TVSquad

The N just picked up Gigantic, a half-hour series from former Buffy the Vampire Slayer exec. producer Marti Noxon and Dawn Prouse (Tru Calling, Prison Break). Gigantic is a "dramedy" that skewers the lives of Hollywood kids whose parents are A-list celebs.

Normally, I'd say this premise makes Gigantic sound like another brain dead tween show. You know, the kind that might end up launching the next big bubblegum pop star like Miley Cyrus. But I expect more from Noxon, Prouse and The N.

We are just a scant five days and handful of hours away until the calendar page turns over and we are in 2008. As usual, whenever a new year comes screaming and shouting out of womb of the old one changes abound. Nowhere does that seem more prevalent than in the world of television. Not only will we see a slew of mid-season premieres popping up as early as January 1st, but two cable networks will be changing as well.

The first change actually starts on New Year's Eve. That is when Noggin and The N become two separate cable networks. Both networks will expand to a 24-hour schedule of programming, with Noggin remaining commercial-free and on its current channel position. The N, which is home to the very popular Degrassi: The Next Generation will be relocated to another channel. You will want to speak to your local cable company about its new location before you go through withdrawal.

Via Toon Zone comes news that Noggin and its evening version, The N, will be splitting into two separate, twenty four-hour networks on December 31.

Noggin will continue with programming aimed at the preschool set with programs like Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!, Oobi, Jack's Big Music Show, and Nick Jr. properties like Dora the Explorer, Blue's Clues and The Backyardigans.

The N, originally the evening version of Noggin aimed at teens (and "tweens" to use a meaningless marketing term), will expand to 24 hours with TEENick programming during the day (All That, The Amanda Show, etc) and original programming at night: Degrassi: The Next Generation, South of Nowhere, and Beyond the Break. The N also acquired rights to air reruns of That '70s Show starting June 2008.

One of Canada's greatest TV exports, next to The Kids in the Hall, was Degrassi Junior High. If I've got my lineage straight, The Kids of Degrassi Street begat Degrassi Junior High begat Degrassi High begat Degrassi: The Next Generation.

The long-rumored Degrassi: The Next Generation graphic novel series, entitled Extra Credit, has hit bookstores in Canada, and while we can't be sure if national pride has taken over or not, Volume One of the series is earning raves from its young readers.

If you were a fan of the UPN series One on One and bummed it didn't make the transition to The CW, here's a bit of good news for you. Starting on October 27, teen network The N will begin airing reruns of the defunct UPN series which focused on Breanna Barnes (Kyla Pratt), who lives with her father after her parents divorce. The series will premiere on The N as part of the "Fresh One Weekend," which will also include episodes of Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Twelve One on One episodes will air back to back starting at 6 pm. The series will then fall into its regular timeslot Monday through Thursday with two back to back episodes airing at 7 and 11 pm starting on October 30.

In March I mentioned that reruns of Dawson's Creek were coming to The N in September. That's apparently no longer true, and instead the series will be coming back in August, beginning with a twelve-episode marathon (the entire first season) that will air on August 14 from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. EST. The remaining five season will air every Tuesday following the marathon at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Dawson's Creek will be part of a summer lineup that includes original programming like Summerland, The Whistler, and Beyond the Break. I didn't watch much Dawson's Creek, but heck, a least we'll be able to see Katie Holmes back when she was, you know, still acting.

Summerland, which aired for only one season on the WB, has been picked up by The N, which will air reruns of the show along with episodes of Dawson's Creek. I have not seen a single episode of Summerland, so I can't comment on that choice, but wasn't Dawson's Creek pretty much just a show about affluent, aesthetically flawless teens whining about their petty issues? That kind of show plays well on most networks, but I always thought of The N as having a more realistic approach to teenage life with shows like Degrassi. I'm sure it will attract kids, but I think The N may have lost what made it a commendable network in the first place. Summerland will begin airing May 1, with Dawson's Creek premiering on September 1.