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A Different World

December 29, 2022

For other uses, see Different World (disambiguation).

A Different World is an American sitcom (and a spin-off of The Cosby Show) television series that aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987 to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) and the life of students at Hillman College, a fictional historically black college in Virginia. It was inspired by student life at historically black colleges and universities.[1][2][3]

A Different World
GenreSitcom
Created byBill Cosby
Starring
Theme music composer
Opening themePerformed by:
Phoebe Snow (season 1)
Aretha Franklin (seasons 2–5)
Boyz II Men and Terrence Forsythe (season 6)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons6
No. of episodes144 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Marcy Carsey
  • Tom Werner
  • Caryn Mandabach
  • Susan Fales
Camera setupVideotape; Multi-camera
Running time23–25 minutes
Production companyCarsey-Werner Productions in association with Bill Cosby
DistributorCarsey-Werner Distribution
Release
Original networkNBC
Picture formatNTSC
Original releaseSeptember 24, 1987 (1987-09-24) –
July 9, 1993 (1993-07-09)
Chronology
RelatedThe Cosby Show

After Bonet's departure in the first season, the remainder of the series primarily focused more on Southern belle Whitley Gilbert-Wayne (Jasmine Guy) and math whiz Dwayne Cleophus Wayne (Kadeem Hardison).

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.[4]

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.[5][6] 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.[7]

Meg Ryan was originally cast for this role, but she decided to pursue a film career, so Marisa Tomei was cast.[citation needed] The first season of Hillman's student body consisted of both black and white students in equal numbers, 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

After the first season, it came to Cosby's and the producers' attention that the series was not accurately portraying a historically black college and life on campus, so Debbie Allen, an alumna of Howard University, was hired as the chief creative force to revamp the show. During the summer of 1988, Lisa Bonet announced that she and husband Lenny Kravitz were having a baby. Allen was in favor of having a young pregnant student in the show, but Cosby said that Lisa Bonet could be pregnant but not Denise Huxtable.[8]

It was felt that viewers would not accept Denise as an unwed mother, having grown to know her as a "good girl" after four seasons of The Cosby Show. Thus it was decided that Denise would drop out of Hillman, return home to her family, and eventually travel to Africa throughout the fifth season of The Cosby Show, ensuring that viewers would not see a pregnant Denise. Allen was also in favor of keeping Tomei, as she herself recalled a white student at Howard and wanted to relate that in the show and even had possible premises for her character, such as meeting Dwayne's parents and seeing the other side of racism.[8]

However, the network rejected this storyline and the producers released Tomei from the show, and she and Marie-Alise Recasner were replaced by Cree Summer and Charnele Brown, respectively. Darryl M. Bell and Sinbad were promoted to the principal cast, and Glynn Turman and Lou Myers were added as supporting cast members. These changes led to the placement of Whitley and Dwayne at the center of a wider ensemble.

Cast and characters

Main article: List of A Different World characters

Main

Actor Character Seasons
1 2 3 4 5 6
Lisa Bonet Denise Huxtable Main Does not appear Guest Does not appear
Marisa Tomei Maggie Lauten Main Does not appear
Dawnn Lewis Jaleesa Vinson-Taylor Main Does not appear
Jasmine Guy Whitley Gilbert-Wayne Main
Kadeem Hardison Dwayne Cleofis Wayne Main
Mary Alice Leticia "Lettie" Bostic Main Does not appear
Loretta Devine Stevie Rallen Main Does not appear
Darryl M. Bell Ronald "Ron" Marlon Johnson Recurring Main
Sinbad Coach Walter Oakes Recurring Main Does not appear
Charnele Brown Kimberly Reese Does not appear Main
Cree Summer Winifred "Freddie" Brooks Does not appear Main
Glynn Turman Colonel Bradford Taylor Does not appear Main
Lou Myers Vernon Gaines Does not appear Main
Ajai Sanders Gina Deveaux Does not appear Recurring Main
Jada Pinkett Smith Lena James Does not appear Recurring Main
Karen Malina White Charmaine Tyesha Brown Does not appear Guest Main

