The ninth season of Degrassi: The Next Generation premiered in Canada on October 4, 2009, concluded on July 16, 2010, and consists of twenty-three episodes. Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian serial teen drama television series. Although each season, starting in season six, depicted only one semester, season nine is set in the second semester in which the year it aired. Writers have been able to use a semi-floating timeline, so that the issues depicted are modern for their viewers. This season again depicts the lives of a group of high school freshmen, juniors and seniors, along with some college age students as they deal with some of the challenges and issues that young adults face such as drug abuse, sexting, homosexuality, sexually transmitted diseases, sex, relationships, and illegal situations. Four actors were added to the ensemble cast, while four cast members have either left the series or been dropped from the main cast to recurring roles. Production for the season began on May 19, 2009 at Epitome Pictures' studios in Toronto, Ontario. The final episodes of the season were filmed in part in New York City, New York, and were written and directed by Stefan Brogren, who plays Archie "Snake" Simpson. This was the first season to air on TeenNick in the United States, and to have some Canadian premieres on MuchMusic.