A Different World Boned the Fish When....

[TMC]

http://www.bonethefish.com/viewtopics.php?1091

A Different World is an American television sitcom which aired for six seasons on NBC (from September 24, 1987 until July 9, 1993). It was a spinoff series from The Cosby Show, originally centered on Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) and the life of students at Hillman College, a fictional historically Black college in Virginia. Later seasons of the show focused on other characters, including mathematics whiz Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) and Southern belle Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy). In reality, Spelman College was the campus primarily seen during the show.

https://web.archive.org/web/20070225...ptheshark.com/

• Other Thoughts:
  
• When Lisa Bonet realized she is nothing without Lenny Kravitz
• Episode #1
• When they got rid of Lisa Bonet
• When they moved off campus
• A Different World's jump started after they made Dawnn Lewis' Jaleesa the one thing she never wanted to be in the beginning of the show -- dependent on a man! But the biggest jump of all happened right after Dwayne married Whitley, because they added those new characters, including that God-awful troll, Karen Malina White. She even ruined Malcolm and Eddie -- hey, I smell a female Ted McGinley here!
• when Marisa Tomei left after the first season there was a little leap over a baby shark
• Wasn't this supposed to be a vehicle for Lisa Bonet? So why did she just appear in the first season and then quietly fade away? And why were we supposed to be interested in what happens on this college anyway? The plots just seemed to be fabricated to create a situation, as if the writers were thinking backwards in order to make things happen. Very unrealistic characterization and interaction, and too many people mugging the camera for their fifteen in the sun. I wanted to like this show, but in the end it was just another spinoff that couldn't stand alone.
• When everyone on the show started "hooking up" . It was like watching cousins sleeping with each other!!
• It was neck and neck but I have to say that the show being paired up against Martin (in its 1st season) was a bigger shark jumper than Whitley and Dwayne's marriage. The T.V. execs from NBC and FOX knew what they were doing in order to kill the show because Martin was a hot new show and it simply stole the ratings from A Different World. In the bout between the two shows.....Martin won hands down!!!
• It was all over when DeWayne Wayne lost the shades. I was all over those specs. I wanted to see him making love to Whitley with the glasses flipped up.
• Don't get me wrong. The wedding episode was the most romantic moment on TV ever ("I love you baby, please!) However, where on earth could they go after that?
• Sinbad Sez: Date rape ain't cool!
• What was once considered an intelligent black sitcom about college life basically said "HEEEERE SHARKY SHARKY!" when they let those two mongrels, a.k.a. Kris Kros, do a guest appearance as what else, delinquint teens. Dwayne Wayne had to be that oh so wonderful wiseman (GAG ME!) and teach them the facts of life, all before they decided to "entertain" the gang with some tired rap beats. This was such an awful move on the producers' part that I think even the shark tried to keep a distance. Kris Kros? Wasn't Nipsey Russel available?
• Was it just me or did Whitley's voice annoy the **** out of everybody? I know there are characters you're supposed to "love to hate", but I flat out hated Whitley. Not for being a rich snob, etc. but just for that dumb-ass voice!! And when I had to hear it times ten as she inherited the star role I quit watchin'. Marissa Tomei had the best late 80's outfits. I remember looking everywhere for this tight orange & black striped top she wore in one episode. What was she doing there anyway? Wasn't it supposed to be an all-black school?
• This show never jumped. It was a powerful move on Bill Cosby's side to promote a show focusing on black college life. This is a view of the black community that is rarely seen anywhere in the media. This show is the very reason that I chose Howard University over the University of Michigan. This show rocks. However, as righteous as it was, the last two seasons sucked big time.
• Jumped back when Lisa Bonet left!
• Sure, most people would agree that Lisa Bonet isn't the greatest actress ever--though I was surely captivated by her. But she was fine as the flaky good-hearted center of the show--around which all the other characters buzzed. With her in the middle, Dwayne could be the nerd with a crush, Whitley the stuck-up princess, and all the other characters could retain their eccentricities. This first season was partially produced by Anne Beatts, who also gave the world Square Pegs, with equally quirky characters (isn't Whitley just a fun alteration on Square Pegs Muffy Tepperman?) When Lisa Bonet, and also Marisa Tomei and writer Anne Beatts, left (and Debbie Allen took over the set)--Whitley and Dwayne were moved towards the center--and lost what was really funny and neurotic about them. By the end, it became one of those shows where you couldn't link the line of dialogue to the character--Jaleesa's dialogue could easily be assigned to Whitley or to Cree Summer--the only way you could really infer anything into the characters was to look at the way they did their hair or dressed.
• For some reason, the college did not become "all black" until the second season. During the first season, Marisa Tomei was there, with white students also in the background. Then all the whites suddenly left after the first season. My guess is that the school on the show was always intended to portray a black college, but TV execs thought maybe that was a too big ratings risk (even with Lisa Bonet). Then once the show got one season to establish itself it was allowed to become all black. I've heard that "Hillman" is supposed to be based on "Spelman", a historically black college in Atlanta, but Spelman is a women's college, and Hillman was co-ed.
• When I realized that Whitley and Michael Jackson were the same person.
• It was a great show until Dean Cain portrayed a racist. This premise has ruined so many other terrific shows ie: Superman, Ripleys Believe it or not, Dawson's Creek, Hunter, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.....and the list just goes on.
• I don't think this show ever jumped. I still have old tapes that I watched. I loved It.!!
• For me, ADW jumped right around the time Sinbad left and Whitley moved in with Jaleesa. First of all, there was no way in hell Jaleesa would let her arch rival move in with her, no matter how desperate she seemed. In real life, she would have taken that opportunity to rub it in Whitley's face about how snobbish and unappreciative she was. I guess the writers figured those two could play off each other to generate some laughs. Also, at that time the show went from focusing on Dwayne and Whitley's off-again, on-again relationship, Ron's ridiculous antics, Kim's levelheadedness, Jaleesa's seriousness, and Freddie's free-spiritedness to a focus on the new cast members (Gina, Terrance, Matthew, etc.) and more contrived plots that always seemed to have a message for the day. Then, when they brought on Lena, Dorian and the bunch, it became completely unrecognizable. They should have ended it shortly before Whitley & the Senator's wedding.
• When Sinbad left, and Jerlisa ended up with the oh-so straight and conservative military guy. Sinbad was fabulous! I don't know why he hasn't turned up on another sitcom - he's the funniest dude around. The show got pretty preachy at the end (Cree Summers) and really weird when D and Whitley got married. But early on (and without Lisa Bonet, who I never liked) it was funny.
• This show never jumped the shark. I was attending a historically black college when this show aired and found it to be entertaining and 90% accurate. There have been very few quality shows since A Different World, The Cosby Show, and Living Single went off the air.
• When Ron and Freddie got together. Come on now. She was perfect with Shazaa Zulu (he was so fine). Then, also when Freddie became serious law student and she wore her hair in that same tired ass french roll. Couldn't she get another hairstyle. Her and Ron totally didn't work. And, they got together behind Kim's back. I kind of liked Ron and Kim together. But, I was happy when she and Spencer got together. But, what happened to Andrew, Freddi's white cousin (played by Andrew Lowery)? Andrew and Kim were very good together. Then, he just left. What happened?
• They should ended the show, with Dwayne and Whitley getting married. The last season seemed like two shows in one, on one hand, they tried to show dwayne and whitley as couple, yet try to introduce a new group of students, and those characters were pretty much dull expect for the jada-picknet smith character. Also I saw the episode with Kris Kross in a rerun a month or two ago, I can believe at one time, these fools actually were popular
• To me the show jumped the shark when it seemed that every syllable, every breath, every movement the characters made became a statement that WE'RE BLACK!! WE'RE BLACK!!!!! BLACK BLACK BLACK!!!!!!! Let me clarify that I am not a racist but it got to the point that every other line had something to do with African American heritage. I got the point that the cast was African American when I saw the first show - I didn't need to hear every other word of dialogue stuffed full of references to Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. Great men tho they were. I'm not sure if this is making any sense but I felt they went over board and jumped the shark by cramming so many hip, with it, cultural references into one half an hour.
