This was not just one of the few shows that depicted college life, It was the only show that showed life at a Black College. From exam craziness, relationships, and finding part-time jobs to interracial dating, Step shows, and hate crimes, This show handled it all and with style. Even difficult topics (HIV/AIDS, going to war, ex-prisoners)were addressed in the way would make you laugh and think. An amazing number of famous Black Actors and Actresses passed through Hillman halls (even Whoopi Goldberg was a professor on an episode). What was originally just a Cosby spin-off proved to be truly a force of it's own. (Although you didn't really see them study after Junior Year)

I have to agree that A Different World had a rocky start. When The Cosby Show spin-off debut in 1987, I was skeptical about the show, considering Lisa Bonet's character, Denise Huxtable never really developed on The Cosby Show. She wasn't able to carry her weight as a lead actress. Other characters was obviously popular, like Jasmine Guy's "Whitley Gilbert" and Kadeem Hardison's "Dwayne Wayne." After that disastrous second season, the show really took off, touching on social and ethnic issues that were apparent at that time. Many people attributed the show's improvement by having the character's Kimberly Reese and Freddie Brooks on the show but I think the real success was the hiring of Debbie Allen, who directed the show and was named an executive producer. For those who love the show, it is on the Oxygen channel weekdays Monday through Friday.

does anyone know if they have "a different world" on DVD or if they plan on selling? I figured everything else is on DVD. thanks. and for the record, I just loved the show.... loved it better after Denise left though. to bad she didn't get the chance to work with Debbie. and I must agree my all time favorite show was when Dewayne interrupted the pending nuptials. and Byron was too old for Whitley. I would have stopped watching the show if she had married the senator, they were boring. I do wish they would do a reunion, everybody else. would like to see what the Wayne's are up to, did Ron and Freddie stay together, did Kim and Spencer get married, and what happen with Lena and the rest of her friends?

I'm going to college and I've been going to college since 1994. Before that, I've seen my brother go through college from 1985 until I left for college in 1994. I've been a fledgling student, to a drop out, to now a person getting his Ph.D. I've seen so many students walk through the doors of Universites with a diploma in their hand and I can't help but think how much their lives seemed a lot like A Different World. Despite the silliness of the show, college, for many of my friends (and now my students), deals with the 3 same conflicting natures that were depicted in the show: 1) making a name for yourself, 2) finding what you really want out of life and 3) connecting to your roots. They hit on those universal themes (just like Spike Lee did with School Daze, which, curiously enough, could be read as the precursor to A Different World). I think it's one of the few shows that tried to show what it was like for a person of color to go through the university system. Shows like Class of 1995 or Felicity attempt to show college life, but this show really does hit on those points that are important. Even now it seems more fresh and more biting than most comedies.I think the key to this show was that the humor masked the depth and the character progression of the actors in the show. You could have episodes that dealt with rape and the LA Riots and it would sneak up on people because they'd tune in just to laugh. It was a decently balanced show for its time, and I haven't seen a show about college that has matched it yet.