Degrassi High is a Canadian television series created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood. The third series in the Degrassi franchise and a direct sequel to Degrassi Junior High, it aired on the CBC for two seasons from November 6, 1989 to February 28, 1991, and on PBS in the United States starting from January 13, 1990. A non-union production by Hood and Schuyler's company Playing With Time, Inc. Kate Taylor of WGBH served as an additional executive producer. The series follows the same Toronto-based ensemble cast from the previous series, now having graduated to high school, as they face most of the same issues as its predecessor, except with the addition of more controversial and extreme issues and challenges, including abortion, cancer, death, suicide, and AIDS. Like the previous series, it was jointly produced by Hood and Schuyler's Playing With Time and Kate Taylor of WGBH-TV Boston, and was produced in association with the United States Corporation for Public Broadcasting with participation of Telefilm Canada. The school used in the series is the Centennial College campus in Toronto, Ontario, and like its predecessor, the series shot in and around the Greater Toronto Area. The series premiered on CBC in the same 8:30.p.m Monday time slot as Junior High and continued its predecessor's critical and commercial success. A small controversy occurred in 1990 when PBS removed a scene featuring anti-abortion protesters from its premiere episode without the consent of the show's producers. It received six awards, including a Prix Jeunesse and four Chris Awards, and seven nominations, including for several actors. It officially concluded with the made-for-television movie School's Out, which aired on CBC on January 5, 1992, marking the end of the franchise's Degrassi Classic era, until the debut of Degrassi: The Next Generation on CTV nine years later. Development Concept and creation In November 1988, after the premiere of the third and final season of Degrassi Junior High, Linda Schuyler alluded to the potential of a high-school followup when discussing the direction of the franchise with the Montreal Gazette, although she was unsure if it would go forward It was decided to continue into high school as the actors were becoming older, which would also make way for more controversial topics, including abortion, which was addressed in the series premiere. According to Schuyler: "As the kids get older, the only way we can remain true to this age