Thirty-nine years after the beloved NBC series premiered, Netflix is reopening the gates of the fictional, historically Black Hillman College with “A Different World.” Created by Felicia Pride and executive produced by Debbie Allen (who helmed the first version of the sitcom), the bold and brilliant reboot follows Deborah Wayne (an outstanding Maleah Joi Moon), the vibrant youngest child of Whitley Gilbert-Wayne (Jasmine Guy) and Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison). Artistic but flighty, Deborah ends up at her parents’ alma mater when an unfortunate incident gets her NYU Tisch School of the Arts acceptance rescinded. Timely and fresh, the new series distinguishes itself from the original while paying homage to everything that made its predecessor so iconic.
The 10-episode first season, which chronicles an entire school year, opens amid the chaos of move-in day. Deborah is attempting to make sense of her schedule, but she isn’t the only one trying to find her footing at Hillman. She rooms with Rashida Duvall (Alijah Kai Haggins), a no-nonsense scholarship student from Compton who quickly grows frustrated with Deborah’s nepo-baby, scatterbrained antics. Rounding out their trio is Hazel (Kennedi Reece), a sweet, naive young woman, completely sheltered by her conservative upbringing but determined to follow her Michelle Obama dreams. In the boys’ dorm, Shaquile Johnson (Cornell Young IV), Deborah’s old flame and Ron Johnson’s (Darryl M. Bell) only child, hopes to put the Hillman football program on the map. Turning down a Division 1 university for Hillman, he finds himself rooming with Kojo (Chibuikem Uche), a Nigerian-Ghanaian U.K. transplant and Amir (Jordan Aaron Hall), a queer Harlemite piecing his life back together after a misstep or two.
For a show about Gen Z characters — and certainly as a reboot or continuation — “A Different World” knocks it out of the park. The single-camera dramedy captures the unique experience of attending an HBCU in the 21st century while addressing issues like the current federal government’s retaliatory agenda against Black Americans, alongside expected themes like love triangles and financial aid woes in college. However, the series moves so fast that even the most focused viewer is likely to get whiplash.
Amid varied stories and characters — new and old — it’s apparent that Pride and Allen have a distinct vision for this series. However, without the expansive 20-plus-episode seasons that were standard when the first series aired, storylines that would typically unfold over several episodes, or a season, are crammed into just 10 30-minute episodes. In Episode 7, “Sometimes You Get the Culture… Sometimes The Culture Gets You,” a thread about sexual health and wellness runs alongside a storyline involving Kojo about the diaspora wars and the end-of-year talent show performances. The episode is tightly written and woven together seamlessly. Yet the speed of “A Different World” leaves little time to breathe, or for the audience to settle in.
Still, this rushed pace doesn’t take away “A Different World”’s dynamism. The series connects the generations seamlessly, letting cherished characters from the original show float in and out of the new one while giving the new faces the platform they deserve. The show works perfectly well as a standalone, but knowing the lore and history behind “The Cosby Show” spinoff and even Whitley and Dwayne’s romance will undoubtedly allow those viewers a well-layered experience.
In addition to seeing the students and faculty grapple with the near non-existent federal funding due to the Trump administration, “A Different World” also infuses social media, a soundtrack that includes Summer Walker, Mariah the Scientist and Alex Isley, as well as several appearances by known artists (which was a staple of the original show). Moreover, it spotlights more than romantic relationships. Friendship breakups and breakdowns are a major theme, and audiences also get real insight into what Dwayne and Whitley’s lives have looked like for the last four decades.
Netflix’s “A Different World” has a lot to live up to. The first series was a major cultural touchstone centering Black Gen Xers in a way never done before on television. The show was so monumental that HBCU enrollment rose by 26%, most likely due to the show’s popularity. By spotlighting the passions and ills they’ve inherited, the new iteration lets Gen Z share what matters to them as they address the particularities of the Black American experience. Fun, messy and absolutely enthralling, “A Different World” proves original IP can be honored while introducing something refreshingly new.
“A Different World” is now streaming on Netflix.