Hillman Is Back! 🎓✨ Netflix Drops First Look At ‘A Different World’ Sequel

Relax, relate, release… because Hillman College is officially getting ready for a new generation! 🎓✊🏾

Netflix has unveiled the first footage from its highly anticipated A Different World sequel series, giving fans their first look at the next chapter of the beloved HBCU classic.

The new series is set to premiere Thursday, September 24, with all 10 episodes dropping on Netflix.

At the center of the story is Deborah Wayne, the daughter of iconic Hillman couple Whitley and Dwayne Wayne. Played by Maleah Joi Moon, Deborah arrives at Hillman ready to create her own legacy while navigating friendships, college life and figuring out exactly who she wants to become.

And yes — the OGs are coming back! 👀🔥

The first footage gives fans a glimpse of Jada Pinkett Smith returning as Lena James, along with original series producer and director Debbie Allen, who reprises her role as Dr. Langhorne.

Jasmine Guy is back as Whitley Wayne, while Kadeem Hardison returns as Dwayne Wayne.

Fans will also see the return of several other Hillman favorites, including:

• Cree Summer as Freddie Brooks
• Darryl M. Bell as Ron Johnson
• Charnele Brown as Kimberly Reese
• Jenifer Lewis as Dorothy Dandridge Davenport

And if that wasn’t enough nostalgia, Deborah is seen rocking her father’s signature glasses as she begins her Hillman journey. 👓😂

The sequel introduces a fresh group of students representing different experiences within the HBCU community.

Deborah’s new circle includes Rashida Duvall, a first-generation criminal justice major; Shaquille Johnson, a five-star athlete dealing with the weight of legacy; Amir Rodale, a psychology major who is better at solving everyone else’s problems than his own; Hazel Henry, a church-raised young woman discovering her own values; and Kojo Achebe, a Ghanaian-Nigerian fashion entrepreneur determined to pursue his vision.

The new Hillman students are expected to bring their own personalities, struggles and perspectives while carrying the spirit of the original series into a new era.

Unlike the original A Different World, which was filmed as a multi-camera sitcom in front of a studio audience, the sequel is being presented as a single-camera series without a studio audience.

The new version is described as a hopeful dramedy centered around the rituals, humor and nuances of HBCU life while exploring the richness and complexity of the Black experience.

But at its heart, it’s still Hillman.

And judging by the first footage, the legacy of Whitley, Dwayne, Freddie, Ron, Kim and the rest of the crew is very much alive.

CLASS IS BACK IN SESSION! 🎓🔥