A Different World: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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~~{{More citations needed|date=January 2021}}~~

{{Infobox television

| image = A Different World.jpg

| image_alt =

| caption =

| genre = [[Sitcom]]

| creator = [[Bill Cosby~~|William H. Cosby Jr.~~]]

| starring = {{Plainlist|

*[[Lisa Bonet]]

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*[[Lou Myers (actor)|Lou Myers]]

*[[Ajai Sanders]]

*[[Jada Pinkett Smith|Jada Pinkett]]

*[[Karen Malina White]]

}}

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| first_aired = {{start date|1987|9|24}}

| last_aired = {{end date|1993|7|9}}

| related = ''[[The Cosby Show]]''

}}

'''''A Different World''''' is an American [[sitcom]] television series and a [[Spin-off (media)|spin-off]] of ''[[The Cosby Show]]''. It aired for six seasons on [[NBC]] from September 24, 1987 to July 9, 1993.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/d/differentworlda_1299000904.shtml|title=BBC - Comedy Guide - A Different World|date=March 17, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050317092041/http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/d/differentworlda_1299000904.shtml |archive-date=March 17, 2005 }}</ref> The series originally centered on [[Denise Huxtable]] ([[Lisa Bonet]]) and the life of students at Hillman College, a fictional [[historically black colleges and universities|historically black college]] in Virginia. It was inspired by student life at historically black colleges and universities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hamptonu.edu/news/hm/2012_02_artists.cfm |title=Hampton U the Real Hillman: Bledsoe and Bell Share with HU Students |work=[[Hampton University]] |access-date=February 6, 2017}}</ref><ref name = "latimes_different touch">{{cite news |url=~~http~~https://~~articles~~www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-10-06~~/entertainment/~~-ca-~~4490_1_cosby~~4490-~~show~~story.html |title=Different Touch to 'Different World' |author=Haithman, Diane |date = October 6, 1988 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=October 2, 2010}}</ref><ref name="emmytvlegends.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/shows/different-world-a|title=~~DIFFERENT~~Different ~~WORLD~~World, A|work=Archive of American Television|access-date=December 14, 2016}}</ref>

After Bonet's departure in the first season, the remainder of the series primarily focused more on Southern belle [[Whitley Gilbert-Wayne]], played by ([[Jasmine Guy]]), and math whiz Dwayne Cleophus Wayne, played by ([[Kadeem Hardison]]). Guy and Hardison were the only actors to have appeared in all 144 episodes of the series.

==Concept==

While it was a spin-off from ''The Cosby Show'', ''A Different World'' typically addressed issues that were avoided by ''The Cosby Show'' writers (race and class relations, sexual assault, or the [[Equal Rights Amendment]]). One episode that aired in 1990 was one of the first American network television episodes to address the [[epidemiology of HIV/AIDS]].<ref name = "latimes_beyond sitcom">{{cite news |url=~~http~~https://~~articles~~www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-01-13~~/entertainment/~~-ca-~~145_1_difficult~~145-~~world~~story.html |title='Different World' Goes Beyond Realm of 'Sitcom' |author=La Deane, Alice |date = January 13, 1992 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=October 2, 2010}}</ref>

The original premise was to focus on a white student at a historically black university and feature [[Lena Horne]] as an acting teacher, but in production, the premise changed from being a story about a white student in a black college to a black student ([[Denise Huxtable]]) in a black college with a white friend.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/jay-sandrich |title=Jay Sandrich |work=Archive of American Television |access-date=March 9, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/anne-beatts |title=Anne Beatts |work=Archive of American Television |access-date=March 9, 2014}}</ref> It was ultimately decided that Denise, who was of college age, would be spun off and have a white roommate in order to show the dynamic of a white girl in predominantly black surroundings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/marcy-carsey |title=Marcy Carsey |work=Archive of American Television |access-date=March 9, 2014}}</ref> [[Meg Ryan]] was originally cast for this role, but she decided to pursue a film career, so [[Marisa Tomei]] was cast.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/a-different-world-originally-starred-meg-ryan/|title=Was A Different World Originally Going to Star a White Student?|first=Brian|last=Cronin|date=June 23, 2022|website=CBR}}</ref>

