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.
Thursday, January 1
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, January 1
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, January 1
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, January 1
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, January 1
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.
Thursday, January 1
Love Thy Neighbor
Season 4 • Episode 8
Dwayne and Whitley finally commit themselves to a relationship.
Thursday, January 1
Time Keeps on Slippin'
Season 4 • Episode 9
Dwayne's preoccupation with Whitley affects his grades; Ron and Freddie plan a video.
Thursday, January 1
The Apple Doesn't Fall
Season 4 • Episode 10
Ron considers a career decision; Terrance thinks his father should reject an offer.
Thursday, January 1
War and Peace
Season 4 • Episode 12
Emotions run high as Dwayne's classmates send their friend Zelmer to the Persian Gulf.
Thursday, January 1
Ex-Communication or Fiance What?
Season 4 • Episode 13
Whitley consults a counselor for help in coping with her feelings about her ex-fiance.
Thursday, January 1
Risk Around the Dollar
Season 4 • Episode 14
Whitley needs to replace the rent money she spent; Terrance wants to become a Muslim.
Thursday, January 1
Love, Hillman Style
Season 4 • Episode 15
Whitley and Dwayne argue over her scheme to publish a "Hillman hunks" calendar.
Thursday, January 1
A Word in Edgewise
Season 4 • Episode 16
Deaf actors perform at the outreach center; Whitley bets she can zip her lips for a day.
Thursday, January 1
Ms. Understanding
Season 4 • Episode 17
The battle of the sexes heats up at Hillman, fueled by an article on campus sex roles.
Thursday, January 1
The Cash Isn't Always Greener
Season 4 • Episode 18
Dwayne debates going for the big bucks in business or another degree after graduation.
Thursday, January 1
How Great Thou Art
Season 4 • Episode 19
Whitley ignores her boss and buys a painting; Freddie hosts a radio talk show.
Thursday, January 1
Showtime at Hillman
Season 4 • Episode 20
Walter hosts a telethon for the community center, but fails to get the phones ringing.
Thursday, January 1
Sister to Sister, Sister
Season 4 • Episode 21
Kim decides to pledge a sorority and finds that Whitley is the pledge mistress.
Thursday, January 1
Monet Is the Root of All Evil
Season 4 • Episode 22
Whitley sponsors an art show that is labeled obscene by an outside group.
Thursday, January 1
If I Should Die Before I Wake
Season 4 • Episode 23
An oratory professor (Whoopi Goldberg) gives her class a unique assignment.
Thursday, January 1
Never Can Say Goodbye
Season 4 • Episode 24
Ron pleads with the dean (Robert Guillaume) about graduating; a "roast" is in the works for Walter.
Thursday, January 1
To Be Continued
Season 4 • Episode 25
Whitley faces a post-graduation decision; Ron and his father negotiate with the dean.
Thursday, January 1
We've Only Just Begun
Season 5 • Episode 1
Dwayne buys a ring; Whitley eyes another gem.
Thursday, January 1
The Dwayne Mutiny
Season 5 • Episode 2
Dwayne is not getting any support when Whitley threatens to walk out and his algebra class mutinies.
Thursday, January 1
Home Is Where the Fire Is
Season 5 • Episode 3
Bickering distracts Whitley and Kim from a hazard in Lena's (Jada Pinkett) room.
Thursday, January 1
Almost Working Girl
Season 5 • Episode 4
When Jaleesa sends Freddie on a temporary job at Whitley's workplace, she insults an executive.
Thursday, January 1
In the Eye of the Storm
Season 5 • Episode 5
Ron and Freddie argue and get stuck in the radio studio.
Thursday, January 1
Rule Number One ...
Season 5 • Episode 6
Dwayne fails to foresee the consequences of his tutoring Lena; Ron goes into the cosmetics business.
Thursday, January 1
Baby, I'm a Star
Season 5 • Episode 7
Kim's new-found arrogance loses her a spot in Ron's band; Col. Taylor frets over his age.
Thursday, January 1
Liza Who-Little
Season 5 • Episode 8
Whitley's wealthy cousin Liza (Jasmine Guy in a dual role) goes husband-hunting at Hillman.
Thursday, January 1
To Tell the Truth
Season 5 • Episode 9
Dwayne gets into hot water when he is spotted holding hands with a woman other than Whitley.
Thursday, January 1
Do You Take This Woman?
Season 5 • Episode 10
Dwayne gets cold feet, then the potential mothers-in-law clash.
Thursday, January 1
Mammy Dearest
Season 5 • Episode 11
Whitley plans a slave-art exhibit until she learns her family heritage.
Thursday, January 1
Just Another Four-Letter Word
Season 5 • Episode 13
Ron is forced to move out of his apartment after he spends the rent money pursuing his music career.
Friday, January 2
The Cat's in the Cradle
Season 5 • Episode 14
Ron, Dwayne and members of a rival school share a cell after a racial clash.
Friday, January 2
Prisoner of Love
Season 5 • Episode 15
Dwayne and Ron are suspicious of a new student who attracts Whitley.
Friday, January 2
Bedroom at the Top
Season 5 • Episode 16
Whitley is sexually harassed, then reported as the aggressor.
Friday, January 2
May the Best Man Win
Season 5 • Episode 17
An alumnus (Joe Morton) running for Congress enlists Whitley.
Friday, January 2
Kiss You Back
Season 5 • Episode 18
Whitley's whirlwind romance puts Dwayne temporarily out of the picture.
Friday, January 2
Conflict of Interest
Season 5 • Episode 19
A couple's relationship is threatened when only she is accepted to Hillman.
