Hillman College is keeping the doors open. Netflix has officially renewed A Different World for Season 2.
That means Deborah Wayne and the newest generation of Hillman students are coming back for another year of college, relationships, friendships and, judging by what is already being teased, plenty of new trouble.
The first season premiered September 24 and brought audiences back to the world made famous by the original A Different World. This time, though, the story belongs largely to the next generation.
At the center of it all is Deborah Wayne, played by Maleah Joi Moon. She is the youngest daughter of Whitley Gilbert and Dwayne Wayne.
And apparently freshman year was only the beginning.
A Different World Season 2 is officially happening
Season 2 will pick up after a transformative summer for Deborah and her classmates.
Everybody is heading back to Hillman for sophomore year with that familiar “New Year, New Me” attitude. Of course, college has a funny way of reminding you that changing the calendar does not automatically erase everything that happened the year before.
There will be old decisions waiting for them, uncertain futures, new romances, shifting friendships and bigger questions about what they actually want to do with their lives.
And because this is Hillman, there will apparently be a whole lot of mess mixed in with all of that growing up.
Creator and showrunner Felicia Pride said the response from viewers made the renewal especially meaningful and that the team is excited to return to Hillman for more stories that can connect with different generations.
Debbie Allen is pretty excited about going back to Hillman
Then there is Debbie Allen, who was not exactly subtle about how happy she is that the show is coming back.
The executive producer and director celebrated both Netflix and the audience for supporting the series, pointing to the joy, romance, relevance and heart she believes helped A Different World connect with viewers.
She also thanked fans for helping the series reach Netflix’s worldwide Top 10.
Basically, Hillman is back in session, and Allen sounds more than ready for sophomore year.
Deborah Wayne is building her own Hillman story
There is obviously plenty of history surrounding Deborah.
Her parents are Whitley Gilbert and Dwayne Wayne, two characters who became inseparable from the original A Different World. But the new series has given their daughter a chance to have her own college experience instead of simply living in their shadow.
Deborah is free-spirited, a little rebellious and still trying to figure out exactly where she belongs.
She is surrounded by a new Hillman group that includes Rashida Duvall, played by Alijah Kai; Shaquille Johnson, played by Cornell Young IV; Amir Rodale, played by Jordan Aaron Hall; Hazel Henry, played by Kennedi Reece; and Kojo Achebe, played by Chibuikem Uche.
Each arrives at Hillman with a different background, different goals and, naturally, their own set of problems.
A Different World still has room for the people who came before
The new generation may be driving the story, but A Different World has not forgotten its roots.
Jasmine Guy returns as Whitley Gilbert, while Kadeem Hardison is back as Dwayne Wayne. Fans also get Cree Summer as Freddie Brooks and Darryl M. Bell as Ron Johnson.
That mix is part of what makes this version of A Different World interesting. It can bring back the people who made Hillman feel like home while allowing a completely different group of students to discover the place for themselves.
And now they have at least one more year to do it.
After freshman year introduced Deborah and her friends to Hillman, Season 2 gets to deal with what happens when the campus is no longer new, relationships are more complicated and those first-year choices start following everyone around.
Sophomore year should be interesting.
A Different World Season 1 is now streaming on Netflix. Season 2 is coming to Netflix.
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