The Epitome of Black Excellence: A Comprehensive Analysis of A Different World

The Black sitcom surge in the ‘80s and ‘90s helped craft the future of sitcoms as we know them. 227, Martin!, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Living Single and several others employed black writers and producers who put black culture on the forefront, giving black audiences something to relate to. Among these is the revolutionary HBCU sitcom, A Different World, which follows a group of college students attending the historically black, Hillman College. Despite the ups and downs of the show (both behind the scenes and on screen), this show goes down in history as one of the most educated and instrumental sitcoms ever aired and continues to influence black audiences to this day.

Background

We know A Different World as a spin-off of The Cosby Show, but it didn’t originate that way. The premise was originally to follow a white student as she attended an HBCU and to have Lena Horne play a prominent role as an instructor. With this premise, the title makes a lot more sense. However, things were switched around during production. Lisa Bonet was chosen to be the lead, continuing her role as Denise Huxtable, and she was intended to have a white roommate, in order to show the reciprocal dynamics of a white student at black school. Originally, Meg Ryan was cast as this roommate, but Marisa Tomei was cast in the role when Ryan dropped out.

After filming four episodes for the initial season, they were scrapped because producers did not think they were up to par. At this point, Anne Beatts, who had previously worked on Saturday Night Live and Square Pegs, was brought on as a producer. She was tasked with producing an entirely new pilot only six weeks before it was due to air. Even after this pilot was produced and filmed, it became the second episode and not the first and even after that, several episodes were rearranged in the first season.

The First Season

In the first season, we were introduced to much of the main cast, though it would go on to change at several points. As aforementioned, Bonet was cast as Denise Huxtable who is not a good student and spends the season nearly flunking out of school. The season follows her as she learns to navigate college life without leaning on her parents. While Denise is lazy and kind of spoiled, she is incredibly empathetic and open-minded. Marisa Tomei was cast as Maggie Lauten, the resident motormouth who is very involved in classes and clubs. She is essentially Denise’s foil. Loretta Devine, best known at the time for portraying Lorell in Dreamgirls, was cast as Stevie Rallen, the dorm director of Gilbert Hall, and Mary Alice played Lettie Bostic, who took over as dorm director halfway through the first season, though Stevie returned briefly in the 21st episode. Dawnn Lewis, who eventually left the show to co-star in Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, was cast in the role of Jaleesa Vinson, an older and more responsible student who would act as a sort of matriarch throughout her time on the show. I also want to mention that Dawnn Lewis is one of my favorite actors from this series, I just think she’s so cool. Fun Fact: When Lewis auditioned for the role of Jaleesa, she was on unemployment and down to her last check. Kadeem Hardison and Jasmine Guy were cast as Dwayne Wade and Whitley Gilbert respectively, two very instrumental characters. Here’s a little background on these two: Kadeem Hardison’s mother and manager was Bethann Hardison, an African-American model and founder of Bethann Management Agency, which focused on diversifying the fashion industry. Hardison got on the show after doing a cameo on The Cosby Show. Dwayne was a nerdy student with a sort of spunk and wore signature flip up glasses that Anne Beatts discovered when David Bowie’s guitarist Carlos Alomar wore them.  Dwayne studied math with the goal of being an engineer and is a charismatic, natural born leader. Jasmine Guy is a trained dancer and performed in plenty of stage productions, including Fame and Beehive. Guy originally auditioned for the role of Jaleesa, but obviously didn’t get it. When she re-auditioned for the role of Whitley, she did so by imitating the exaggerated southern accent of her 3rd teacher in order to match Whitley’s Southern belle characterization. This imitation is made even more bizarre each time we see Whitley’s parents, neither of which have such an accent, and whenever we are reminded that she is from Richmond, Virginia and not the deep south. Listen to this child actor attempt it (lol“For Whom the Jingle Bell Tolls,” ). Whitley’s character was based on head writer, Susan Fales-Hill, who grew up wealthy and struggled to fit in while attending Harvard University. Whitely is an Art History and French double major, a traditional, stuck up, socialite and mean girl; she is essentially loathed in the first season.Guy, Hardison and Darryl M Bell, who plays Ron Johnson, all worked together in Spike Lee’s School Daze. School Daze had a lot of other notable names like Tisha Campbell, Giancarlo Esposito, Laurence Fishburne, and Samuel L Jackson, and also followed black students attending an HBCU. Fun Fact: Bell originally auditioned for the role of Dwayne Wayne.

We are also introduced to the fictional school of Hillman College in the first season. The college was founded in 1880 and is placed somewhere in Virginia. Though the show never states exactly where the college is located, it is thought that it is somewhere in Hampton Roads or Roanoke County (two areas where I just so happened to spend a good portion of my life). The college is based on Howard University and likely Hampton University as well, though Hampton is stated to be a rival of the college several times throughout the series. For B-Roll, the show used images of Spellman and Clark Atlanta University.

The first season primarily follows Denise, Jaleesa, Maggie, Dwayne and Whitley as they navigate their social relationships at the school. I also want to mention that in season 1 we see both Kim Wayans, Damon Wayans and Keenan Ivory Wayans, legends. Throughout the first season and a bit of the second season, we see every one of the Huxtables, except for Stacey. They make it clear that the Huxtables have a talent for wooing people at Hillman as Denise is talked about long after her time at the college is over, Theo quickly makes friends on campus even though he is a 17 year old high school senior, Clair is loved by all of the students and Vanessa goes on a double date with Dwayne and Ron. Fun Fact: In the episode “Risky Business,” Tempest Bledsoe and Darryl M Hall met for the first time. Several years later, they met again and began dating. They are still a happy couple to this day.

