A {New} Different World

Before The Village and pre-UGA, I was enthralled with college life. I’m pretty sure A Different World was one of the first shows I saw devoted to college life. It was also the first one I saw that featured a cast of beautiful, smart, diverse Black students. They looked like me. I dreamed of what college life would be like. However, upon my arrival, I’ll never forget thinking: This is nothing like A Different World. Yes, this TV show had been my go-to source for life after high school.

Recently Debbie Allen stirred up buzz about a reboot of the series and my heart leaped at the idea of a new, fresh, young and POSITIVE perspective on TV. To this day, my friend and I quote Whitley Gilbert (Relax,Relate, Release). The show successfully blended the comedy and serious decisions that come with self-exploration. It was entertaining and you just HOPED that Dewayne Wayne would FINALLY woo Whitley. Alongside their supporting friends, they learned, loved, evolved and there were many episodes that caused me to ask: What would I do? The one about Apartheid and Kim’s scholarship comes to mind.

After seeing the remake of Sparkle, I must admit, I am not in the mood for anymore ‘remakes.’ However, I KNOW how critical it is for us to share such a positive story with today’s kids and teens. TV/media is one of the best ways to expose young people to ‘a different world’ that they may not have access to. The vicarious experience plants a seed within them. There are LOTS of negative and superficial seeds being planted within our children on cable/network TV. The ‘different world’ they see most often includes the glitz and glam of being the girl (hopefully the ‘main chick’) of some baller (illegal or legal). This ‘different world’ aligns self-worth with sexuality not self-love. Yeah, the main goal in this ‘different world’  is to make more money vs. finding a purpose that helps others. This ‘different world’ is ratchet with dysfunctional friends who easily become foes. 

Man, it ain’t nothing like A Different World.

Ian Evans actually outlined a concept for what the new show could look like. My imagination began to run wild too and I considered how it could all play out.  So what do you think — should we reignite A Different World or leave well enough alone?