Recurring

Guest stars

Episodes

Main article: List of A Different World episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedRankRating
First airedLast aired
122September 24, 1987 (1987-09-24)July 7, 1988 (1988-07-07)2[9]25.0[9]
222October 6, 1988 (1988-10-06)May 4, 1989 (1989-05-04)3[9]23.0[9]
325September 28, 1989 (1989-09-28)May 3, 1990 (1990-05-03)4[9]21.1[9]
425September 20, 1990 (1990-09-20)May 2, 1991 (1991-05-02)4[9]17.5[9]
525September 19, 1991 (1991-09-19)May 14, 1992 (1992-05-14)17[9]15.2[9]
625September 24, 1992 (1992-09-24)July 9, 1993 (1993-07-09)71[10]9.6[10]

Connections to The Cosby Show

As a show developed by Bill Cosby for a character from The Cosby Show, A Different World had many connections to its parent program, even before the latter program was created. The third season finale of The Cosby Show, entitled "Hillman", was essentially a pilot episode for the new show.

The theme song was co-written by Stu Gardner, Bill Cosby, and Dawnn Lewis – who was also a cast member. In the online interviews related to the 2006 "Hillman College Reunion", Lewis revealed that her being approached to write the song and to audition were two separate events that occurred within a short time of each other, such that she thought it was a practical joke by her friends.

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, brother Theodore Huxtable (Malcolm-Jamal Warner), and grandfather 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) 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.

A young Kadeem Hardison appeared on The Cosby Show as one of Theo Huxtable's friends in the first-season episode "A Shirt Story", though not playing Dwayne.

Sinbad also appeared on The Cosby Show as a car salesman in third-season episode "Say Hello to a Good Buy".

A Hillman alumna by the name of "Louise Sujay" was mentioned on both Cosby and A Different World by Clair Huxtable, Whitley Gilbert and her mother Marion.

Like Lisa Bonet, Karen Malina White brought her The Cosby Show character to Hillman. Charmaine was the best friend of Claire Huxtable's cousin Pam Tucker. White's Cosby Show costar Allen Payne turned down an offer to bring his role as Charmaine's boyfriend Lance Rodman to A Different World as a regular during Season 6, preferring instead to pursue a movie career; he and Jada Pinkett Smith starred in the 1994 film Jason's Lyric, which is considered to be a milestone in both their careers.

Payne appeared in one episode during season five in which Charmaine visits Hillman as a prospective student, bringing Lance along to see if he can gain admission as well. When Charmaine arrives at Hillman, she and Lance are maintaining a long-distance relationship and he is mentioned in multiple episodes. Lance and Charmaine later break up over the phone.

Years later, Tempestt Bledsoe (who played Vanessa on Cosby) and Darryl M. Bell (who played Ron on A Different World) became a real-life couple and co-starred on the 2009 Fox Reality Channel series Househusbands of Hollywood.

Hillman College

Hillman College is a fictional historically black college, founded in 1881 and located in the commonwealth of Virginia. The exact locality of the school is never revealed, but several geographic references are made which allude to the campus either being located somewhere in the Hampton Roads area or in the Roanoke Metropolitan Area. The school's motto is Deus Nondum Te Confecit, which literally translates from Latin to: God has not yet finished you. The school colors are maroon and gray. Visual shots of the Hillman campus that were used in the series were actually filmed at two real-life Black colleges, Clark Atlanta University and Spelman College, both in Atlanta, Georgia.

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.

Home media

Urban Works released Season 1 of A Different World on DVD in Region 1 on November 8, 2005. Several release dates for a Season 2 DVD were announced (May 2006,[11] July 2006,[12] and September 2006[13]), but the DVD was never released. Urban Works was acquired by First Look Studios in early 2006. The distribution rights for the series have since reverted to the production company, Carsey-Werner Productions. FilmRise has currently made the series available on streaming services, especially Amazon Prime.

