A Different World (1987)
TVPG
Sitcom
A spin-off of The Cosby Show that follows Denise Huxtable and a diverse group of students as they navigate the challenges of college life at the fictional historically black college, Hillman.
Cast & Crew
Lisa Bonet Denise Huxtable
Kadeem Hardison Dwayne Cleophus Wayne
Jasmine Guy Whitley Marion Gilbert Wayne
Dawnn Lewis Jaleesa Vinson Taylor
Darryl M. Bell Ronald "Ron" Johnson
Sinbad Walter Oakes
Charnele Brown Kimberly "Kim" Reese
Cree Summer Winifred "Freddie" Brooks
Bill Cosby Creator
Marcy Carsey Executive Producer
Tom Werner Executive Producer
Garvin Eddy Production Design
⨁Full Cast & Crew
Upcoming TV Airings
The airings below are based on a generic national schedule. Times and dates can vary by TV provider.
Tuesday, February 17
The Original Teacher
Season 6 • Episode 11
Dwayne tries to dissuade rival gang members from giving up on their friendship.
Tuesday, February 17
Occupational Hazards
Season 6 • Episode 12
Whitley files for unemployment and encounters an officious claims officer (Alaina Reed-Hall).
Tuesday, February 17
To Whit, With Love
Season 6 • Episode 14
Dwayne lends a hand when Whitley teaches a remedial class; Lena tries to get a date with Dorian.
Tuesday, February 17
To Whit, With Love
Season 6 • Episode 14
Dwayne lends a hand when Whitley teaches a remedial class; Lena tries to get a date with Dorian.
Wednesday, February 18
Happy Birthday to Moi
Season 6 • Episode 15
Dwayne plans with Kim to stay one step ahead of Whitley, who wants to plan her own birthday party.
Wednesday, February 18
Lean on Me
Season 6 • Episode 19
Dwayne learns an ex-flame will interview him for a coveted summer job.
Wednesday, February 18
Dancing Machines
Season 6 • Episode 20
Unrest breaks out at a dance marathon fund-raiser for peace.
Wednesday, February 18
Cabin in the Sky
Season 6 • Episode 21
Second honeymooners Dwayne and Whitley must share a cabin with the Gaineses.
Thursday, February 19
Homey, Don't Ya Know Me?
Season 6 • Episode 23
Lena's old boyfriend (Tupac Shakur) from Baltimore comes to visit.
Thursday, February 19
Great X-Pectations
Season 6 • Episode 22
Terrell is caught with a handgun in the classroom; Spencer proposes to Kim.
Thursday, February 19
When One Door Closes ...
Season 6 • Episode 17
A Japanese corporation woos Dwayne for his software; Whitley is pregnant.
Thursday, February 19
When One Door Closes ...
Season 6 • Episode 18
A Japanese corporation woos Dwayne for his software; Whitley is pregnant.
Thursday, February 19
Delusions of Daddyhood
Season 3 • Episode 6
Despite Whitley's objections, rap group Heavy D. & the Boyz arrive at Hillman for a benefit concert.
Thursday, February 19
Wedding Bells From Hell
Season 3 • Episode 7
Romance is in the air as Walter pops the question to Jaleesa and Dwayne asks Whitley to date him.
Thursday, February 19
Great Expectations
Season 3 • Episode 8
After her father nixes a rock-concert trip, Kim still goes and leaves Whitley to cover for her.
Thursday, February 19
Answered Prayers
Season 3 • Episode 9
The gang rushes Kim to see her policeman father, who has been shot while on duty.
Thursday, February 19
Under One Roof
Season 3 • Episode 11
Whitley misinterprets an invitation to stay at the dean's house for a weekend.
Thursday, February 19
Here's to Old Friends
Season 3 • Episode 12
Dwayne's friend comes for a visit and tries to convince him to transfer.
Friday, February 20
The Power of the Pen
Season 3 • Episode 13
Whitley misconstrues Dwayne's beautiful poetry about mathematics as verses intended for her.
Friday, February 20
Pride and Prejudice
Season 3 • Episode 14
Whitley deals with a sales clerk's (Peggy Walton-Walker) racism.
Friday, February 20
Success, Lies and Videotape
Season 3 • Episode 15
A visit by Clair Huxtable (Phylicia Rashad) prompts the students to think about their career goals.
Friday, February 20
A World Alike
Season 3 • Episode 16
Kim is offered a scholarship by a company with South African ties.
Friday, February 20
Reconcilable Differences
Season 1 • Episode 1
Denise begins her sophomore year at Hillman and requests a room change, ending up with Whitley.
