the six-part documentary series Degrassi Talks, which aired on CBC in six installments from February 29 to March 30, 1992, each tackling a specific issue that the series had portrayed. Each actor was chosen specifically for their character's relation to each topic. The series was personally funded by then-Minister of Health Benoît Bouchard, who contributed $350,000. The six actors conducted interviews in 26 cities, including bigger and smaller towns. The series also featured archive footage from the series, vox pop interviews and on-screen statistics. While it was well-received by critics, it proved less popular with teenage viewers, who felt it to be redundant and at times perpetuating certain stereotypes. Principal photography began on School's Out on July 21, 1991, and the television movie premiered on CBC on January 5, 1992. The movie, which mostly focused on a love triangle between Joey, Caitlin (Mistysyn), and Tessa Campanelli (Kirsten Bourne), garnered a positive, yet mixed reception. It garnered controversy for its unusual characterization of certain popular characters as well as the catastrophic events experienced by other characters. It was also notable for its use of the word "fuck", first said by Stefan Brogren (Snake) and then Stacie Mistysyn (Caitlin), that are claimed to be the first uses of the word in Canadian television history. Despite the mixed reception, the film drew an estimated 2.3 million viewers: double that of the average audience that Degrassi High received. The movie did not air in the United States until over two years later, when it premiered on PBS on June 20, 1994. Development of Next Generation and Next Class (1999–2019) In 1999, a reunion of the original cast took place on the CBC youth show Jonovision, hosted by Jonathan Torrens. The reunion became particularly popular, with the live taping drawing in audience members from as far as San Francisco. The success of the reunion inspired Yan Moore and Linda Schuyler, now running Epitome Pictures, to develop an interest in creating a new Degrassi series by December 1999. They had originally planned to create an unrelated teen drama titled Ready, Willing And Wired. Moore noted that Emma, Spike's daughter, would be entering junior high school by the new millennium, and the show was retooled to centre around Emma and her friends attending Degrassi. Epitome would propose the idea of Degrassi: The Next Generation to CTV in October 2000, and Ivan Fecan, now CEO of CTV's parent