Continuity Errors in Season 1

Season 1 is riddled with continuity errors due to the rearranging and reshooting of episodes that took place before the season could be aired. For example, in “War of Words,” Maggie’s boyfriend, Mike, comes to visit and asks her to move with him to D.C. Maggie ultimately turns him down, but their relationship continues. However, in the episode “My Dinner with Theo,” Jaleesa and Denise are shocked to find out that Maggie has a boyfriend. In the same episode, Carla (played by an uncredited Vernee Watson-Johnson) is Gilbert Hall’s dorm director. In the previous episode, “Come Back, Little Eggby,” Stevie appears as the dorm director again, though Lettie had already taken over. These errors were because “My Dinner with Theo” was part of the four scrapped episodes and was originally supposed to serve as the pilot. “Come Back, Little Eggby” was supposed to be aired earlier, but wasn’t and I can’t find an explanation online. The biggest error is that Hillman is supposed to be a tough and reputable institution, but Denise was an awful student for most of her time on the show and had a 1.7 gpa at one point without any mention of academic probation.

Season 1, Continued

Despite Beatts’ reworking of the first season of the show and it’s great ratings, the show received awful reviews from critics. It is believed that the show’s good ratings were due to its primetime airing slot. In fact, it was called Must See Thursday for years because the night line up had The Cosby Show, A Different World, and Cheers. When you look at the first season in isolation, it is surprising that it was renewed at all (and I mean that with the utmost respect). The jokes didn’t really hit like they expected, there were these weird scene transitions and tons of filler scenes that didn’t matter at all, the dialogue was too wordy and characters weren’t really developed enough to have their own personalities. Overall, it was kind of boring and seemed like it didn’t quite know how to appeal to its target audience. Cosby and other producers felt that A Different World did not accurately portray life for black students at an HBCU and even though I did not attend an HBCU, I agree. There was no stepping, there was no emphasis on Black American culture, sports weren’t that big of a deal, it wasn’t accurate to the college experience in general, let alone the Black college experience. The cast felt very similar and Hardison even said that they could have been replaced with four white kids from Kansas, and the show would be the same. It should be noted that Anne Beatts is not a black woman and did not attend an HBCU, which likely affected her ability to accurately portray the reality of black (and even white) HBCU students. Debbie Allen, sister of Phyllicia Rashad and Howard University alum, was brought onboard as executive producer beginning with the second season and continued in that role until the final season.

Bonet and her husband Lenny Kravitz learned that they were expecting their first child in 1988. Though Allen was interested in exploring the dynamics of a pregnant college student, Cosby did not want Denise to be an unwed mother and wanted her written off. Denise’s time on the show was so short lived (and the first season is so rarely rewatched) that it wouldn’t be surprising for younger viewers not to know that A Different World is a spin-off of The Cosby Show. Debbie Allen also wanted Tomei to continue to be a part of the cast however, she left the show. In an interview with Andy Cohen in 2014, Tomei stated that she was fired, so it doesn’t seem that there is a consensus on her departure. Tomei went on to have a fruitful career, acting in films like My Cousin Vinny and the latest Spider-Man reboot films.

Allen implemented all kinds of changes including refusing to let female cast members wear weaves on camera, she implemented dance exercises before rehearsals, she made sure Black Vernacular English was more prevalent in the scripts

For the second season, Dwayne and Whitely were moved to center stage and the following seasons would follow their relationship. Dwayne’s character was also rewritten quite a bit. In the first season, it was established that he was very smart, but he was creepy and hung around Gilbert Hall with the intention of sleeping with literally any woman, but preferably Denise. He had no street smarts or common sense. He acted like the little brother in a Disney show. It really sold Kadeem Hardison short as an actor. Even despite his often cringey dialogue, Hardison was able to add a certain charm and humor to his lines. In Season 2 his character shifted to be more likable and well-rounded. Not only do we learn more about his intellect, but we also get to see him be more of a cool guy on campus and he’s even called a babe a few times. Whitely’s character was also developed to be more likable and well rounded.  We learn more about her interests, quirks and academic pursuits. She bonds with several characters and often shifts her own desires to do favors for characters like Dwayne, Freddie, Jaleesa and Kim.

New Cast

In Season 2 we got a host of new cast members. The characters of Darryl M Bell and Sinbad, Ron Johnson and Coach Walter Oakes, were shifted from recurring to main. Sinbad secured the role of Coach Oakes after taking a gig warming up the audience for the first season of A Different World. We also got Charnele Brown as Kimberly Reese a very smart student from Ohio, Cree Summer as Freddie Brooks, an eccentric and spiritual student, Glynn Turman as Colonel Taylor, the ROTC instructor and calculus professor and Lou Meyers as Vernon Gaines the owner of The Pit, which was the on campus restaurant where many students ate and worked. Freddie’s character added an interesting dynamic as the only bi-racial student in the main cast; Jasmine Guy is also biracial, but Whitley is not. In season 6, Freddie’s mother makes an appearance and puts an additional face to the eccentricity that Freddie exhibits throughout the series.

Fashion

An important element that helped bring black culture onto the screen, was the updated fashion shown in seasons 2-6. When compared to the first season, you can see how each character had their own style and how their style evolved throughout the series. Allen thought it was important that black characters wear fashion that is representative of their culture. You can see the visual change in the show from the first to second season, that is caused by these tweaks to the cast’s wardrobe. The first season looks like it is all one color, but when we get into the second, we know immediately that we are dealing with a colorful cast of incredible characters with their own unique style. Look at Ron in season one and Ron in season two and Ron in season three (“Here’s to Old Friends”). Ron was only a recurring character in the first season, but his clothing could have been traded with literally anyone, since it doesn’t give him any personality. Dwayne’s wardrobe story is my favorite. He goes from his signature flip up glasses and unmatched outfits, to a shirt, string tie and very-fitting saddlebag briefcase.

