5 reasons I’m excited about the ‘A Different World’ sequel
OPINION: I’ve always wondered what happened to the crew from Hillman College; maybe now we’ll get some answers.
Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
I’m a fan of the whole reboot, or in some cases reimagining, era of television — especially when it comes to Black shows. I love “Bel-Air,” the reimagining of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and cannot wait for the third season premiere on Aug. 15. I loved “Boomerang,” the BET show that served as a sequel to the 1992 romantic comedy film “Boomerang” that followed the post-college lives of the daughter of Marcus and Angela Graham (who clearly got married) and son of Jacqueline Broyer. “Boomerang” (the series) only had two seasons, but it was pretty good television while it lasted.
In that same vein, we recently got news that a sequel to “A Different World” is in development at Netflix. The show reportedly will follow the daughter of Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert-Wayne during her time at Hillman College, her parents’ alma mater. I don’t know about you, but I’m beside myself with joy at the possibilities. The show is spearheaded by Felicia Pride, who is a writer/producer/filmmaker who has worked on shows the community knows and loves like “Queen Sugar, “Bel-Air” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” I hope the show makes it to the other side and onto our television screens. Please allow me to share five reasons why.
1. Who hasn’t wondered about the lives of Dwayne and Whitley since they left Hillman and moved to Tokyo?
One of the saddest parts of any series coming to an end is that we don’t get any more of their story. Over the years, we became invested and fell in love with the characters on “A Different World.” When Dwayne yelled out “Baby please!!!” we all felt his pain. And then they moved to Tokyo and well, life moved on. How cool would it be to find out what that life looked like for them? Is Dwayne an executive at Kineshewa? Is Whitley an art buyer? So many questions. If they have a daughter at Hillman College, this surely isn’t the child Whitley was pregnant with when the show concluded, unless the the new show will take place in the early 2010s. Maybe Dwayne and Whitley had a bunch of kids and this is the baby. You see, just the idea of who this kid might be and when this show takes place is fun to think about.
2. How fun would it be to see an HBCU setting in a series that we’re all familiar with?
So many movies have created iconic historically Black colleges and universities on screen. There’s Mission College in “School Daze,” Atlanta A&T University in “Drumline,” among others, but Hillman College from “A Different World” stands out above them all. We spent years on the campus somewhere in Virginia that looked a lot like Spelman College in Atlanta with the student body makeup of Howard University or Hampton University. Either way, getting a chance to see Hillman College in whatever years this show is set has me curious about what it looks like now. Will they use the same facade? Inquiring minds would like to know. Is “The Pit” still there or has it been upgraded to now include chain restaurants like so many school cafeterias have nowadays?
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3. I’m really interested to see what kind of kid Dwayne and Whitley have.
Will she be a super smart math genius like her father or dripped out in the hottest fashions like her mother? Will she be like her parents were on campus, popular and well-known or is her demeanor more laid back and Hillman helps her blossom? How does being the kid of Dwayne and Whitley impact her time there? Are they famous alumni who donate to the school? When the original series started, Denise Huxtable moved into Gilbert Hall, which was named (if memory serves) after a relative of Whitley. Is there now a Wayne Library? How does going back “home” to a place where you’re family are legends impact your college experience? We got some of that with Whitley, but it could be even more significant with this newest Hillman College student.
4. I wonder who from the old days will still be around Hillman College.
I would be surprised if none of the former cast members show up or are still around Hillman, maybe as professors. Maybe Freddie Brooks (or maybe Johnson) is a professor at Hillman Law School and/or maybe somebody we know and love is the president of the school. The thought exercise alone is fun. Or maybe we get to know a whole new crew of folks.
5. Hillman College could be introduced to a new generation of people.
The best part about what could come to be is that Hillman College could be reintroduced to Black pop culture. For so many of us who were adults or came of age in the late ’80s and early ’90s, Hillman College is a significant part of the pop culture experience. While it was a fictional university, it was real in our hearts, and I know that sounds sappy. It’s also true. I love the idea of Hillman College being important to this current generation; the memes and TikToks could be out of this world. I’m here for it all.
Panama Jackson is a columnist at theGrio and host of the award-winning podcast, “Dear Culture” on theGrio Black Podcast Network. He writes very Black things, drinks very brown liquors, and is pretty fly for a light guy. His biggest accomplishment to date coincides with his Blackest accomplishment to date in that he received a phone call from Oprah Winfrey after she read one of his pieces (biggest) but he didn’t answer the phone because the caller ID said “Unknown” (Blackest).
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