DVD Title Release Date No. of
Episodes 		Additional Information
Season 1 November 8, 2005 22
  • cast interviews
  • out-takes
  • a retrospective overview of the series with cast members
  • an un-aired, "lost" episode featuring Tupac Shakur and Jada Pinkett-Smith

Reception

Ratings

Critics say that A Different World benefited from airing between The Cosby Show and Cheers on Thursday night. The show consistently ranked first or second among African American viewers during most of its run.[14]

Viewership and ratings per season of A Different World
Season Time slot (ET) Episodes First aired Last aired TV season Rank Avg. HH
rating
Date HH
rating 		Viewers
(millions) 		Date HH
rating 		Viewers
(millions)
1 Thursday 8:30 p.m. 22 September 24, 1987 31.3[15] — July 7, 1988 17.0[16] — 1987–88 2[9] 25.0[9]
2 22 October 6, 1988 22.7[17] 34.3[17] May 4, 1989 20.7[18] 30.8[18] 1988–89 3[9] 23.0[9]
3 25 September 28, 1989 23.4[19] 36.6[19] May 3, 1990 18.1[20] 27.6[20] 1989–90 4[9] 21.1[9]
4 25 September 20, 1990 18.6[21] 28.6[21] May 2, 1991 16.3[22] 24.1[22] 1990–91 4[9] 17.5[9]
5 25 September 19, 1991 18.9[23] 29.0[23] May 14, 1992 16.2[24] 23.6[24] 1991–92 17[9] 15.2[9]
6 Thursday 8:00 p.m.[a]
Thursday 8:30 p.m.[a]		 25 September 24, 1992 11.1[25] 15.3[25] July 9, 1993 3.5[26] 4.3[26] 1992–93 71[10] 9.6[10]

Media reaction

The Hollywood Reporter is quoted as stating that when Debbie Allen became the producer (and usually director) of A Different World after the first season, she transformed it "from a bland Cosby spin-off into a lively, socially responsible, ensemble situation comedy."[14]

The Museum of Broadcast Communications states that Debbie Allen:

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, Morehouse and Spelman. During these visits, ideas for several of the episodes emerged from meetings with students and faculty.[14]

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.[27]

Impact on African-American culture

Because of Debbie Allen's influence as the producer (and usually director) of A Different World after the first season, African-American youth who watched the show often cite it as a defining reason why many of them decided to attend a historically Black college or university.[28][29]

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 reunited for short vignettes that provided a glimpse of the current state of their characters. Nick at Nite's "Hillman College Reunion"[30] website added details beyond those shown on television.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b Episodes 1–9 and 19–21 aired on Thursday at 8:00 p.m., episodes 10–16 aired on Thursday at 8:30 p.m., and other episodes aired in various time slots.