Theme Song

Now is probably a good time to talk about the theme song. According to Entertainment Tonight, the theme song was a joint writing venture between Cosby, Dawnn Lewis and Stu Gardener, who had written for Cosby in the past. The version used for season one was sung by Phoebe Snow, a well-known blues singer. While this version is great, it didn’t really seem to fit in with the vibe that producers were going for. Additionally, the opening sequence showed Dwayne, Denise, Maggie and Jaleesa frolicking around and washing cars and really didn’t tell us anything about them. The version of the theme used for seasons two through five was sung by Aretha Franklin and is likely the version that audiences remember when they think about the A Different World theme. (Fun Fact: Aretha Franklin was married to Glynn Turnman. The two had been divorced for about three years when A Different World began airing).  Through the opening sequence, we learn a lot about the students. We learn that Whitley is vain, Jaleesa is studious, Dwayne is smart, but easily distracted, that Mr. Gaines is constantly dealing with new situations, that Ron and Walter are goofy, and that Freddie likes to socialize. I think they could have done a better job showing the hardworking side of Kim (you’ll learn later that Kim was shorted a lot throughout the series), but they still did great overall. In season six, Boyz II Men took over the theme song, displaying the transition that was happening in black music from soul and R&B and into New Jack Swing (which was popular at the time). This new version seemed to represent yet another rebirth for A Different World. Fun Fact: If you look closely at the second and third intro sequences, you’ll see background actors that also act in the show itself. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s talk about some key episodes from the series.

Season Two

In the first episode we meet Kimberly Reese and Freddie Brooks. Throughout the show, Charnelle Brown faced criticism because of her dark skin color, this is something that was addressed in the “Mammy Dearest” episode which we will discuss later. Her character immediately stands out as she is Whitley’s roommate. Unlike other clashing roommate narratives, this one stands out because we know Whitley to be uptight and to have had her own room the previous year. Also, Kim has no problem standing up to Whitley and letting her have it. As you probably know, Cree Summer is a very well-known voice actor and before, during and after A Different World, she continued her voice work on other shows. Her voice really adds character to Freddie and makes the humorous parts even funnier.

Though we probably couldn’t imagine Dwayne and Whitley from season 1 getting married, we learn that Dwayne’s nonchalance and Whitley’s defensive personality balance each other out. In several episodes in season 2, Dwayne and Whitley bond very well and hint at their future relationship. In fact, for a little bit, there is a love triangle between Dwayne, Freddie and Whitley. Here’s another fun fact, Kadeem Hardison and Cress Summer actually dated briefly. In “There’s No Place Like Home,” we get to see just how far the show has come in such a short amount of time. The episode ends with the entire cast singing a song called “Mean Children Blues” with Lou Meyers playing the piano and Glyn Turman playing the harmonica. We can feel a sense of camaraderie that just did not exist in the prior season and by ending it with such a number and an episode named “There’s No Place Like Home,” it seems like they were bracing themselves for cancellation, but we know that there were four fruitful seasons after this one.

Debbie Allen was extremely hands on during this season and directs every single episode. Though the reigns loosen a bit in the following seasons and episodes are directed by a range of people including Kadeem Hardison, Jasmine Guy and Susan Fales-Hill.

Season Three

This is the senior year for Whitley and Jaleesa, the junior year for Ron and Dwayne, and the sophomore year for Freddie and Kim. At the beginning of season three, we learn that Gilbert Hall is now co-ed, with both Walter and Jaleesa running the dorm. Kim gives up a fruitful scholarship that she received from a company with ties to the corrupt figures in South Africa, which causes financial problems for her. This season is also when Dwayne and Whitley really show us that they like one another, but their relationship won't begin until halfway through the fourth season. They spend most of the third season swallowing down their feelings for one another because they are worried about what will happen if they pursue a relationship. A fifth through the season, we learn that Denise is now married with a step-daughter, learning this is something that helps Dwayne move on. At the end of the season we meet Dwayne’s mother, Adele Wayne, played by Pattie LaBelle, who does a phenomenal job in the role.

Season Three-Continuity Errors

You’ve probably noticed I didn’t have a “Continuity Errors'' section for season two and that’s because there really haven’t been any that caught my eye. However, this season has an error that was particularly noticeable to me. In “The Getaway Part 1,” Freddie asks if she can borrow Jaleesa's Lenny Kravitz tape, but at this time Kravitz and Bonet (who is still mentioned as Denise in the show) are married with a baby. I think this error, and some others in seasons 4-6 are more like Easter Eggs or playful nods to previous cast members, rather than errors.

Season Four

At the beginning of this season we meet Terrence Taylor, Colonel Taylor's predator son. I think that Terrence redeems himself later on, but he’s super problematic when we first meet him. We also get a new love shape, not necessarily a triangle, between Kinu, Dwayne, Whitley and Ron. But, about a third of the way through the season, Dwayne and Whitley finally get together. This season is also where we meet Gina for the first time and I love Gina, she’s hilarious and we later learn that she is fluent in French, as her parents are from Martinique, a French territory in the Caribbean. This season, Shazza Zulu shows up; he’s a sixth year undergraduate student. Ron has to continue attending Hillman because he needs to fulfill his History requirement with European History. Whitley continues to attend because she needs to fulfill her math requirement and wants to take business classes to increase her chances of becoming an art buyer.

