A Different World (TV Series)

[Eric83]

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Well I just re-discovered this awesome show, after learning about its reruns on TV One.

This show was awesome. I loved all seasons except for the Lisa Bonet season. She could NOT carry a show. My fave characters were Whitley, Dwayne, Ron, Kim, Freddie, Mr. Gaines, Jaleesa, and Gina.

What are some of you guys' favorite episodes and pairings?

My pairings:

Whitley and Dwayne

Freddie and Ron

Kim and Ron

Jaleesa and Walter

Most of my fave episodes are from Season5/6: The episode where Gina was being abused by her boyfriend, the episode where Tupac guest starred, the Mammy episode where Kim did that fabulous performance at the end, all of the episodes of the Dwayne/Whitley/Byron triangle, and also the one where Gina posted the DIGIT HO sign on Charmaine's back. LOL

I wish they had released Seasons 2-6 on DVD, but Season 1 did so horribly they cancelled all future releases.

I'll post more memories of this fanatastic show later.

[dragonflies]

I love this show! I'm glad to see it on TV One, it got shabby treatment on Nick at Nite a few years ago.

I always loved Dwayne and Whitley the most of anyone

[Eric83]

How long did it last on Nick at Nite?

What was everyone's favorite theme?

The Season 1 version with the sort of country-blues ring to it.

The Season 2-5 version sung by Patti LaBelle.

Or the Season 6 remix with Boyz II Men.

[DRW50]

I liked the show a lot. I didn't watch the whole run the first time around, just episodes here and there, but I did watch it on TBS in morning reruns. The show went through so many changes. I liked the Denise season more than most people seemed to but I can see where she probably needed to go (I do wish they'd brought her back to tie up the loose ends of her character). My favorite times were the first few seasons, and then the last season, because they did a lot to finally make Freddie a more tolerable character, and I loved Freddie/Ron. I also liked that they tried to make Whitley and Dwayne grow up a bit. I did miss Jaleesa. My favorite character was Kim, she had a lot of strength, dignity, and self-respect. She seemed very "real". Yet when she had the chance she could be fun. Remember that hilarious episode where she started singing at a local club and became this horrific diva?

My favorite scene ever on the show was when Freddie's extremely annoying "activist" boyfriend tried to humiliate Kim because she was dating a white man, and Kim basically told him that for someone who was so outraged over interracial relationships, he sure looked mighty white.

That was my favorite, although it was by Aretha Franklin. I liked the credits that went along with it.

[DRW50]

I wish the In Living Color parody was on Youtube. The show did become so heavy into social issues and the sendup was hilarious. My favorite part was "sister, my sister" Whitley introduced her friend, a nun, who was, of course, a Sister

[dragonflies]

I don't think it lasted a year on N@N, it aired like at 10 pm and didn't do well so it got moved to like 4 am

[Eric83]

I knew Aretha sung it but I put Patti for some reason LOL.

The show did seem to be too preachy in the last 2 years or so IMO. It was still entertaining, but I felt like every episode dealt with a social issue.

I looked at the ratings and it was a nice top 5 mainstay for most of its run, but just collapsed in Season 6, does anyone think it is because they lost The Cosby Show as a lead in and was moved to 8pm to kick off Must See TV? I think more of it had to do with how much the show had changed by Season 6.

What about those new crop of characters, that were to be the next generation? I loved Gina and Charmaine, but could NOT stand Lena, Dorian, and Terel.

[DRW50]

The lack of Cosby Show leadin probably was the death knell.

I liked Charmaine, although I thought she worked better on the Cosby Show. The guys...the cool, calm guy who was supposed to be with Lena was OK, although I felt like his political comments were a bit forced. The other guy, the one who always wore stupid hats, I don't remember a lot about him, he got better over time. Lena was always a little too one-note for me. When she smiled or showed some warmth she worked better. That was the Jada Pinkett character, right?

I guess the last season was a little too strident, but I thought that worked better than the "very special" approach which the show had veered in the season or two before that. Some of the episodes, like the one honoring Lena Horne, were pretty good.

[dragonflies]

Patti LaBelle, didn't she play Dwayne's mom on the show?

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Yep.

[Eric83]

Yes, Lena was the Jada Pinkett character.

Did they ever explain what happened to Marissa Tomei's character Maggie? She just disappeared after the Lisa Bonet season.

[DRW50]

She was great. I loved the episodes where she mixed it up with Diahann Carroll

[Y&RWorldTurner]

A Different World was actually rated higher than The Cosby Show, during the 1990-1991 season.

The show just fizzled out fast after that, and by its last season, I believe NBC had moved it to Friday nights.

[DRW50]

No, there was no explanation.

Yes but wasn't the Cosby Show clashing with the Simpsons by that time? It still provided a good lead-in.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

People always get that misconception that The Simpsons was challenging The Cosby Show heavily, but The Simpsons only beat the out The Cosby Show once during that season. The Cosby Show still finished in the top 5 that season, The Simpsons wasn't even in the top 30.

I think during that season, Cheers was actually the #1 show and sitcom in the ratings...

There was a point there, where the Carsey-Werner (Roseanne, The Cosby Show, and A Different World) shows occupied the top 3 positions in the ratings, the first and only time a TV production company has done so, I believe.

Here's the top 30 for the 1990-1991 season:

1 Cheers NBC 21,3 93 100 000 19 830 300

2 60 Minutes CBS 20,6 93 100 000 19 178 600

3 Roseanne ABC 18,1 93 100 000 16 851 100

4 A Different World NBC 17,5 93 100 000 16 292 500

5 The Cosby Show NBC 17,1 93 100 000 15 920 100

6 Murphy Brown CBS 16,9 93 100 000 15 733 900

7 Empty Nest NBC 16,7 93 100 000 15 547 700

8 America's Funniest Home Videos ABC 16,7 93 100 000 15 547 700

9 Monday Night Football ABC 16,6 93 100 000 15 454 600

10 The Golden Girls NBC 16,5 93 100 000 15 361 500

11 Designing Women CBS 16,5 93 100 000 15 361 500

12 Murder, She Wrote CBS 16,4 93 100 000 15 268 400

13 America's Funniest People ABC 16,3 93 100 000 15 175 300

14 Full House ABC 15,9 93 100 000 14 802 900

15 Family Matters ABC 15,8 93 100 000 14 709 800

16 Unsolved Mysteries NBC 15,7 93 100 000 14 616 700

17 Matlock NBC 15,5 93 100 000 14 430 500

18 Coach ABC 15,3 93 100 000 14 244 300

19 Who's the Boss? ABC 15,0 93 100 000 13 965 000

20 CBS Sunday Night Movie CBS 15,0 93 100 000 13 965 000

21 In the Heat of the Night NBC 14,9 93 100 000 13 871 900

22 Major Dad CBS 14,9 93 100 000 13 871 900

23 L.A. Law NBC 14,8 93 100 000 13 778 800

24 Doogie Howser, M.D. ABC 14,7 93 100 000 13 685 700

25 Grand NBC 14,6 93 100 000 13 592 600

26 Head of the Class ABC 14,5 93 100 000 13 499 500

27 Growing Pains ABC 14,3 93 100 000 13 313 300

28 Baby talk ABC 14,3 93 100 000 13 313 300

29 Davis Rules ABC 14,3 93 100 000 13 313 300

30 The Wonder Years ABC 14,2 93 100 000 13 220 200

Edited April 24, 2010 by Y&RWorldTurner