Friday, February 20
Pilot
Season 1 • Episode 2
Denise finds out that her dorm payment check bounced and that her checking account is overdrawn.
Friday, February 20
Porky De Bergerac
Season 1 • Episode 3
Denise has to live with the repercussions of breaking one of the monitor's new rules.
Friday, February 20
Those Who Can't ... Tutor
Season 1 • Episode 4
Dwayne tutors Denise in calculus and has to leave the all female dormitory via the fire escape.
Monday, February 23
War of the Words
Season 1 • Episode 5
Maggie and Whitley debate on how women should balance a career and family life.
Monday, February 23
Rudy and the Snow Queen
Season 1 • Episode 6
Denise's little sister Rudy visits Hillman and makes Whitley her new role model.
Monday, February 23
Sometimes You Get the Bear ... Sometimes the Bear Gets You
Season 1 • Episode 7
Denise's grandfather comes for a visit during homecoming weekend.
Monday, February 23
If Chosen, I May Not Run
Season 1 • Episode 8
Like her father and grandfather before her, Denise joins the Hillman track team.
Tuesday, February 24
Romancing Mr. Stone
Season 1 • Episode 9
Denise has a crush on her geology professor.
Tuesday, February 24
The Gift of the Magi
Season 1 • Episode 10
Everybody is participating in Secret Santa and are surprised to find out who they got.
Tuesday, February 24
Does He or Doesn't He?
Season 1 • Episode 11
Jaleesa takes bets on how Dwayne will act when a graduate student tries to seduce him.
Tuesday, February 24
Advise and Descent
Season 1 • Episode 12
Denise volunteers as a counselor during final exams to get out of writing a major research paper.
Wednesday, February 25
The Prime of Miss Lettie Bostic
Season 1 • Episode 13
Former Hillman student Lettie Bostic returns and assumes the role of dorm director.
Wednesday, February 25
Wild Child
Season 1 • Episode 14
Denise leads a campaign to get her streetwise study partner enrolled at Hillman.
Wednesday, February 25
Doctor Cupid
Season 1 • Episode 15
Dwayne, alias "Dr. Cupid," takes to the airwaves to get a Valentine's Day date.
Wednesday, February 25
The Show Must Go On
Season 1 • Episode 16
Denise and Whitley both appear in a play, and each believes the leading man is interested in her.
Thursday, February 26
Love Thy Neighbor
Season 4 • Episode 8
Dwayne and Whitley finally commit themselves to a relationship.
Thursday, February 26
Time Keeps on Slippin'
Season 4 • Episode 9
Dwayne's preoccupation with Whitley affects his grades; Ron and Freddie plan a video.
Thursday, February 26
The Apple Doesn't Fall
Season 4 • Episode 10
Ron considers a career decision; Terrance thinks his father should reject an offer.
Thursday, February 26
War and Peace
Season 4 • Episode 12
Emotions run high as Dwayne's classmates send their friend Zelmer to the Persian Gulf.
Thursday, February 26
War and Peace
Season 4 • Episode 12
Emotions run high as Dwayne's classmates send their friend Zelmer to the Persian Gulf.
Friday, February 27
The Getaway
Season 3 • Episode 23
Spring break begins badly when Dwayne and Ron pick up the wrong luggage.
Friday, February 27
The Getaway
Season 3 • Episode 24
Spring break is further complicated for Dwayne and Ron by drug dealers who are pursuing them.
Friday, February 27
Perhaps Love ...
Season 3 • Episode 25
Whitley finds comfort with Dwayne at his place -- until she mistakes his mother for the maid.
Friday, February 27
Everything Must Change
Season 4 • Episode 1
Whitley plans to tell Dwayne that a relationship is possible -- but it may be too late.
Friday, February 27
My Dinner With Theo
Season 1 • Episode 22
Theo pays an unforgettable visit to his sister Denise at Hillman College.
Friday, February 27
If Only for One Night
Season 1 • Episode 20
Dwayne's date with Denise is interrupted when a despondent Whitley shows up.
Friday, February 27
Dr. War Is Hell
Season 2 • Episode 1
Jaleesa and Whitley have new roommates; Dwayne tries to avoid a dreaded course.
Friday, February 27
Two Gentlemen of Hillman
Season 2 • Episode 2
Dwayne and Ron's friendship is strained when they work together on a research paper.
Monday, March 2
Some Enchanted Late Afternoon
Season 2 • Episode 3
Walter and Jaleesa are apprehensive about starting a romantic relationship.
