The HBCU sitcom “A Different World” returns with a Netflix reboot following Deborah Wayne as she begins her freshman year at Hillman College
The famous HBCU sitcom A Different World will be back in session this September. Thirty-three years after the show first went off the air, it has been announced that a reboot will be premiering on Netflix. The reboot will focus on Deborah Wayne, the daughter of original characters Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) and Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy).
In a statement released by Netflix, “the new series will explore the lives and loves of a new generation at Hillman College…Deborah, Dwayne Wayne, and Whitley Gilbert’s free-spirited, well-intentioned, yet rebellious youngest child, enters her freshman year at Hillman College, 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”.
The Original Hillman College Story
The show, running for a total of 6 years, from 1987 -1993, originated as a spin-off for The Cosby Show and a starring vehicle for one of its main stars, Lisa Bonet. The series saw Bonet’s character Denise Huxtable as she attends college at her parents alma mater, Hillman College.
Bonet left the show after its first season, eventually resuming her role on The Cosby Show. The show eventually continued and went through seriously radical changes during its second season, reflecting storylines and characteristics about life attending an Historically Black College & University. One instrumental component in the reworking was the influence of HBCU graduate and choreographer Debbie Allen.
Debbie Allen Reshaped the Series
Writer Michael E. Hill, in his 1989 article for The Washington Post, “Debbie Allen: She Made ‘Different’ A ‘Better’ World”, writes, “ ‘Basically, I was coming in to fix the No. 2 show on television,’ said Allen. ‘What does that mean? If it’s No. 2, why does it need to be fixed? Because there were a lot of unhappy people on the program. And the content of the show was not something that Carsey-Werner Productions or Bill Cosby would be proud of two, three, five years down the line.’” Allen refers to many unhappy instances on the show, specifically the tension between Cosby and Bonet.
Through Allen’s showrunning, she was able to incorporate storylines that tackles timely topics such as date rape, gang violence, racial profiling, substance abuse, and the then-controversial and timely topic of HIV/AIDS.
A Lasting HBCU Legacy
Thirty years later, no such show has ever recaptured the essence of Black representation within higher education. The show can even be credited for influencing future generations of Black Americans to attend college, even specifically historically black colleges & universities. Even creating a dialogue about how the role of African American culture relates to higher education.
Why the Reboot Matters Now
This reboot could not happen at a more important time. At a time when African American access to quality higher education is under attack. At a time when interest in HBCUs is seeing a resurgence. Much is to be seen when this new reboot premieres Sept 24th.
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