References

  1. ^ "Hampton U the Real Hillman: Bledsoe and Bell Share with HU Students". Hampton University. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  2. ^ Haithman, Diane (October 6, 1988). "Different Touch to 'Different World'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
  3. ^ "DIFFERENT WORLD, A". Archive of American Television. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  4. ^ La Deane, Alice (January 13, 1992). "'Different World' Goes Beyond Realm of 'Sitcom'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
  5. ^ "Jay Sandrich". Archive of American Television. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  6. ^ "Anne Beatts". Archive of American Television. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  7. ^ "Marcy Carsey". Archive of American Television. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  8. ^ a b "Debbie Allen". Archive of American Television. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present (7th ed.). New York City: Ballantine. p. 1255–1257. ISBN 0-345-42923-0. LCCN 99-90712.
  10. ^ a b c d "By the numbers: Year-end ratings". Life. USA Today. April 21, 1993. p. 3D. ProQuest 306606742.
  11. ^ Lambert, David (December 31, 2005). . TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  12. ^ Lambert, David (April 29, 2006). . TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  13. ^ Lambert, David (July 27, 2006). . TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  14. ^ a b c . Museum.tv. Archived from the original on February 10, 2006. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  15. ^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. September 30, 1987. p. 3D. ProQuest 305922933.
  16. ^ "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. July 13, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest 306059443.
  17. ^ a b "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. October 12, 1988. p. 3D. ProQuest 306106992.
  18. ^ a b "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. May 10, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306210811.
  19. ^ a b "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. October 4, 1989. p. 3D. ProQuest 306272544.
  20. ^ a b "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. May 9, 1990. p. 3D. ProQuest 306332954.
  21. ^ a b "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. September 26, 1990. p. 3D. ProQuest 306354668.
  22. ^ a b "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. May 8, 1991. p. 3D.
  23. ^ a b "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. September 25, 1992. p. 3D.
  24. ^ a b "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. May 20, 1992. p. 3D.
  25. ^ a b "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. September 30, 1992. p. 3D.
  26. ^ a b "Nielsen ratings". Life. USA Today. July 14, 1993. p. 3D.
  27. ^ Aziz, Naeesa. "Where Are All the Black TV Shows? | News". BET. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  28. ^ Moodie-Mills, Danielle (December 1, 2012). "Lessons From 'A Different World'". Huffington Post. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  29. ^ "Will The Days of "A Different World" Ever Return?". Madamenoire.com. May 24, 2011. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  30. ^ . tvland.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2006. Retrieved August 30, 2006.