• When Lisa Bonet left and Marisa Tomei left, the show got so much better! Between that point and Whitley's and Dwayne's marriage, the show was the bomb. After the wedding, there was nowhere to go. And Why did Hillman switch midstream to a Black college? Also Loretta Devine and Mary Alice sucked on this show. Finally where is Darryl Bell's (Ron Johnson) fine a** these days?
• This show never jumped the shark, but I think it would be better if we pretended the first season never happened. The Denise years (year rather) were terrible. All the characters were pitiful. Dwayne, who later became a fine, independent brotha was a pitiful loser running after Denise. BTW wasn't she supposed to be smart when she was on the Cosby Show making straight-A's and stuff, then she got to Hilman and failed all her courses and dropped out. Did she take stupid pills or something, or did that just happen overnight? Anyway, Dwayne was a geek and Ron was a loser. Why was he going out with Millie, Whitley's nerdy roommate and only friend, remember her? Then he later transformed him into a sweet, quick-witted ladies man. Oh, and yes Hillman was always supposed to be a predominantly black college but I guess the writers felt it would be better if they threw in the token white girl. But thank goodness they later came to their senses and canned that idea. The show was about an HBCU (historically black college/university) so it should have been focused on the black students that attended. Why should they have had to stick in some white girl to appease the "mainstream" population that couldn't handle seeing intelligent blacks on TV. Hey if Friends can pretend that there are no black people living in NY, (really far-fetched) then the networks could feature a show about a black college and not have to feature white people (not so far-fetched). Anyway, I had nothing personal against Marisa Tomei, and was she was able to go on and do other things. Anyway, like I said the first year was terrible and would definitely have been eaten by the shark had the producers not made some major casting and character changes and transformed the show into one of the best African American shows that we have had on TV. Oh, and yes Hillman was based on Spelman, which is an all-girl school. Whenever they show the Hillman campus, that is really Spelman.
• This show was fine when it was an amusing little distraction. When it got too political -- especially the episode about the LA riots and when Blair Underwood plays Dwayne's friend who is about to go to the Gulf War -- it was an insipid, preachy pain in the ass.
• A different World never never jumped the shark. I can't believe people actually said when Marisa Tomei left what did she get 4 lines a show?? and a white girl at a predominately black university? nah good riddance. The dwayne/whitley wedding was the single most romantic scene in t.v history. It was an incredible ensemble show that showed black college life in a very sincere light. I liked the last few seasons with the new characters and thought that they could have begun a focus on them with Lena (jada pinkett) and the generals son terrance as the focus. The problem with most sitcoms is the cast gets boring and stale they couldve brought in new students at will. Great show even in re-runs. one of the finest shows of our time. Where else in the 80's and early 90's could u watch young gifted black teenagers without a gun or baby in sight???
• I'd like to respond to those last two people who thought black colleges shouldn't have whites in it (marisa tomei, "matthew"). I'll just let you know my mother a graduate from Fisk U ,class of '73, and when she showed me her yearbook, about 1/6 of the STUDENTS *and* FACULTY were NOT BLACK (either white or asian/Indian)! So marisa and matthew were not *tokens* must I say! So the writers were being very accurate in portraying the HBCU. But it is rare to see a sitcom with one white character amongst an all black cast, right? it use to be vice versa. think about that. oh and btw, my mother, like Freddie, is a bi-racial woman. talk about coincidence.
• When Dwayne interrupted Whitley's wedding to Byron, and carried her down the aisle. THE END! And they all live happily ever after. That's supposing that the show really shouldn't have ended years before that!
• I don't think this show ever truly jumped the shark. It was a good show that represented not only the aspects of college life truthfully but living in a black college lifestyle.
• This show was always great in my opinion, but they did lay the afrocentrism pretty thick towards the last season. they made a flying leap over the shark after dwayne and whitley got married. the beauty of the show was the tension between these two characters. after the first engagement ended, the only reason to tune in was to see how long it would take for them to reunite and nbc didn't disappoint with the wedding of the century. but the real problem started with the introduction of one of the prettiest, yet untalented actresses in biz, jada pinkett(-smith). wow, nepotism is doing her a lot of good, cause she sucks (and anyone that argues didn't watch kingdom come). with jada pinkett came a host of annoying underclassmen who bored me to no end. the more i watched, the more i wanted sleeping pills. that whole crew was super lame and their acting was way over the top. thank goodness nbc put that show out of its misery b/4 i really hated it.
• Bumper Robinson Strikes Again! This dude is death sentence for a show. It just way he talks that irritates me!!!
• This was actually a very good show and underrated. I think the show jumped shark in the final season though. The 1991 season was very creative and of course no better Season Finale then having Dwayne pledge his love for Whitley and stop her wedding to that high class politician. The last season could have gone a much better route though but instead tried to be a PBS Special more then a sitcom, the Season Premier focusing on the L.A. Riots certainly helped the shark jump because it was poorly written and acted out. Also the show about gangs really was the straw that broke the camels back, and so that eventually would become the final season. Both the L.A. Riots & Gangs episodes were to one-sided and the comedy was gone and so was the show.
• Two jumps!!! A very special episode in which they find the Underground Railroad IN Hillman!!! Whatever.... And anytime Sinbad is on a show, it's an automatic jump...
• When Whitley and Dwayne got married and moved into the big house. I also couldnt get used to the new characters, Lena, Gina, etc. Other than that I still watch reruns.
• When Dawn Lewis left the show. Once Jaleesa left, there was no one to counter Jasmine Guy and we discovered how truly annoying Whitley was. And the show turned around and dove in with the shark once Dwayne and Whitley became the focus of the show. They were both supporting characters FOR A REASON!!!
• NEVER, did this hilarious show, jump anything, they made some considerable changes, but that is the way things are done, everyone should just get over it. It was one funny, classy african american show out of about 5 or 6 on the air at the time. Myself being african american was proud to see a accurate portrayal of myself not being 'thugged out' or 'ghetto', and it had its run on television and ended without selling out or adding 'tokens' to prolong its end, I think it was one of the best, almost untouchable, and for those who are mad about the references to being african american or slang term.--> that's probably because you don't get the jokes, too bad for you :`(
• This show actually got better as it went along. It was really boring during the first season and then picked up after Lisa Bonet left. However, once Martin came on in the same time slot, it was bye bye Whitley and hello Gina. The show still holds up pretty well in reruns though.
• This show jumped the shark when: dwayne and whitley got married when Freddie turned from being an flower child to a buppie law student...and when did she suddenly get into law school? another freddie jump...when she hooked up with Ron and was still living with Kim who was dating Ron! Tacky!
• Ok as we know now 8:30 on Thursday night on NBC means death.Jesse,Curse aka The Webber Show and Inside Schwartz have all failed in this time slot.But this was actually a funny, successful show in that time slot. Ok the 1st season was ok at best but 2nd through 5th was good.But in 92 when Cosby left the air they moved it to te 8 slot and it failed and for good reason it sucked that Dawn left,whitney and dewayne married and Jada Smith joined the cast but it might have been tolerable in it's time slot.
• First, this, along with the Cosby Show, was my favorite time in television. A Different World was a quality show, and dear to my heart. Those shots you see of the landscape are Spelman College--all WOMEN's institution (no girls, please), but Spelman is surrounded by 5 other colleges and universities--4 co-ed and one all male. Believe me, it never felt like a nunnery. And this show prompted my interest in the school. Episodes after the first season were so true to life, I get nostalgic and weepy watching reruns. The first season was a mess, and I think the addition of Debbie Allen saved it. Yes, you can go days without seeing a white face on a HBC campus. Granted, ADW ran into the same problems that all shows based on school do--people have to graduate. And it's hard to introduce a new class when the audience was loving the old-heads. So, that last season, although not horrible, did have an uphill battle. But quality actors like Jada Pinkett and Bumper Robinson may have made it work. It would be interesting to watch their characters change and develop as we all do in college. So, no, I don't think it jumped, just ran out of steam, sadly. And there has been nothing to equal this type of show since. And it being replaced with Martin? Oh, goodness, don't get me started.