[[Meg Ryan]] was originally cast for this role, but she decided to pursue a film career, so [[Marisa Tomei]] was cast.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/a-different-world-originally-starred-meg-ryan/|title=Was A Different World Originally Going to Star a White Student?|first=Brian|last=Cronin|date=June 23, 2022|website=CBR}}</ref> The first season of Hillman's student body consisted of both black and white students in equal numbers{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}, but this was changed at the beginning of the second season and a predominantly black student body maintained until the series ended.

===Season two changes===

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* [[Wayne Federman]] as A&M Wolf (season 5, episode 14)

* [[Ernie Sabella]] as Campus Security (season 5, episode 14)

* [[En Vogue]] as Faith, Hope, Charity, and Henrietta (Mr. Gaines' ~~nieces~~grandnieces; season 6, episode 16)

* [[Whoopi Goldberg]] as Dr. Jordan (professor; season 4, episode 24)

* [[David Alan Grier]] as Professor Byron Walcott (season 1, episode 9)

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The spin-off program featured many appearances by characters from the parent program, especially in the initial season, in which Denise's father [[Cliff Huxtable]] ([[Bill Cosby]]), mother [[Clair Huxtable]] ([[Phylicia Rashad]]), younger sisters [[Vanessa Huxtable]] ([[Tempestt Bledsoe]]) and [[Rudy Huxtable]] ([[Keshia Knight Pulliam|Keshia Knight-Pulliam]]), brother [[Theodore Huxtable]] ([[Malcolm-Jamal Warner]]), and grandfather [[List of The Cosby Show characters#Russell and Anna Huxtable|Russell]] ([[Earle Hyman]]) all appeared on the show, either at Hillman or at the other end of a phone call. Denise's departure from Hillman after Season 1 did not stop her mother from reappearing on the show.

Three of Phylicia Rashad's four appearances as Hillman alumna Clair Huxtable took place after season one, and in one of these, she brought her younger daughter Vanessa to tour the college. Sondra (played by [[Sabrina Le Beauf]] in the parent series) was the only Huxtable child not to appear on the show. Martin ([[Joseph C. Phillips]]) and Olivia ([[Raven ~~Symone~~-Symoné]]) appear in season 3 episode "Forever Hold Your Peace", along with Phylicia Rashad and Lisa Bonet. Elvin ([[Geoffrey Owens]]) and Pam ([[Erika Alexander]]) also never appeared on the show.

Producer/director Debbie Allen is the real-life sister of Phylicia Rashad. Allen made one guest appearance on ''The Cosby Show'', playing an aggressive aerobics instructor who helps Clair slim down for a special occasion. Allen appeared in later seasons in a recurring role as Whitley's psychiatrist. Dwayne and Whitley also visited the Huxtable home in an episode featuring the revelation that Denise had married and would not return to Hillman.

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The first references to Hillman on ''The Cosby Show'' were made during season one, when it is mentioned as the place where Cliff Huxtable and Clair Hanks went to school while they were engaged. Cliff's father Russell is also a Hillman alumnus. The school made its first on-screen appearance in the third-season finale of ''The Cosby Show'', titled "Hillman", when Cliff and Clair and their family attend a Hillman commencement ceremony which also honored a retiring professor.

Monica Calhoun, who appeared as a guest star on season six episode "Homey Don't You Know Me" co-starred with Patrick Y. Malone (Terrell) on Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit and with Bumper Robinson (Dorian) in the miniseries The Jacksons An American Dream.

Other notable connections:

Glynn Turman (Colonel Bradford Taylor) was once married to Aretha Franklin (who sang the theme from seasons 2-5) from 1978 to 1984.

