Netflix orders 'A Different World' reboot, Debbie Allen on board

Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News on Nov 10, 2025

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NEW YORK — Fans of “A Different World” will get a long-awaited follow-up to the beloved 1980s sitcom focusing on Black collegiate life.

Netflix confirmed Monday that it has ordered 10 half-hour episodes of the reboot that has been in the works for over a year.

The project will star Tony Award-winning “Hell’s Kitchen” breakout Maleah Joi Moon— as the youngest daughter of original series leads played by Jasmine Guy and Kadeem Hardison — as she enrolls at the same historically Black college her parents attended.

“Free-spirited freshman Deborah Wayne, daughter of Dwayne and Whitney, is setting out to build her own legacy alongside a whole new generation of Hillman’s best and brightest,” the show’s synopsis reads.

The cast also includes Alijah Kai, Chibuikem Uche, Cornell Young IV, Jordan Aaron Hall and Kennedi Reece.

Former blogger-turned-TV writer and producer Felicia Pride will serve as showrunner and executive producer of the series, while Emmy Award winner Debbie Allen— who produced, directed, and acted in the original series — has been tapped to direct three episodes, including the premiere.

“It is such an honor to be a part of bringing back this iconic show, one that I grew up on and which had a profound impact on my life,” Pride said. “I am so proud of the work we’re doing to reimagine ‘A Different World’ for beloved fans and new generations alike.”

Several more “A Different World” behind-the-scenes alums, including Reggie Rock Bythewood, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Mandy Summers and Tom Werner, will join Pride and Allen as executive producers.

“’A Different World’ changed everything for us,” the Bythewoods said in a joint statement. “It was where we got our start as writers and where we found each other. This show has always been a part of our love story. To return to Hillman now and help reimagine this world for a new generation feels like a continuation of that legacy – one rooted in love, purpose, and possibility.”

Set as an official spinoff of “The Cosby Show” on NBC, “A Different World” followed Denise Huxtable (played by Lisa Bonet) and her new classmates at Hillman College, a fictional historically Black college.

Though Bonet exited after one season, the series became a fan favorite with the leading cast of Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison, Dawnn Lewis, Darryl M. Bell, Sinbad, Charnele Brown, Cree Summer and Glynn Turman.

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