Netflix's reboot of A Different World is giving the people what they want

Dear Gossips,

Fall TV season isn’t what it used to be since streamers release great series year round but for the series that do typically come out in the fall, there is still some anticipation.

Netflix dropped several new trailers for returning and new series yesterday and if you had asked me ahead of time which one I was most excited about I would have said The Diplomat season four. Keri Russell is always excellent and she is reliably great as Kate Wyler but Rufus Sewell is right there with her, doing the best work of his career as Hal Wyler. Their marriage is toxic, funny, and weirdly comforting. Plus Rory Kinnear as the British Prime Minister is easily the show’s scene-stealer. The Diplomat is categorised as a drama and it is considered a drama for awards purposes but if you told me that they’d designated it as a comedy, I would buy that too, unlike The Bear. Because, truly, there is so much comedy, every character is a goddamn mess in the best, most entertaining way.

But that’s not the Netflix trailer that made me scream yesterday. What made me scream is… A DIFFERENT WORLD, the reboot! Most reboots are unnecessary. This reboot is giving the people what they want! Whitley Gilbert and Dwayne Wayne’s youngest daughter, Deborah, is going to Hillman! Ron Johnson’s son, Shaquille, is there too, he’s the star quarterback. And all their parents, as in the original actors, are part of the show. Which means more Jasmine Guy. And Kadeem Hardison. And Jada Pinkett Smith is there, Cree Summer, and Jenifer Lewis. Also, of course, Debbie Allen who was instrumental in making this happen. Teen Vogue published a great article last month on how the reboot came together that’s worth reading with introductions to the new cast. Congratulations to Max Gao for another wonderfully reported piece about what will hopefully be the best new show of the fall season, not unlike what he did last year with Heated Rivalry.

Back to the trailer though – this is fun, it’s irreverent but also respectful of its origins, while updated for right now, a new generation. These are college kids who obviously have a lot to figure out, but also… parties, flirting, dating, and romance. And …Whitley being Whitley.

A Different World premieres on September 24, exactly 39 years after its predecessor was introduced.