Anyway, here’s the most recent Degrassi news to float around Degrassi land:

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Degrassi Nominated for GLAAD Media Award

http://www.glaad.org/mediaawards – Degrassi’s been nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for the second straight year.  I’m not sure how much of a chance they have to win, but I’m GLAAD (pun intended) that the LGBT community is giving Degrassi recognition.

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Linda Schuyler to be appointed to the Order of Ontario

http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20120120/012012_Order_ontario/20120120/?hub=CP24Home – It’s the most prestigious honor anyone can receive in Ontario, and Linda’s got it now!! I’m just going to dub her Queen of Ontario.  Stephen Stohn is the face/voice of the franchise today, but never forget Linda is the brains behind Degrassi.

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Sam Earle and Spencer Van Wyck Quit Twitter

If anyone cares, Sam and Spencer deleted their twitters….temporarily:

there is one upside to sam earle temporarily leaving twitter no more flirting with @kalieshorrmusic and @lawrasaur—
Jenna Middleton (@SonggBirdJM) January 22, 2012

No one knows when they’ll be back. Part of me wishes the rest of the cast would follow suit…fans would lose their minds and hopefully stop taking the cast for granted.

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Interview Ricardo Hoyos This Wednesday

http://www.muchmusic.com/tv/degrassi/blog/interview-new-degrassi-cast-member-ricardo-hoyos/ – You can submit questions to MuchMusic which they will be asking newcomer Ricardo on Wednesday via twitter.  I’m not really sure why we need to submit questions…if I wanna know something about Ricardo, I just ask him myself:

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Below are some of the more interesting screenshots, excluding the stuff we’ve already seen (Cake sex, Katie popping pills):

ElFimogen looks to be a giant circle of drama, which I'm kinda excited to see because all three characters can pull off drama pretty darn well.

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Gotta love how there's immediate tension between the new niners, who are split off into two groups: Tori/Tristan and Maya/Zig.

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EClare fans just don't know what to do with themselves seeing as how Imogeli looks imminent.

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Welcome back Connor! He goes from panty stealing to athlete. I wonder if he'll be like he was on the basketball team (being an assistant), or be someone with hidden talent that gets to play.

Underneath It All Part 1 & 2
It’s a new year at Degrassi, and Fiona’s ready for a fresh start. When an exclusive party at her loft leads to a late-night senior prank, who will take the blame? Now that Clare and Jake are living together, their relationship is hotter than ever. Clare tests Jake to determine if they’re “emotionally ready” for sex. Meanwhile, a new crop of niners get their first taste of Degrassi drama! Katie’s little sister, Maya, meets a cute boy on the first day of school, but Tori and Tristan warn her that Zig is bad news.

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Well this is…………..strange.  But this shall be a blog post with a TON of information.

It has been announced today that TeenNick will premiere Degrassi on Monday, February 20th, at 9pm EST!!!! Before I get into that, here are some pics from the new episodes:

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According to E!Online, TeenNick is going to be airing “Underneath It All Pt. 1″ on that Monday the 20th, and then they will continue to air Degrassi episodes every Friday. MuchMusic will premiere Underneath It All with a ONE-HOUR premiere on Friday, February 24th.

They’re also FINALLY going to be having cast viewing parties here in the U.S.!! And of course they’re only going to be in major cities: NY, L.A. Chicago and Minneapolis, but you can click here for more information about that.

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NINER CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS

Tori (Steele): While Tori may be spoiled thanks to her  parents indulging her every whim (dance lessons, modeling, beauty pageants, you  name it),  she’s definitely not a brat. Her positive attitude and bright  smile are infectious and she enters Degrassi believing she’s the best at  everything. Unfortunately, Tori is a bit sheltered and realizes she’s a bit  unhip compared to the students. Like former niner Alli (Melinda  Shankar), Tori is ready to rule Degrassi.

Zig (Ricardo Hoyos): Handsome, charming and aloof, Zig is  the freshman class’ very own bad boy who is full of swagger. He flirts with  girls, pulls pranks, gets detention and basically treats Degrassi High like his  playground because his homelife is anything but fun.

Maya (Olivia Scriven): Katie (Chloe Rose)  has a younger sister, y’all! Maya, who has been living in Katie’s accomplished  shadow her entire life, is ready to carve out an identity of her own when she  comes to Degrassi. While Katie is in to karate and journalism, Maya loves music  and, like so many students before her, she decides to start her own rock band.  Unafraid to speak her mind and not interested in gaining popularity, this  freshman often finds herself in detention.