Season Four-Continuity Errors

At the end of season four, we learn that Dwayne is intending to spend his summer on campus, teaching summer classes and beginning the PhD program. However, for students to begin teaching classes, even at the fellowship level, they usually need to be in the first (or most commonly second) year of a postsecondary degree program. It is not uncommon for upperclass undergraduate students to be teaching assistants, but they wouldn’t lead their own classes...they’re not qualified, they’re just students lol.

Season Five

In this season, we learn that Whitley’s family has donated a lot of money which helped build Height Hall and Whitley and Kim are running the dorm together. We meet Lena, who is played by Jada Pinkett, and she does a fantastic job. We also meet Charmaine on her campus visit to Hillman. Whitley works part time as an assistant art buyer for EH Wright and Ron is struggling to find his place, now that he has graduated. Finally, we learn that Jaleesa and Colonel Taylor got married over the summer. This is weird for reasons I will discuss later. This is the season where we first hear of Piccolo, Lena’s ex-boyfriend, who shows up in the fifth season. Whitley gets engaged to Byron Douglas III, but leaves him at the altar in the final episode. In the penultimate episode of the season, we meet Whitley’s cousin Courtney. Courtney also has a Southern accent, though it’s not as exaggerated as Whitely’s. Fun Fact: When necessary, Monica would act as a stand in for Jasmine. For example, in the episode “Liza Who-Little,” Whitley’s cousin Liza (also played by Jasmine Guy) comes to visit. While Jasmine played Whitley, Monica was likely used as a stand in for Liza and vice versa. Whitley’s cousin is played by Roxanne Beckford, who looks a lot like Monica Guy.

Season Five-Continuity Errors

In the episode, “Bedroom at the Top,” Dwayne and Freddie call Ron a Phone ho, but the word “ho” is a popular topic of conversation in the 6th season, so its weird that they throw the word around so lightly. Though Dwayne is a PhD candidate, he is also a professor (somehow) and he’s still dating students? In the episode, “In the Eye of the Storm,” he has arranged to spend winter break with a student who lives in Height Hall. The thin line between student and faculty relationships on the show is something I will be discussing later.

Season Six

At the beginning of this season, we get a host of new recurring and main characters. Lena, Gena and Charmaine are made into main characters. We also get Terrel, Dorian and Dean Davenport in recurring roles. We see Dwayne and Whitley navigate married life. Ron and Mr. Gaines go into business together and buy The Place Where the Blues will be Played. The roles between Dwayne and Ron reverse in that Ron makes plenty of money and Dwayne and Whitley are always broke since Whitley was laid off, they spent all of their savings on a painting and they were robbed. We see that Height Hall is now co-ed and that Kim and Freddie are the Co-Dorm Directors. This season is very different than those that we’ve seen thus far, but I’ll cover that later. We see that Dorian and Terrel have a relationship that is similar to that of Dwayne and Ron and Lena, Gina and Charmaine have a dynamic similar to that of Whitley, Kim and Freddie (their respective age gaps are even similar). Eventually, Lena and Dorian start dating. My favorite part of this season is Whitley. Since she becomes a public school history teacher, she really grows a backbone and will tell literally anyone how it is. Whitley wasn’t scared before, but after working with those kids she becomes really brave, which is hilarious to me.

Season Six Continuity Errors

Season six has a lot of small errors that only stand out when you binge watch the show, like I did. In the episode “Occupational Hazards,” Whitley buys an expensive suit for a job interview and gets red wine spilled on it, effectively ruining it. She needs money to pay Dwayne back for the suit. After having a weird time at the unemployment office, she becomes a telemarketer for children’s beauty products and asks if the person on the phone wants their child to have hair like Raven-Symone, even though Raven-Symone, playing Olivia, was on the episode “Forever Hold Your Peace.” In the episode “Great X-Pectations,” Whitley mentions that her students are painting a mural which includes Halle Berry, even though Halle Berry played Jaclyn in the episode “Love, Hillman-Style.” Also in “Great X-Pectations,” Dean Davenport mentions the Spike Lee Malcom X movie, but as I mentioned before, Hardison, Guy and Bell were all in Spike Lee’s School Daze. This season also mentions Nino Brown from New Jack City, even though Allen Payne plays Charmaine’s boyfriend in season five and Aretha Franklin even though, as I mentioned before, Glynn Turman is the ex husband of Aretha Franklin. Related to the story, we never hear Colonel Taylor’s children or wife mentioned in this season. In fact, Colonel Taylor is barely in the season at all, when compared to his presence in previous seasons.

Important Episodes

There are so many poignant and impactful episodes in this series that it’s really hard to narrow it down to only a few. On top of that, things are so well put together that these episodes have not become corny or insignificant overtime. In this section, I’ve included some of the more well known important episodes, but I’ve also included some that I deem more important than others...because this is my video.

Though season 1 is probably the worst (once again, I say that with the utmost respect), it still attempted to handle it’s share of difficult subjects. In the episode “Those Who Can’t...Tutor,” it is assumed that Dwayne climbed out of Whitley’s window after they had sex, when in actuality, he cut through Whitley’s room after tutoring Denise after curfew in order to avoid punishment. Though the show doesn’t linger there for long, it comments on the gross double standard that exists for men and women having one night stands. Dwayne is held as a hero and Whitley is seen as a ho and men find it acceptable to make nasty comments to her. Season 1 also gave us “Wild Child,” an episode that explored the journey of a homeless student, Cougar. Cougar often outsmarted other students and even professors, but revealed to Denise that she had been homeless since the age of 15 and didn’t have any family to help her out. She informally attended classes at Hillman because she had the desire to learn. Lettie was able to make a miracle happen, when she pulled some strings to get Cougar admitted to Hillman, despite the fact that Cougar was a high school dropout without a diploma or a GED. Children from low socioeconomic backgrounds have the ability to be just as gifted as those who are more well off, but they have less opportunities to participate in activities that cultivate and maintain their gifts.

