter who you are, it’s likely you’ll find someone in the show’s extensive cast to relate to, and their struggles will be far more poignant for reviewers as a result.

3) A long run. If you’re worried you’ll run out, you should be fine – there are over ten seasons, and with that many episodes it’s going to be a long while before you find you’re completely up to date. And that’s before you delve into the retro stuff!

4) A huge fan community. If you love getting in touch with people who love the show, then you’re watching the right one, as the online fanbase for Degrassi is absolutely huge. You’ll never be lost for people to discuss the show with, and there are new fans (like you, perhaps!) joining Degrassi fan-sites and forums all the time!

5) The ability to watch it online. Degrassi is definitely for the digital generation, as you can watch it online, which means that if you’ve got a PC, a tablet PC, a laptop, browser-enabled games console, smartphone… you get the idea: you can watch this show how you like, when you like.

Degrassi just keeps on getting better, and these are only five of countless reasons why people love the show. Feel free to share yours!

Degrassi Talks is a Degrassi fan podcast hosted by myself, Bianca from Degrassi Dish, and Ashley from Whatever It Takes. And we welcome our new co-host Chrissy! In this episode we review the hour-long Degrassi episode Nowhere to Run, and talk about the new season 11 teasers. To listen to the podcast, you can download it right here! OR you can subscribe to us on iTunes!!

Episode 18: November 22, 2011

• Welcome our new co-host Chrissy!
• How does this episode compare to previous Degrassi Halloween specials?
• What was the point of Dave and Alli breaking up?
• We discuss Alli/Jake and how spoilers ruined the surprise
• Was Clare too much of a “damsel in distress”?
• Our thoughts on Marisol and how Degrassi portrays its “boyfriend stealer” characters
• Why did Clare forgive Jake but not Alli?
• New season 11 promos! We’re starting a campaign against yellow uniforms.
• Is Clare really going to sleep with Jake?

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Running time: 0:57:34
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Degrassi’s fall special, Nowhere to Run, premiered on Much Music last night. As expected, it was full of breakups, makeups, and a whole lot of drama. Screencaps from the special have now been uploaded to our gallery. Relive all the relationship drama and check out the album! The hour-long episode is airing on TeenNick next month (November 18th to be exact).

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Stephen Stohn on WhoSay

The cast of Degrassi is resumed filming this week and read through the final four episodes of Season 11 Part 2. Stephen Stohn posted pictures of the read through and script cover pages.  Here’s the list of all the released episode titles for Season 11 Part 2:

1130/31 – Bleeding Love (Teennick Special Title – Nowhere to Run) (Oct 24 CA)(Nov 18 US)
1132/33 – Underneath It All
1134/35 – Can’t Tell Me Nothing
1136/37 – Not Ready to Make Nice
1138/39 – Need You Now
1140/41 – Smash Into You
1142/43 – Hollaback Girl (New)
1144/45 – In The Cold Cold Night (New)

Click the pictures above for full size images.

Much Music’s new show Signed premieres next week, and the first episode features Degrassi’s own Alicia Josipovic. The show is all about finding out that “there’s more to being a popstar than a pretty face.”

Premiering on Tuesday October 25th at 10pm ET, the first episode follows Alicia as she tries to achieve every singer’s dream. She attempts to get signed by a record label. We’ve always known that Alicia is an aspiring singer. It should be interested to watch her journey!

Check out a teaser at MuchMusic.com!

Degrassi’s one hour special Nowhere to Run is set to premiere on Much Music this Monday. Finally, TeenNick has announced that they will air the special episodes on November 18th – almost a full month after it airs in Canada. With spoilers almost impossible to avoid on Twitter, Tumblr, etc., waiting until November 18th may not be the best idea. We all know that a download will inevitably appear on Monday night.

For those of you who can’t wait until then, Much Music has released preview pictures from Nowhere to Run. Featuring new images of Alli, Marisol, Jake, Katie, and other characters – the episode looks like it will be full of relationship drama. View all the new pictures right here.

Additionally, TeenNick’s trailer for the episodes was released by E! earlier today. The trailer is approximately 1 minute in length and includes a ton of new scenes. Click here to watch it online!

