A teen drama focuses it's stories on youths. The best teen dramas do not talk down to teens but show the world from their point of view.
Come here for all the news, reviews, and all things teen drama!!!!
It's been a big year for the class of 2011 in the world of teen drama! West Beverly, Degrassi, and Grant all celebrated big graduations this year. Confessions, illness, proposals, everything you can imagine happens at these graduations.
For 90210, this marked the end of the high school chapter of the series. For Degrassi, this was a farewell to several of the main characters, and for The Secret Life it was a splitting up half the cast of high school and now out of high school.
Graduation is a big moment in the world of teen drama and has been used as a major plot device and story arc on nearly all long lasting teen dramas. It's a huge transitional step that can either boost or break a show. Critics have stated opinions that teen drama series' tend to "jump the shark" once they leave high school and move into the real world. Do any of you readers have opinions on whether or not a teen drama can be successful when taken out of high school? Shows like Degrassi have mastered the art of focusing on the school and following future generations of students. Then shows like Beverly Hills 90210 follow the main characters as they enter adulthood. Both attempts have been proven to be both successful and unsuccessful given the programs.
For now lets take a moment to remember some of the memories of teen drama graduations throughout the years!
Do you have a favorite? How do you feel about teen dramas leaving high school behind? How should a graduation episode be written?
Tonight concluded the episode named after a Rihanna song. We said goodbye to another class of Degrassi students.
Fiona wakes up late and is avoiding Holly J's calls. Her mother worries about her going to the graduation but Fiona assures her she's fine. Fiona is hiding her empty wine bottles from her mother. Fiona arrives at the graduation full of resentment for Holly J leaving her. Holly J is angry at her for being selfish and informs her that she is getting her surgery the night of prom and will not be able to attend. Fiona leaves as Holly J gives her emotional valedictorian speech for the class of 2011 and the graduates receive their diplomas. She later runs into Charlie who catches her with alcohol. Fiona confides her fears about Holly J leaving her alone and confesses that she let Mr. Tuxedo Pants out of her apartment. Charlie berates her and tells her that she pushes people away. Fiona takes her advice and surprises Holly J at the hospital where she apologizes for her selfishness. Holly J is tired of fixing problems for other people so Fiona surprises her when Anya and Chantay show up to celebrate prom early. The girls take a fun limo ride through the city that leads them to Degrassi. The girls decide to leave their mark on Degrassi by leaving their hand prints in the cement. Fiona confesses to drinking the night before but assures them that she's better now. Fiona smiles as her friends leave their hand prints and initials so Degrassi never forgets them. The next day Fiona goes to apologize to Charlie and finds out that the cat is now safe at home. Fiona then informs her that she'll be missing prom as well because she's going back to rehab.
Anya breaks the news to Riley that she's going to prom with Owen now. Later Riley's mother accepts and comes to terms with the fact that he is gay.
Katie and Marisol prepare for the future running student council. Katie worries about having sex with Drew. He soon happily informs her that he is STI free and invites her over to watch movies in his basement. Katie has Marisol crash the movie date to avoid having sex with Drew. By the end of the night Drew has had enough and asks Marisol to leave. Katie confesses that she is not ready for sex and Drew informs her that he invited her over to meet his mother because she's important to him. The two go upstairs to get to talk more with his mother. The next day Katie informs Drew that Bianca signed up for Grade 9 orientation and she does not know whether or not to trust her. After Katie steps away Drew declines a phone call from Bianca.
Annie Clark and Charlotte Arnold gave great performances in this episode. It was surprising to see an absence of the Owen and Anya story, but it seemed like a good choice given the graduation story. We said goodbye to the seniors as we know them. This episode gets an A and is probably one of the better Degrassi graduation episodes. It is almost the end of Degrassi: Now or Never!
Only 3 weeks left of Degrassi: Now or Never! Last night they unleashed a new promo that dropped the jaws of Degrassi fans! (We'll post higher quality when available).
Also one of the new minor niners is beign reported! Olivia Scriven will be playing Maya Matlin, younger sister of Katie (Chloe Rose).
If you aren't following the cast of Degrassi on twitter, then you might want to consider it. The show has convinced most of it's cast to get twitters along with some of the staff. It's a great way to connect with the fans, get feedback, and leak secrets... this was one of the major reasons why fans new to expect uniforms due to tweeted pics.
Last week executive producer Stephen Stohn tweeted this picture from the Degrassi graduation:
Looks as though Holly J Sinclair might indeed be the valedictorian for the class of 2009? 2010? 2011? Guess we'll see. They still didn't tell us what year Peter's grade took place in.
And Fiona's future is basically spoiled Annie Clark all but confirmed it with her latest tweet: "Incredible day on set with @_samanthamunro, Jajube and Char. Degrassi won't be the same without you." Plus numerous pictures of her with the cast at read throughs for episodes later. Fiona will be held back a year and remain on Degrassi.
She also tweeted a picture from Degrassi's next prom:
