A New Start (Degrassi High)

Credited in order of original broadcast:[2]

Prior to "A New Start", Degrassi's writers had been reluctant to tackle the subject of abortion due to the polarizing nature of the subject.[3] The idea had been toyed around with as far back as Christine "Spike" Nelson's pregnancy in Degrassi Junior High,[4] but head writer Yan Moore feared the reaction to such a storyline and felt that "there was no way we could possibly do it".[3] As the cast matured and the producers had done further research, Moore changed his mind, and creators Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood felt that the actors were emotionally mature enough to handle the topic. They selected twin sisters Erica and Heather Farrell (Angela and Maureen Deiseach), feeling they were perfect for portraying the polarization.[3][4]

Linda Schuyler said in 1989 that the topic felt appropriate for ushering in the new series as the subject could be further explored throughout the season, stating, "The issue is not over with in this show. There are three or four subplots which show the angst isn't over with. You just can't put something like this at the end of your season - well, you could but I don't think it would be responsible. The issue doesn't stop and start in an hour."[4] During the series' pre-acting workshops, the actors were given monologues concerning both sides of the issue to read "with conviction".[4] Some of the actors expressed the opposite opinion of their character. Cathy Keenan, who played the anti-abortion Liz O'Rourke, for example, was pro-choice in real life,[4] which co-creator Linda Schuyler commented was a "real stretch" for Keenan.[4] The topic polarized the cast members, with some refusing to say what had been written for them in the script.[4] Catherine Dunphy called the tension in the room during the initial readthrough "palpable".[5]

Angela Deiseach spent weeks extensively preparing for her role in the episode. She watched about a teenage girl who chose abortion, which made her cry,[5] discussed the subject at length with Maureen,[5] and eventually asked to visit an abortion clinic alone.[5] There, she was recognized from the show and heckled by anti-abortion protesters.[5] Deiseach then attended a counselling session, with nobody in the room knowing that she was an actress.[5] After the session, Deiseach entered an elevator, where a man called her a "whore".[5][6] Principal photography of the two-parter took place in the spring of 1989, wrapping on May 24.[7] The Deiseach twins recalled later that the filming of the scene in which Erica has to face her pregnancy reduced Kit Hood and everybody in the room to tears.[5]

"A New Start" premiered in its hour-long form on CBC Television in Canada at 8:30pm, the same time slot as its predecessor, on November 6, 1989,[8] pre-empting the American sitcom Designing Women.[9] In Australia, the first part premiered at 5:30pm on May 15, 1991, on ABC-TV's The Afternoon Show, a day after Degrassi Junior High's series finale, "Bye-Bye, Junior High", with the second part airing the day later.[10] Reportedly, to avoid pre-broadcast controversy, the CBC asked the media not to reveal much details of the episode, including the outcome of the storyline.[11]

"A New Start" did not generate the level of controversy that the writers had feared, specifically in the United States.[12] According to Yan Moore, they received no intensely negative reaction except for "the occasional postcard" from a "religious guy [..] telling us we were all going to hell in a handbasket."[12] The episode garnered generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the handling of the topic of abortion, and generally viewed it as a strong series opener that reaffirmed Degrassi's reputation as a realistic and honest teen drama. Bob Remington, writing for the Edmonton Journal, felt the episode handled the issue of abortion responsibly, portrayed every view point on the subject, and unlike other television series which addressed the same issue, there was no "miscarriage cop-out".[13]

Lynne Heffley of the Los Angeles Times declared that the episode still proved Degrassi as being one of the "most gutsiest shows on television".[14] Writing for The Toronto Star, Antonia Zerbisias acclaimed the episode, asserting that it was "a gutsy show, particularly in the light of the current political and emotional climate [of the 1980s]", and singled out the exploration of both sides of the abortion topic. Furthermore, she quipped that if the show was an American prime time show, "the whole thing would turn out to be a hilarious mix-up. We'd have lots of eye-rolling, sophomoric one-liners about burgeoning bellies and then ooops! Turns out the smart alec kid brother merely murdered the bunny for a school science project."[15] Ian Warden of The Canberra Times particularly praised actress Angela Deiseach, whom he felt "exquisitely and touchingly" portrayed Erica, and suggested that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation sell video tapes of the show in their stores, as "no high school, and perhaps no home with pubescent children rattling around it, should be without them".[10] Angela Deiseach's performance was also noted by Catherine Dunphy of the Toronto Star, who stated that when "Erica breaks down and weeps - really weeps; she is gasping for breath and her shoulders shake - it is an electric jolt. Her pain burns through even the cool medium of television."[4]