Monday, March 2
Dream Lover
Season 2 • Episode 4
Whitley is upset by the romantic dreams she has been having about Dwayne.
Monday, March 2
Three Girls Three
Season 2 • Episode 5
Jaleesa and Whitley are given the chance to become back-up singers for Gladys Knight.
Monday, March 2
If You Like Pilgrim Coladas
Season 2 • Episode 6
Whitley takes a homesick Kim to a restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner.
Tuesday, March 3
A Stepping Stone
Season 2 • Episode 7
Whitley wants to be the team leader in an interdormitory step competition.
Tuesday, March 3
Life With Father
Season 2 • Episode 8
Dwayne falls for his calculus teacher's (Glynn Turman) daughter.
Tuesday, March 3
All's Fair
Season 2 • Episode 9
Whitley is squeezed out when Kim's boyfriend (Brian Wesley Thomas) monopolizes their room.
Tuesday, March 3
Radio Free Hillman
Season 2 • Episode 10
Whitley is caught in the middle when Dwayne stages a sit-in at the dean's (Rosalind Cash) office.
Wednesday, March 4
It Happened One Night
Season 2 • Episode 11
Whitley offers her support to Kim when she fears that she may be pregnant.
Wednesday, March 4
I've Got the Muse in Me
Season 2 • Episode 12
Freddie turns to alcohol when she lacks inspiration in her writing.
Wednesday, March 4
Risky Business
Season 2 • Episode 13
Clair Huxtable (Phylicia Rashad) gives a business etiquette seminar at Hillman.
Wednesday, March 4
Breaking Up Is Hard to Do
Season 2 • Episode 14
Couples at Hillman College experience broken hearts and discord as Valentine's Day approaches.
Thursday, March 5
For She's Only a Bird in a Gilded Cage
Season 2 • Episode 15
Whitley's mother (Diahann Carroll) is determined to find a boyfriend for her daughter.
Thursday, March 5
It's Greek to Me
Season 2 • Episode 16
Dwayne and Ron's friendship is strained after they pledge a fraternity.
Thursday, March 5
The Thing About Women
Season 2 • Episode 17
Walter becomes jealous when Jaleesa's ex-husband, Lamar, shows up.
Thursday, March 5
High Anxiety
Season 2 • Episode 18
Kim takes on too many responsibilities; Mr. Gaines moves in with Col. Taylor.
Thursday, March 5
How Bittersweet It Is
Season 4 • Episode 2
In an effort to make Dwayne jealous, Whitley accepts a date with Ron.
Thursday, March 5
Blues for Nobody's Child
Season 4 • Episode 3
An orphaned waif (T.J. Evans) plans to make Freddie's dorm room his new home.
Thursday, March 5
Whitley's Last Supper
Season 4 • Episode 4
Whitley's father (Ron O'Neal) puts her on a budget; Kim can't relax before an exam.
Thursday, March 5
The Goodwill Games
Season 4 • Episode 5
Dwayne is in the middle as Whitley and Kinu (Alise Gyse Dickens) compete on rival academic teams.
Thursday, March 5
Tales From the Exam Zone
Season 4 • Episode 6
Walter is the host for a "Twilight Zone"-type look at students cramming for midterm exams.
Thursday, March 5
Good Help Is Hard to Fire
Season 4 • Episode 7
Dwayne's visiting mom lands in the middle of a melee involving Dwayne, Kinu and Whitley.
Friday, March 6
Love Thy Neighbor
Season 4 • Episode 8
Dwayne and Whitley finally commit themselves to a relationship.
Friday, March 6
Time Keeps on Slippin'
Season 4 • Episode 9
Dwayne's preoccupation with Whitley affects his grades; Ron and Freddie plan a video.
Friday, March 6
The Apple Doesn't Fall
Season 4 • Episode 10
Ron considers a career decision; Terrance thinks his father should reject an offer.
Friday, March 6
I'm Dreaming of a Wayne Christmas
Season 4 • Episode 11
Whitley tries to impress Dwayne's parents.
Friday, March 6
Take This Job and Love It
Season 2 • Episode 19
Kim gets Whitley a job at the Pit to help pay for the car she damaged.
Friday, March 6
No Means No
Season 2 • Episode 20
Dwayne fears Freddie may face date rape when she goes out with an aggressive athlete (Taimak).
Friday, March 6
There's No Place Like Home
Season 2 • Episode 22
As the semester comes to an end, students make plans for the summer.
Friday, March 6
Strangers on a Plane
Season 3 • Episode 1
Whitley encounters a new Dwayne on the plane ride back to school.
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