The “A Different World” sequel series has officially been greenlit at Netflix, Variety has learned.
The show was first reported to be in development at the streamer in 2024, while a rare Netflix pilot order for the show was announced in March 2025. As with the original show, it will take place at the fictional HBCU Hillman College.
Maleah Joi Moon (“Hell’s Kitchen”) will star in the series as Deborah Wayne, the daughter of original series characters Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) and Whitney Gilbert (Jasmine Guy). The official logline states the show “follows Deborah as she enters her freshman year at her parents’ HBCU alma mater and finds the shadow of her parents difficult to escape. She sets out to build her own legacy – while having the time of her life – alongside a whole new generation of Hillman’s best and brightest.”
The cast also includes Alijah Kai (“Everybody Hates Chris”) as Rashida, Chibuikem Uche (“One Of Us Is Lying”) as Kojo, Cornell Young IV (“Doing Life”) as Shaquille, Jordan Aaron Hall (“The Idea of You”) as Amir, and newcomer Kennedi Reece as Hazel.
Felicia Pride serves as writer, executive producer, and showrunner on the series. Debbie Allen, Mandy Summers, Tom Werner, Gina Prince-Bythewood and Reggie Rock Bythewood also serve as executive producers, with Allen also set to direct three episodes, including the first.
“It is such an honor to be a part of bringing back this iconic show, one that I grew up on and which had a profound impact on my life” said Pride “I am so proud of the work we’re doing to reimagine ‘A Different World’ for beloved fans and new generations alike.”
Werner produced the original show via The Carsey-Werner Company, while Allen also produced and directed the bulk of the original’s 144 episodes. Both Bythewood and Prince-Bythewood were writers on the original as well.
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“’A Different World’ changed everything for us,” said the Bythewoods, who have been married since 1998. “It was where we got our start as writers and where we found each other. This show has always been a part of our love story. To return to Hillman now and help reimagine this world for a new generation feels like a continuation of that legacy – one rooted in love, purpose, and possibility.”
“A Different World” began as a spinoff of “The Cosby Show” and followed Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) as she attends Hillman. But after Bonet departed the series following its first season, the focus shifted to characters played by Guy, Hardison, Dawnn Lewis, Glynn Turman, Cory Tyler, Lou Myers, Darryl M. Bell, Cree Summer, and Charnele Brown. It aired for six seasons on NBC.
(Pictured, left to right: Maleah Joi Moon, Alijah Kai, Chibuikem Uche, Cornell Young IV, Jordan Aaron Hall, Kennedi Reece)
From Variety US