A mixed review came from The Province's Lee Bacchus. While agreeing that the episode continued to demonstrate the show's willingness to tackle contentious social issues, Bacchus felt that it simplified the issue of abortion to "the bumper-sticker level of righteous moralism" and "lofty platitudes".[8] On November 11, 1989, Starweek (the entertainment section of the Toronto Star) ran a piece in which two individuals, one anti-abortion and one pro-choice, offered their opinion on the episode. The anti-abortion viewer stated Degrassi High was "fundamentally dishonest" in its portrayal of abortion, and that Erica "has no choice at all since she is totally unwilling or unable to look her situation squarely in the face".[16] Meanwhile, the pro-choice viewer felt the episode was Degrassi's best, "poignantly presented" the emotional decisions involved and did not simplify the complexities of abortion, and that by doing so, it "did a service to compassion and tolerance".[17]

Reader's Digest Canada's Brett Walther ranked the episode and its storyline on his list of "10 Times Degrassi High Was the Best Thing on Television".[18] Like contemporary critics, Walther shared the sentiment that the abortion plotline was "sensitively and intelligently handled", and that the episode still felt "relevant more than three decades on".[18] Walther also singled out a quote from Spike: "It's great to have, you know, high ideals and stuff, but when you're in that situation, right and wrong—they can get really complicated.",[18] as being "fantastic" and "could just as easily serve as the series' manifesto".[18] He concluded that the episode didn't have a happy ending, but rather the moral of the story being that "most people are inherently decent, doing the best they can in a world that's often unfair."[18]

An anti-abortion protester holds a plastic fetus up towards Erica and Heather. This scene was controversially cut from the PBS broadcast in the United States.[19][20][21]

Though the episode did not generate the level of controversy the writers had feared, a minor spat occurred between Degrassi High's producers and PBS when the episode made its United States debut on the network in January 1990. The final scene with Erica and Heather fighting through a crowd of anti-abortion protesters to the entrance of the abortion clinic was removed,[22][19] instead ending on a shot of the twins looking on at the crowd before approaching them. Kate Taylor of WGBH, who was also involved in the series' production, stated that the choice to cut the scenes was an "[a]esthetic decision",[20] that had been undertaken to create a "more powerful, more poignant" ending to the story.[19] The choice was done without the consent of the show's original producers. This drew a negative response from co-creator Kit Hood, who denounced PBS's changes and stated that Kate Taylor had brought a "personal bias" into the decision.[13] Hood also remarked that they had given the episode "an American ending, happy, safe but incomplete...".[13] In protest, he requested his name be taken out of the credits of the PBS version.[20]

Linda Schuyler noted that the removed portion included a shot of a picketer holding up a plastic fetus, something that would be referred back to in a later episode.[21] Edmonton Journal's Bob Remington defended PBS's decision, arguing that it did not avoid the issue "or take the easy way out" as had been insinuated, and that the producers were overreacting over something arguably minor.[13] Ivan Fecan, the programming chief for the CBC and a proponent of the show, stated that the network had no hesitations in showing the unedited episode, stating: "If you do something responsibly and well, it is fine and right to show it".[4] He also opined that the United States did not give Degrassi the respect it deserved and that they "have no idea of what a strong show they are missing".[4]

• "It's Late", a similar episode from Degrassi Junior High involving teen pregnancy.
• "Accidents Will Happen", a similar episode from Degrassi: The Next Generation involving teen pregnancy that was not aired in the United States until three years later.[23]