External links

December 29, 2022
different, world, other, uses, different, world, disambiguation, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, new. For other uses see Different World disambiguation This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources A Different World news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message A Different World is an American sitcom and a spin off of The Cosby Show television series that aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24 1987 to July 9 1993 The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable Lisa Bonet and the life of students at Hillman College a fictional historically black college in Virginia It was inspired by student life at historically black colleges and universities 1 2 3 A Different WorldGenreSitcomCreated byBill CosbyStarringLisa Bonet season 1 Marisa Tomei season 1 Jasmine Guy Kadeem Hardison Loretta Devine Dawnn Lewis Mary Alice Darryl M Bell Sinbad Charnele Brown Cree Summer Glynn Turman Lou Myers Ajai Sanders Jada Pinkett Smith Karen Malina WhiteTheme music composerStu Gardner Bill Cosby Dawnn LewisOpening themePerformed by Phoebe Snow season 1 Aretha Franklin seasons 2 5 Boyz II Men and Terrence Forsythe season 6 Country of originUnited StatesOriginal languageEnglishNo of seasons6No of episodes144 list of episodes ProductionExecutive producersMarcy Carsey Tom Werner Caryn Mandabach Susan FalesCamera setupVideotape Multi cameraRunning time23 25 minutesProduction companyCarsey Werner Productions in association with Bill CosbyDistributorCarsey Werner DistributionReleaseOriginal networkNBCPicture formatNTSCOriginal releaseSeptember 24 1987 1987 09 24 July 9 1993 1993 07 09 ChronologyRelatedThe Cosby ShowAfter Bonet s departure in the first season the remainder of the series primarily focused more on Southern belle Whitley Gilbert Wayne Jasmine Guy and math whiz Dwayne Cleophus Wayne Kadeem Hardison Contents 1 Concept 1 1 Season two changes 2 Cast and characters 2 1 Main 2 2 Recurring 2 3 Guest stars 3 Episodes 4 Connections to The Cosby Show 4 1 Hillman College 5 Home media 6 Reception 6 1 Ratings 6 2 Media reaction 6 3 Impact on African American culture 7 Hillman College Reunion 8 See also 9 Notes 10 References 11 External linksConcept EditWhile 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 4 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 5 6 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 7 Meg Ryan was originally cast for this role but she decided to pursue a film career so Marisa Tomei was cast citation needed The first season of Hillman s student body consisted of both black and white students in equal numbers 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 Edit After the first season it came to Cosby s and the producers attention that the series was not accurately portraying a historically black college and life on campus so Debbie Allen an alumna of Howard University was hired as the chief creative force to revamp the show During the summer of 1988 Lisa Bonet announced that she and husband Lenny Kravitz were having a baby Allen was in favor of having a young pregnant student in the show but Cosby said that Lisa Bonet could be pregnant but not Denise Huxtable 8 It was felt that viewers would not accept Denise as an unwed mother having grown to know her as a good girl after four seasons of The Cosby Show Thus it was decided that Denise would drop out of Hillman return home to her family and eventually travel to Africa throughout the fifth season of The Cosby Show ensuring that viewers would not see a pregnant Denise Allen was also in favor of keeping Tomei as she herself recalled a white student at Howard and wanted to relate that in the show and even had possible premises for her character such as meeting Dwayne s parents and seeing the other side of racism 8 However the network rejected this storyline and the producers released Tomei from the show and she and Marie Alise Recasner were replaced by Cree Summer and Charnele Brown respectively Darryl M Bell and Sinbad were promoted to the principal cast and Glynn Turman and Lou Myers were added as supporting cast members These changes led to the placement of Whitley and Dwayne at the center of a wider ensemble Cast and characters EditMain article List of A Different World characters Main Edit Actor Character Seasons1 2 3 4 5 6Lisa Bonet Denise Huxtable Main Does not appear Guest Does not appearMarisa Tomei Maggie Lauten Main Does not appearDawnn Lewis Jaleesa Vinson Taylor Main Does not appearJasmine Guy Whitley Gilbert Wayne MainKadeem Hardison Dwayne Cleofis Wayne MainMary Alice