• I don't really think this show ever JTS, only because years after it went off the air, I still watch it every day. I friggin' LOVE this show! What is frustrating is that I think the only episode I ever missed is the one where Dwayne busts in on Whitley and Byron's wedding. I actually liked Lena and Gine etc., but I just liked the old characters more. I have to say though that I didn't need to see Ron and Kim get together-- they were a weird couple. Let me say this to the people who are whining because there were hardly any white people/no white people on the show: when was the last time you complained about the fact that there are never any black people on "Friends"?? As someone else mentioned, this show is supposed to be in NYC, arguably the most culturally diverse city in the world, and there are only WHITE people?? Hello? I am actually white myself, and I thoroughly enjoyed ADW and never cared about how many white people were on the show-- I love the show, period. Great characters, excellent cast. So kiss my ass!
• A terrible show that managed to last 6 years strictly because NBC didn't have the balls to move it from its post-cosby timeslot and piss off the mighty Bill. The ultimate "payback show", which should be a new shark category. Nothing says more about this show's ratings strength than its failure the minute Cosby left the air and it was called upon to carry the 8:00 hour on its own. True, many a show has succeeded following a popular series, and failed on its own when moved to another night, due to different factors (unfamiliar time slot, established competition, etc). This show didn't have any of those things asked of it, it had only one task, to simply hold the audience that was already there, and it couldn't do it - it almost cost NBC it's Thursday night.
• The last season wasn't great, without question, and the show had its not-so-bright spots throughout its run, but when all is said and done I really cannot bring myself to say that it ever truly jumped. I loved this show. Dwayne and Whitley were great, together and apart. Of course, there weren't too many places the show could go after the wedding (which I did like), and I particularly hated the pairing of Ron and Freddie (why, god, why??) but even the last season had its funny moments. The show was indeed too issue-oriented and preachy at times (Dwayne and Whitley's L.A. honeymoon just happened to coincide with the riots? Come on!) but even in those instances I think they did at least present a fair diversity of different stances on any given issue. I think it was somewhat realistic in that sense, and thus not TOO preachy, but really, I don't watch sit-coms for relevant social issues, thank you very much. Anyhow, long live Dwayne Wayne and the flip-up glasses!
• This Show never jumped. This show airs on TBS every morning, and every episode is very intriguing. I wish this show went on forever.
• I think A Different World jumped back when they got Aretha Franklin to sing the theme. I still hate the indie-rocker feel of the first theme they used.
• I never really followed this show that much after Lisa Bonet left, but I remember an episode where for some reason or another Dwayne and his dopey friend were in jail. They were arguing with a couple of white kids over something, Not sure. Dwayne says to the one kid, "I am your worst nightmare, I am a black man with an education. What the hell was that supposed to mean. Johnnie Cochran would have been proud.
• "ADW" never JUMPED THE SHARK! It's one of the best shows from the '80s and '90s.I LOVE it.Whitley,Dwanye,Freddie,Lena, Jaleesa...they're all my people.I LOVE Lisa Bonet but the show was better after she left.It wasn't her fault BUT the writing changed and it became more realistic. AND NO,Marisa Tomei and Andrew Lowery's charcters WERE NOT *token* white people.I will let you know that I went to Howard and MAD white attend that school.So "token" that!! And to the guy who pondered why Dwayne said in one episode,"I'm a Black Man with an education". Well,sorry but he actually said,"No,I'm a Black man with an education--YOU're worst nightmare". What does that mean??? It means Dwayne is a intelligent brotha who will not let shallow minded racist whites get to him!!! All in all,"ADW" never jumped the shark!!!!
• This show jumped the shark from Day One (actually before day one when they started mentioning Hillman all the time on "The Cosby Show). This show was so horribly conceived and just threw together so sloppily. I'm sure NBC wanted a spin-off of Cosby and the only one he would agrees to is this crap. Anyway, the first season was HORRIBLE and guess what, but scheduled behind the #1 show at the time it became a hit. Well, guess what, if you schedule any show, no matter how horrible, behind a top-rated show, they'll get good ratings. Ex.- ABC scheduled both "Chicken Soup" and "The Jackie Thomas" show behind "Roseanne" their #1 show and both shows scored high in the ratings. The only difference was ABC realized they stunk and pulled them, while NBC, afraid of offending Cos, kept this crap on the air for 5 1/2 seasons. Don't believe me? Consider this: in 1992, after "The Cosby Show" left the air, NBC moved "A Different World" to the 8:00p.m. and ratings plummted. It went from being in the top 10 to the 55th rated show. Obviously, people were just watching it to kill time between "Cosby" and "Cheers" and once "Cosby" was gone, they weren't going to waste any more time on this stinker.
• NBC is so stupid,After 5 Seasons, 4 Of Them In The Top 5,The 5th finished at 17,The Minute Cosby left the air A DIFFRENT WORLD,should have been sent packing to,There is no way it could survive at 8:00, I mean even Cosby couldn't survive at 8:00 the last season it's interesting to b/c the 6th season of Cosby and the 4th of ADW, adw finished ahead of Cosby at #4 and Cosby fell to #5 thanks to the ABC powerhouse that was Roseanne, Well for it's 6th and final season NBC stuck it at 8:00 and about 1/2 way in they moved it back to 8:30 but it was to late, About a month later ADW was pulled from the air.
• When Tupac came on as the character Piccolo. He came all the way to Hillman from Jada Pinketts hood to give her new boyfriend crap. That was ridiculous. He was supposed to be some hustler in his hood. He wouldn't have gave a rats ass about who she was banging at college cause he really would have had about 10 hos back in his neighborhood that were swingin.
• The Show was so much better with Lisa Bonet and Marisa Tomei in the first season after that the show went downhill from there! I couldn't stand seeing Whitley as the star of the show, so I just stopped watching it.
• This was a very entertaining, well scripted show. I particularly liked its portrayal of life on a historically black college campus. As a graduate of an HBC myself, I think the the show was more than a little fanciful (maybe even slightly contrived), but it was entertaining nonetheless. I actually think this show reverse-jumped after the first season (goodbye Marissa Tomei, who is fine actress, but she just didn't seem to fit within this particular cast). The exits of Sinbad (the black Ted McGinley and possibly the un-funniest alleged comedian in show business) and Lisa "Psycho" Bonet only served to improve the cast chemistry. BTW, I agree with some of the earlier posters re: Jasmine Guy's voice. UNDOUBTEDLY THE WORST, MOST PHONY-SOUNDING SOUTHERN ACCENT EVER!!!
• To all the people saying Jasmine's Southern accent was the worst ever - have you EVER watched a Sally Field movie? Now, talking about the show, it's amazing how watchable the episodes are. When they used to run 2 a day on TBS, I would watch the episodes, and they still hold up on a half-dozen viewings. Breaking away from Denise and out-of-place Marisa Tomei was a good idea. Bringing in Kim was perfect (I loved Kim), because she was stable and intelligent, which none of the season 1 group were, aside from Jaleesa. Expanding Dwayne and Whitley's roles helped the show tremendously. The times when the show came dangerously close to JAWS-land for me were a) when Freddie became militant in season 4 and spent the next 2 seasons shrieking her political views at everyone, and b) when her bigoted, misogynistic, hypocritical dred boyfriend, Shazza Zulu or whatever his name was, came around. Thank God she outgrew him. Season 6 had some bad moments with the introduction of the new youth and the whites-are-stupid air that began to appear, but even that had some great moments with Whitley/Dwayne and Kim/Ron. All in all season 6 was better than season 5 (loved the foodfight between Patti Labelle and Diahann Carroll!), and brought great closure to the series. When I look back at ADF, I see flaws, but I see many, many more achievements. You will *never* see a show like this on network television again.
