Actress Dawnn Lewis has hinted that she and the rest of the original cast from A Different World might potentially be involved in the Netflix reboot in an Us Weekly exclusive. Lewis played Jaleesa Vinson in the original series.
“All we know is that the majority of us, if not all of us, will be participating in the show in some kind of way,” Lewis told Us Weekly.
Lewis, who was on the original series from 1987 to 1992, also hinted that the reboot might use the original theme song, which many people don’t know that she wrote.
“We’ll see,” she said of whether the team had decided to keep the track as is or start from scratch. “We’re having those conversations now, so we’ll see how it turns out.”
Netflix announced back in August that they were developing a sequel to the popular HBCU series. The show that was once streaming on Max was taken off right after Netflix made the announcement. The reboot will follow Dwayne and Whitley Gilbert’s youngest daughter as she follows in her parent’s footsteps and attends Hillman College. The half-hour comedy series is still in its early stages of creation. Felicia Pride, known for her work on “Bel-Air” and “Grey's Anatomy,” has joined the team as an executive producer and writer. She joins notable producers Gina Prince-Bythewood, Reggie Bythewood, Debbie Allen, Mandy Summers, and Tom Werner.
The cast of A Different World reunited earlier this year for a ten-city HBCU tour. The tour first kicked off at the AUC, which includes Morehouse, Spelman, Clark Atlanta, and Morris Brown. Other stops included Howard University, Alabama State University, and Tuskegee University. Back in October it was announced that the tour had been extended through 2025.The second leg of the tour kicked off at Bowie State University on October 17.
“These kids [that] are watching the show now weren’t even born in the same decade as when we shot the show, yet it still is relevant,” Lewis added. “It’s still as vibrant, and it’s just a huge blessing. It’s a huge honor that is received so well.”
NBC broadcast A Different World for six seasons between September 24, 1987, and July 9, 1993. The Cosby Show spin-off centered on Lisa Bonet's character Denise Huxtable and the experiences of students at Hillman College, a fictional HBCU in Virginia. After Bonet left, Debbie Allen took over, and the show shifted its emphasis from a particular individual to the overall HBCU experience. Throughout its duration, the show was an instant hit and became one of the most-watched television programs.