A Different World sequel wraps filming in Atlanta

Kadeem Hardison, left, and Darryl M. Bell in A Different World. Photo by NBC

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Hillman College is one step closer to welcoming a new batch of freshmen to our screens. The Netflix sequel series for A Different World has finished filming Season 1 in Atlanta, the streaming platform said at the end of April.

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“Reaching this point in the process to wrap production has been such a long time in the making,” showrunner and executive producer Felicia Pride told Netflix’s Tudum website.

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“I can’t tell you how proud I am of the work that everyone — from our amazing cast to our awesome crew — has done and the creativity and heart that we have poured into this show. I am so excited for the world to see the magic we’ve been creating together.”

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Tucked into the announcement was news that Cliff Smith — also known as Method Man of Wu-Tang Clan — has joined the cast as Coach Coles. Norman Nixon Jr. is also newly on board as Professor Baptiste. Original cast member Karen Malina White will be back as Charmaine Brown, and Ajai Sanders is returning as Gina Deveaux.

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They join a slew of previously announced original cast members who are reprising their roles.

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Kadeem Hardison and Jasmine Guy, who played unexpected lovebirds Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert, are returning. There’s also Darryl M. Bell (Ron Johnson), Cree Summer (Freddie Brooks), Charnele Brown (Dr. Kimberly Reese Boyer), Jenifer Lewis (Professor Davenport), Jada Pinkett Smith (Lena James), Dawnn Lewis (Jaleesa Vinson-Taylor), and Glynn Turman (Col. Bradford Taylor).

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Notably, Lisa Bonet — who played Denise Huxtable and was the initial anchor for the Cosby Show spinoff — hasn’t announced her return. She left A Different World after Season 1, when she became pregnant with her first child, Zoë Kravitz. Marisa Tomei, who played Maggie Lauten and also left after the first season, is also MIA. Same with Sinbad, who played Coach Walter Oakes. He had a stoke in 2020 and returned to acting last year.

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But Debbie Allen, the multihyphanate who directed 83 of the original show’s episodes, has signed on to direct three episodes of the sequel.

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“There couldn’t be a better time than now to reboot A Different World,” Allen told Tudum in March. “Our show changed lives, tripled the enrolment of historically black colleges and gave a strong voice and platform for Young Black America. The incredible fresh young talent we have discovered paired with the lovable audience favourite OGs makes this much-anticipated return a must-see on Netflix.”

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The 10-episode sequel series follows Dwayne and Whitley’s youngest child, Deborah (played by Maleah Joi Moon), as she starts her freshman year at Hillman. Netflix hasn’t yet set a premiere date for the show.

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The original series, which is streaming on Netflix, aired six seasons from 1987 to 1993. Its guest stars included Halle Berry, Whoopi Goldberg, Lena Horne, Jesse Jackson, Patti LaBelle, Diahann Carroll, Heavy D, Gladys Knight, Tupac Shakur, En Vogue, and Kris Kross.

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