• I don't get why people thought the show was better after Lisa Bonet and Marisa Tomei (as well as some of the first season regulars) left. Wasn't this supposed to be a "Cosby" spin-off? When Lisa Bonet left than what the hell was the point? When a show loses it's main premise that's when it jumps the shark. Soon after that what was left? Dwayne and Whitley! These two characters suffered from the "Steve Urkel" syndrome, these are characters that are best left as sidekicks not as the stars of the show. As for Marisa Tomei, I thought it was cool that the show had a multi-racial cast but then it turned into an all-black cast in turn doing the exact same thing all-white shows do, neglecting to have prominent characters of other ethnicities. If this show was so concerned with racial issues then why didn't they stick with a multi-racial cast? Something rarely seen on TV. It's either an all-white cast that occasionally has a black stereotype guest star or and all-black cast that occasionally has a white stereo-type guest star.
• I watched this show for the chicks. Hands down, Lisa Bonet, Marisa Tomei, and Cree Summer are three of the most attractive and alluring females to ever be on the small-screen!!!!!!!! When two of them left i barely watched but returned with Cree...i love me some hippie chicks. I saw her in concert one time and she was kewl!
• This show actually jumped from Day One and the reason was simple. The show was a turkey and relied way too heavily on "The Cosby Show" to ensure its success. It was bad enough that this show was scheduled after the #1 rated show for almost its entire run, but it relied way too heavily on "Cosby" cross-overs. During the first season, it somehwat made sense. After all, the show was a spin-off and Denise, a "Cosby" kid, was attending Hillman. But after the first season, Denise was no longer on the show, so the cross-overs should have stopped. I mean every successful spin-off needs to stand on its own two feet and move away from its parents series (Laverne & Shirley, The Jeffersons, Frasier, etc.) But the "Cosby" cross-overs continued on "A Different World" AFTER Denise left the show. Once or twice a year, Mrs. Huxtable, Theo, Vanessa, Rudy, etc. would show up at Hillman for some lame reason just to ensure that the show would continue the generous ratings lead, "The Cosby Show" had provided it. Well, the bottom line is, if this show wasn't a "Cosby" spin-off and had no ties to "Cosby" it wouldn't have gotten the "success" (and I say that loosely) that it so wrongly deserved.
• This show jumped when Dwayne Wayne lost the shades. I lived in Palm Springs,CA when I was watching the show and there was a waterpark called Oasis. I stole like 20 pairs of Dwayne Wayne flip up shades from the Oasis gift shop every summer as a gag
• I definitely think this show jumped the shark when Lisa Bonet left. The main reason is because in the first season, the audience was not suppose to like Whitley. Then, suddenly in the second season, we had to forget about Denise and like Whitley, and like the fact that she was going to get together with Dwayne.
• This show jumped for me the moment Whitley opened her mouth and unleashed her "Virginian" accent on to the world. Whitley supposed to be from a well-to-do black family in Virginia and the show was supposed to be set in a predominately black college in Virginia (you would occasionally hear a Virginia reference or see a VA license plate on their cars). However the only person I knew in Virginia who sounded like Whitley was my high school Algebra teacher and she was from GEORGIA!!! Me and my real Virginian-accented having high school friends would constantly make fun of Whitley because of this. I've got nothing against Georgians and the way they talk, but having a Virginian speak with a Georgian drawl on that show would be like watching the characters on NYPD Blue speak with thick Boston accents. Also, I once heard one of the characters make reference to a neighborhood in Richmond,Va called Lincoln Heights. THERE IS NO LINCOLN HEIGHTS IN RICHMOND!!! Would it have killed the writers and producers to pick up a map and get their geography straight??? Where's Rand-McNally when you need them?
• I liked this show. It had a good beginning, a nice, short run and a good conclusion. And despite its constant evolution, I felt the show was always on par with earlier episodes, if not better. Until the last season, when they brought on the new "students". I didn't mind that the old students were now teachers or whatever, but these new students were annoying! The Jesus-freak starts dating the campus skank, the gangster-wannabe feels like "the man" is conspiring against him after he purposely pisses off some cops. Everything that made the show good just fell apart with these new idiots and odd plotlines. Fortunately, the veteran characters seemed to stay in character, which really saved the last season, but it was by far the worst one.
• Well it really was the transition 1st to second season. this show premiered my 1st year in college, so i could relate to some of the plots. In the second season, Lisa Bonet left( this white-boy from the Canadian prairies had a bit of a crush on her in the 80s-from the cosby days), Marisa Tomei was written out( she was the "token white")but was able to thumb her nose at that by winning an Oscar( was and still is a hottie). the show's producers were fired to make the Show hipper or blacker (depending on your interpretation). And going the way of Chuck Cunningham.... what happened to Jolissa's son. perhaps it wasn't pc enough to have a single black mother actually going to college.
• After the boring first season (Lisa Bonet looking drugged and modeling various ugly hairstyles for 22 episodes doesn't suggest a bright future for a show), the second was an improvement, and I enjoyed nearly everything to come, except maybe the fourth (boring) and the sixth (too many new characters). But I have to rebut a few comments made here. First, the writers did not get rid of Jaleesa's son to be "PC". Jaleesa never had a kid in season 1! That little boy was Loretta Devine's character's son, and he vanished when Loretta did (her character quit her job to run off and get married after episode 9). Jaleesa had no children until season 5. Second, the writers did not forget about Denise or Denise/Dwayne in order to make viewers like Whitley. In the second season there were repeated references to Denise and how much Dwayne missed her and still pined for her. His relationship with Whitley was very slow-building; they did not date or really like each other that much for any of season 2. Only by the end of season 3 were they near the dating level. Season 3 was when Lisa Bonet returned for an episode to wrap up the Denise/Dwayne connection. That is not forgetting, that is closure. If you want to see forgetting, watch Saved by the Bell, because seemingly dozens of regulars vanished from season to season with no explanation.
• The first season of A Different World was to think that all the characters knew each other to include the deans, the registrars, president, resident advisors and students is just ridiculous. In college, and I don't care how small your college is, profs don't call their students asking about papers being turned in or discuss your shortcoming with all staff members. All the characters are idiots - except for Lettie - and apparently she was a hot tomato in her time. The 2nd season - with the demise of Denise, Maggie and Milquetoast (Whitley's friend) was much better and continued to improve until the last season.
• This show wasn't on long enough to jump the shark.Lisa Bonet wasn't star material,but she wasn't really a star-just part of an ensemble.I loved Marisa Tomei's character.She was a great addition and just so much fun.Dawn Lewis,Jasmine Guy and Kadeem Hardsion did their characters proud and this was a great show.I had loved Anne Beatts' earlier Square Pegs and saw much of it reflected in this terrific series.Too bad it only lasted one year.True,another show with the same name and a few of the same people was on for the next five years,but it wasn't the same show at all.
• This show was just ridiculous after the first season. When Bonet and Tomei were in the cast, it was at least tolerable, even humorous at times. But the second season began at long, seemingly un-ending trend of message-ridden plots and themes. It was so tiresome to sit through the writers hitting us over the head about how black students were high achievers, philosophically superior, and all-insightful. PC run a-muck! "Even my mistakes are correct" to quote the fat pre-med student, Kim. Like hell, sweetie! All that bravo and soapbox standing got old, fast. How insecure did the writers think the black audience was? And how self-hating did they think the white audience was? Pleh!
• It never jumped! As a student at a HBCU during the time it aired, I was totally into the characters, the plots and everything. If it did jump, it was when the network cancelled the show without warning. I loved the later episodes with Mother Wayne (Patti LaBelle) and Diahn Carroll as Whitley's mother. I just wish there had been some kind of closure.
