By Arushi Jacob
Plus IconArushi Jacob
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©Carsey-Werner Co/Courtesy Everett Collection The new “A Different World” will premiere Sept. 24 on Netflix, 39 years to the day after the original “Crosby Show” spin-off of the same name debuted. A sequel to the 1987 edition, the show is set at the same fictional HBCU Hillman College. Maleah Joi Moon leads the cast as Deborah Wayne, the daughter of original characters Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) and Whitney Gilbert (Jasmine Guy). Per the official description, the show follows “a new class stepping onto campus — and beloved faces coming home,” with Moon’s character described as “Whitley and Dwayne’s lovingly sheltered youngest daughter, a free spirit with a flair for the spotlight and a big heart who’s still figuring out her own path at Hillman.” The new generation of Hillman students includes Rashida Duvall (Alijah Kai), a first‑gen criminal justice major; Shaquille Johnson (Cornell Young IV), a five‑star athlete choosing legacy; Amir Rodale (Jordan Aaron Hall), a sharp psych major better at fixing everyone else’s problems than facing his own; Hazel Henry (Kennedi Reece), a church‑raised small‑town girl defining her own values; and Kojo Achebe (Chibuikem Uche), a Ghanaian‑Nigerian fashion entrepreneur finding the courage to follow his vision. Legacy favorites also return, including Whitley Gilbert, Dwayne Wayne, Freddie Brooks (Cree Summer), and Ron Johnson (Darryl M. Bell).
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