'Different,' but still the same
Cable revives black college sitcom
By JOANNE WEINTRAUB
Journal Sentinel TV critic
Posted: July 13, 2006
Television



Joanne Weintraub
E-MAIL

Pasadena, Calif. - The most talked-about cast member had the least to say when the alumni of "A Different World" gathered Thursday to celebrate a milestone.

Lisa Bonet, who grew up in front of a huge audience on NBC's "Cosby Show" in the mid-'80s, took her character, Denise Huxtable, off to the "Different World" of fictitious Hillman College in 1987. While the spinoff went on to be a solid hit for six years, star Bonet lasted only a single season, leaving to take on a series of mostly disappointing movies before virtually disappearing from the public eye to raise her two children in the mid-'90s.

So her appearance at this month's fall TV preview marathon for critics was a bit of an event. The occasion was the Nick at Nite cable channel's launch of the show with a four-hour marathon starting at 9 p.m. Wednesday. The show then will settle into a regular slot at 9 p.m. Wednesdays, its first regular appearance in prime time in almost two decades.

Co-star Sinbad, whose role as Coach Oakes gave his acting career a big boost, joked that he had recently spotted the reclusive Bonet at a grocery store but hesitated to approach his former castmate because "I didn't want you to think I was a stalker."

He praised Bonet, one of the 1980s' most popular TV actresses, as "the first true sitcom superstar."

But the 38-year-old beauty, casually dressed and appearing thinner than she was 20 years ago, was much more reserved in her appraisal.

Her impact, she said, was because of her groundbreaking TV role as a student at a historically black college - Hillman was modeled on Atlanta's Spelman College - where she was surrounded by high-achieving young African-Americans of all personalities and persuasions.

"When people approach me, it's usually people who are so grateful to have somebody that they (could) identify with, because that just wasn't out there yet," Bonet said. "That's the most common feedback that I get, how grateful people have been to have a reflection that represented something that they could relate to."

As for her sporadic work of the last few years, which has included appearances in the movies "High Fidelity" and "Enemy of the State," Bonet said:

"I want to do something meaningful. I don't want to portray some caricature of some stereotype that is in the news at the moment. I mean, I think for me, it's this collision of meaning and my own desire for creative fulfillment. I'm sure that's probably what every artist longs for, (but) you just get stuck in a pigeonhole."

Some others associated with the show have had higher profiles. Director-producer Debbie Allen and Kadeem Hardison, who played student Dwayne Wayne, recently finished work on a TV movie about "American Idol" star Fantasia Barrino.

"One of the greatest legacies we've left is that we (increased) the enrollment of historically black colleges," Allen said of the sitcom. "That's a huge, huge legacy."

Added Darryl Bell, who played Dwayne's sidekick, Ron: "I think we also left a legacy, whether people want to acknowledge it or not, that young African-Americans can star on a network television show and be a Top 5 show. That's overlooked. Everyone says that it can't happen or that it was a fluke, and it wasn't.

"I think also, particularly thanks to Debbie, that we proved you can be funny and topical at the same time. We could attack war. We dealt with AIDS and date rape."

In a way, reflected Sinbad, "the show was a problem. You look back - black shows were just happening. . . . It wasn't supposed to succeed and it (did).

"This show was never given the accolades it should have."

Jasmine Guy, who played Southern belle Whitley Gilbert and went on to roles on PBS and elsewhere, said: "One thing I was proud of was the variety of people that went to Hillman, because up until then (black actors) were used as tokens. There was a certain way you were supposed to 'act black.' And this show had all different kinds of black people."

In addition to its regular cast, "A Different World" also provided roles for Jada Pinkett Smith, Whoopi Goldberg and other African-American stars.

Early in the comedy's run, Marisa Tomei played one of Hillman's few white students.

Allen said she was disappointed when she suggested a romantic subplot involving Tomei's character and Hardison's and was told it wouldn't fly.

Lisa Bonet "First true sitcom superstar"??????????? excuse me while I :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


Allen being disappointed at the interracial relationship with Marisa and a black guy is also disappointing to me also. In this day and age, what is wrong with that????? Idiots! We have seen so much violence on television, that a romance between two people (regardless of their race) is a nice thing to see.

Lisa Bonet "First true sitcom superstar"??????????? excuse me while I :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


Allen being disappointed at the interracial relationship with Marisa and a black guy is also disappointing to me also. In this day and age, what is wrong with that????? Idiots! We have seen so much violence on television, that a romance between two people (regardless of their race) is a nice thing to see.
He must have forgoten about Lucille Ball. :lol:

He must have forgoten about Lucille Ball. :lol:
EXACTLY!!!!!! He must have been at a loss for words and that crap just spewed out of his mouth...:dizzy: :barf:

:lol:

Somebody point Sinbad towards reality and give him a push!