Tristan (Lyle O’ Donohoe): Guess what? Owen (Daniel  Kelly) has a younger brother! Tristan is out and proud and has his eyes  set on running the school. Seriously, he wants it all: school musicals, dance  committees and top of the Power Squad pyramid. Fiercely loyal, Tristan is a good  friend to have.

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EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS

Thanks to Kyle from CableTVTalk for getting info about ep descriptions (which I’m assuming are from Much’s schedule)

1132/1133 – Underneath It All
It’s a new year at Degrassi, and Fiona’s ready for a fresh start. When an exclusive party at her loft leads to a late-night senior prank, who will take the blame? Now that Clare and Jake are living together, their relationship is hotter than ever. Clare tests Jake to determine if they’re “emotionally ready” for sex. Meanwhile, a new crop of niners get their first taste of Degrassi drama! Katie’s little sister, Maya, meets a cute boy on the first day of school, but Tori and Tristan warn her that Zig is bad news.

1134 – Can’t Tell Me Nothing, Part 1
Katie injures her knee at tryouts for the National Soccer Team. Desperate to make the team, she searches for a quick fix that will allow her to play through the pain. Jenna tries get her happy-go-lucky attitude back by picking up her guitar, but after everything she’s been through, her old songs sound all wrong. Jake encourages her to write something new. When Tori ditches Tristan to hang out with Zig, Tris is hurt. He’ll say anything to get his best friend back, but will he break her heart in the process?

1135 – Can’t Tell Me Nothing, Part 2
When Katie steals her mom’s pain medication, she feels like she can do anything, even play soccer on an injured knee. Making the National Soccer Team matters more to her than anything else, so she pushes her body to the limit. As Jenna prepares to perform at the Degrassi Coffeehouse, Jake warns her that K.C. might not like her new song. K.C. overhears and decides to give Jenna a taste of her own medicine. Tori, Tristan, and Zig try to work together on a musical act, but it falls apart when they can’t see eye to eye.

1136 – Not Ready to Make Nice, Part 1
On Jake’s birthday, he invites his “new girl” over for dinner. Clare loses her temper at the table and decides she can’t share a house with Jake anymore. The new plan: moving in with dad… if he agrees. When Connor and Mo compete for a spot on the football team, Connor has a hard time fitting in with the guys. Fiona realizes she’s developing a crush on Imogen when they work together on a school project. Instead of confessing her feelings, she distracts herself by playing matchmaker for her friends.

1137 – Not Ready to Make Nice, Part 2
Clare feels like everyone in her life has rejected her — everyone except her new friend Summer, who still wants her to move in. Summer’s easygoing attitude seems like exactly what Clare needs, but is this new living situation too good to be true? Jake decides to do a little investigating. Meanwhile, Fiona arranges a surprise date for Eli and Imogen at her loft, but the set-up is a disaster. Connor is sick of Mo’s constant teasing during football practice, so he sets him up on a date with an imaginary girl.

1138 – Need You Now, Part 1
Eli feels like his bi-polar disorder is under control, but Bullfrog disagrees, and doesn’t think Eli should be dating. When Imogen shows Eli her senior art project — a mural about mental illness, featuring his portrait — he lashes out and accidentally breaks her camera. Ty’s adoptive parents invite K.C. and Jenna to the christening, and K.C. decides he wants a bigger role in his son’s life. Tori does a great job at power squad tryouts, but Marisol thinks niners are unreliable. Can Tori prove her wrong?

1139 – Need You Now, Part 2
Eli catches Imogen in a lie and thinks she must be cheating on him. Adam’s advice is to play it cool, but Eli is obsessed with finding out the truth. Will spying on Imogen ease his worries — or ruin their new relationship? K.C. has trouble coping with the fact that Ty has a new name, and a new life that doesn’t involve him. When Marisol makes Tori wear the mascot costume around school at lunch, roaring to raise money for the power squad, she turns to Zig for emotional support.

1140 – Smash Into You, Part 1
Desperate to get Alli back, Dave signs up to help her organize the Model UN. His summer fling, Jacinta, has been texting him nonstop, so he cuts off all communication with her. It looks like things might work out with Alli — until Jacinta shows up at Degrassi. Since Katie’s in the hospital for her knee surgery, Marisol is stuck with Mo as a partner for Model UN, and they drive each other crazy. Adam receives a note from a secret admirer and assumes it’s a prank… but what if it’s not?

