When a cast and crew comes together to create a TV series, they hope audiences enjoy it and that the characters resonate with fans. No one starts a project thinking “I’m making a classic comedy that will stand the test of time and inspire countless generations.” However, that’s exactly what the team behind “A Different World” did. As the cast recently reunited for an HBCU tour, series star Darryl M. Bell, who played Ron Johnson, spoke to The Root about the show’s enduring legacy.
In case you weren’t born in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s, and haven’t seen the influential series, it follows a group of friends at fictional HBCU Hillman University as they deal with becoming independent adults during a complicated time.
As popular as other comedies from that time are, most of them weren’t actually inspiring viewers to go to college. You can trace generations of Black college students directly to the popularity of “A Different World.”
“For all of us, there’s never a day when someone doesn’t say to us, ‘I went to an HBCU because I watched ‘A Different World,’” Bell told The Root. “It’s the greatest reward that we all continue to receive from the show’s evergreen capacity to connect with new generations.”
In addition to the cast mostly avoiding the behind the scenes drama that comes up on a successful series, one of the reasons the show is so enduring is that it was ahead of its time. Episodes about racism; student protests; date rape; domestic violence; sexual harassment; and AIDS were handled with respect and humor. They also centered Black voices in a way other shows weren’t equipped to do. “No Means No;” “Love Taps;” “Cats in the Cradle;” and “Bedroom at the Top,” could all air today and still feel relevant.
“Everyone talks about the substance of ‘A Different World,’ but what people take for granted when they talk about those substantive issues, is how fun the show was,” he said.
While the subject matter certainly adds a timeless quality to the series, Bell admits that because he and his co-stars will “be in their 20s forever,” the show has the ability to “always tell these stories to the next generation.”Simply put, “A Different World” will never stop inspiring young Black people.
“There are two sides of the coin. There’s the aspirational, and there’s the struggle,” he said. “So when you talk about the triumph of graduating in Walter Oakes’ last episode, where he tells Ron, ‘Once you get your degree, it’s a different world.’ That sums up the purpose of the show: Emoting college and a college education for Black, brown and poor people.”
If you’re in the mood for a Hillman binge watch, “A Different World” is available to stream on Max.