• In response to the person above, A Different World DID have a final episode, which was aired in spring 1993 after the show had been gone from the schedule for months. Whitley got pregnant and she and Dwayne moved to Japan. Kim accepted the Jamaican med student's proposal. Freddie and Ron stayed together. You can probably see the two-part finale on the Oxygen Network reruns (M-F 8 AM Eastern). As for when the show jumped, I would say never, because the first season was bland, antiseptic, and had all the depth of Facts of Life (remember the one when Denise helped out the "wild girl" who went to classes but had never actually registered - and was never seen again despite a huge buildup?). The second season, minus the lethargic Denise and shrieking Maggie, was a vast improvement. Whitley, Dwayne, Jaleesa, Kim, etc. were all believable, all had edges, were all human and yet funny. The only time I began to be tired of the show was the last season, with all of the annoying newcomers (UGH Jada Pinkett with the constant "attitude" acting) and the at-times very open racism to whites. I remember when Lena Horne visited and they had a little girl say she was pretending to be Ava Gardner, because Ava had pretended to be black in Show Boat and stolen Lena's role, so now she was pretending to be white. Since that was MGM's fault, not Ava's (they were scared of a black woman playing the part), and since Ava had died a few years earlier, I thought it was *extremely* offensive and I was surprised Lena Horne didn't ask them to change the wording.
• The independent Jaleesa becomes the co-dependent Jaleesa. That by itself didn't kill the show, but it happened about the same time some other things killed it. I loved the smart-ass woman dean and Mr. Gaines. Sinbad was great, but I could have done without Lettie (Mary Alice). Colonel Taylor had his moments, too. I can't get caught up in the all-blackness of Hillman. I think it should have been referred to as historically black. As far back as I can remember, Alcorn, Mississippi Valley and Jackson state universities have had their token white students. I think it was very realistic that Marisa Tomei was part of the cast, quirks and all. She was a breath of fresh air and I hated to see her go. Lisa Bonet's departure didn't help, either. Wasn't the show supposed to be her vehicle to stardom? Then, all of a sudden, she's not there any more and is back on The Cosby Show - with a husband. Gag me! I liked the more mature Dwayne, but he was funnier when he was chasing Denise in the first season. I adored Whitley even if she was a bitch for much of the first couple of seasons. She was a great character. But I think the show lost some sizzle after the wedding because the cast lacked chemistry. You had one part Dwayne and Whitley and one part everybody else, and the everybody else just wasn't getting the job done.
• This show NEVER jumped the shark and to the ones that want to criticize the show for being too Black, Get a CLUE. It is a Black show with Black Actors and Black Producers Duh. Cosby used Different World to address certain Race Issues that went on in America. Why is it that you NEVER ONCE saw race related issues on Cosby Show. It is because he wanted to keep Cosby neutral and more mainstream than Different World. The movie School Daze (Which inspired Different World) as well as Different World was the reason I choose to go to a Black School. I thought it was a great show that wasn't riddled with buffoonery or stereotypes about African Americans.
• denise (lisa bonet) grades declined and made a decision to go off the show in the episode "my dinner with theo". the show sucked after that the only thing that was better was the theme song.
• To the above poster. You think this show didn't harbor buffoonery? Ron? or Jada's character? Or, frankly, Whitney? It was packed with fools! This show was so full of self-importance and unrealistic portrayals that it makes the head swim.
• Well where do I start lets see this show actually worth watching when it began. At that time I was about to start my college years(ok so you know im in my early 30's..lol).Anyway being that it was picking up Denise Huxtable life away from the Cosby show it was all good. I really wanted to enroll at Hillman.But back to the show. It was cool but eventually and for a good reason the writers pretty much faded Denise character out in favor of Whitley..yeah Jasmine Guy was the da bomb.But of course the over acting Kadeem Hardison..aka Dwayne Wayne had to ruin things. That cornball for whatever reason just bugged me he and his sidekick Ron. Ok but the topper on all of this was the adding of characters from Sinbad to Dr.WAR. Whatever happened to Marisa Tomei did she transfer to Harvard.. I mean this brotha here thought she was a cutie. But with annoying characters like Freddie...Cree Summer...hey don't she look like Marion Jones..anyway this show was destined for the shark. Last but not least Dwayne Wayne and Whitley getting together. Like in most shark shows once the guy gets the girl its a done deal. That whole Japan Kinshiwa thing..PLUUUUUUUEASE.
• Up until now, I saw only certain episodes of A Different World, and I'm still convinced that the Shark visited Dwayne and Whitley's wedding. Yes, Dwayne and Whitley were destined to be together: both try to make each other jealous by dating other people and both are probably paranoid because Dwayne saw Shakespeare while he was in class and Whitley envisioned Sinbad in green biker shorts in that remake of A Christmas Carol. (Okay, the A Christmas Carol episode was a dream sequence. Yes, she's crazy, but I couldn't think of a better example to prove it.) To agree with the previous poster that said that the show's portrayal of characters was unrealistic in a way, what was up with Whitley seeing Dwayne as her mother, the pastor, AND the Senator while she was at the altar (as if seeing Dwayne in drag for the episode "Getaway" was bad enough)? And why did dumbass Dwayne march down the aisle reciting wedding wows? All he had to say was "I object to this wedding," even after the pastor was past the objection part of the ceremony, but NO. He HAD to march down the aisle and recite vows (and people restrained him), and Whitley was crazy enough to agree to them instead of postponing and/or canceling the wedding (and nobody stopped her). No, I take that back. The shark did not VISIT Dwayne and Whitley's wedding, it WROTE those episodes (this episode was part of a two-part episode called "Save the Best for Last") and the final season of A Different World. The Shark was even generous enough to bring that annoying character Karen Malina White played on the The Cosby Show to the last season of A Different World, as if Dawnn Lewis leaving the show, the writing of the last season's episodes and the hiring of Orlando Jones as story editor didn't help kill this show.
• Jelessa marrying the Colonel, a/k/a the last productive onscreen moments of Dawnn Lewis' career!
• Now, I think this show took a weird route to sharkhood. When "A Different World" was announced as a spin-off of "The Cosby Show", I decided to give it a chance. But the show was just SO silly. The only character I could relate to was Jaleesa. Then, came the second season. I decided to give the show another chance and, what do you know? It actually DID improve: they got rid of the airheaded Denise (Lisa Bonet) and Maggie (Marisa Tomei, who went on to much better things), Dwayne became less of a geek and the storylines were actually funny for once. Then, came the third season and on . . . and everyone referring to each other as "My sister" and "My brother" and every episode having to have an issue (such as protesting apartheid or the Persian Gulf War). For this to be a sitcom, it became VERY serious and pompous. No wonder it collapsed under its own weight.
• Why would wealthy, attractive Whitley, who was consistently written as some sort of southern temptress who can conquer any man she sees waste one second of her time on that dork of all dorks, calculus lovin' Dwayne, let alone marry him. I loved how the writers attempted to make Dwayne "cool" so as to give an ounce of credibility to Whitley's unexplicable attraction to him. Another JTS moment was the episode where Whitley's father visits to take her credit cards and explains that she is in her 5th year at Hillman. Later in the same episode Whitley says she's 21??? Unless Whitley started Hillman at age 16 (child prodigy she definitely wasn't), how is that possible?
• when pac guest starred on the show,it was in that stage where it was already in mid-jump, directly on top of the shark. his episode was simply the landing. worth mentioning though is when kriss kross guest starred as wanna-be gangstas.
• In the 'date rape' episode, when Dwayne Wayne comes up the back of the car, dives in and saves Freddie from the date rapist guy. a defining jump. Plus, reading the posts, I never noticed that the whole cast was black. Well, I guess I noticed, but it wasn't really a point to ponder for me, I guess. Some of the posts are interesting, though. When minorities complain about there being token minorities on white television, that's ok, but when whites complain about token whites on black television, they're told to get a clue? Interesting.
• A Different World sunk under the enormous weight of the 2 enormous behind-the-scenes egos responsible for this show - Bill Cosby and Debbie Allen. Self-important, self-serving, unnecessarily preachy and downright obnoxious. Rather than attempting to be subtle with the show's agenda, Cosby and Allen not surprisingly chose to slap the audience's collective face every week for the intent of shock value or something. Yes, we get it. Black people can be intelligent and the egos of Hillman students were so fragile they needed constant self-congratulatory reminders of that fact. This show rode the coattails of The Cosby Show for far too long. Also, anyone else notice that the show consistently had the look and feel of some low budget stage play? The acting and sets always seemed too crude and amateurish for what was supposed to be a polished TV sitcom.