1141 – Smash Into You, Part 2
At Model UN, Jacinta tries to explain to Dave how much she likes him. When he tells her the summer was a mistake, she is an emotional wreck. She steals Dave’s phone, and sends Alli a break-up text. Crying and upset, she runs into the street with the phone. Meanwhile, Marisol thinks Mo is developing a crush on her, and she wants to put a stop to it. Clare helps Adam prepare for his date, but when he meets his secret admirer, he’s mortified.

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Above is the most recent Degrassi pic floating around the internet….Maya Matlin character pic.

There isn’t much Degrassi news…Stephen Stohn is supposed to be announcing the “official” official premiere date for the new episodes before the end of this week….I’d be surprised if it’s anything other than February 24th since no new info has popped up since we discovered that info.

The Degrassi Game has been delayed again, and **might** be released at the end of this week as well….I’m not holding my breath though. Until then I’ll just continue playing through the first four episodes and make edits to my character’s commentary:

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BEYOND DEGRASSI

DJGENERAL from DegrassiPodcasts did another interview with Stephen Stohn the other day, where he talked about Degrassi and The L.A. Complex.  I love Stephen Stohn interviews…he just talks and talks and gives us a better look at the behind the scenes stuff than cast members ever could.

PART 1:

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PART 2:

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If you follow the cast on twitter, you’ll see a majority of them talking about how they’re going to auditions, etc.  A lot of them do other things, and including Cristine Prosperi who’s in a new series called Totally Amp’d. It’s about a group of teens who are brought together to try and be a superstar pop group.  In my head I say this is what Imogen was doing before she came to Degrassi.  IMOGEN, I DON’T RECOGNIZE YOU WITHOUT YOUR GLASSES (the first ep is below):

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Well…..after lots of talk, the premiere of The L.A. Complex was last night.  Did it live up to the hype?

Honesty, I thought it was pretty good. It’s always a good sign when an hour-long episode of a show flies by because it’s got you engaged.  I immediately like Abby (Cassie Steele), Raquel (Jewel Staite) and Tariq (Benjamin Watson).  The rest (aka the hot blonde, and the two white guys in the pic above) I could care less about at the moment.  Only time will tell if this is a good series…I’ll write a review for it sometime before next week’s episode and I’m also following the show over at my other blog, http://lacomplex.net/.

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It was announced last week that the CW has picked up 6 episodes of Epitome’s new series “The L.A. Complex,” and they will air over the summer.  Though it’s a completely different series than Degrassi, its mere existence will have an impact on Degrassi, especially if it manages to be a successful series.

So far reviews from critics have been positive, but that doesn’t really mean much once the show is put out there for the masses to watch.  Just as easily as it could be a big hit, it could bomb and get the axe quickly,  especially on a network as big as the CW (to be honest, I’m not worried about it on its Canadian broadcaster MuchMusic).  But for the sake of argument, let’s just say this show is a mega hit.  Here are a couple of ways its success will affect Degrassi:

1) Degrassi’s broadcast schedule will change.
Actually it already has.  Both The L.A. Complex and Degrassi are filmed on the same set, so they can’t furiously film everything needed for a Degrassi season in one fell swoop.  So chances are we could see the end of fall blocks of Degrassi episodes…or they’ll at least be shorter than 7 or 8 weeks.

So what happens with that gigantic hole we could have without new episodes?

Having a special episode in the fall is good, but if it’s me I’m pretty sure I want more than an hour-long ep to keep fans engaged during a 6-month break (yes I’m looking at you TeenNick, who really has nothing to offer other than what Degrassi gives them…again, MuchMusic has plenty of other new shows running).

When tech issues aren’t causing delays, the Degrassi Game is simply fantastic (big props to Abby Ho and company for producing such entertaining interactive content).  A series of Degrassi minis posted to the networks’ websites would be so great (they can be, but don’t *need* to be aired on TV).  These days I get sad when I browse around TeenNick’s website because I’m convinced they have no interest in producing extra content the way they did years ago.

Also, content creators within the Degrassi fandom should also being doing more during breaks…myself included.  It’s not necessary to do stuff every single day, but at least once a week, seeing as how we’re not bound by broadcast restrictions or anything (which is why I’ve been writing random opinion things lately like this post).  The hiatus from September to February isn’t THAT brutal, but it becomes that way because as soon as the show goes on a break, it’s like everyone stops doing everything: no more discussions, site updates, vlogs or crazy creative stuff that makes the fandom fun…it just turns into a barren place where everyone now complains about how unbearable the hiatus is and how they’re losing interest in the show.  Just because there isn’t anything new to talk about, it doesn’t mean there’s nothing to talk about when it comes to our favorite show.

