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A Different World is an American television sitcom which aired for six seasons on NBC (from September 24, 1987 - July 9, 1993). It was a spin-off series from The Cosby Show originally centered on Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) and the life of students at Hillman College, a fictional historically black college in the state of Virginia. Later seasons of the show focused on other characters, including mathematics whiz Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) and Southern belle Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy). In reality, Spelman College was the campus primarily seen during the show.[citation needed] The series frequently depicted members of the major historically African American fraternities and sororities (along with the fictional Kappa Lambda Nu Fraternity and Alpha Delta Rho Sorority). 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, the Equal Rights Amendment). One episode that aired in 1990 was one of the first American network television episodes to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The success and popularity of A Different World are credited with an increase in enrollment at historically Black colleges and universities during the late 1980s and early 1990s.[1]
[edit] CastMain article: A Different World characters
[edit] Ratings
[edit] U.S. television ratings
[edit] African-American households
[edit] Hillman College ReunionIn August 2006, Nick At Nite aired a weeklong marathon of A Different World episodes. Lisa Bonet, Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison, Darryl M. Bell, Cree Summer, and Sinbad reunited for short vignettes that provide a glimpse of the current state of their characters. Nick at Nite's Hillman College Reunion[2] website added details beyond those shown on television. [edit] Season 2 changesDuring the summer of 1988, Lisa Bonet announced that she and husband Lenny Kravitz were having a baby (the future Zoe Kravitz). It was felt that viewers would not accept Denise Huxtable as an unwed mother, having grown to know her as a "good girl" after four seasons of The Cosby Show and A Different World. 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. This led to Debbie Allen becoming the chief creative force behind A Different World, and to the revamp that placed Whitley and Dwayne at the center of a wider ensemble, dealing with more relevant issues of the day. Allen, an alumna of Howard University, made a conscious effort to make Hillman resemble an actual historically black college as much as possible. The first season of Hillman's student body consisted of both black and white students, but this was changed at the beginning of the second season and was maintained until the series ended. Marisa Tomei and Marie-Alise Recasner were replaced by Charnele Brown and Cree Summer. Darryl M. Bell and Sinbad were promoted to the principal cast, which (coupled with the addition of Glynn Turman and Lou Myers) allowed the show to provide a more equitable balance of male and female perspectives. Dwayne's status as the campus nerd was gradually phased out, and Ron was transformed from devoted boyfriend to notorious womanizer. The replacement of the passive Millie with the more confident Kim as Whitley's roommate and confidante helped to make Whitley a more sympathetic character.[citation needed] The addition of Freddie preserved other elements of Season 1, as the character represented both the Bohemian aspects of Denise and the studious nature of Maggie. The Hollywood Reporter is quoted as stating that when Debbie Allen became the producer-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."[3] The Museum of Broadcast Communications states that Debbie Allen:
[edit] Notable episodes
[edit] Opening creditsLike its parent series The Cosby Show, A Different World altered its opening credit sequence at least slightly almost every season. Kadeem Hardison is the only person featured in every variation of the opening credits.
[edit] Cosby connectionsAs a show developed by Bill Cosby for a character from The Cosby Show, A Different World naturally 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 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 song was performed by Phoebe Snow in Season 1, by Aretha Franklin in Seasons 2 through 5, and Boyz II Men in Season 6. The spin-off program featured many appearances by characters from the parent program, especially in the initial season, in which Denise's father, mother, younger sisters Vanessa and Rudy, brother Theo, and grandfather Russell 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 Rashād's four appearances as Hillman alumna Clair Huxtable took place after Season 1, and in one of these, she brought her younger daughter Vanessa to tour the college. Producer/director Debbie Allen is the sister of Phylicia Rashād. Allen made one guest appearance on The Cosby Show, playing an aggressive aerobics instructor who helps Clair Huxtable (Phylicia Rashad) slim down for a special occasion. Allen appeared in later seasons 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 also appears in The Cosby Show as one of Theo Huxtable's friends in the Gordon Gartrell shirt episode, though not playing Dwayne, of course. Like Lisa Bonet, Karen Malina White brought her Cosby Show character to Hillman. Charmaine was the best friend of Clair 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 starred in the 1994 film Jason's Lyric, which is considered to be a milestone in both their careers. Payne did appear in one episode during Season 5 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. [edit] DVD releasesUrban Works released Season 1 of A Different World on DVD in Region 1 on November 8, 2005. Several release dates for Season 2 were announced (May 2006, July 2006 & September 2006) but it was never released. Urban Works was acquired by First Look Studios in early 2006. The rights for the remaining seasons of the show still belong to the production company, Carsey Warner.
[edit] See also[edit] References[edit] External links
Categories: 1987 television series debuts | 1993 television series endings | 1980s American television series | 1990s American television series | Black sitcoms | Television shows set in Virginia | College television series | NBC network shows | Television spin-offs | Television series by Carsey-Werner Productions | American television sitcoms | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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