Although A Different World premiered in 1987, its impact remains long-lasting and continues to influence generations today. Netflix plans to release a sequel series to the iconic sitcom on September 24, 2026. The 10-episode revival follows Deborah Wayne (Maleah Joi Moon), the daughter of Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert, as she begins her freshman year at their HBCU alma mater, Hillman College.

The series is also bringing back lauded original director and producer Debbie Allen, who returns as an executive producer and director. Felicia Pride, a showrunner, television writer-producer, and award-winning filmmaker, now leads the highly anticipated series. She previously wrote on Queen Sugar and Grey’s Anatomy , where she developed a close creative relationship with Allen.

Although Pride is familiar with working with Allen, she admitted she was “scared as hell” to take on a behemoth project like A Different World , given the responsibility of getting it right for multi-generational audiences and devoted fans of the show. “I was scared as hell, honey. This is a show that I grew up on. Nobody wants to mess that up. It’s a high-profile project. Nobody wants to disappoint Black people, especially when you know your life has been devoted primarily to telling stories for Black people. So I do not want to disappoint them. I knew it was going to be a lot, but Debbie Allen, for some reason, just knew that it had to be me,” she told me. “In addition to being an icon and a force, she (Allen) has such an incredible eye for talent across the board, and really thought that I could do it before I thought I could do it. So, to have her support in that, her vision in that has been amazing.”

In addition to Allen’s unwavering support, Pride credits the rigor and intentionality she brings to each project, due in part to her diverse range of experience across different media and industries, and to her expertise in broadening, reimagining, and expanding this juggernaut of a show. Pride is also the founder and CEO of HONEY CHILE, which is celebrating its 5th anniversary this year. The independent media and production company serves Black women 40+ through storytelling across film, television, and audio. She hosts the podcast It’s Good Over Here , a follow-up to the twice NAACP Image Awards-nominated Chile, Please . Prior to conceptualizing and writing for the small and silver screen, her career includes an array of marketing, editorial, and educational roles. “Before I got to Hollywood, at 35 years old, about 11 years ago, I lived many lives and careers before that, and for those who are creative and feel like they’re all over the place, for me, I realized that none of it was in vain,” she shared.

Pride continued, “Coming into Hollywood and having such great experiences working under amazing showrunners like Anthony Sparks, who ran Queen Sugar while I was there, and Carla Banks-Waddles, who ran Bel Air, taught me about the commitment to excellence, which you already have innately. But to be at a certain level and still be committed to excellence, and also do it in a way that’s kind, fair, equitable, that prioritizes the care of Black people. I was very grateful for that, and I took many of those lessons, practices, and ethos into running A Different World .”

Pride approached honoring the legacy of A Different World while creating a story that feels renewed and refreshed, yet still has those iconic roots. “We asked ourselves, ‘What is the feeling that the original show gave all of us, and how do we maintain that feeling?’ I thought about the heart and the warmth of the original show, and that’s what we really wanted to carry through. Then we thought about how we could organically bring back our original cast and make them part of the story's fabric, and then we thought about what Hillman might look like today. That led us to evolve the show's visual language; it looks different, it's a single cam. The one great thing, too, about becoming single cam is that we can see so much more than we necessarily could on stage. So, building out the world in that way, developing and creating characters who have interesting storylines that can go in different ways, and then creating the inner dynamics between those characters, so that those stories have a lot of longevity, and because we have an intergenerational nature to it, I think that adds to the story. So we really did build it so that this show could continue,” she said.

“We also evolved the show’s tone; it's a dramedy versus a sitcom, because we really wanted to bring that warmth and that heart from the original, but then place it in a modern context,” she shared. “We want Gen Z and Gen Alpha to really see themselves and be inspired and have the aspiration, and also feel the intergenerationalness of the show, which is what I am so excited about. I think that Black people are intergenerational people, so the show has that naturally.”​

Pride is committed to preserving the authentic diverse nature of HBCU culture, too. “HBCUs can be some of the most diverse places; just because most people are Black there does not mean that it’s not diverse. We were really interested in bringing characters from different walks of life, from different geographical locations, from different perspectives, from different POVs, from different sexual orientations, and from different experiences to really show the diversity of Blackness, and just a shout-out to Spelman. We had the pleasure of shooting there, and they were such amazing partners,” she said. “One thing that was different from the original show was adding the internet and social media, and that lens for young people. So that was definitely important. We didn't necessarily make it a character, but we made sure it was part of the lens, since young people have experienced this all their lives. Then we had to show HBCU rituals. So we have a convocation. We see Homecoming, which we never got to see previously on the show, and we have Founders Week.”

A Different World also is committed to hiring Black writers and directors to help guide and flesh out the series, something Pride is proud of. “We had an all-Black writers’ room. We had all Black directors who were Black women or queer. One of the things that was important to me, as a former educator and impact producer, was co-creating and involving current HBCU students. So, we had an HBCU council of current students who acted as sounding boards for our scripts, ideas, and thoughts. We had them for the writers’ room and for production. We also work with Netflix; they have a program called Next Up, where we were able to hire a number of current HBCU students or recent grads to be PAs in a pipeline into unions. Then we also had 40% of our background performers who were current HBCU students from the Atlanta University Center. I was really proud of the intentional work that we did there,” she shared.

Pride wants audiences to feel the care that she and the show’s staff have poured into the series. “I also want them to feel the power of Black culture as both intergenerational and diverse, as fortifying, and that it’s not perfect. If you watch my work, you know that I believe in truth, and I believe in humanity, and so being able to show us all of our humanity, being messy, figuring it out, learning from mistakes, making mistakes, failing, and then also the power of hope. Hope is a big part of the work, and I find this show very hopeful; another word I use is delightful. I want us to see ourselves and be proud of how far we've come, of how we fight, how much we love, how much we come together in community, because I think there's always this idea that we’re not unified, but we very much are,” she stated.

As for what audiences can expect further from the characters, the answer is growth and evolution. “I definitely think audiences are going to be excited to see our original cast members. The minute that Whitley Gilbert is on that screen, and Dwayne Wayne, and Freddie Brooks and Ron Johnson, and the other amazing amount of other characters that are going to pop up. We are going to show how they’ve evolved over 40 years. I think that’s going to be really satisfying for the audience,” she said.

While Pride is still processing one of the pinnacles of her career with A Different World , she is aware of how far she’s come and has learned a bit more about herself along the way. “I can do hard things. I knew I could do hard things before, but this was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I wouldn’t say I feel invincible, but I now know I can do hard things, and also I feel very confident as a showrunner. I really had to step up; I had to assert myself and protect the show fiercely, and so I learned a lot through that process,” she shared. “We’re getting a new Black show that showcases young Black people alongside elders that has hired a lot of Black people. We're already winning.”