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2) Degrassi can be a farm system for a major American network.
We all joke about how all of Peter Stone’s girlfriends (formerly played by Shenae Grimes and Nina Dobrev) run off to the CW, and with the arrival of Cassie Steele to the CW this summer we can now change it to “Girls Peter has dated, taken pictures of or videotaped.”

The L.A. Complex’s future success could provide potential possiblities for current/future actors on Degrassi.  Unfortunately, not every actor on the show will be able to become a big acting star, and not every actor on the show wants to be a career actor.  With the connections they have now I could easily see someone like Melinda Shankar joining the CW for a new series that either them or Epitome has created.  I was gonna throw Charlotte Arnold in there too, but she’s better than the CW…I imagine her in a drama on one of the big three networks.

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3) Degrassi to the CW?
The most beneficial aspect to this whole thing is the relationship Epitome has established with the CW.  If The L.A. Complex does well, it could open doors for Epitome producing more shows and larger projects…or throwing Degrassi into the national spotlight.  Now does Degrassi have a chance to ever jump ship over to the CW? I honestly have no clue….anything’s possible I guess. I’m not sure if Epitome would lobby to get the show on the CW, but if the CW were to make some sort of offer for the rights to the show I’d like to think it might be possible. I don’t know how the whole deal works with MTVN or Viacom or whichever currently holds the show’s American broadcast rights…they could have a deal in place where TeenNick airs Degrassi for all eternity.

But I do know that a change like that would worry me because of the massive gap in expectations between a pointless cable network like TeenNick and one of America’s largest nationwide broadcast networks.  Think of it this way: the most viewers Degrassi’s ever pulled on TeenNick is 1.2 million (when they aired Degrassi Takes Manhattan).  The second highest was Boom Boom Pow, with just over 1 million viewers.  After that Season 11 premiere, Now Or Never’s viewership slowly declined over the 7 weeks, generally pulling in anywhere from 500,000 – 700,000 viewers per episode.  And Nowhere To Run had under 500,000.  Those are still fantastic numbers for a network like TeenNick, historic actually…but those art the kind of numbers that will get you canned in a heartbeat on the CW when your competition is guaranteed to have 10 times as many viewers. Gah I hate TeenNick (aka I don’t know why they refuse to put effort into the network when Nick, Nick Jr and Nick @ Nite do well), but I also like having a place where Degrassi can be king…such a predicament.

The L.A. Complex premieres tomorrow night (Tuesday, January 10th) at 9pm EST.  We should also be hearing about Degrassi’s official return date near the end of the week.

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I nominate @KaryDegrassi for a Shorty Award in #blogger because his dedication to the Degrassi fandom can't be matched. bit.ly/shorty—
Erin (@onemarathon) January 05, 2012

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Yay one person nominated me for a Shorty Award!! So I think more people (and by people I mean you) should vote for me.  The Shorty Awards recognize those in social media, and the winners get a cool trophy.

There’s quite a few Degrassi related peeps (Munro, Degrassi Experience, Degrassi Nation) receiving votes in other categories, but I want yall to vote for me in the blogger category…seeing as how this is a blog and all. And because Degrassi or someone related Degrassi needs to win an award this year.

CLICK HERE for my voting page: http://shortyawards.com/KaryDegrassi

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And below is my creepy campaign video:

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Stephen Stohn is kinda lonely these days…..so lonely that yesterday he wandered the set of Degrassi and posted pics of its emptiness:

Little Miss Steaks closed for business....how does one eat now?

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Is the janitor off too? The floors look kinda dirty

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The cast's green room...no more pool games or handjobs until March.

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For me there's an emotional connection between the episode titles of older seasons (like Shout) and the plots within them. Nowadays, that connection is virtually nonexistent. The title Cry Me A River has no emotional value to me when I think about the episode's storylines.

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Raise your hand if you’re one of those people who could name off every single Degrassi episode title in order (from Season 1 through now), and also know the exact plots in every one of those episodes.

Not me. Not anymore.

There used to be a time where I knew every episode title in order.  Learning of new episode titles was a big deal…the question always being “How do these titles, from 80′s songs, tie into what these episodes’ plots will be?”

It was about Season 6 when I started reaching my limit of remembering every episode title; it became a taxing ordeal to force myself to remember them all.  Now that we’re in Season 11? You can forget it, hahah…I mean I do remember most sporadically, but there’s no way I could name off every episode in order like the old days.

