TV Review: ‘A Different World’ evolves social issues, comedy

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 24 (UPI) — A Different World, on Netflix Friday, returns to Hillman College in a new form still faithful to the original sitcom. Returning characters evolve and new ones challenge the status quo like new generations should.

Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) and Whitley Wayne (Jasmine Guy) drop their daughter Deborah (Maleah Joi Moon) off at Hillman, and the parents remain involved throughout the semester.

Deborah meets her new classmates and they all deal with classes, spots, part-time jobs and social issues both on and off campus.

The NBC show was a sitcom filmed in a studio in front of an audience. Filming on location makes this revival more of a dramedy without an audience laughing.

It’s not quite Bel Air, with turned The Fresh Prince of Bel Air into a full on drama. Bel Air also reinvented the characters, so Different World more reflects merging the already relevant college sitcom with modern life.

Deborah is a good character. She is righteous but young and impulsive. She may get further with diplomacy, but calling out a school authority in public does force the issue to be acknowledged, for better or worse.

Hillman class of ’29 learns about complex social issues in classroom, including one taught by alumnus Freddie Brooks (Cree Summer). One episode deals with patriarchy vs. feminism and Bel Hooks’ philosophies.

Outside the classroom, financial issues and threats of violence also provoke opposing viewpoints. The 30-minue episodes cram as many different views as possible.

It may be Politics 101, but if viewers have only been exposed to one side, the volume of ideas presented will be educational.

Social media compounds the issues. Discourse spreads a lot faster than it did in the ’80s, but also alerts them to issues when there’s still time to do something about them.

Financial aid is precarious in 2026. Different students from different economic backgrounds handle campus jobs differently.

Some choices seem cruel. Tutoring is scheduled at the same time as the football game.

That’s not a matter of choosing fun over study. Social community is important in college too, especially a school sponsored event, but Deborah navigates that.

Shaquille (Cornell Young IV) is an athlete character and Deborah’s love interest. He learns the importance of joining the new team before leading with all his high school accomplishments.

Hazel (Kennedi Reece) comes from a religious background. College opens her mind and body without condescending to her background.

Rashida (Alijah Kai) is Deborah’s roommate, dealing directly with financial aid issues, and a strong work ethic to back it up. Kojo (Chibuikem Uche) is from a Ghana-Nigerian family and is able to bring perspective from outside the U.S.

When the original cast gets together, A Different World rushes the reunion. They make references to original characters who do not appear in the revival, giving further life or closure to their stories.

Hardison and Guy get to develop Dwayne and Whitley at a more reasonable pace. Their storyline evolves in just about every episode.

A Different World feels like going back to your campus and observing what has changed and what is still there from your Freshman year. It makes sense that 30 years later, Hillman would employ a different style to educate and entertain its students.

Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012 and the Critics Choice Association since 2023. Read more of his work in Entertainment.…Read more by Fred Topel