Hillman College is back in session. Netflix has released the official trailer for A Different World, the sequel to the classic sitcom that ran for six seasons from 1987 to 1993 after beginning as a spin-off of The Cosby Show. More than three decades later, the new series brings back a sizeable group of original favourites while introducing the students who will carry Hillman forward. Watch the trailer above and get all the details below.
A New Class Arrives at Hillman
Leading that class is Deborah Wayne (Maleah Joi Moon), the youngest daughter of Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) and Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy), who arrives at her parents’ old college determined to make her own mark. That may be easier said than done when your mum and dad are Hillman royalty, and the trailer quickly has some fun with just how involved they remain in her life.
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Deborah soon finds her people in roommate Rashida Duvall (Alijah Kai), Hazel Henry (Kennedi Reece), Amir Rodale (Jordan Aaron Hall), Kojo Achebe (Chibuikem Uche) and Shaquille Johnson (Cornell Young IV), a rising football star with whom she already has some romantic history. Cue up parties, relationships and freshman-year chaos.
Showrunner Felicia Pride told Netflix’s Tudum that it was important for Deborah to feel suitably imperfect. “It was important to craft a character who’s trying to figure it out, who’s a little messy, who’s a little all over the place.”
The trailer also puts Debbie Allen on screen as Deborah’s academic adviser, Dr. Langhorne, while teasing appearances from Method Man and Summer Walker.
The Old Guard Is Back Too
There is, however, plenty here for longtime fans. A Different World originally launched in 1987 around Lisa Bonet’s Denise Huxtable attending the fictional historically Black Hillman College before evolving into its own ensemble series and running through 1993.
Netflix has assembled an impressively deep bench of returning faces. Alongside Guy and Hardison, the sequel brings back Darryl M. Bell as Ron Johnson, Cree Summer as Freddie Brooks, Ajai Sanders as Gina Deveaux, Karen Malina White as Charmaine Brown, Charnele Brown as Dr. Kimberly Reese Boyer, Jenifer Lewis as Professor Davenport, Dawnn Lewis as Jaleesa Vinson-Taylor, Glynn Turman as Colonel Bradford Taylor and Jada Pinkett Smith as Lena James.
For Guy, slipping back into Whitley apparently didn’t take much work. “I realized I’ve missed Whitley, and I can’t wait to see what she’s like now,” she told Tudum.
The revival is changing things behind the camera, too. The original’s multi-camera sitcom setup has been replaced with a single-camera format without a studio audience, with the first season consisting of 10 half-hour episodes. Pride serves as showrunner, writer and executive producer, while Allen executive produces and directs the premiere. Original-series writers Reggie Rock Bythewood and Gina Prince-Bythewood also return as executive producers alongside Mandy Summers and Tom Werner.
Brandy Reworks the Classic Theme Song
The nostalgia extends to the opening credits. Brandy has recorded a new version of the familiar A Different World theme song, following in the footsteps of Aretha Franklin, who performed the theme during the original run.
“Singing this iconic theme song for A Different World means everything to me,” Brandy told Tudum, explaining that she grew up watching the series and had a strong connection to the song.
When Does A Different World Premiere?
A Different World premieres September 24 on Netflix, with all 10 episodes arriving at once.
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