During 2024, Netflix added many classic sitcoms from the 1990s, including Martin, The Jamie Foxx Show, and Reba. That’s given those shows a chance to find a new audience in the streaming era. This month, the streamer is doing it again with A Different World, and it’s our pick for the one Netflix show that you have to watch in February.
This is significant because A Different World hasn’t been readily available to stream or purchase on digital outlets. It’s also been unjustly dragged down by the controversy surrounding Bill Cosby and the sexual assault allegations against him that has relegated The Cosby Show to streaming purgatory. A Different World is a spinoff from The Cosby Show, and characters from the latter did show up in the former. However, A Different World also established its own identity as a comedy, especially once Lisa Bonet, the original lead of the series, left the show.
Cosby created A Different World, but showrunner Debbie Allen breathed new life into the series in season 2 through the end of the show’s run. The series was originally envisioned as a comedy centered on Denise Huxtable (Bonet) as she attended a historically Black college called Hillman College. Bonet left the series because she was pregnant, and she ultimately rejoined The Cosby Show. That could have been the kiss of death for this series, but instead, it forced A Different World to reinvent itself as something more than just a spinoff.
The series was extremely well-cast
One of the reasons why Bonet landed the leading role in A Different World is that she was one of the breakout performers from The Cosby Show. It made sense to give her a new show to extend the Cosby brand, and the casting of her supporting players was immaculate. Marisa Tomei co-starred in the first season as Maggie Lauten, one of the few Caucasian students at Hillman and Denise’s best friend. And the show really struck gold with two of its other leads, Jasmine Guy and Kadeem Hardison.
Guy’s spoiled Whitley Gilbert and Hardison’s nerdy Dwayne Wayne were only supposed to be friends of Denise. Once Bonet left, Whitley and Dwayne moved to the forefront as the new main characters. It’s a testament to the job they did that the series ran for another five seasons after Bonet left.
The rest of the cast, including Sinbad, Dawnn Lewis, and Darryl M. Bell — as well as later additions Cree Summer, Glynn Turman, and Jada Pinkett Smith — proved to be a great comedic ensemble. The show was never just about any single character, and that ultimately became it’s strength.
It has a slow-burn love story
Dwayne was originally romantically interested in Denise. But without her character around, the show slowly shifted to a new romantic arc between Dwayne and Whitley, both of whom were diametrically opposed. This proved to be beneficial for both characters, as the writers fleshed them out to be more fully realized. Whitley in particular became a more rounded character and less superficial than she was in season 1.
The show also slowly brought Whitley and Dwayne together in a committed relationship. It was always obvious that this was the series’ romantic endgame, but there were definitely times when it seemed like that proverbial ship had sailed for both of them.
The show was built for its moment
A Different World is first and foremost a comedy, but it wasn’t averse to addressing some sensitive topics. While Cosby refused to let the series depict Denise as a pregnant young woman, the show didn’t shy away from stories about racism and classism. Life on campus wasn’t the same as life outside, as demonstrated during the season 6 premiere that found Dwayne and Whitley caught up in the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles.
Some episodes may seem tame by modern standards, but this was a groundbreaking comedy for its time. That’s one of the reasons why the show’s association with Bill Cosby hasn’t diminished the impact it had.
The story isn’t over yet
It’s not a coincidence that A Different World is coming to Netflix, because the streamer is already working on a sequel series set at Hillman. The new show will reportedly follow Dwayne and Whitley’s daughter as she navigates life at college, but it’s currently unknown which original cast members will return and when the series will premiere. Until then, A Different World is going to keep the lights on at Hillman and introduce a new generation to one of the best comedies of the ’80s and ’90s.
Watch A Different World on Netflix on Friday, February 7.