In the episode “Mr. Hillman” from season one Denise convinces Dwayne to run against Whitley for Miss Hillman. She does this so that Whitley will lose, but she and Dwayne convince the rest of Gilbert Hall under the guise of feminism. He is constantly chastised, catcalled and, honestly, bullied. By the end of the competition, he understands that catcalling women (which he does all of the time) is not a good way to get their attention.

Along similar lines, in season two we get the episode “No Means No.” Freddie develops a crush on Dwayne’s baseball teammate, Garth Parks. Dwayne learns that Garth is a sexual predator and has sexually intimidated several female students on campus. Dwayne starts to think about how men often act inappropriately toward women, despite their protests. Walter tells Dwayne that if a man has sex with a woman without her consent, it’s rape, no matter their relationship. When Garth tries to take advantage of Freddie, Dwayne runs in and attacks him through the sunroof. Dwayne also reinforces that he is not the one to thank, but that Freddie is the brave one for reporting Garth despite the rumors that may be spread about her. This episode also confronts the misogynistic attitudes of a lot of the male characters in the show, though they don’t truly change for a while. I think this makes a statement about the misogynoir that was accepted at the time, but also creates a realistic situation as misogyny is not eradicated  from a person’s behavior as quickly as we’d like.

Season two also gives us “It Happened One Night,” which follows Kim as she navigates her pregnancy scare. Everyone in the main casts offers to help her with the baby and a few of them even propose that she gets an abortion, so that she does not lose her freedom. At the end of the episode, Kim learns that her period was delayed due to stress, but it exemplifies a real dilemma that many deal with. Many black college students are first generation and deal with high levels of stress because of that status.

In season 4, we get the episode “If I Should Die Before I Wake.” We meet Josie, who we learn has HIV. She reveals this to her classmates in an impactful speech. We see other students, including Gina, treating Josie differently, including not wanting to touch her and not wanting her to make their food at The Pit. The students and professors have to reexamine what they know, and don’t know, about HIV and AIDS. This was the first show to address AIDS on television. Fact: This episode was inspired by Magic Johnson, as the cast were rehearsing at Debbie Allen’s home when Johnson announced his diagnosis. Also, Jada Pinkett originally auditioned for the role of Josie, but Allen loved her audition so much, she wanted her to have a recurring role.

Season four also gives us the episode “Love Thy Neighbor.” Ron says that he has no sympathy for the homeless because anyone that is homeless is able to get government benefits. This is until he reunites with a cook from his favorite restaurant, who recently became homeless. As someone who works in human services, this episode is important to me. Statistically speaking, it is more likely that you will become homeless, rather than accomplishing all of your dreams and becoming a millionaire. Most people in America are one emergency or crisis from homelessness. Though people with low socioeconomic status are more likely to experience homelessness, I have homeless clients with Master’s degrees, homeless clients that are fluent in four languages, clients that are way smarter than me. Homelessness can touch anyone, at any time, for any reason. Alright, time to get off my soap box.

In season five we get the episode “Love Taps.” We met Dion for the first time. He is a Hillman student who is very popular on campus because of the music he makes. He is also dating Gina, a student known for her outgoing personality and charisma. Dion begins to physically abuse Gina, which completely changes the way that she interacts with her friends. She takes a brave step and reports him to campus police. Her situation with Dion causes a prominent change in Terrence Taylor. We see Dion again in the episode “College Kid.” He tries to pull Gina into a relationship with him again, but Gina stands her ground and discourages him from contacting her again.

We also get the episode "Cats in the Cradle" in season five. Ron sits outside of a Hillman vs Hampton football game and bets that Hillman will win against three Hampton students. When they lose Ron and the students antagonize each other and the students attempt to spray paint a racial slur on Ron’s car. Ron, Dwayne and the three guys get into a physical fight, which leads to them being detained by campus police. While I think there are some things that could have been done better in this episode, there are lots of things that this episode does well. For example, at the end of the episode, they find that someone completed the spray painted slur on Ron’s car. Showing the audience that even though the incident was able to enlighten a couple of men about racial issues, there are still so many people that are racist and do not care. I would have liked if the campus security officer checked his privilege instead of acting holier than thou and as if he was the picture of moral superiority, but the episode is still great. Fact: This was Dean Cain’s first acting role.

Finally in season five, we get the episode "Mammy Dearest." The students in Height Hall are planning a black history themed dorm dedication ceremony. Among the portraits in an exhibit revolving around black women, Whitley includes a picture and figures of Mammy. Kim takes offense and tells Mr. Gaines that she was made fun of for her complexion when she was younger; she was even mistaken for Aunt Jemima when she dressed up as a Nubian princess for a Halloween contest. At the end of the episode, Kim portrays Mammy in the ceremony, but turns her into a regal, matriarchal figure. Kim and the other characters reclaim Mammy and no longer feel oppressed by its presence.

In season six we get the episode “Somebody Say Ho!” Terrell is accused of putting a note that says “Digit Ho” on Charmaine’s back and everyone has made up their mind that he did it. Freddie volunteers to represent him at his hearing with the dean, but even she has already made up her mind that he did it and decides to try to persuade the dean that he did not mean “whore.” At the end of the episode, we learn that Gina is the one that put the sign on her back. The episode comments several times on the way that terms like “thug” and “hood” are used, even within the black community, to shame black men. Despite scoring a 1500 on his SATs, attending a prestigious university and being a straight A student, Charmaine still sees Terrell as a thug. Similarly, the episode comments on the way that words like “ho” are used to degrade women and how hard black people have to work for a fraction of what their counterparts receive. The nuances of this episode are really great as well. For example, at the beginning of the episode Charmain calls rap “gold tooth music,” which tells us how she feels about Terrell from the start. On the other hand, Dwayne introduces Terrell to Dean Davenport by saying that he made a 1500 on his SAT. Both of these show us how both Charmaine and Dwayne see Terrell.

