New Students... New Drama!

New Students... New Drama!

Get Ready As A New Class Of Degrassi Students Enroll On The New Season Of The N's Hit Teen Drama, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Friday, Oct. 10, At 8:00 P.M. (ET)

The N Debuts Last Eight Episodes of Final Season of Acclaimed Teen Drama, South of Nowhere, Beginning Oct. 10, at 9:00 P.M. (ET)

NEW YORK, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Fall has arrived and high school is back in session for a few new underclassmen at Degrassi, when The N premieres a new season of the award-winning hit teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation with a special hour-long episode on Friday, Oct. 10, at 8:00 p.m. (ET). Degrassi's new students may think they're ready to navigate their new surroundings with the help of new best friends, cliques and boyfriends, but they'll soon discover that this high school redefines teenage drama. Degrassi: The Next Generation airs regularly Friday nights at 8:00 p.m. (ET) on The N.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080925/NY35183 )

Directly following Degrassi is the return of The N's acclaimed teen drama South of Nowhere at 9:00 p.m. (ET). The N will roll out the final eight episodes of South of Nowhere on Friday nights at 8:30 p.m.* with the special hour-long series finale premiering Friday, Dec. 12, at 8:00 p.m. (ET). After the series finale, viewers will get a chance to see two different flash forwards about the future of Ashley and Spencer. The first will be a 2-3 minute short of "The Next Day" written by series creator, Tommy Lynch, and the other will be a 2-3 minute short of what happens "5-Years Later" which was conceptualized by fans.

Beginning Friday, Oct. 3, and leading up the new season premiere, The N will "Get Ready for Degrassi" by airing every episode ever of the hit teen series and showing sneak peeks of the new season. Marathons of the series will run from Friday, Oct. 3, at 3:00 p.m. through Monday, Oct. 6 at 9:00 a.m., and weekdays from 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. On Friday, Oct. 10, The N will run an all-day marathon, leading up the anticipated one-hour premiere at 8:00 p.m. (ET).

In the Degrassi premiere, "Uptown Girl," teen mom Mia, desperate to have a normal teenage life, is relieved of her after-school parental duties by her mom. Mia takes full advantage of her newfound freedom and her chance to do it all, joining the cheerleading squad, making new girlfriends, catching the eye of Degrassi's star quarterback, and the ultimate teen girl's dream -- landing a plum modeling contract. But will Mia be able to balance cheerleading, a new boyfriend, new friends, and life in the limelight as a working model? When Mia has the chance to book the ultimate job -- becoming the new face of a hot, new ad campaign -- she's faced with some tough choices and the harsh realities of fame. Mia wants the job so badly that she's willing to do just about anything to land it, but at what cost?

Degrassi also welcomes a new class of "gifted" freshmen, including Clare, Darcy's buttoned-up and book-worm younger sister. Having the beautiful, prom queen for an older sister isn't easy and there's no way Clare is even going to try to follow in Darcy's footsteps. She claims that she doesn't care what people think and is only at Degrassi for one reason, to learn. But that claim is immediately challenged when she meets K.C., a cute skater and fellow gifted freshman. He sees through her "just here for school" act and tries to break through her tough shell. When he challenges her to an 'open mic' performance in the school cafeteria, things don't go the way either of them expect and Clare is brutally humiliated before the entire school.

Meanwhile at Smithdale University, it's far from one-for-all, and all-for-one, when Degrassi grads Emma, Liberty and Manny are assigned different roommates in a housing mix-up. Manny and Liberty are just as happy to start fresh, part ways and embrace the opportunity to meet new people. But Emma is determined to keep them together and to their dismay, spends hours negotiating with the housing department to get them reassigned together ... along with Kelly, a fourth roommate, who is not at all what they are expecting and definitely going to make dorm life a lot more interesting.

On South of Nowhere's half-hour premiere, "Career Day," Ashley and Spencer are finally back together and are ready to pick up where they left off. Except this time, Ashley's the one looking for stability and commitment, especially since Kyla's already on her way to ruining their lives.

Meet the new cast of Degrassi: The Next Generation:

Allia "Alli" Bhandari - Grade 9 (14-years-old): Known as "Sav's Little Sister," "Our Little Genius" or "Backwoods Bhandari," Allie is tired of being labeled. She has never felt like she fits in anywhere ... not at home with her conservative parents or at school in her gifted programs. All Alli wants is a normal high school experience -- although she's not entirely sure what that is. She knows it includes more fun and at least one cute boy and she knows she needs to deceive her parents in order to have it. Sometimes Alli goes too far in her quest to be like everyone else and it gets her into trouble. But she's always been able to get herself out of it -- so far.

Clare Edwards - Grade 9 (14-years-old): A polar opposite of her boy-crazy older sister Darcy, Clare believes there are more important things in life than dating. However, it was easier to avoid boys at her all-girls school, but at Degrassi, they're everywhere. She knows people think she's weird but she's not worried about fitting in. Clare has a strong moral compass and is puzzled when people don't do the right thing. But being the "good girl" definitely comes with its own set of challenges.

