- Deborah, daughter of Dwayne and Whitley, is determined to forge her own path at Hillman College.
- Deborah forms new friendships and a complicated romance as she learns to balance academics and independence.
- Familiar faces from the original A Different World return, offering a fresh take on the Hillman experience.
It’s back-to-school season, and Hillman College is welcoming a brand-new class.
The first trailer for Netflix’s highly anticipated A Different World sequel series has arrived, offering fans a first look at the next generation of students navigating life at the iconic fictional HBCU. The series premieres Sept. 24 and brings back several beloved stars from the original ’90s sitcom alongside a fresh crop of young talent.
This time, the spotlight is on Deborah Wayne (Maleah Joi Moon), the daughter of Hillman alums Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) and Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy).
Meet the New Generation of Hillman Students
Like her famous parents, Deborah is headed to Hillman, but she’s determined to make the college experience her own.
In the trailer, Deborah admits that her parents have been talking up Hillman for practically her entire life.
“My parents have been pushing Hillman since before they knew my name,” she says. “I want to prove to them I can crush it.”
That might be easier said than done. While Deborah arrives on campus optimistic about the year ahead, she quickly discovers that college is about much more than hitting the books.
She’ll have to figure out friendships, romance, independence and the pressure that comes with being the daughter of two Hillman legends.
“It was important to craft a character who’s trying to figure it out, who’s a little messy, who’s a little all over the place because this is a character that a lot of young people can relate to,” showrunner and executive producer Felicia Pride says. “[Deborah’s] going to find her way, and even in Season 1, we start to see that.”
Deborah won’t be navigating it all alone. She forms a bond with her roommate, Rashida (Alijah Kai), and gets to know fellow students Hazel (Kennedi Reece), Amir (Jordan Aaron Hall) and Kojo (Chibuikem Uche).
She also reconnects with Shaquille (Cornell Young IV), a budding football star who happens to be the son of Ron Johnson (Darryl M. Bell), one of her parents’ former classmates. The pair already have a romantic history, so it looks like Deborah’s love life could get complicated pretty quickly.
The Original ‘A Different World’ Cast Is Back
Of course, it wouldn’t be A Different World without some familiar faces.
The trailer features Hardison, Guy, Bell and Debbie Allen, who returns as Dr. Langhorne. Allen, who served as a producer on 122 episodes of the original series and directed 83, is also an executive producer and directed the sequel’s premiere.
Cree Summer, Jenifer Lewis and Jada Pinkett Smith are also reprising their original roles, giving longtime viewers plenty of reasons to tune in.
Allen says the returning stars aren’t simply there to recreate the past.
“It’s not just nostalgia. It’s like, ‘Where are they now?’” she says.
The trailer also teases appearances from music stars Summer Walker and Cliff “Method Man” Smith.
A New Take on the Hillman Experience
While the sequel has plenty of familiar faces, the new series is ultimately about introducing a new generation to the experience of life at Hillman.
For Allen, that means showing young Black people thriving on a college campus, forming friendships and figuring themselves out along the way.
“It’s really great for young people to see themselves on a college campus thriving, making friends, falling in and out of love, and having a life,” she says.
And with Deborah carrying the Wayne-Gilbert legacy into Hillman, she’ll have to determine what it means to follow in her parents’ footsteps without simply becoming a repeat of their story.
The new A Different World sequel series premieres Sept. 24, exclusively on Netflix.