Netflix has renewed A Different World for a second season, making the call just eight days after the sequel series premiered on September 24.
That is a fast turnaround for Netflix, which usually takes weeks to study viewership before deciding a show’s future. A Different World made the decision easy. The series debuted at No. 4 on Netflix’s global Top 10 list for English language TV with 4.2 million views, cracked the Top 10 in 15 countries and climbed to No. 1 on the streamer’s Top 10 TV shows list in the United States.
Debbie Allen, who directed and executive produced the original series and returned as a director and executive producer on the sequel, shared the news with a message to fans. “The people and Netflix have spoken,” she said. “A Different World brought something everybody needed: joy, romance, relevance, authenticity, and heart! Thank you for getting us into the Top 10 worldwide! We’re coming back at you with Season 2!!”
Tracey Pakosta, Netflix’s vice president of comedy series, said the streamer was excited to see audiences around the world embrace “the next chapter of this beloved series.”
The sequel follows Deborah Wayne, the daughter of Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert, as she starts her own journey at Hillman College. Maleah Joi Moon plays Deborah, and Kadeem Hardison and Jasmine Guy returned as her famous parents. Her freshman class includes Rashida Duvall, played by Alijah Kai, a first generation criminal justice major; Shaquille Johnson, played by Cornell Young IV, a top recruited athlete; Amir Rodale, played by Jordan Aaron Hall, a psychology major better at fixing everyone else’s problems than his own; Hazel Henry, played by Kennedi Reece, a church raised girl from a small town figuring out her own values; and Kojo Achebe, played by Chibuikem Uche.
The new A Different World also leaned into its history. Darryl M. Bell returned as Ron Johnson and Cree Summer as Freddie Brooks, while Jada Pinkett Smith, Glynn Turman, Joe Morton, Jenifer Lewis, Karen Malina White, Ajai Sanders, Charnele Brown and Dawnn Lewis all came back to Hillman during the first season. The show even reached back to The Cosby Show. Deborah’s classmate Ellington Kendall is the son of Denise, the character Lisa Bonet played on the original, which makes Clair Huxtable his grandmother.
Season 2 picks up after summer break. According to Netflix, Deborah and her classmates return to campus for sophomore year with a “New Year, New Me” attitude, only to run into the consequences of past decisions, uncertain futures, new relationships and bigger questions about purpose, along with “a whole lot of new mess.”
Felicia Pride developed the sequel and serves as showrunner. She executive produces alongside Allen, Tom Werner, Mandy Summers, and Gina Prince Bythewood and Reggie Rock Bythewood, who met as writers on the original A Different World.
The original series ran on NBC from 1987 to 1993 and inspired a generation to see HBCUs as a real option. Netflix has not announced a release date for Season 2.