• This show wasn't never too good--the sets were very amateurish and it was too preachy. Any white person with any sense knows there are plenty of smart black people. You don't need to beat us over the head with your point of view like Oliver stone does in his ****ty movies. I had no problem with the all-black cast, just like I see nothing wrong with the all-white cast in Friends. It is worse to have a token of one race. But after Lisa Bonet left it really went downhill because Whitley and Dwayne Wayne became the leads and they are the most irritating characters on almost any show. Whitley's fake voice is so grating. Almost as bad as Jackee's on 227 (or Jackie Onassis' come to think of it). I can't believe that actress kept it up all those years. And that she played a black Southern belle. Isn't that an oxymoron. As for Dwayne Wayne, he was just a plain moron. What kind of a name is that to give a character? Worse than Ralph Malph. And he was like a grown-up Urkel. Just horrible. And Sinbad made things worse. I don't understand why a black man would dye his hair red. If he came by it naturally, it is a sign of malnutrition.
• This was an excellent show, I felt the show was getting better when they added new character's and Ron and Freddie getting together. It was well written and the acting was great.I heard the show ended because some of the acter's couldn't get along.
• I am a black male, currently attending a prestigious black university, rumored to be an inspiration for this show (Hampton Univ.). Looking at this show, I must say that this show was nothing but a social soapbox for the producers. Every other episode had some moral, preachy lesson for the viewers, and for some reason, I've noticed that black sitcom producers feel they're obligated to give the viewers these moral, preachy lessons...there's Cosby Show, Fresh Prince, Family Matters, Roc, Moesha, etc. Mind you, I liked most of those shows, but I also like to *laugh* at sitcoms. The only thing that should make me think is the jokes, not the producers PC "Leave it to Beaver" lessons.
• I agree with the above comment regarding the incessant self-congratulation of Hillman students. Everyone on this show thought they were some academic badass and everyone else would unquestioningly agree. For instance, how many times is it mentioned that Dwayne got a perfect score on his math SAT? They are supposed to be in college now. Why would anyone be impressed, let alone care, about Dwayne's results on a test that he took in high school (and from what I recall the math SAT wasn't exactly rocket science - at least by 1986 standards). Also, if horrible, nails-on-a-chalkboard overacting were a crime, the actors on this show would still be doing time in 2004 with Whitley and Colonel Taylor receiving honorable mention. Finally, I've always been amused how involved Hillman professors and staff are in the students' lives. This is supposed to be 'A Different World' and yet the professors not only know all the students by name, but they consistently coddle and babysit the students as if it were preschool.
• When every episode turned into some sort of bizarre concoction of 50% black afterschool special and 50% Norman Lear-style sitcom. I believe this happened when Debbie Allen started producing the show. The politically correct lessons and heavy handed preaching on every episode quickly became jaded and old. They even felt the necessity of trotting out Jesse Jackson on one episode just to be sure we all were paying attention. The show's tired mantra of "It's A Different World in (college, the real world, insert life changing event here)" was done ad nauseum on this and The Cosby Show. And I agree with the above poster regarding the show revolving around Dwayne and Whitley - by far the 2 most irritating and perpetually annoying characters.
• This show never jumped the shark. I'm so glad the show plays in reruns. The show was the reason I wanted to go college. ADW took off when they began focusing on Dwayne and Whitley. I can't believe after 10 years there's still so much passion for ADW; both positive and negative. That alone says enough about it's impact!
• It never jumped. A better question would be "When did it become interesting?" The answer would be when Lisa Bonet left. Denise was extremely typical and grew boring after five episodes. She and Dwayne never had as much chemistry as Dwayne and Whitley did. I am so happy she went back to the Cosby Show, because it opened the door for a focus on Whitley. Love her or hate her, Whitley was undeniably unique and original. Personally, I adored her, and cried when Dwayne interrupted the wedding. Thank GOD they re-run this show, it's a total gem. I do wish they'd kept Marisa Tomei, though. I liked her character quite a bit, but I guess she was destined for bigger things. Lisa, I cannot thank you enough for leaving the show. Your departure turned something boring and unremarkable into something unique and entertaining. I have yet to see a show as unique and wonderful as A Different World, and doubt I'll ever see a character as captivating and unique as Whitley Gilbert. I wish *I* lived in A Different World.
• First of all let me say to all ya'll haters that think they know what they're talkin about,this show was too great.Give honor where honor is due.For ya'll that think that they kicked lisa bonet nonacting butt off the show to make Jasmine Guy the star ya'll are so wrong.Dummy Lisa Bonet didn't know a good thing when it hit her n decided to act stupid behind the scenes like on the Cosby(By the way that was the whole purpose to make the show so cosby could breathe betta cuz she was such a mess)and went back to the cosby cuz she didn't want to do ADW anymore which I can't hate her for that,cuz thats the best decision she's ever made.Jasmine Guy had no choice but to step up to the plate n handle her business and did it well to me.Her voice was fine to me.I don't think they preach too much.What other show can us blacks hear good things about us,other than black history month.The 1st season was so boring.They had to make changes n order to make it stay on.And again as far as other characters leaving n disappearing almost every show has that exp.Family Matters, Judy the little sister.I know i'm probably the youngest person that wrote something cuz i'm 18 i know a good show.ADW is my favorite n i faithfully watch it everyday on Oxygen 4-4:30 central n a local station in Dallas ch 7 KDFI.Don't hate cuz it was the only show that didn't have white people running it for all ya'll jealous folk.Whitley n Freddie r my favorite.
• I didn't like the first season because it was really bad acting. once debbie allen became the director it was the best show ever. the best episodes are the ones when dwayne and whitely aren't together, but they want each other. all that juicy controversy is great. During the beginning the show was just alright. it was in its prime during the middle seasons. each and every character brought something good to the show. i really enjoyed watching a show that was realistic. now i can't wait to go to college, be in a dorm, develop life long friendships, and fall in love. During the last episodes it was good. it wasn't as great as the previous episodes but it was still really really good. i love this show. i think was one of the best written shows of all time.
• To the above poster that thinks this show is an accurate representation of college life and can't wait to go to college because of it, boy, are you in for a rude awakening! For students in a supposedly prestigious university, these folks have far too much time on their hands. The show's overemphasis on politics and romance during the Debbie Allen years attest to this. And speaking of dating - Debbie Allen had to make the audience annoyingly hoot and holler each and every time 2 people even looked at each other with teh slightest bit of interest. That's Happy Days shark bait right there!
• When Jaleesa Married Colonel Taylor...yuck!!! Nect thing you know Jaleesa is pregnant with his baby....double yuck!
• Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love this show!!! But I think things went down hill after Whitley and Dewayne got married. I enjoyed their on and off again relationship. Also, The new characters on the next season just didn't do it for me.
• It never did jump. Loved every show and would love it if they brought it back. Silly at times? Yes....but everyone needs a good laugh now and again...and also in a way I learned abit about Black History. Would love to have seen Dwayne and Whitleys kids grow up.
• Colonel Taylor, when first introduced, was portrayed as this daunting, feared, mean-spirited, military badass of a math professor. The show jumped when Colonel Taylor turned out to be a bigger wuss than Dwayne Wayne.
• The episode where Jasmine Guy plays Whitley's identical cousin and Jasmine develops an accent for the cousin role that is even more horrendous than that of Whitley. Also, it seems that the producers could never quite make up their minds as to whether Dwayne is an engineering major or a mathematics major - they are not the same thing! Dwayne is purported to be an engineering major and yet one never sees him engineer anything and he seems to spend all his spare time studying, tutoring and teaching mathematics.
• I Do: Dwayne & Whitley. I know the audience was supposed to be thrilled when Dwayne upsetted the Whitley/Byron wedding, but I didn't buy it. Whitley changed her mind a little too quickly, Byron gave up a little too easily and Dwayne was a rude jerk - it's bad enough Dwayne ruined the wedding and instead of trying to be diplomatic about the awkwardness of the situation, Dwayne storms on up like a raving a$$hole and unapologetically and unabashedly marries Whitley. Just too much shock value and melodrama packed in too little time for this to be even halfway plausible. As with all shows with the all too familiar will they/won't they theme, this show was killed when Dwayne and Whitley married.
