Is this similar to the problem The Wire had?

A black show that white people lurrrve.

That is exactly why I think those people Y&RWT mentioned in his post consider ADW a black sitcom and not the TCS.

It had a certain flavor to it, whereas The Cosby Show was more of a universal sitcom that looked beyond race.

However I consider both black sitcoms either way.

See, this is a little complicated, because we're also dealing with a certain type of upper middle class black family that is just as black to me as the kids of A Different World, but when you add more kids, more slang, more hip-hop culture what have you, then non-black people suddenly see a "black show" when they were both just as black. It's like when people say that she show "got ghetto" with Pam and her friends. Offense taken. What I also find tough is the idea that upper middle class blacks were more "palatable" to certain white audience members, yet from the same group (and from blacks too to be fair) the show was criticized for being unrealistic by having a black doctor father and black lawyer mother. Like, how dare you say that's unrealistic?? White and no one would have batted a lash.

Edited April 26, 201015 yr by SFK

See, this is a little complicated, because we're also dealing with a certain type of upper middle class black family that is just as black to me as the kids of A Different World, but when you add more kids, more slang, more hip-hop culture what have you, then non-black people suddenly see a "black show" when they were both just as black. It's like when people say that she show "got ghetto" with Pam and her friends. Offense taken. What I also find tough is the idea that upper middle class blacks were more "palatable" to certain white audience members, yet from the same group (and from blacks too to be fair) the show was criticized for being unrealistic by having a black doctor father and black lawyer mother. Like, how dare you say that's unrealistic?? White and no one would have batted a lash.

Yep.

See, this is a little complicated, because we're also dealing with a certain type of upper middle class black family that is just as black to me as the kids of A Different World, but when you add more kids, more slang, more hip-hop culture what have you, then non-black people suddenly see a "black show" when they were both just as black. It's like when people say that she show "got ghetto" with Pam and her friends. Offense taken. What I also find tough is the idea that upper middle class blacks were more "palatable" to certain white audience members, yet from the same group (and from blacks too to be fair) the show was criticized for being unrealistic by having a black doctor father and black lawyer mother. Like, how dare you say that's unrealistic?? White and no one would have batted a lash.

The Pam thing I get sort of because there is always a battle in the black community raging between the haves and have nots but are you serious people thought a black doctor and a black lawyer was unrealistic?

One of the best dynamics explored in ADW was the financial divide epitomized by Whitley and Dwayne's relationship and amplified by the fued between their mothers. I loved Season 6 because we got to see Adele and Marion come together. Plus, I loved how Whitley told Dwayne she was pregnant but scared about how they would raise a child without the lifestyle she was accustomed to.

Edited April 27, 201015 yr by Leia

*bumping this thread up in light of this*

As per TheGrio:

Legendary producer and choreographer Debbie Allen is featured in the new issue of Ebony magazine, in which she talks about the popular ’80s/90s sitcom A Different World, a spin-off of The Cosby Show that aired for six seasons on NBC from 1987-1993.

The Fame star recently took to her Twitter account to promote her interview in the magazine, and also reveal that she wants to reboot A Different World.

I think that this would be able to work if the original staff (and by that, I mean the Debbie Allen era) were overseeing this reboot and made sure to maintain the core values that made this sitcom so great. Plenty of the social issues that influenced their best episodes are relevant today and Lord knows young Black people need to see a show like this on TV.

I would love it if Debbie would do that.

Here's who I don't need in the cast:

Whitley

Karen Malina White's character

Gina

Ron

Who's a must:

Jennifer Lewis!!!!!

Bumper Robinson

The short guy who played his friend

Kadeem Hardison

No, no, and HELL NO to the newbies that came in the last season, as they were the main reason why I didn't care for the last season as much as I did the previous ones. If they weren't carbon copies of superior characters (Choir Boy being a bootleg Dwayne and his buddy being a bootleg Ron, who I didn't even like), they were exaggerated versions of who they were on other shows (Charmaine).

I don't count Dean Dorothy Dandridge Davenport as a newbie because she'd been around for at least a season before the last one. Same goes for Gina Deveaux (the only youngster that I consistently cared for, though Jada Pinkett will always have a place in my heart because of her breaking out as Lena), who I'd rather see over the rest of the new characters who they tried to make happen after the OG crew graduated.

Edited January 28, 201313 yr by VirginiaHamilton

Didn't care too much for Lena, so I won't miss her.

Does Carsey-Werner (who owns the show and is still an independent studio) even produce anything anymore?

Edited January 28, 201313 yr by Y&RWorldTurner

Whitley was the star. She needs to return. I can see her being Spellman's dean or she can come back as a sorority mother to mentor the girls. Dwayne can be head of the math department. At least one of the originals need to have a kid that's just starting their freshmen semester

Yes Whitley was the star until she became a clown with that overcooked twang. I went from loving her to loathing that bitch! Dwayne was too good for her!

Most of the characters became very one-dimensional by the last few seasons, IMO.

Jasmine Guy has changed a great deal so she can't play that Whitley again. The Whitley of the last season was relatively subdued, and a step in the right direction.

I want to see Dawnn Lewis, the woman who played Kim, maybe Kadeem Hardison (not a huge Dwayne, he was OK).

No Sinbad.

Actually I wouldn't mind Lisa Bonet.

Actually I wouldn't mind Lisa Bonet.

I would!

I know. I think I'm the only one who feels that way.