HBCU
STORIES.

I spent part of my weekend watching A Different World, and I enjoyed it. It felt like a breath of fresh air compared with so much of the programming our kids and our community have either been the subject of or been subjected to lately.

No shade, but let’s celebrate a Houston legend: dancer, choreographer, director, executive producer and so much more, Third Ward’s own Miss Debbie Allen.

Allen returns as an executive producer and director for this sequel to the community classic, with Felicia Pride as showrunner. The original A Different World, created by Bill Cosby, began with Lisa Bonet’s Denise Huxtable heading off to college. Bonet was a series regular for the first season before the show grew into the ensemble classic so many of us remember.

Now we’re back at Hillman, the fictional college that had some of us growing up thinking it was a real school. Lol. I know, it was different before the internet. Relax.

The way they bring the original cast together with the new heads is pulled off amazingly well. You look forward to seeing recognizable faces, and you start looking for whose kids you might see. I don’t want to ruin it for you.

The show is extremely HBCU coded, from the clothes to the real experiences on the Yard: getting caught up with ya side boo, competition from the underclassmen trying to make a name for themselves, financial aid struggles. It’s a definite chef’s kiss to the production and everyone involved.

Hope they get the green light for a second season.