After reports of a sequel to “A Different World” was in the works emerged in August, Netflix ordered a pilot to begin filming in June.
Class may soon be in session again at Hillman College.
Netflix has ordered a pilot of a sequel to the beloved 80s and 90s sitcom “A Different World,” in a rare move by the streamer, reported Deadline. No casting decisions have been finalized yet, but the pilot is set to begin filming this summer to flesh out the tone of the story and the characters.
“A Different World” famously kicked off as a spin-off to “The Cosby Show” and followed one of the family’s daughters, Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet), as she went off to college at the fictional HBCU Hillman College. However, after Bonet exited the show after season one following her pregnancy with then-husband Lenny Kravitz, the series went on to center on her classmates. The budding romance between Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy) and Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) became a focal point of the series during its six-season run from 1987 to 1993. Dawnn Lewis, Darryl M. Bell, Sinbad, Charnele Brown, Cree Summer, and Glynn Turman also starred in the popular sitcom.
In August 2024, there were reports that a sequel revisiting Whitley and Dwayne post-college with their family was possibly in the works. The sequel Netflix has ordered is expected (though not fully confirmed) to return to Hillman College with Whitley and Dwayne’s daughter, Deborah Wayne. Among the writers and executive producers on the pilot is Felicia Pride, whose credits include “Queen Sugar,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and another Black sitcom reboot, “Bel-Air.”
In addition to newer talent joining the fold, some of the show’s old guards will return behind the scenes, including Debbie Allen, Tom Werner, Gina Prince-Bythewood, and Reggie Bythewood.
While the pilot process is a tradition of conventional television, Netflix typically orders shows straight-to-series. Netflix has only ordered a pilot one other time before, Deadline reported, for the comedy “Little Sky,” which ultimately didn’t get picked up. Going the pilot route isn’t necessarily about to become the new standard at Netflix, either. They haven’t shared the reason for the decision to start with a pilot, but typically the decision is employed to test the proof-of-concept before ordering a series.
Filming is slated to begin in June.
