A Different World

(1987-1993)

30 minutes

Comedy / Sitom

Created by Bill Cosby

Cast:

Lisa Bonet as Denise Huxtable
Jasmine Guy as Whitley Gilbert
Kadeem Hardison as Dwayne Wayne
Dawnn Lewis as Jaleesa Vinson Taylor
Marisa Tomei as Maggie Lauten
Darryl M. Bell as Ronald 'Ron' Johnson Jr.
Loretta Devine as Stevie Rallen
Marie-Alise Recasner as Millie
Mary Alice as Leticia 'Lettie' Bostic
Sinbad as Walter Oakes 
Charnele Brown as Kimberly Reese
Cree Summer as Winifred 'Freddie' Brooks
Glynn Turman as Col. Bradford Taylor
Lou Myers as Vernon Gaines
Ajai Sanders as Gina Deveaux
Jada Pinkett as Lena James
Karen Malina White as Charmaine Tyesha Brown
Cory Tyler as Terrence Taylor 
Gary Dourdan as Shazza Zulu
Patrick Malone as Terrell Walker
Bumper Robinson as Dorian Heywood
Michael Ralph as Michael

Airing on NBC from September 24, 1987 to July 9, 1993, A Different World was created as a spinoff from the legendary sitcom, The Cosby Show , focusing on Denise Huxtable going off to Hillman College , a primarily African-American college in Virginia.  Although based on The Cosby Show , A Different World took on edgier topics, such as race and class relations and most notably, an episode in 1990 that was one of the first network TV shows to deal with HIV/AIDS.

A Different World was received well enough that the show was able to survive the departure of its main character, Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet), who only appeared in season one.  A Different World also gained notoriety for attracting a wide array of guest stars including Patti LaBelle, Tupac Shakur, Billy Dee Williams, Halle Berry, Whoopi Goldberg and Jesse Jackson.