Today (October 20th) is the second annual Spirit Day, and this year several Degrassi cast members will be participating.

Spirit Day asks people all around the world to wear purple in support of LGBT youth and anti-bullying efforts. Annie Clark, Aislinn Paul, Jordan Todosey, and Melinda Shankar are just a few of the many Degrassi cast members who have tweeted about supporting this annual event. Jordan and Annie are even mentioned on GLAAD’s list of celebrity supporters.

From GLAAD’s own website:
Millions of Americans wear purple on Spirit Day as a sign of support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth and to speak out against bullying. Spirit Day was started in 2010 by teenager Brittany McMillan as a response to the young people who had taken their own lives. Observed annually on October 20, individuals, schools, organizations, corporations, media professionals and celebrities wear purple, which symbolizes spirit on the rainbow flag. Getting involved is easy — participants are asked to simply “go purple” on October 20 as we work to create a world in which LGBT teens are celebrated and accepted for who they are.

For more information on how you can participate, check out http://glaad.org/spiritday! Remember to wear purple today & go purple on Twitter!

Former Degrassi star Shenae Grimes continues her passion of being behind the camera as well as in front of it, by directing a new music video for singing sister duo Megan and Liz. The video for their song “Are You Happy Now?” is part of the anti-bullying campaign “Step Up to Bullying” in conjunction with DoSomething.com.  While Shenae doesn’t star in the video, you can see her in a behind the scenes clip featured at the end of the video. Another six degrees of Degrassi tidbit, Megan and Liz also have a song titled “Run Away” co-penned by current Degrassi opening sequence theme singer Alexz Johnson.

With the recent premiere of Landon Liboiron’s new show Terra Nova, it’s clear that Degrassi is still one of the top teen shows for discovering new talent. From Shenae Grimes to Nina Dobrev, several of Degrassi’s cast members have gone on to take Hollywood by storm.

In a new interview with The TV Addict, Degrassi executive producer/writer/director/actor Stefan Brogren explains his thoughts on the secret to Degrassi’s success:

“I think it has a lot to do with the show’s caring environment that allows young actors to flourish … Our kids are getting a lot of education while they’re behind these walls that allows them to experiment. That and, we’re always putting these characters through hell which means they have to grow and they never get soft about it. We don’t want to keep these kids on a certain plain and they’re always trying to take it to the next level.”

He also discusses the importance of Degrassi being an ensemble effort:

“I think a big part of our alumni’s success is that the show is not a star vehicle for one person, it really is a group activity in a lot of ways. We get them when they’re young where they have to learn to work with others. So if this place was an acting school, the one thing that they’re learning is to be giving to their other actors and I think that’s a big big thing that a lot of young actors miss is that there’s some give and take involved. They come out of here really well rounded people in a lot of ways and they’ve learned a lot of skills.”

My take: You definitely get the sense that Degrassi is more like a performing arts company as opposed to a TV show. The current cast of Degrassi are well aware that this show has been around longer than they’ve even been alive, so they become a part of the group instead of the “star.” The Degrassi cast are given the opportunity to experience fame in small doses, but still represent the longstanding Degrassi “brand.” I’m proud of all of our cast members, and I’m sure they will continue to find success in the future.

Click here to read the full article!

Degrassi’s fall special Nowhere to Run is set to premiere on Much Music next week (October 24th at 9pm)! Earlier this week, Much Music’s official blog included a few new details about the episode.

Nowhere to Run is a two-part episode which features a cottage, a love triangle, “and there is a betrayal that you never saw coming.” The episode takes place over the summer break. The episode summary says: “Getting away to Jake’s remote cabin for an end of summer bash sounds fantastic but when strange things start happening, paranoia and suspicions surface and the gang has anything but a good time.”

Following the two episodes of Degrassi, Much Music will be airing a half hour behind the scenes special! Titled My Time At Degrassi, the special features Much Music host Lauren Toyota as she visits the iconic Degrassi set. Click here to watch some sneak peeks!

MuchMusic.com is saying that the two episodes and the half hour special will be live streamed on their website. However, it is unclear whether this will be geoblocked for those outside of Canada. With a live stream, it’s hard to say. TeenNick has yet to announce its airdate for the episodes yet, so it will likely premiere on Much Music first.