Entertainment

'Degrassi: Next Class' Features 5 All-New Stars

by Molly Freeman

If you grew up watching television at any point over the past 30 years, especially if you lived in Canada, chances are you've probably heard of the teen drama series Degrassi. The show has a long history of tackling subjects important to high school students during whatever time period it aired. Now, Degrassi is moving to Netflix — yes, the streaming service saved yet another beloved television show — with a new incarnation of the Canadian drama. And with a new place to catch the series comes a new cast of Degrassi: Next Class.

The franchise started in 1979, then called The Kids of Degrassi Street, which evolved into Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High during the late '80s/early '90s. Then the series was rebooted in the form of Degrassi: The Next Generation , and ran for a total of 14 seasons before it was cancelled. Now the series has been re-imagined yet again in Degrassi: Next Class, which will feature a combination of returning cast members and entirely new characters.

So, fans hoping to see more of the characters from previous Degrassi incarnations should be happy (Snake is back, of course), but if you'd like to know more about who will be portraying the newest students at Degrassi Community School, here's a cheat sheet to the new stars.

Dante Scott

At 14, Scott is the youngest cast member on Degrassi: Next Class, and he plays Vijay Maraj. Scott doesn't have any previous credits to his name, but he did reveal that his parents are huge fans of Degrassi . In an interview on Windsor Morning, he said, "they were more excited than I was when we found out I got the role."

Amir Bageria

Another newcomer and the second youngest cast member is Bageria, who plays Baaz Nahir. Degrassi: Next Class is Bageria's first major role, but I did learn that he is a huge hockey fan. His favorite player is Washington Capitals Captain Alexander Ovechkin.

Soma Bhatia

Before joining Degrass: Next Class as Goldi Nahir, Bhatia had a handful of roles, the most prominent of which was Lauren in the 2015 remake of Poltergeist. Also, both she and Degrassi co-star Ehren Kassam appeared in the pilot for Cheerleader Death Squad , which hasn't made it to air. But hey, at least that left them with enough time to star in Next Class.

Chelsea Clark

Clark got her start on an episode of Rookie Blue , and has since appeared on Canadian teen sitcoms Life with Boys and The Stanley Dynamic. Now she'll play Esme Song on Degrassi: Next Class.

Jamie Bloch

The newest Degrassi cast member with the longest resume is Bloch, who joins Next Class as Yael Baron. She's had a number of film and TV roles, including 2008's The Echo and an episode of Warehouse 13. Plus, she co-starred in the Canadian teen fantasy/sitcom Wingin' It.

Now that you know more about Degrassi: Next Class's newest faces, get ready to watch them join the students we all know and love at Canada's most famous school.

Images: Netflix