• It's sad to say but after it's best episode of Dwayne & Whitley jumping the broom, the show jumped too! But when I saw that smart, and beautiful Kim started dating Ron and he started liking Freddie and Freddie started liking him, I knew it was down hill from there. A show's doom is when the set gets remodeled (The Cosby Show, Roseanne). Then again, all of these are Marcey-Carsey shows. I was glad when Walter left because the only 35 year-old man that spends that much time with neighborhood kids would be Michael Jackson. I liked when Debbie Allen guest starred as the quirky psychologist. But, didn't Jaleesa make the worse pregnant woman? And what happened to her anyway? She just disappeared the last season, baby and all! The writers became desperate and so did the characters. I think once a show shows signs of being canceled all the good writers leave because most shows are bogus their last couple of years. I heard that Freddie messed around w/Kadeem and Lenny Kravitz. I heard Kadeem was bisexual (hopefully he's not). Even though the last couple of seasons seemed to be jumping they did have some good episodes. The whole triangle storyline with Dwayne, Whitley, and Never Can Say GoodByron was good. And that episode w/Lena's father and Jada Pinkett gave the performance of a lifetime, and the episode when Terrell was on trial for calling Charmaine a "ho" and it was really Gina were good episodes. And not to mention the last opening song which was done by Boys II Men still gets me hummin'! Bottom line, I watch the re-runs like clockwork. It was an awesome show and portrayed black people in an awesome manner and I wish they'd do a reunion!
• ADW never jumped. It started off a little dull at first when Lisa Bonet was starring. But when they got rid of Lisa Bonet, Marisa Tomei, and that Whitley butt kissing girl with the glasses, the because a huge hit. When Ron Johnson became an ass instead of a nerd, that was the best thing the Director Debbie Allen could have done. Whitley and Duane's relationship was priceless. Whitley was no longer "Queen of Sheba" when they were broke and she had to wear the same clothes over and over. Classic!
• A Different World jumped when Lisa Bonet left after she left the show just didn't have a centred character. Whitney just couldn't pull it of as the centred character she just didn't have the same charm and deepness Lisa Bonet character Denise had.I also thought Marissa Tomei character gave the show abit of a balance so it was a shame to see her go as well
• A Different World jumped the shark after Dwayne and Whitley got married. It was something a lot of fans of the show had been waiting on. Once Dwayne interrupted the ceremony and married Whitley, the show could have ended. It had a good run for 6 seasons.
• A Different World actually jumped the shark all backwards.In the first year it was basically 'The Denise Hunkstable Show'-Denise was always calling mom and dad,mom and dad were always showing up.Oh and how that HORRIBLE human wallpaper character played by Mary Alice survived into season 2 is BEYOND ME!!!And Whitely wasn't funny at all yet-just a miserable little snot who you wanted to suck a lemon and her voice wasn't in it's 'trademark' sound.Then by season 2 it was the great,clever comedy I still watch to this day!
• This was an ensemble show early on and yes, it had too much Denise H on the phone to mom and dad (who of course showed up to boost ratings occasionally), but when Bonet left, it became the Whitney show and the way they changed her from a repulsive turd to a tolerable but cute snotty brat was just too much to stomach. Oh sure, I admit I still watched sometimes cause Jasmine just looked so damn good in a tight skirt and a pair of stilletto pumps. But I'm sorry--I can't stay interested in a spoiled rich idiot, even if her legs were great. (anyone else remember Jasmine's sad attempt at singing?)
• First I have to say how embarrassed did Lisa Bonet have to be when she was fired from a show that was supposed to be built around her? She must have really messed up bad. For me, the show jumped the shark when Debbie Allen took over as Executive Producer. The show then took on this glossy, phony look with unimaginative stories that were supposed to be racially relevant but were just the same tired stuff we had seen on all shows set at schools. It became a white version of Debbie's other show FAME. And I have to agree with the previous poster who mentioned the very annoying Karen Malina White as being the female Ted McGinley. This girl gets thrown into every black sitcom of the 80's and 90's when they start running out of ideas (except for MARTIN- I don't remember seeing her there). I don't know who told this girl she's an actress but she just makes me cringe, always has.
• Second season -- when it magically transformed into a black show at a black college. An all-black college is a GREAT setting for a sitcom, but why not design it that way TO BEGIN WITH? Dumping the white cast after surviving the pivotal first season just looked like opportunism following cowardice.
• Season 6 as a whole fell apart. The original cast became old "fuddy-duddies" and the new kids were so unlikable. It didn't seem that anyone involved really cared where the show was going this season at all. The biggest jumping moment was when Freddie...free-spirited, eccentric, nutty, etc....straightened her hair and became boring. Why, oh why did they do that to her? I can understand wanting to be taken seriously, but a black woman DOES NOT need to straighten her hair to go to law school. That was complete crap. And also, how did Freddie get into law school? We never saw her applying to schools, taking the LSATs, or anything like that. So much for continuity.
• When Whitley and Dwayne had sex, he became a total jerk. He went from being supportive and nurturing boyfriend to her verbally abusive overseer. He would constantly say things like, "my woman" or "shut-up, woman". He was the COMPLETE misogynistic, conceited pig. He didn't want a wife, Dwayne wanted Whitley to be his child. This was even after she had calmed down and was more mature. Why did the writers create such an abusive jerk?
• I have to agree with the general consensus that this show jumped shark due to Sam. I must've seen every single episode as a kid while "DS" was on Fox 5 at 5pm. Anyway, why did they have to mix Dixie Carter and Sam with Mr Drummond and the boys? There was this clash we were supposed to embrace, and what is more important was Sam's character clash with the boys. He seemed like the odd one out. We wern't used to Sam because before that, Arnold and Willis were the mainstay of the stories. It just didn't go over like the producers planned. Also, some of you mentioned that episode with the Maytag/WKRP guy who molested Dudley in the bicycle shop. That episode scared the living you-know-whats-out of me as a kid. That had to be the creepiest episode! I also remember the Nancy Reagan episode on her campaign "War on Drugs, Just say NO!" ("Hey, wanna upper?") I couldn't stand that smartly- pants girl in Arnold's class, she was so vain, and very PRUDE. I'm still waiting to see the Gooch! I liked the cameo appearances and none of those were shark-moments in my opinion. Overall, the show was fantastic. Great stories; made you want to watch the next episode.
• When Freddie's white cousin came on the show. I can still here the NBC Execs saying, "We need a broader more diverse audience."
• This show jumped the shark when they started showing Dwayne & Whitley almost every episode. It was supposed to be "A Different World", not "Dwayne's World". it got annoying as f**k to hear Whitley's voice every episode to.
• In 1987 when A Different World premiered, I looked forward to watching the show because here was a show that was a spin-off of the Cosby Show and would feature Black college students. However, Lisa Bonet couldn't do it. The problem with the first season of A Different World was that Denise Huxtable, who was supposed to be the star of the show was not the star. Whitley, Jaleesa, and Dwayne Wayne were the real stars of the show because they were much more interesting. What was good was Denise and Whitley's rivalry. I did like that Dwayne and Denise liked each other a great deal. After Denise left, Hillman was revamped into being an HBCU (History Black College or University) based on both Morehouse and Spelman in Atlanta. The first season Hillman was a very well integrated university with white students all over the place. I think the crossovers with the Cosby Show were great even though Denise was gone after season one. Denise made friends but came back home after a year away in Africa where she married Martin and had gain a step-child Olivia. Cliff and Claire Huxtable were both Alumni of Hillman as were Cliff's parents. Having been successful gaining respect in the community and being upper class Blacks, they did very well by contributing to their alma maters and their community. Vanessa Huxtable as on her way to college and it was great that she took a visit to Hillman. High schools, colleges, and parents do arrange for their teens to visit colleges to give them a glimpse of the life, learn about the campus and are influential in shaping their decisions on where to attend. In the final seasons of A Different World, Charmaine who was best friends with Erika Alexander's character on the Cosby Show was transplanted to ADW after Whitley, Dwayne, and several others moved on. The show got better with time, but after Kadeem Hardison and Jasmine Guy' departure the show went downhill but it wasn't boring like it was the first season. This show was an evolving show and it got better with time like Ron going from Nerd to Stud.
