A Different World review – it was only a matter of time before they remade this trailblazing black sitcom

In the golden age of remaking old content and young-adult television, it was only a matter of time before a streamer got its hands on A Different World, the pioneering black sitcom that ran from 1987 to 1993 in the US. Set at a historically black college (one of a discrete group of US higher education institutions known as HBCUs), it covered issues ranging from HIV/Aids to date rape. It was a laughter-track-heavy affair that helped to pave the way for other series about upwardly mobile black Americans, among them The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Living Single. In any case – for reasons that will probably be abundantly clear – A Different World is an easier sell for a 2026 reboot than the programme it was an offshoot of: The Cosby Show.

This new version is still steeped in the world of its predecessor (A Different-ish World?), and even boasts many members of its cast – among them Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison, Darryl M Bell and Cree Summer, with a cameo from Jada Pinkett Smith. The original series ended with Dwayne (Hardison) and a pregnant Whitley (Guy) preparing to move to Tokyo; now their daughter, Deborah (Maleah Joi Moon), is attending their alma mater. (Yes, if we were following real-world time, Deborah would be in her 30s, but – from experience – it would have probably been considerably less exciting to watch a series about Deborah indulging in such thirtysomething pursuits as planning a get-together with your friends eight weeks in advance, or realising your knees have started making a weird noise every time you stand up.)

As in the original, this version tackles some important subjects. Deborah’s roommate, Rashida (Alijah Kai), is from a more modest background, with parents who run a grocery store and relatives in prison. (“Everybody gotta be from somewhere …” Dwayne tells his wife, who is unimpressed with the idea of her daughter rooming with somebody from Compton.) Amir (Jordan Aaron Hall) is on probation after spending time in juvie, and is also gay. There’s a bomb threat on campus, reminiscent of depressing real-world events affecting historically black institutions in the US both in more distant and more recent history. Hillman also seems to be in serious financial trouble, leading to cost-cutting measures that affect staff and students – not least Rashida, who loses her financial aid.

And yet – for better or worse – A Different World never feels too heavy for too long. Gone is the laughter track, but this is still a comedy-drama with an emphasis on the comedy, and one that ticks all the well-worn YA boxes: unlikely friendships, breakups, make-ups, love triangles, and the old trope of characters gushing over a celebrity (this time it’s the chart-topping singer Summer Walker, whom Deborah begs to play a gig on campus). There are some important messages for younger viewers, notably around safe sex, not being pressured into sleeping with anyone, and standing up for your beliefs.

But it’s often rather surface level, defanged somehow. One episode segues from STIs to racial health inequalities to ICE without deep investigation into any of those huge and consequential topics. It’s lovely to see the original cast members back, but perhaps in trying to be a show that deals both with “grown folks business” (Dwayne becomes the college’s interim president) and that of teenagers, it loses sight of the fact that this is a show about university-aged kids that should probably appeal primarily to that demographic.

Still, A Different World gets a lot of things right, and the care that has been taken by showrunner Felicia Pride and her team is clear. It is a series that celebrates black joy and HBCU culture, from its soundtrack (highlights include a marching band cover of I Got 5 on It by Luniz) to the sisterhood between Deborah and Rashida – a bond that fizzes with unconditional love and sibling-like friction.

The series ends with chaos on campus – more breakups, few makeups, plus an uncomfortable discovery about Deborah’s parents’ relationship to Hillman, and her own “nepo baby” status. Clearly, things have been teed up for a second season, and there’s plenty for A Different World to sink its teeth into if that gets the green light. “I know you will fight, build, and you will change the world,” Dwayne tells Hillman’s student body. Will the streamer be brave enough to let them change it a little more?