Leticia Lettie Bostic Main Does not appearLoretta Devine Stevie Rallen Main Does not appearDarryl M Bell Ronald Ron Marlon Johnson Recurring MainSinbad Coach Walter Oakes Recurring Main Does not appearCharnele Brown Kimberly Reese Does not appear MainCree Summer Winifred Freddie Brooks Does not appear MainGlynn Turman Colonel Bradford Taylor Does not appear MainLou Myers Vernon Gaines Does not appear MainAjai Sanders Gina Deveaux Does not appear Recurring MainJada Pinkett Smith Lena James Does not appear Recurring MainKaren Malina White Charmaine Tyesha Brown Does not appear Guest MainRecurring Edit Joe Morton as Byron Douglas season 5 Cory Tyler as Terrence Taylor seasons 4 and 5 Patrick Malone as Terrell Walker season 6 Bumper Robinson as Dorian Heywood season 6 Michael Ralph as Spencer Boyer season 6 various characters seasons 4 and 5 Gary Dourdan as Shazza Zulu seasons 5 and 6 guest starring in episode 86 Marie Alise Recasner as Millie season 1 Andrew Lowery as Matthew Freddie s cousin Kim s boyfriend season 4 Kim Wayans as Allison season 1 Dominic Hoffman as Ken Souje Season 1 Julian Day Whitley s boyfriend 8 episodes Alisa Gyse Dickens as Kinu Owens Dwayne s girlfriend 9 episodes Jenifer Lewis as Dean Dorothy Dandridge Davenport 9 episodes Diahann Carroll as Marion Gilbert Whitley s mother 7 episodes Patti LaBelle as Adele Wayne Dwayne s mother 7 episodes Roger Guenveur Smith as Prof Howard Randolph season 4 Rosalind Cash as Dean Hughes 4 episodes Ron O Neal as Mercer Gilbert Whitley s father 4 episodes Phylicia Rashad as Clair Huxtable 4 episodes Jonell Green as Dashawn Curtis 4 episodes Bill Cosby as Cliff Huxtable 3 episodes Keshia Knight Pulliam as Rudy Huxtable 3 episodes Robert Guillaume as Dean Winston and Professor Murphy history professor Kim s medical professor 3 episodes Harold Sylvester as Woodson Wayne Dwayne s father 3 episodes Malcolm Jamal Warner as Theodore Huxtable 2 episodes Guest stars Edit Vanessa Bell Calloway as Lily Connors season 3 episode 18 amp Jaleesa s sister Danielle season 4 episode 18 Tisha Campbell as Josie Webb 2 episodes Nestor Carbonell as Malik Velasquez Whitley s mother s hired boyfriend 2 episodes Art Evans as Mr Johnson Ron s father 2 episodes IMx as Whitley s students 2 episodes Richard Roundtree as Clinton Reese Kim s father Season 3 episodes 8 amp 9 Halle Berry as Jaclyn Ron s girlfriend season 4 episode 15 The Boys as Mice 2 Men singing group season 5 episode 13 Dean Cain as Eddie A amp M University student season 5 episode 14 Wayne Federman as A amp 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 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 James Avery as bowler season 3 episode 4 Alfonso Ribeiro as Zach Duncan prospective freshman season 3 episode 19 Heavy D as himself season 3 episode 6 Lena Horne as herself season 6 episode 25 Jesse Jackson as himself season 2 episode 21 Trina McGee as Gennifer season 5 episode 18 Khandi Alexander as Theressa Stone season 2 episode 21 Gladys Knight as herself season 2 episode 5 Kris Kross as Dwayne s juvenile mentees season 6 episode 11 Tupac Shakur as Piccolo season 6 episode 23 Obba Babatunde as Frank season 3 episode 22 Blair Underwood as Zelmer Collier season 4 episode 14 Billy Dee Williams as Langston Paige landlord season 6 episode 23 Thomas Mikal Ford as Lamar Vinson Jaleesa s ex husband season 2 episode 17 Raven Symone as Olivia Kendall Denise s step daughter season 3 episode 5 Joseph C Phillips as Lt Martin Kendall Denise s husband season 3 episode 5 Episodes EditMain article List of A Different World episodes SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedRankRatingFirst airedLast aired122September 24 1987 1987 09 24 July 7 1988 1988 07 07 2 9 25 0 9 222October 6 1988 1988 10 06 May 4 1989 1989 05 04 3 9 23 0 9 325September 28 1989 1989 09 28 May 3 1990 1990 05 03 4 9 21 1 9 425September 20 1990 1990 09 20 May 2 1991 1991 05 02 4 9 17 5 9 525September 19 1991 1991 09 19 May 14 1992 1992 05 14 17 9 15 2 9 625September 24 1992 1992 09 24 July 9 1993 1993 07 09 71 10 9 6 10 Connections to The Cosby Show EditAs a show developed by Bill Cosby for a character from The Cosby Show A Different World had many connections to its parent program even before the latter program was created The third season finale of The Cosby Show entitled Hillman was essentially a pilot episode for the new show The theme song was co written by Stu Gardner Bill Cosby and Dawnn Lewis who was also a cast member In the online interviews related to the 2006 Hillman College Reunion Lewis revealed that her being approached to write the song and to audition were two separate events