• To the poster above: Kadeem Hardison and Jasmine Guy never left the show during the series run--the show shifted focus to the younger characters such as Lena, Charmaine, Terrell and Bumper Robinson's character as opposed to the regulars seen in seasons one through five. That said, I still say the show jumped when Whitley and Dwayne got married and that the final episode of The Parkers that ripped off (in part) of the Different World episodes "Save the Best for Last" (it was a two-part episode originally shown as one hour-long episode) as well as the "We Belong Together" video did a better job of presenting botched weddings than A Different World--if only because the Parkers and "We Belong Together" didn't feature a raving Dwayne marching up the aisle attempting to claim his woman as if she was merchandise.
• The day after Dwayne and Whitley got married the show started getting sucky. The new students were a good addition, but Dwayne and Whitley should have left. It went from a show about college to a show about this married couple with no money.
• He brought a lot of humor to the show. Freddie got on my nerves ALL of the time. Ron was nothing more than a male whore. Dewayne and Whitley annoyed me to all ends with their game playing. Jaleesa was stupid for ever having let Walter go! Then she turned around later on and married one of his best friends? WTH? SLUT! Walter was the man. He was funny, charming, sweet and an all around teddy bear kind of guy.He was hot and sexy, with those damn long legs he has. The shark definitely jumped after he left.
• When they were dating it was funny because he wanted to have sex with her so badly and she never wanted it. It was when they had sex that they became a bore. I was fine thinking they were asexual.
• During Seasons 4-5, Ron was a bonafide "ladies man," but was showing considerable interest in Kim. They were beginning a relationship near the end of Season 5. Kim's best friend Freddie was madly in love with Shazza during Season 5. So why all of a sudden do Ron and Freddie fall madly in love with each other at the beginning of Season 6 - leaving Kim and Shazza in the dust (especially since Freddie and Shazza definitely had chemistry!)? It was a stupid move and the show wasn't interesting to watch anymore.
• The first generation graduated... enter Jada Pinkett's class.
• Ron and Freddie getting together in the final season - who in the hell came up with THAT hair brained idea?!! Freddie was much more interesting when she was flaky, and I loved her and Shazza.
• "A Different World", towards the end of its run, was so heavy and deep into the Afro-Centrism philosophy that I fully expected Louis Farrakhan, of the Nation of Islam fame, to make a guest appearance on at least one episode and urge all people of color to renounce any ties they had remaining with the Caucasian race.
• When Freddie sold out and started wearing her hair straight, and dressing plain. She had been the only unconventional character prior. It was also gross when Jaleesa married the Colonel. I don't care that she was an older student. I'm glad Dwayne stopped Whitley's wedding. But after they began married life, they were a bore.
• This show is easily one of my Top 5 favorites of all time. Not to mention it probably featured the most diverse representations of Black life in America. But that said, there was still maaad room for improvement, particuarly with Cree Summers' character. There hasn't been anyone like Freddie on TV before or sense, and yet she was treated like such an afterthought by the writers. You almost got the feeling that one of them (the writers) must've had some kind of beef with some Pan-Africanists in college and used vented their anger by making Freddie transparant and one-dimensional. Even in the first episode that where we saw her and Kim, we got an entire back-story on Kim (she's from Columbus, her dad's a cop, her brother also went to Hillman, etc.) while Freddie just kind of showed up in Jaleesa's room out of nowhere. And for that entire season her only purposed was to talk about how she was the biracial girl from a small town and discovering her Blackness for the first time. Then they made her into a socially conscious, hippie-type character, but had all the other characters (especially Ron) not taking her seriously until something happened... then it was "yo, maybe we should listen to the crazy flower child." Then there were the times where Freddie took stances that were completely unlike her (the episode where she and Whitley convinced Kim to portray Mammy in a dedication ceremony comes to mind), and again, you got the feeling that the writers were only using her to give credibility to their own points of view. But the show began to jump when Freddie showed up for the first episode in the last season with pressed hair and ugly ass suits. Then it completed the jump when she dumped her militant, Pan-Africanist boyfriend for Ron, a Black Republican (were they f***in' serious?!?!). Did we really need to confirm the stereotype of the socially conscious college student turning out to be just have been going through a phase? Freddie should've been so much more than what she was to the show. Hopefully, the Hillman Reunion specials on Nick At Nite will help undo some of this damage. Because the way she was headed with the show ended, I'd almost expect her to be working for some corporate law firm and pushin' an SUV.
• It actually got much better after the first season w/ Debbie Allen. This is one show that should really do a reunion. Not a Jada, Kadeem, Lisa reunion, but a Dwayne, Whitley, Denise in character reunion show.
• Hillman was always a black school; Cliff and Claire were alumni and black people of their age ranges did NOT attend predominately white or mixed colleges because of segregation. Matthew was NOT a Hillman student; he went to Avery, as did Kinu. The show got better AFTER Lisa Bonet left because she was hippy, dippy and annoying. The Hillman kids were very political because college students back in the late 80s/early 90s were very political. Marisa Tomei added NOTHING to the show and should have been canned right along with Denise and Millie. Also remember, SCHOOL DAZE came out in this time period. Freddie becoming extra-militant is also realistic because I've know many black students who have been raised/schooled around white people, and when they get around black people for the first time they want to throw up a fist and mount a protest. Having said all that, the show jumped the shark in season 6 when the focus was on the Charmaine/Dorian/Terrell characters. Gina and Lena were tolerable. Charmaine, Dorian and Terrell were not. Also, who knew Hillman had not only a medical school, but a law school too? And Freddie did NOT need to straighten her hair to go to law school (although Hampton University would argue otherwise).
• Why can't producers find young actors to portray college freshmen teens. When the show started in '87, in real life Lisa Bonet was 20 -- this was acceptable since the show was a spinoff for her before the drugs knocked her out of the business -- Jasmine Guy was supposedly 23 (although she looked 30)Kadeem was 22 and Dawnn was 27.
• Season one she's a stuck up southern belle, complete with a low-self-esteem having sidekick. Great character. By the time she hooks up with Dwayne she's a farce. Smoky southern drawl morphs into a corny fake twang. Sidekick (Millie) disappears. Whitley goes from bourgie to brainless. Garbage. Jumped the Shark when Col. Taylor's half-German son showed up. Remember Terrence? Why was he on the show? What did he add? What episode involving Terrence would have been ANY different if he weren't there? And what was with that ponytail? Was that supposed to tell us that this regular looking black dude was actually biracial? Why not just hire a light-skinned actor? - I Loved the show but they recycled actors. Remember the 7 More Days episode, where Denise is studying for finals and she's hanging out with that Californian guy...light skinned guy who plays on Y&R now. Keeps telling her to "take it down a thousand." Remember him? OK then you probably remember the same actor on the Cosby Show, tryna date Denise, sitting in the living room in mismatched socks, telling Cliff he doesn't believe in conventional grading, etc. Someone else has got to remember that... - Recycled Actor Pt 2. Remember Deon, the wife beating rapper? In the final season, he not only comes back to terrorize Gina (Until Billy Dee Williams the Landlord chases him away) BUT he also dresses up like a nerd and becomes a French Tutor in the "Je 'appelle Imma Fail!" episode. Whatup with that?
• A Different World never jumped the shark. but the shark was lurking nearby from day one til the end. always quirky with unbelievable characters. but they covered a lot of ground and spoke a lot of unseen truths.
• I loved this show when it was current and I love the reruns now when I am in my forties! There was just something special about it, but I really liked it once Lisa Bonet was off. I learned a lot from it.

[TMC]

What likely hurt ADW was when it as the old saying goes, tried to have its cake and eat it too. What I mean is that they kept the original cast around after they graduated and brought new kids to the college. It soon became more and more contrived for the older cast to be around - and with the larger cast size - the new group never really got developed.