‘A Another World’ sequel series reveals first look at Hillman students

Netflix has released the first look images of the ‘A Different World’ sequel.

As previously announced, the series will premiere on September 24th. Like the original show, it takes place at the fictional HBCU Hillman University.

See photos below.

The show was first reported to be in development at the streamer in 2024, while a rare pilot order for the show on Netflix was announced in March 2025. It was officially made into a series in November.

Marea Joy Moon (Hell’s Kitchen) will star in the series as Deborah Wayne, the daughter of original series characters Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) and Whitney Gilbert (Jasmine Guy), as she begins her freshman year at Hillman College. The official description for the series states:

“Along the way, she has been joined by a new generation that reflects the breadth of Black life on campus: Rashida Duvall (Aliyah Kai), a first-year criminal justice major, Shaquille Johnson (Cornell Young IV), a five-star athlete who chooses a legacy, and a brilliant mind who is better at solving other people’s problems than facing his own. Amir Rodale (Jordan Aaron Hall), a psychology major, Hazel Henry (Kennedy Reese), a small-town girl raised in the church who defines her own values, and Kojo Achebe (Chibuikem Uche), a Ghanaian-Nigerian fashion entrepreneur who finds the courage to follow her vision.

In addition to the cast listed above, Hardison, Guy, Cree Summer, and Darryl M. Bell will also reprise their roles from the original series.

Felicia Pride serves as the series’ writer, executive producer, and showrunner. Debbie Allen, Mandy Summers, Tom Warner, Gina Prince-Bythewood and Reggie Rock-Bythewood will also serve as executive producers, with Allen set to direct three episodes, including the first.

“A Different World” began as a spin-off of “The Cosby Show” and followed Dennis Huxtable (Lisa Bonet), a student at Hillman. However, when Bonet left the series after the first season, the focus shifted to the characters played by Guy, Hardison, Dawn Lewis, Glynn Turman, Corey Tyler, Lou Meyers, Bell, Summer, and Charnelle Brown. It aired on NBC for six seasons.