A Different World sequel gets pilot order from Netflix

Netflix is ​​set to shoot a pilot for A Different World, a sequel to the 1987 sitcom that chronicled Dwayne and Whitley's daughter's time at an HBCU. The A Different World sequel hails from writer/executive producer Felicia Pride (pictured) and executive producers Debbie Allen, Mandy Summers, Tom Werner, Gina Prince-Bythewood and Reggie Bythewood. Allen, Werner, Prince-Bythewood and Bythewood all worked on the original series, a spinoff of The Cosby Show, which ran for six seasons on NBC with Carsey-Werner as executive producer.



A Different World followed Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) and her new classmates at Hillman College, a fictional historically black college. Although Bonet left after one season, the series continued with the main cast of Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison, Dawnn Lewis, Darryl M. Bell, Sinbad, Charnele Brown, Cree Summer, and Glynn Turman.

The renewed second season continued to follow the lives of the students, with the love story between Whitley Gilbert (Guy) and Dwayne Wayne (Hardison) at its center. The sequel will focus on the couple’s youngest daughter, Deborah Wayne, who is now also attending an HBCU (it’s unclear if it will be Hillman, which was the original idea).

Casting is currently underway for Deborah and other students at the college, all between the ages of 18-20.

A Different World is the second high-profile pilot pickup at Netflix, whose business is built on straight-to-series orders. In 2023, the streamer ordered another comedy pilot, Little Sky, whose production was affected by the WGA strike. It ultimately did not become a series.

As with Little Sky, the A Different World pilot is a one-off and not part of a strategy shift, the sources said. The pilot model is more commonly used in comedies as a proof of concept for tone, cast chemistry, comedic timing and other key ingredients of a successful series.

At Netflix, Werner recently produced That ’90s Show , a sequel to another classic Carsey-Werner sitcom, That ’70s Show .

Over the past six months, the streamer has launched several new comedy series that have performed well and quickly earned second-season renewals, including Nobody Wants This, A Man on the Inside and Running Point, with Tina Fey's The Four Seasons and Chuck Lorre's Leanne on the way.