==Home media==

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<blockquote>a graduate of historically black [[Howard University]] – drew from her college experiences in an effort to accurately reflect in the show the social and political life on black campuses. Moreover, Allen instituted a yearly spring trip to Atlanta where series writers visited three of the nation's leading black colleges, [[Clark Atlanta University|Clark Atlanta]], [[Morehouse College|Morehouse]] and [[Spelman College|Spelman]]. During these visits, ideas for several of the episodes emerged from meetings with students and faculty.<ref name="museum"/></blockquote>

On August 23 and 24, 2012, Debbie Allen, the former chief creative force of ''A Different World'' from 1988 to 1993, wrote on [[Twitter]] that she wanted to reboot the series. Over a million people on [[Facebook]], Twitter and blogs reacted to the tweet and approve the potential reboot.<ref name="family fun">{{cite web|last=Aziz |first=Naeesa |url=http://www.bet.com/news/national/2011/12/08/where-are-all-the-black-tv-shows.html |title=Where Are All the Black TV Shows? | News |work=BET |access-date=November 11, 2013}}</ref>▼

===Impact on African-American culture===

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==Hillman College Reunion==

In August 2006, [[Nick at Nite]] aired a week-long marathon showing episodes of ''A Different World''. [[Lisa Bonet]], [[Dawnn Lewis]], [[Jasmine Guy]], [[Kadeem Hardison]], [[Darryl M. Bell]], [[Cree Summer]], and [[Sinbad (actor)|Sinbad]] reunited for short vignettes that provided a glimpse of the current state of their characters. Nick at Nite's "Hillman College Reunion"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvland.com/nickatnite/shows/differentworld/hillmancollege/ |title=Hillman College Reunion |work=~~tvland.com~~[[TV Land]] |access-date=August 30, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060901095233/http://www.tvland.com/nickatnite/shows/differentworld/hillmancollege/ |archive-date=September 1, 2006 }}</ref> website added details beyond those shown on television.

==Sequel==

▲On August 23 and 24, 2012, Debbie Allen, the former chief creative force of ''A Different World'' from 1988 to 1993, wrote on [[Twitter]] that she wanted to reboot the series. Over a million people on [[Facebook]], Twitter and blogs reacted to the tweet and approve the potential reboot.<ref name="family fun">{{cite web|last=Aziz |first=Naeesa |url=http://www.bet.com/news/national/2011/12/08/where-are-all-the-black-tv-shows.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210131128/http://www.bet.com/news/national/2011/12/08/where-are-all-the-black-tv-shows.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 10, 2012 |title=Where Are All the Black TV Shows? ~~| News~~ |work=BET |access-date=November 11, 2013}}</ref>

The original cast reunited early 2024 on ''[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]'' and ''[[The View (talk show)|The View]]'' to celebrate ''A Different World''{{'}}s ongoing impact and legacy. In February, they kicked off a 10-city tour stopping at many [[Historically black colleges and universities|HBCUs]] to encourage student enrollment.

On August 7, 2024, it was announced that a sequel to the series was in the works at [[Netflix]]. It would focus on characters Whitley & Dwayne's daughter that attends Hillman College. It will be a single-cam, half-hour comedy series from writer/executive producer [[Felicia Pride]], who has worked on ''[[Bel-Air (TV series)|Bel-Air]]'' and ''[[Grey's Anatomy]]'', and executive producers [[Debbie Allen]], Mandy Summers, [[Tom Werner]], [[Gina Prince-Bythewood]] and [[Reggie Rock Bythewood|Reggie Bythewood]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Cordero |first=Rosy|url=https://deadline.com/2024/08/a-different-world-sequel-series-netflix-1236033238/|title=‘A Different World’ Sequel Series About Whitley & Dwayne’s Daughter From Felicia Pride In Works At Netflix |work=[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]] |access-date=August 7, 2024}}</ref>

== See also ==