A Look Back on "A Different World" 29 Years Later

When “A Different World” (ADW) debuted on NBC in September 1987, the show that it started out as, was much different than the show it became by the time it wrapped in 1993.  The first season was about Denise Huxtable from “The Cosby Show” who was now attending Hillman College, a fictional HBCU, yet the show was missing something.

Starting in season two, director Debbie Allen was brought in to be the chief creative force of the show, (herself a graduate of an HBCU via Howard University) and had an immediate impact and became the catalyst who helped to transform this show from being a “safe” Cosby Show 2.0 type show, into a more authentic representation of what college life was in general and specifically at an HBCU.  This series along with Spike Lee’s 1988 film “Do The Right Thing” was among the many reasons why HBCU’s saw increased enrollment at the time.  From a mix of both veteran and unknown African-American actors, poignant topics  to the show’s opening montage and theme song, by season two, ADW more accurately represented the look and feel of an HBCU.  

Throughout its six season run, ADW showcased aspects of life at an HBCU such as, student activism, black fraternities and sororities, and Homecoming festivities which had rarely if ever been broadcast on television.  Current events of the time were also tackled such as the first Gulf War and boycotting companies that invested in the South African Apartheid government.  Part of what made this so unique was that these stories were told through the lens of African-American men and women in a college setting, and it stayed away from the usual tropes and stereotypes that too often accompanied African-American appearances in the media, both in fiction as well as on the nightly news, at the height of the crack-cocaine epidemic.  Positive role models were featured throughout the show and substantive issues were addressed.  The HBCU vs PWI topic was featured in a season three episode entitled, “Here’s to Old Friends”.   The show’s lead character, Whitley Gilbert, recounted a story her grandfather (who was a Hillman graduate) told her, that she could attend school anywhere, but that “no school will love you, and teach you to love yourself, and know yourself like Hillman”.  I’m sure most students and alumni of any HBCU will agree with that statement as they all have that in common.  The strong sense of identity one gets from attending an HBCU is not replicated anywhere else.  

Many of my classmates at Howard University attended off the strength of this series.  During freshman year, one of the few times I recall signing into the Quad (the freshman girl’s dormitory), was to join a group of friends so that we could watch this show in the same space.  Like many shows today, that have a tribe of folks who watch in real time via social media, ADW brought us together as we felt like we were watching our lives on television.

Another episode that stands out to me was “Dr War is Hell” (Season 2, Ep. 1) which revolved around math major Dwayne Wayne attempting to get out of taking a calculus class with Professor Colonel Taylor (aka Dr. War) who was known as one of the toughest professors on campus.  Professor Taylor was eventually able to convince Dwayne to take his calculus class by impressing upon him that he could see from his transcripts that he was a great student, and wanted to challenge his mind in order for Dwayne to reach his full potential.  

The image of an older African-American male, taking an interest in the future of a younger African-American male was something that was rarely seen on television.  At the same time Professor Taylor made it clear that he was going to challenge Dwayne, but did so with a compassion that is a hallmark of the HBCU professor/student experience.  Moments like this were common on ADW, and no doubt picked up on by many aspiring college bound African-American high school students as well as their parents.

I always looked at ADW as being timeless, since it was set on a college campus.  The cast could be refreshed every few years, while storylines remain contemporary with the times.  Debbie Allen has expressed interesting in reviving the series.  Unsurprisingly, the current racial climate of the country is being credited with the recent surge of enrollment at HBCU’s.  Perhaps this could be the premise for the series revival.  I would certainly welcome its return.

Below is a clip from the first episode "Reconcilable Differences" which aired September 24, 1987, along with a clip from the "Here's to Old Friends" episode.