Classes will soon resume at Hillman College for a sequel to A Different World.
Netflix just greenlit a 10-episode series by the same name, from executive producers Felicia Pride (Grey’s Anatomy and Queen Sugar) and Debbie Allen (Grey’s Anatomy and A Different World), the streamer announced Monday, Nov. 10.
Allen, who directed 83 episodes of the original comedy and served as its primary director from 1998-1993, will helm three episodes of the sequel.
Related: Debbie Allen Reveals Behind the Scenes Tensions Over Race at ‘A Different World’
Original writers Reggie Rock Bythewood (Swagger) and Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Woman King) will return to serve as executive producers alongside Mandy Summers (That 90’s Show) and Tom Werner (The Connors and Roseanne).
The sequel will center on Deborah Wayne, youngest daughter of Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison)and Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy). Deborah is now a student at Hillman, the fictitious HBCU in the original series.
Maleah Joi Moon (Hell’s Kitchen) leads the cast as Deborah.
She’ll be joined by Alijah Kai Haggins as Rashida; Cornell Young as Shaquille; Jordan Aaron Hall as Amir; Chibuikem Uche as Kojo; and newcomer Kennedi Reece as Hazel.
Based on the cult classic 1980s sitcom, the series will follow the free-spirited and rebellious Deborah as she enters her freshman year in college. But her journey will be bumpy when “she finds the shadow of her parents difficult to escape as she sets out to build her own legacy, while having the time of her life, alongside a whole new generation of Hillman’s best and brightest,” according to the official description.
The original sitcom ran for six seasons between 1987 and 1993 on NBC, and was a spinoff of The Cosby Show.
The spinoff followed Lisa Bonet, who played Denise Huxtable on Bill Cosby’s sitcom as she went off to college and made new friends.
Bonet left A Different World after the first season. In addition to Kadeem Hardison and Jasmine Guy, the ensemble cast featured Marisa Tomei, Dawnn Lewis, Sinbad, Darryl M. Bell, Cree Summer, Glynn Turman, Jada Pinkett Smith, and the late Lou Myers and Mary Alice.
Famous guest stars included Whoopi Goldberg and Diahann Carroll, who both received Primetime Emmy nominations for their performances on the show.
During its network TV run, the original series picked up multiple NAACP Image Awards for Kadeem Hardison and Jasmine Guy in the lead actor TV categories.
For now, it’s unclear if some of the original cast will return for the sequel.
A premiere date for the new series will be announced later.
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