In season six we get the episode “Great X-Pectations,” where the newer students are in a history class with Dean Davenport and are given an assignment focused on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. While walking with Terrell, Charmaine is cat called by a car full of men. The men then turn around and chase them, causing the two of them to run into the woods. Charmaine simply wants to report the men, but Terrell seeks to physically protect himself by bringing a gun with him to class. Dean Davenport strongly considers pursuing expulsion, but after Dwayne steps in and Terrell does his assignment with Dorian, he avoids punishment. While proper protocols were in place to take care of issues like this, Terrell chose a different route, but I wouldn’t blame him for doing so. It should not come as a surprise that black people often distrust the powers that be, whether they are government officials or those in charge of an educational institution. Oftentimes, people that grow up in rougher areas, have to find their own solutions to their problems and can’t often rely on others for help.

Season six also gives us “The Little Mister.” Dwayne makes it known that he does not want 1992 to be The Year of the Woman and believes that men deserve some credit for what they have done. He has a dream that Whitley and Dean Davenport are running for president and he and Colonel Taylor are their doting husbands. Throughout the dream, he and Colonel Taylor are treated the way that women treat men. There are so many layers to this episode, from the dream taking place on a stage (communicating the “song and dance” that exists in American politics), to the sheep that represent the voters, to the role that the First Lady is expected to play throughout the presidency.

Finally, the episodes “Honeymoon in LA” parts 1 and 2 are a part of season six as well. We find out that Dwayne and Whitley spent their honeymoon in LA and see their experience with the LA riots. They are separated and spend the duration of the episodes telling the students about how they found their way back to one another. The LA riots took place primarily due to the Rodney King verdict and the killing of 15 year old Latasha Harlins. The riots took place for about a week and resulted in over 12,000 arrests being made.

Character Development

I love the very purposeful development of the characters in A Different World.

Let’s start with Whitley Gilbert. At the beginning of the show, Whitley is written as an incredibly annoying, spoiled rich girl, but we sympathize with her because she has this thick Southern belle accent and is very much a fish out of water, so much so that no one will be her roommate. Her parents’ money cannot help her fit in and make friends at Hillman; in fact, it really makes her stand out. Her perfect exterior begins to crack when she finds out that her father is in a relationship with a much younger woman named Monica, her mother comes to visit and exposes all of the trouble in their relationship, and everyone learns that she is awful at math. In the final season, after the apartment she shares with Dwayne is robbed and she loses her job, she takes a job as a public school history teacher and wears the same blouse to work every day. She is forced to humble herself and get comfortable with Dwayne being the sole breadwinner in the house. However, the Whitley we knew from the first few seasons, is not completely lost. She gets up before Dwayne to freshen up so that she always looks perfect in front of him, she still has a particular distaste for Ron and she still has expensive taste, even on a McDonald’s budget. Jasmine Guy does a really great job portraying Whitely Gilbert. Not only does her accent never falter, but her facial acting is so excellent. Whitely overreacts to most things and much of these reactions are completely nonverbal.

As I mentioned before, season two really turned Dwayne’s character around and gave him a personality outside of drooling over every girl ever and having a very pointy chin. Throughout the show he grows and proves himself to be very brave, standing up for his friends in every situation. In season 6, Dwayne is very hardworking, holding down two or three jobs at a time and working to obtain his doctorate. He also still finds time to be with his wife and advise his students. He and Whitley get really good at negotiating and compromising with one another. Again, Dwayne isn’t perfect either. He makes all kinds of misogynistic microaggressions and has a hard time drawing the line between becoming close to, and friends with, his students. However, these flaws help to add to his personality and allow us to imagine that he and Whitely continue to compromise throughout the duration of their marriage. I also really like the way that Dwayne turns his chair around before he sits down, this is a detail that is included until the sixth season and is even highlighted in the opening theme from season two to season five. Kadeem Hardison is awesome in this series, he even wrote and directed several episodes, many of them are among the most memorable (show on screen). Hardison does a great job portraying Dwayne as someone who is extremely goofy, but also has the ability to get serious when necessary.

Jaleesa Vinson-Taylor’s stint on the show ends in season 5, after she marries and has her first child with Colonel Taylor. Throughout the seasons, she continues to act as the mother of the friend group and is even briefly engaged to Walter Oakes. Though really funny, Jaleesa’s character is pretty limited throughout the series. We learn that she puts more emphasis on her professional and educational life than her social life, she sings, and she’s good at most things. That’s pretty much the extent of her character.

Though Maggie Lauten was only in the first season, I really liked her character. Motormouth Maggie was a great student, a journalism major and involved in several clubs. She was also pretty eccentric and fit in very well with the other students at Hillman. I don’t have any sources for this, but I think her personality was copied and pasted for Freddie Brooks and later, Charmaine.

When Ron Johnson is added to the main cast  in season two, it is established that his father is a well-off business man and owns a car dealership. Ron sees himself going on to take over the dealership, though this is not really what he wants and his ambitions change in the fourth season. Much like Whitley, he is able to call his father whenever he runs out of money or needs someone to make a call and financially intimidate someone on his behalf. We see him come up with plenty of bad business ideas that ultimately fail. His character doesn’t really change until the final season. For much of the series, he spends time banging women and flunking class, he essentially becomes Dwayne’s foil. This is until season 6, where he finally begins to date Kim Reese. Though their relationship doesn’t work out, he enters a serious relationship with Freddie. He also buys his own club called The Place Where the Blues will be Played after his band breaks up. I have a lot of issues with Ron’s character, but we’ll discuss those later.