Nowadays, I don’t really care about the episode titles anymore.  When Stephen Stohn releases titles I no longer jump for joy, then google song lyrics to see potential hidden meanings.  This is kind of difficult to explain, but I used to look at the show in three steps:

First you had SEASONS broken down into EPISODES that contain PLOTS.

Degrassi used to be written where plots would primarily be covered in about 1-4 episodes.  Ever since Season 10 plots last longer, and now they also span the course of 3 to 5 TIMES as many episodes, because longer seasons allow for the plot timelines to be spread out (ex: the gang storyline was not featured in every episode of Now Or Never, but existed over the course of all 29 episodes before finally being wrapped up ).  I can’t remember the name of every episode in which the gang storyline was one of the plots and what happened in every one, but I do remember the storyline details on its own, if that makes sense.  Trying to remember every episode title is too much when a plot is focused on for two episodes, takes a break for 4, then resumes for another two.  For me, instead of looking at it as episodes, I just focus simply on the storylines.

So now I think of Degrassi in two steps: SEASONS that contain STORYLINES.

People ask me why my list of Top 10 favorite Degrassi episodes is composed of episodes from the older seasons…this is one of the reasons why.  There are obvious exceptions, when there are standout episodes like My Body Is A Cage, Chasing Pavements and Extraordinary Machine…but I think of the show now as a collection of storylines, not episodes.  When I think about Now Or Never, I think about the best storylines, not necessarily the best episodes.  When I review episodes, I always review the plots separately instead of reviewing the episode as a whole because I view the plots as separate entities.  I no longer form an emotional connection between the episode title and the episode’s contents.

Now do I think Degrassi episode titles are dead? No. Do I think they should stop giving the episodes titles? Absolutely not…most television shows give every episode a title, even if it’s never displayed after the opening credits like they are on Degrassi.  For me, their “death” is that (by no one’s fault) the episode titles are no more valuable than the production codes they give every episode: it’s just part of the job.

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Last week the teen gossip site Just Jared Jr. reported that Degrassi’s spring block of episodes will be called “All Too Much,” and they posted new sneak peeks from the new episodes.

The only problem is that info is incorrect: All Too Much will not be the name, and the “sneak peeks” they posted aren’t new.

And now another site has posted the same info yesterday, citing Just Jared Jr. as their source.

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This is one of those times where Degrassi fans have an upper hand on gossip sites, because chances are those people aren’t as thoroughly obsessed with the show as we are.  This is just a case of them stumbling across info that looks new and voila.  Stephen Stohn came out a couple of days later and said the info wasn’t true, but even before that there were immediate hints that gave it away:

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1) These sneak peek clips that they posted are old. They aired a month and a half ago, before Nowhere To Run aired on TeenNick. If “All Too Much” were really the name of the new episodes, it wouldn’t have sat under our noses like this for so long…we would’ve already known.

2) The youtube account that posted the video is shady. They look like a copycat site, because they look like they just rip and re-post promos that ACESONLINE posts on their youtube page. ACES has been manually recording/posting promos for years, so sites like the other one piss me off.

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I forgot to wish everyone a Happy New Year!! Since there’s no real new Degrassi news, here’s what we know headed into this new year:

*New episodes return Friday, February 24th. It still hasn’t been officially confirmed by either network, but this is the date MuchMusic has been using to secure advertisers for the show.  We’ll know for absolute sure when the networks release their February highlights in a few weeks.

*Epitome’s set is dead at the moment, so if you’ve mailed letters to the cast expecting autographs/etc., it’s going to take longer than usual.  Things will be back in full swing in March: the cast will return for readthroughs in early March, and filming of Season 12 will begin in late March.

*Season 11 will end in May, and Season 12 will begin as usual in mid July. We’re still waiting on the official broadcast schedule of Season 11.5, but it’s looking like we could have a similar situation with In The Cold Cold Night that we did with Spring Fever.  I have no earthly idea how Fall 2012 will work out with them filming The LA Complex on set as well, so for now let’s assume it’ll be the same as 2011.

*For fans of the Degrassi mobile game, there is no specific date for its return yet. Episode 5 (which was supposed to be released in November) and Episode 6 (December) have now been delayed until sometime this year.  But when it returns there will still be plenty of game to be played: the first “season” of the game contains 8 episodes, so we’ll see episodes 7 and 8 in the coming months after the dual release of episodes 5 and 6. And they’ve already planned to do a second season, so there should be plenty of new episodes throughout this year once they get back on track.

*No clue when the Season 11 boxsets will come out, but assuming it’s the same as last year Part 1 should be out this summer before Season 12 starts, and Part 2 might be out this fall.

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