;)

Lisa Bonet "First true sitcom superstar"??????????? excuse me while I :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


Allen being disappointed at the interracial relationship with Marisa and a black guy is also disappointing to me also. In this day and age, what is wrong with that????? Idiots! We have seen so much violence on television, that a romance between two people (regardless of their race) is a nice thing to see.


Maybe I misread that part, but to me it seemed like she was disappointed that her idea of Marisa Tomei being in an interracial relationship was rejected. That's what I thought she meant.

Maybe I misread that part, but to me it seemed like she was disappointed that her idea of Marisa Tomei being in an interracial relationship was rejected. That's what I thought she meant.
Allen was disappointed. I was agreeing with her disappointment.

Here's more to the article:

'Different World' making comeback
By Kevin D. Thompson

Palm Beach Post Television Writer

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

PASADENA, Calif. — It ran for six successful seasons on NBC. The show never fell out of the Top 20 during its entire run. It made you laugh and think while tackling such pric-kly issues as AIDS, apartheid, politics and date rape — topics that were rarely explored on lighthearted TV comedies.

Yet, A Different World, a progressive sitcom about dorm life at a fictitious historically black college, never got the respect it deserved after fading off the air in 1993. Unlike such NBC hits as Cheers, Seinfeld, Frasier and Will & Grace, The Cosby Show spinoff just limped away without any fanfare or splashy farewell promotion.

There were no one-hour retrospectives or big magazine cover stories lamenting the end of a great series.

"It was like an insult or a slap," recalls Sinbad, who played a wisecracking dorm director and gym teacher. "They ended the show on a Saturday night when nobody would see it. (The network) said, 'Let's just put you away and put you on the shelf.' "

But 13 years after A Different World ended, the series is enjoying a welcomed renaissance. The series has enjoyed a successful run on Oxygen. And starting today (10 p.m.) with a four-hour marathon, World joins Nickelodeon's Nick at Nite lineup. The show will air in its regularly scheduled weeknight 10 p.m. timeslot starting Monday.

Despite the new-found attention, it's obvious that the sting of being overlooked for so long hasn't gone away for the show's cast.

"This show was never ever given the accolades it should have had," says Sinbad.

"It's a lie that young African-Americans can't star on a network television show and be a Top 5 show," observes Darryl Bell, who played the hip Ron Johnson. "Everyone tries to ignore that fact and say that it can't happen (again) or that it was a fluke and it wasn't."

That World lasted as long as it did was a surprise. Initial reviews were dismal. The show's original intent was to make a star out of Lisa Bonet — or as most viewers knew her, Denise Huxtable on The Cosby Show.

World was to follow Denise's adjustment to college and her new roommates after she had lived in her parents' upper-middle-class nest her entire life. But Bonet left the show after one season due to her real-life pregnancy.

Bonet's departure, however, was something of a blessing.

Enter Debbie Allen, the actress/dancer/producer/director, who took over the reins after the show's first season. Allen, a graduate of Howard University, quickly put her stamp on World by adding several new cast members and instituting an annual trip to such real black colleges as Spelman and Morehouse to meet with students and faculty so the writers could come up with story ideas.

Moreover, Aretha Franklin — The Queen of Soul — was hired to replace Phoebe Snow and sing the show's new theme song. The series also wasn't afraid to showcase African-American history, fashion, dance and music even if white viewers didn't get it — or like it.

Critics noticed the radical changes — as did viewers.

The Hollywood Reporter, for instance, noted that A Different World, which launched the careers of such actresses as Jasmine Guy, Marisa Tomei and Jada Pinkett Smith, was transformed "from a bland Cosby spinoff into a lively, socially responsible, ensemble situation comedy."

Says Allen: "We tripled enrollment of historically black colleges. And that's a huge, huge legacy."

Allen believes such shows as Living Single, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and even Friends owe a partial debt to A Different World.

"They were certainly inspired by the work we did," she says.

Sinbad says he'll always remember how the tenacious Allen fought to make World a socially relevant sitcom and not just a funny one.

"We ran from no subject," he recalls. "When Debbie came on the show, there was no subject that could not be dealt with and that was a testament to this lady who also catches hell in the business."

For instance, Allen wanted to showcase Tomei's character, the only white student on campus.

"I thought that she and Dwayne Wayne (played by Kadeem Hardison) would be friends and we could do an episode where she actually goes home with him for Thanksgiving and it would be 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner,' and his momma would not like him coming home with a little white girl," Allen remembers. "Well, they did not like that idea. I thought it was very progressive. I said, 'How can you have one white character in an all-black dorm and you don't deal with that?"

The final result: Tomei's character was dumped. But she went on to win an Oscar for her role in My Cousin Vinny.

The main reason why World was often overlooked was because it was a Cosby spinoff. The show never really stepped out of that sizable shadow.

"We were always looked at as a show that succeeded just because it followed Cosby," says Bell. "When we look at our success in syndication now, people still find the show topical. The shows still (resonate) the same way they did then. That's our reward."