Freddie Brooks starts out as a student known for her eccentricity and open mindedness and they clue us in on the fact that she gets this from her parents several times throughout the season. In fact, in “For Whom the Jingle Bell Tolls,” the Christmas episode of season three, she says that she will not be celebrating Christmas with her parents because they’re at a soil conference. In the episode, “Answered Prayers,” we learn that Freddie is agnostic (though she holds some Hindu beliefs), her father is an atheist and that her mother follows a brand of nature worship and in “Time Keeps On Slippin” we learn that her parents met at Woodstock. Freddie is also a vegetarian and buys clothes from the Salvation Army. When she meets Shazza Zulu, we know that she has met her match and while they do not end the series together, we find out that she and Shazza go on to have children and get married. Freddie also has a certain knack for intruding on conversations, often with bad news, at the wrong times. Cree Summer uses a lot of physical comedy in her role as Freddie. A Different World is a comedy, so she’s nowhere near the only one to do so. However, it fits in with her character best and is usually from her natural excitement (“under one roof”). Her voice also adds the perfect touch to the comedy of her character.

Kim Reese is a pre-med student from Ohio and the daughter of a police officer. A lot like Jaleesa, Kim is a student known to be very responsible, respectful and for working much harder than anyone else. Mr. Gaines credits her as being the best employee to ever work at The Pit and she goes on to run Height Hall with Whitley in season five and with Freddie in season six. Throughout the series we learn that she was often made fun of for her skin color, which mirrors the criticism Charnele Brown received. There are several times throughout the series that we see Kim putting aside her own desires to help someone else. The script makes it a point to communicate that this is something that bothers her, but it is never rectified. She is never really thanked or appreciated for this aspect of her character. In season six, we see her doing more for herself, but she still drops everything for others, several times, and is left to deal with her problems on her own.

Vernon Gaines is a part of the main cast, but he’s treated like a supporting character for the most part. There are no episodes that revolve around him and because of this, we really don’t see any character development. However, I love Mr. Gaines’s character as is. He’s a standoffish, hard ass with a heart of gold and constantly makes sacrifices for the students and offers anecdotal, albeit unsolicited, wisdom. And the students love him just as much as he loves them. 

The Main Cast

My favorite thing about the cast of this show is how many talents they all have. Dawnn Lewis, Jasmine Guy and Charnele Brown get opportunities to show off their vocal talents on the show and I’ve already praised Cree Summer for her voice acting filmography, but Bumper Robinson and Karen Malina-White went on to become accomplished voice actors as well. Darryl M Bell plays the drums, just like his character. Jada Pinkett dances and steps multiple times in the show. Hardison, Guy and Turman directed, wrote and contributed to the story for several episodes.

Cameos

There are so many notable cameos in this show. Even if these people weren’t notable at the time (though many of them were), they became notable shortly after their time on the show. Jesse Jackson, Diahnn Carol, Lena Horne, Gladys Knight, Gilbert Gotfried, Sistah Souljah, Tupac Shakur, Billy Dee Williams, Kriss Kross, En Vogue, Leslie Uggams, Heavy D and the Boys, Patti LaBelle, The Boys, Kiki Shephard and even Debbie Allen and Susan Fales-Hill. There are also a few cameos, from historic black actors like  singer, dancer and actor, Khandi Alexander, Michael Ralph, who plays five different roles on the show, including Ron’s bandmate Clint and ending with Kim’s fiance, Spencer Boyer; Bebe Drake, Monica Calhoun, Marques Houston (and the rest of Immature), Aries Spears, TK Carter, Thomas Mikal Ford, Taimak, Blair Underwood, Roscoe Lee Browne, Raymond St. Jacques, Kristoff St. John, David Alan Grier, Obba Babatunde, Roger Guenvere Smith (who was also in School Daze), Rick Barry, Walt Hazzard, Theresa Randle, Richard Roundtree, Ron O’Neal, Halle Berry, Marla Gibbs, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Tisha Campbell, Whoopi Goldberg, Robert Guillaume, Beverly Todd, Debbi Morgan, Joe Morton, Allen Payne, Karen Malina White, Brandon Quinton Adams, James Avery, Raven-Symone, Joseph C Phillips, Juanita Jennings, Orlando Jones, Alphonso Ribero and Dominic Hoffman who played both Julian Day and Kent Souje. Fun Fact: Hoffman was in a relationship with Jasmine Guy for much of the show’s run. He also shows up in the season six opening theme, even though season four is where he makes his final appearance. He was also in School Daze.

The Final Season

At the beginning of season six, it is established that Freddie and Kim are in charge of running Height Hall, which is now co-ed, while they attend Law School and Medical School, respectively. They also have a bit of drama as Freddie and Ron like each other, even though Freddie is dating Shazza and Ron is dating Kim. Eventually, that works itself out. Dwayne and Whitley live on their own, while they navigate through married life and Whitely navigates the career world once her position as an art buyer for EH Wright is dissolved.