K.C. Guthrie - Grade 9 (14-years-old): Tall and athletic, K.C.'s appearance makes him the last teenager you'd expect to walk into a gifted class -- but here he is, ready to learn. With K.C.'s focus on academic achievement, he finds himself surrounded by an unlikely group of friends and a potential love interest. Will he be able to maintain a balance between his social and academic life and still be able to hide the dark secret from his past?

Connor - Grade 9 (14-years-old): Connor is an intense guy and has the ability to focus completely on one thing. Of course that one thing is rarely what someone is saying to him. He's incredibly smart and has learned enough conventional responses to fit in most of the time. What neither Connor, nor the people around him have learned, is that he has an undiagnosed mild case of Aspergers Syndrome.

Leia - Grade 11 (16-years-old): Shy and insecure, Leia arrives at Degrassi not knowing anyone. She hopes that her demeanor will be interpreted as cool and aloof. On the first day of school, she is befriended by Mia and the two are quickly inseparable until Leia is unable to tolerate the fast fashion model lifestyle that Mia gravitates toward.

Blue Chessex - Grade 11 (17-years-old): Blue has a reputation for being a ladies man who could easily have his pick of potential girlfriends. But he's not at all what people think and he's far from locker room banter about any of his conquests. If you're ever looking for Blue, you can always try the art room where he's working on his latest masterpiece.

Riley Stavros - Grade 12 (18-years-old): Riley seems to have it all -- he's attractive and he's the star football player. But behind his apparent charm, dry humor and self-confidence, there's a potentially angry young man who harbors a big secret. Riley feels he can beat this thing with the same kind of determination he has brought to his weight training and football playing. But when Riley meets Peter, he questions if he can he be friends with this guy or would it be wiser to back away altogether?

Kelly Ashoona - Smithdale University (18-years-old): A sweet guy with a disarming grin and a way with words, Kelly is fast becoming friends with every girl in the dorm. The guys like Kelly too, but not just because he lives with three hot girls. Kelly is totally zen, plays guitar, ultimate frisbee, loves sports and movies, and carries himself with that comfortable, collegiate air that makes him so likeable and thus the ultimate wingman and future boy crush.

Degrassi: The Next Generation, winner of both a Television Critics Association Award and two Teen Choice Summer Series Awards, is a fictional, dramatic series that tackles tough issues in a realistic way. Degrassi explores an interesting group adolescents and young adults going through the trials and tribulations at Degrassi Community School and beyond. The series follows Holly J (Charlotte Arnold), Mia (Nina Dobrev), Sav (Raymond Ablack), Anya (Samantha Munro), Scott Paterson (Johnny), Danny (Dalmar Abuzeid) and Peter (Jamie Johnston) as they journey through high school. Season Eight introduces a new group of "niners" into the gifted program taught by Mr. Simpson (Stefan Brogren) including Clare (Aislinn Paul), Sav's sister Alli (Melinda Shankar), KC (Sam Earle) and Connor (A.J. Saudin). Also sit along for the season are alumni Emma (Miriam McDonald), Manny (Cassie Steele), Liberty (Sarah Barrable-Tishauer), Spinner (Shane Kippel), and Jay (Mike Lobel) as they experience life post Degrassi.

Degrassi: The Next Generation is produced by Epitome Pictures in association with CTV. The series was co-created by Linda Schuyler, co-producer of the original Degrassi series, and Yan Moore. Schuyler and Stephen Stohn serve as Executive Producers. Season Eight Executive Producer is Sara Snow.

Epitome Pictures and its affiliate companies have been producing quality Canadian programming since 1976, including the multi-award winning, internationally recognized Degrassi franchise, The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High, which still air throughout the world. Epitome Pictures has also produced the series Instant Star, Liberty Street and Riverdale as well as several MOWs. For more information, please visit www.epitomepictures.com.

About The N

The N, the 24-hour TV network exclusively for and about teens, is currently available in 64 million households via cable, digital cable and satellite, as well on mobile, VOD and broadband. The N's distinct perspective connects its audience to the electricity and possibilities of teendom, anytime and anywhere, with original series and ever-popular favorites. The N's Emmy Award-winning website, The-N.com, paired with sister site Quizilla.com, makes The N the #1 online destination for teens. The N and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

* The Dec. 5 episode of South of Nowhere will premiere at 8:00 p.m. (ET).

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080925/NY35183
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN15
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Mirian Arias, +1-212-846-7653, or Mirian.Arias@the-n.com,
Rebecca Boswell, +1-212-846-8914, Rebecca.boswell@nick.com

Web Site: http://www.epitomepictures.com/
http://www.the-n.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: Art and DVD available upon request.

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