that occurred within a short time of each other such that she thought it was a practical joke by her friends 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 brother Theodore Huxtable Malcolm Jamal Warner and grandfather 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 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 A young Kadeem Hardison appeared on The Cosby Show as one of Theo Huxtable s friends in the first season episode A Shirt Story though not playing Dwayne Sinbad also appeared on The Cosby Show as a car salesman in third season episode Say Hello to a Good Buy A Hillman alumna by the name of Louise Sujay was mentioned on both Cosby and A Different World by Clair Huxtable Whitley Gilbert and her mother Marion Like Lisa Bonet Karen Malina White brought her The Cosby Show character to Hillman Charmaine was the best friend of Claire Huxtable s cousin Pam Tucker White s Cosby Show costar Allen Payne turned down an offer to bring his role as Charmaine s boyfriend Lance Rodman to A Different World as a regular during Season 6 preferring instead to pursue a movie career he and Jada Pinkett Smith starred in the 1994 film Jason s Lyric which is considered to be a milestone in both their careers Payne appeared in one episode during season five in which Charmaine visits Hillman as a prospective student bringing Lance along to see if he can gain admission as well When Charmaine arrives at Hillman she and Lance are maintaining a long distance relationship and he is mentioned in multiple episodes Lance and Charmaine later break up over the phone Years later Tempestt Bledsoe who played Vanessa on Cosby and Darryl M Bell who played Ron on A Different World became a real life couple and co starred on the 2009 Fox Reality Channel series Househusbands of Hollywood Hillman College Edit Hillman College is a fictional historically black college founded in 1881 and located in the commonwealth of Virginia The exact locality of the school is never revealed but several geographic references are made which allude to the campus either being located somewhere in the Hampton Roads area or in the Roanoke Metropolitan Area The school s motto is Deus Nondum Te Confecit which literally translates from Latin to God has not yet finished you The school colors are maroon and gray Visual shots of the Hillman campus that were used in the series were actually filmed at two real life Black colleges Clark Atlanta University and Spelman College both in Atlanta Georgia 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 Home media EditUrban Works released Season 1 of A Different World on DVD in Region 1 on November 8 2005 Several release dates for a Season 2 DVD were announced May 2006 11 July 2006 12 and September 2006 13 but the DVD was never released Urban Works was acquired by First Look Studios in early 2006 The distribution rights for the series have since reverted to the production company Carsey Werner Productions FilmRise has currently made the series available on streaming services especially Amazon Prime DVD Title Release Date No ofEpisodes Additional InformationSeason 1 November 8 2005 22 cast interviews out takes a retrospective overview of the series with cast members an un aired lost episode featuring Tupac Shakur and Jada Pinkett SmithReception EditRatings Edit Critics say that A Different World benefited from airing between The Cosby Show and Cheers on Thursday night The show consistently ranked first or second among African American viewers during most of its run 14 Viewership and ratings per season of A Different World Season Time slot ET Episodes First aired Last aired TV season Rank Avg HHratingDate HHrating Viewers millions Date HHrating Viewers millions 1 Thursday 8 30 p m 22 September 24 1987 31 3 15 July 7 1988 17 0 16 1987 88 2 9 25 0 9 2 22 October 6 1988 22 7 17 34 3 17 May 4 1989 20 7 18 30 8 18 1988 89 3 9 23 0 9 3 25 September 28 1989 23 4 19 36 6 19 May 3 1990 18 1 20 27 6 20 1989 90 4 9 21 1 9 4 25 September 20 1990 18 6 21 28 6 21 May 2 1991 16 3 22 24 1 22 1990 91 4 9 17 5 9 5 25 September 19 1991 18 9 23 29 0 23 May 14 1992 16 2 24 23 6 24 1991 92 17 9 15 2 9 6 Thursday 8 00 p m a Thursday 8 30 p m a 25 September 24 1992 11 1 25 15 3 25 July 9 1993 3 5 26 4 3 26 1992 93 71 10 9 6 10 Media reaction Edit The Hollywood Reporter is quoted as stating that when Debbie Allen became the producer and usually director of A Different World after the first season she transformed it from a bland Cosby spin off into a lively socially responsible ensemble situation comedy 14 The Museum of Broadcast Communications states that Debbie Allen 