Allen was disappointed. I was agreeing with her disappointment.


Oh...my bad. :o

I think the show stayed better longer than Cosby did.. After the first season whiich I didn't like it was a great show. Cosby on the other hand had many ups and down seasons during the later years.

I think A Different World was a great show. I think it broke barriers in the sense that many people were looking for this black show to not do so well.

I'm surprised Lisa was there, I didn't think she wanted anything to do with things related to the show.

Here are the pictures:

Jasmine Guy, Lisa Bonet, Debbie Allen and Dawnn Lewis

Here are the pictures:
God, how awful Lisa looks. she looks so sunken in...terrible.

Cree Summer was always very pretty to me. She does voice over work for the Nickelodeon channel. She provides one of the voices on the Rugrats cartoon. In between cartoons they showed the various people who provide the voices and they showed Cree Summer at work doing the voice. She still looks so pretty.

Sinbad, Kadeem Hardison, Cree Summer and Darryl Bell

Two more

I mis-read the title - I thought they were getting together to celebrate another show.;)

I mean, it did say "classic.":rolleyes:

I watched the show religiously when it was airing for the first time & I still enjoy it now. In a way, I liked it better than The Cosby Show. I wish so much that they would do a two hour reunion show. Maybe all this new publicity & popularity from showing these reruns on the cable channels will spark something. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

I see that next Monday at 10pm on NAN, they'll talk about where the actors are now.

I watched the show religiously when it was airing for the first time & I still enjoy it now. In a way, I liked it better than The Cosby Show. I wish so much that they would do a two hour reunion show. Maybe all this new publicity & popularity from showing these reruns on the cable channels will spark something. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

I see that next Monday at 10pm on NAN, they'll talk about where the actors are now.

^5. I was so HAPPY when I saw the promos with most of the cast(I cried like a baby when the show ended). When I saw Dwayne and Whitley, I almost started tearing up again, so yes, they do need a reunion show.BTW: They should have showed Mr. Gaines crazy behind!

This "reunion" the cast had, why wasn't it aired? They reunited for a critics' special, but it was never meant to air?

I just saw the promo and it had all the class on there, and everyone were talking about Denise..... Funny stuff:lol: :lol:

can someone conform for me if the Reunion Show of the ADW cast is coming on N@N next monday at 10pm. What exactly is coming on next week? Will they all be together just before eps start or during commercials or is it an actual reunion show

By the way, why does Freddie look like she is in her 50's

The whole cast has aged, not just Freddie. Seeing Jasmine was a shocker at how she aged. Dawnn, well let's just say...

By the way, why does Freddie look like she is in her 50's


None of the cast looks like they still young and in their 20's. Dawnn Lewis still looks GREAT.

LOL@Ireneparalegal saying Lisa Bonet looks awful hahahahahahahahahaha. Lisa does look terrible. Jasmine has gotten kinda fat. I'm gonna watch the ADW reruns next week just to see the cast reunited. I wish Jada Pinkett would be reunited with the cast next week.

By the way, why does Freddie look like she is in her 50's

Not true, Ron and Dwayne look 35/37

Not true, Ron and Dwayne look 35/37
What??? you responded to your own post...

What??? you responded to your own post...


My bad-lol I was saying to you that Ron and Dwayne don't look over 40

None of the cast looks like they still young and in their 20's. Dawnn Lewis still looks GREAT.

I agree with you, Dawn Lewis looks great, the others aged pretty much.

My bad-lol I was saying to you that Ron and Dwayne don't look over 40
I never mentioned ages.
I just said they all aged.
Kadeem looks over 40. Maybe at the most 43. Isn't that his age anyways? Seeing him in that Fantasia movie, he certainly looked the part of a man who could be the father of a 20-something child. As for "Ron"...he looks GOOD.

I never mentioned ages.
I just said they all aged.
Kadeem looks over 40. Maybe at the most 43. Isn't that his age anyways? Seeing him in that Fantasia movie, he certainly looked the part of a man who could be the father of a 20-something child. As for "Ron"...he looks GOOD.


To me he can pass for 38

Kadeem was born three months after me, in 1965. So, he just turned 41.

Kadeem was born three months after me, in 1965. So, he just turned 41.


My mom is two years older then him, that's kinda weird to me LOL

My mom is two years older then him, that's kinda weird to me LOL
Hmmmmm...:D What is going through your mind Brie????

Hmmmmm...:D What is going through your mind Brie????


I will admit that if I were single and there was a chance I'll go after it ;)

I will admit that if I were single and there was a chance I'll go after it ;)
:D :D :D

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3014/2869119176_e267fc35a2_b.jpghttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3203/2869119172_66a2ffc50d_b.jpg

She Has A Heart Of Gold As Big As Her Husband's Bank Account. . .

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3019/2869134238_24002c0a2f.jpg