A Different World

A Different World 80's TV Show

A Different World was an NBC tv comedy series that ran from 1987 to 1993.  Many of you will remember that this Cosby Show spin-off comedy was about a group of struggling college students attending a mostly black college (Hillman College).  Sandwiched in between The Cosby Show and Cheers on Thursday night, the show did very well with viewers, especially black viewers.  Notable actors/actresses included Lisa Bonet (Denise Huxtable, season 1 only), Sinbad (Coach Oakes), Dawnn Lewis (Jaleesa Vinson-Taylor), Jasmine Guy (Whitley Marion Gilbert), and Kadeem Hardison (Dwayne Wayne Cleophus).

After Lisa Bonet left after season 1 (she was having a baby in real life with husband Lenny Kravitz), the show began focusing on Whitley Gilbert and the math genius Dwayne Wayne.  The series used the backdrop of the fictitious African American college, Hillman, to broach various sticky subjects like equal rights, date rape, the Persian Gulf War, Racism, and even AIDS.