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 Morehouse and Spelman During these visits ideas for several of the episodes emerged from meetings with students and faculty 14 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 27 Impact on African American culture Edit Because of Debbie Allen s influence as the producer and usually director of A Different World after the first season African American youth who watched the show often cite it as a defining reason why many of them decided to attend a historically Black college or university 28 29 Hillman College Reunion EditIn 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 reunited for short vignettes that provided a glimpse of the current state of their characters Nick at Nite s Hillman College Reunion 30 website added details beyond those shown on television See also Edit United States portal 1980s portal 1990s portal comedy portal Television portalHistorically black colleges and universities List of highest rated television pilots On September 24 1987 the pilot episode of A Different World became the highest rated television pilot in history Notes Edit a b Episodes 1 9 and 19 21 aired on Thursday at 8 00 p m episodes 10 16 aired on Thursday at 8 30 p m and other episodes aired in various time slots References Edit Hampton U the Real Hillman Bledsoe and Bell Share with HU Students Hampton University Retrieved February 6 2017 Haithman Diane October 6 1988 Different Touch to Different World Los Angeles Times Retrieved October 2 2010 DIFFERENT WORLD A Archive of American Television Retrieved December 14 2016 La Deane Alice January 13 1992 Different World Goes Beyond Realm of Sitcom Los Angeles Times Retrieved October 2 2010 Jay Sandrich Archive of American Television Retrieved March 9 2014 Anne Beatts Archive of American Television Retrieved March 9 2014 Marcy Carsey Archive of American Television Retrieved March 9 2014 a b Debbie Allen Archive of American Television Retrieved March 9 2014 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Brooks Tim Marsh Earle 1999 The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946 Present 7th ed New York City Ballantine p 1255 1257 ISBN 0 345 42923 0 LCCN 99 90712 a b c d By the numbers Year end ratings Life USA Today April 21 1993 p 3D ProQuest 306606742 Lambert David December 31 2005 A Different World DVD news Release Date amp Too Good To Be True Price For A Different World Season 2 TVShowsOnDVD com Archived from the original on January 20 2018 Retrieved January 19 2018 Lambert David April 29 2006 A Different World DVD news A Different DVD Delay TVShowsOnDVD com Archived from the original on January 20 2018 Retrieved January 19 2018 Lambert David July 27 2006 A Different World DVD news What s going on with season 2 TVShowsOnDVD com Archived from the original on January 20 2018 Retrieved January 19 2018 a b c The Museum of Broadcast Communications Encyclopedia of Television Museum tv Archived from the original on February 10 2006 Retrieved November 11 2013 Nielsen ratings Life USA Today September 30 1987 p 3D ProQuest 305922933 Nielsen ratings Life USA Today July 13 1988 p 3D ProQuest 306059443 a b Nielsen ratings Life USA Today October 12 1988 p 3D ProQuest 306106992 a b Nielsen ratings Life USA Today May 10 1989 p 3D ProQuest 306210811 a b Nielsen ratings Life USA Today October 4 1989 p 3D ProQuest 306272544 a b Nielsen ratings Life USA Today May 9 1990 p 3D ProQuest 306332954 a b Nielsen ratings Life USA Today September 26 1990 p 3D ProQuest 306354668 a b Nielsen ratings Life USA Today May 8 1991 p 3D a b Nielsen ratings Life USA Today September 25 1992 p 3D a b Nielsen ratings Life USA Today May 20 1992 p 3D a b Nielsen ratings Life USA Today September 30 1992 p 3D a b Nielsen ratings Life USA Today July 14 1993 p 3D Aziz Naeesa Where Are All the Black TV Shows News BET Retrieved November 11 2013 Moodie Mills Danielle December 1 2012 Lessons From A Different World Huffington Post Retrieved November 11 2013 Will The Days of A Different World Ever Return Madamenoire com May 24 2011 Retrieved November 11 2013 Hillman College Reunion tvland com Archived from the original on September 1 2006 Retrieved August 30 2006 External links EditCarsey Werner A Different World A Different World at the Museum of Broadcast Communications Official Bill Cosby website A Different World at IMDb A Different World at epguides com A Different World at The Interviews An Oral History of Television Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title A Different World amp oldid 1129592824, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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