Cheryl MakinMyCentralJersey.com
Sept. 16, 2026, 4:56 a.m. ET
Maleah Joi Moon is going back to school, but not to Franklin High School.
This time, Moon will attend the fictional Hillman College as Deborah Wayne, daughter of 1990s alumni Dwayne Wayne, played by Kadeem Hardison, and Whitley Gilbert-Wayne, played by Jasmine Guy, in Netflix’s sequel series to “A Different World.”
The series will premiere Sept. 24, the day after Moon’s 24th birthday and exactly 39 years after the original series premiered.
Moon is ready for an education at the iconic institution, which, just as it did for their TV mom and dad, is sure to teach their character lessons in life as well as in the classroom. During the 10-episode first season, the new series will explore the lives and loves of a new generation at Hillman College, a fictional historically Black college in Virginia.
Deborah is described as the free-spirited, well-intentioned but rebellious youngest child of Dwayne and Whitley. Entering her freshman year at Hillman, Deborah finds herself overshadowed by her parents’ reputation at the college.
She sets out to create her own path and legacy while having an unforgettable experience and making new friends along the way.
The Netflix series picks up more than 30 years after the original and includes many of the sitcom’s mainstays.
Debbie Allen, who was a producer on 122 episodes and directed 83 episodes during the original run, returns as an executive producer. She also directed the sequel’s premiere and portrays Dr. Langhorne.
Hardison and Guy reprise their roles as Dwayne and Whitley, now a married couple. Darryl M. Bell returns as Ron Johnson.
Cree Summer, Jenifer Lewis, Jada Pinkett Smith, Charnele Brown, Dawnn Lewis, Glynn Turman, Karen Malina White and Ajai Sanders also reprise their roles as Winifred “Freddie” Brooks, Dean Dorothy Davenport, Lena James, Dr. Kimberly Reese Bover, Jaleesa Vinson-Taylor, Col. Bradford Taylor, Charmaine Brown and Gina Deveaux, respectively.
In 2012, Allen wrote on Twitter that she wanted to reboot the series and received more than 1 million positive responses. Although it took more than a decade, a half-hour “A Different World” comedy project was in development in 2024. Netflix greenlit the series in 2025, and filming in Atlanta began in February and concluded in May.
There also will be plenty of new characters to cheer on as they begin their studies at Hillman and become part of Deborah’s new and different world.
Her new classmates include Rashida, played by Alijah Kai; Hazel, played by Kennedi Reece; Amir, played by Jordan Aaron Hall; Kojo, played by Chibuikem Uche; and Shaquille, played by Cornell Young IV. Shaquille is the son of Ron Johnson and a former, and possibly future, love interest.
“A Different World” ran for six seasons, from 1987 to 1993, as a spinoff of “The Cosby Show.” Allen said the sequel maintains the “essence” of the original.
“It’s really great for young people to see themselves on a college campus thriving, making friends, falling in and out of love, and having a life,” she said.
Moon made their Broadway debut in 2023 as Ali in the musical “Hell’s Kitchen.” The show, featuring music and lyrics by Alicia Keys and a book by Kristoffer Diaz, is a semi-autobiographical portrayal of Keys’ upbringing in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood.
Moon, then 21, won a Tony Award with their first nomination at the 77th annual Tony Awards. With the honor, the 2020 Franklin High School graduate became the third-youngest winner for best actress in a musical, after Lea Salonga and Liza Minnelli.
In their acceptance speech, Moon thanked their best friends and teachers at Franklin High School for “believing in my potential.”
“Thank you for taking care of me,” Moon said.
Moon credited former Franklin High School theater teacher and musical director Timothy Walton with encouraging them to audition for “Hell’s Kitchen.” He also coached them through the process.
After Moon landed the role and began receiving awards, they said Walton was responsible for helping make it possible. In previous interviews, Moon also singled out Franklin mentor Terri Seggio, the now-retired Franklin Middle School musical director.
Cheryl Makin is an award-winning feature, news and education reporter forMyCentralJersey.com, part of the USA Today Network. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