Though season six ended up being the final season, it was not intended that way. Remember when I was talking about how the Boyz II Men version of the theme song was signifying a sort of rebirth? This is just speculation, but I believe that Dwayne, Whitley, Ron, Kim and Freddie were finishing up their time on the show or at least, were preparing to have smaller roles, which is why we got episodes like “College Kid” that followed Gina, Lena, Charmaine, Dorian, and Terrell exclusively, while the other characters didn’t make an appearance at all. In that episode, we also learn that the five of them are planning to stay off campus the next year and even move into a house together. Kim, Ron, Freddie, Dwayne and Whitley were being pushed toward certain happy endings while Gina, Lena, Charmaine, Dorian and Terrell were just beginning their journeys on the show. Jennifer Lewis was also added to the main cast as Dean Davenport, the Dean of Students, though she had previously had a cameo in “Tales from the Exam Zone” as Professor Clayton, the hot accounting professor. Introducing a new setting and a whole new conflict at the end of a season doesn’t really make sense, unless it was intended to act as a transition into a new season, with a new main cast of characters.

Season six seemed like a transitional season in order to prepare the audience for future seasons to revolve around newer characters. However, this did not come to fruition. While the show was on hiatus (but still in production), due to declining ratings, the cast and crew were notified of the show’s cancellation. They wrapped the season (and the series) much sooner than expected, which resulted in episodes that were supposed to take place before the one hour finale (which is split into two episodes), but did not air until afterward (some sources say seven episodes, but Wikipedia lists three). Some of these episodes include “A Rock, A River and A Lena” and “Homey, Don’t Ya Know Me?” which features Tupac Shakur, are fan favorites, but were not originally aired with the rest of the season.

Issues

No show is without its flaws and A Different World is no exception. Some of these are to be expected of the time period, but no matter how old it is, it is valuable to point out these issues to ensure that we don’t pass on the same ideals with our silence. Much of this is my opinion and probably doesn’t make a difference to you, but here we go.

Therapy

In season four, Debbie Allen plays Whitley’s therapist for the first time, which recurs into season five. She is particularly wacky and may offer some decent advice, but it is overshadowed by her overbearing personality. In season three, Colonel Taylor expresses his distaste for therapy and “shrinks.” In the first season, Denise volunteers to be a peer counselor and it seems like a couple of students’ issues are treated seriously, while others are not. Therapy is an important and valid way of working through any issues, large or small and I’m not sure whether the messages in the show are positive or not.

Harassment

Throughout the entire season, the women in the cast endure ridiculous comments about their looks and sexuality, which often come in the form of cat calls from the male characters. Though the script itself comments on this several times, which we have discussed, there is nothing that truly changes about it. Most of my issues are with Ron’s character, he just does too much. In “Tales from the Exam Zone,” Ron makes sure that Whitley sits on his hand so that he can cop a feel. In “The Apple Doesn’t Fall” he tries to watch a woman undress and bathe from his window. While entertaining, continuing to harass women in this way sends a bad message and voids some of the redeemable qualities of Ron’s character in my opinion.

Student-Faculty Relationships

Like I established earlier, Dwayne had a hard time remaining professional with his students, and often befriends them. This becomes an issue in “Rule Number One” when Lena develops a crush on him and leaves him a hilarious voice message confessing her feelings. While students develop crushes on professors all the time, this one was egged on by tutoring Lena in his apartment, playing basketball during their tutoring session and inviting her to eat dinner with him and Whitley. Colonel Taylor goes on to marry Jaleesa, which is also weird. When I was in undergraduate school, graduate students wouldn’t even casually hang out with undergraduates, let alone party with them or date them. Every school is different, but as a graduate student now, I couldn’t imagine hanging out with undergraduates. I will say that I had a professor go on to marry a former student, so stranger things have happened, but that doesn’t make it any less weird.

A Different World Reunion

In 2006, Nick at Nite aired the A Different World Hillman Reunion on their show “I Was a Network Star” which mixed the normal interview format and having the cast perform in character in order to let the audience know what happened to the characters at the end of the series. According to the reunion, at the end of the series, Dwayne and Whitley move to Japan to pursue Dwayne’s career with Kinishewa and it is revealed that Whitley is carrying their first child. It is revealed that Dwayne goes on to invent the flip phone, inspired by his glasses. Freddie ends her relationship with Ron and ends up marrying Shazza and the two have kids together. Kim ends up marrying Spencer Boyer. Ron becomes godfather to the first Gilbert-Wayne baby and has continued success as the co-owner and manager of The Place Where the Blues will be Played.

Lasting Impact

From 1984 to 1993, enrollment in HBCUs grew by 23%. In the comment sections from clips of this show, there are countless people stating that the show affected their decision to attend college. A Different World is still influencing black students today, in fact, the cast reunited for a college tour in 2016. I didn’t go to an HBCU myself, but A Different World definitely influenced me in my college application process and to this day, I wish I had gone to Howard University for undergrad. We see depictions of these characters in artwork and as streetwear makes a resurgence in popular culture, people look to the fashion of shows like A Different World for inspiration.

Conclusion

A Different World did not just seek to show real life depictions of black people on screen, it also worked to show the best of the best. When you look at Kim, Dwayne, Terrell and Charmaine, it is obvious that we are seeing young people that worked hard to get to Hillman and are doing everything they can to stay there. We are always reminded of their high SAT scores, crazy work ethic and relatively high chance of failure.

I know there was recently a table read for a reimagining of A Different World and Debbie Allen expressed interest in rebooting it, but oh my gosh Ms. Allen, please don’t. First, the table read itself came under fire for bringing in lighter skinned and even racially ambiguous Black women and the staff wasn't very diverse ( this also brings to mind the dark skinned man, light skinned woman trope, which we'll discuss later), but anyways, A Different World is so great and just as relevant as ever. Grown-ish attempts to tackle the same issues in a format that is more up to date. So instead of rebooting A Different World, maybe improve Grown-ish or even launch an all new show that works toward the same goal. But please let us have this one nostalgic thing that stays nostalgic and doesn’t have to be tainted by the 21st century and its foolishness.