Friday, January 2
Reconcilable Differences
Season 1 • Episode 1
Denise begins her sophomore year at Hillman and requests a room change, ending up with Whitley.
Friday, January 2
Pilot
Season 1 • Episode 2
Denise finds out that her dorm payment check bounced and that her checking account is overdrawn.
Friday, January 2
Porky De Bergerac
Season 1 • Episode 3
Denise has to live with the repercussions of breaking one of the monitor's new rules.
Friday, January 2
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, January 5
Reconcilable Differences
Season 1 • Episode 1
Denise begins her sophomore year at Hillman and requests a room change, ending up with Whitley.
Monday, January 5
Pilot
Season 1 • Episode 2
Denise finds out that her dorm payment check bounced and that her checking account is overdrawn.
Monday, January 5
Porky De Bergerac
Season 1 • Episode 3
Denise has to live with the repercussions of breaking one of the monitor's new rules.
Monday, January 5
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.
Tuesday, January 6
War of the Words
Season 1 • Episode 5
Maggie and Whitley debate on how women should balance a career and family life.
Tuesday, January 6
Rudy and the Snow Queen
Season 1 • Episode 6
Denise's little sister Rudy visits Hillman and makes Whitley her new role model.
Tuesday, January 6
Sometimes You Get the Bear ... Sometimes the Bear Gets You
Season 1 • Episode 7
Denise's grandfather comes for a visit during homecoming weekend.
Tuesday, January 6
If Chosen, I May Not Run
Season 1 • Episode 8
Like her father and grandfather before her, Denise joins the Hillman track team.
Wednesday, January 7
Romancing Mr. Stone
Season 1 • Episode 9
Denise has a crush on her geology professor.
Wednesday, January 7
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.
Wednesday, January 7
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, January 7
The Prime of Miss Lettie Bostic
Season 1 • Episode 13
Former Hillman student Lettie Bostic returns and assumes the role of dorm director.
Thursday, January 8
Wild Child
Season 1 • Episode 14
Denise leads a campaign to get her streetwise study partner enrolled at Hillman.
Thursday, January 8
Doctor Cupid
Season 1 • Episode 15
Dwayne, alias "Dr. Cupid," takes to the airwaves to get a Valentine's Day date.
Thursday, January 8
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, January 8
Mr. Hillman
Season 1 • Episode 17
Denise enters Dwayne in a campus beauty pageant.
Thursday, January 8
Just Another Four-Letter Word
Season 5 • Episode 13
Ron is forced to move out of his apartment after he spends the rent money pursuing his music career.
Thursday, January 8
The Cat's in the Cradle
Season 5 • Episode 14
Ron, Dwayne and members of a rival school share a cell after a racial clash.
Thursday, January 8
Prisoner of Love
Season 5 • Episode 15
Dwayne and Ron are suspicious of a new student who attracts Whitley.
Thursday, January 8
Bedroom at the Top
Season 5 • Episode 16
Whitley is sexually harassed, then reported as the aggressor.
Thursday, January 8
May the Best Man Win
Season 5 • Episode 17
An alumnus (Joe Morton) running for Congress enlists Whitley.
Thursday, January 8
Kiss You Back
Season 5 • Episode 18
Whitley's whirlwind romance puts Dwayne temporarily out of the picture.
Thursday, January 8
Conflict of Interest
Season 5 • Episode 19
A couple's relationship is threatened when only she is accepted to Hillman.
Thursday, January 8
Sellmates
Season 5 • Episode 20
A car buyer (Jana Marie Hupp) outwits Ron in his new job; Kim hears from a medical school.
Friday, January 9
Do the Write Thing
Season 5 • Episode 21
Lena's fallacious essay on her father wins her a journalism scholarship.
Friday, January 9
Love Taps
Season 5 • Episode 22
Lena suspects a rapper is abusing Gina. Directed by Kadeem Hardison.
Friday, January 9
Save the Best for Last
Season 5 • Episode 24
Dwayne visits Whitley the night before her wedding to apologize for his mistakes.
Friday, January 9
Save the Best for Last
Season 5 • Episode 25
Dwayne attends the wedding, and Whitney realizes that she can not marry Byron.
Friday, January 9
Honeymoon in L.A. Part 1
Season 6 • Episode 1
Whitley and Dwayne tell new students about their honeymoon in Los Angeles.
Friday, January 9
Honeymoon in L.A. Part 2
Season 6 • Episode 2
Separated honeymooners Dwayne and Whitley struggle to reunite.
Friday, January 9
Speech Therapy
Season 1 • Episode 18
Jaleesa gets help from her roommates in overcoming her stage fright in speech class.
Friday, January 9
Clair's Last Stand
Season 1 • Episode 19
Clair disapproves of Denise's vacation plans.
Friday, January 9
Come Back, Little Eggby
Season 1 • Episode 21
Maggie cares for an egg as part of a psychology class assignment on parenting.
Friday, January 9
My Dinner With Theo
Season 1 • Episode 22
Theo pays an unforgettable visit to his sister Denise at Hillman College.
Sunday, January 11
Strangers on a Plane
Season 3 • Episode 1
Whitley encounters a new Dwayne on the plane ride back to school.
Sunday, January 11
The Heat Is On
Season 3 • Episode 2
Whitley's avoidance of math classes threatens her chances of graduating.
Sunday, January 11
The Hat Makes the Man
Season 3 • Episode 3
Tensions run high in the dorm when new director Walter clashes with Jaleesa.
Sunday, January 11
To Have and Have Not
Season 3 • Episode 4
Whitley loses faith in her youth-center dance students when her pocketbook disappears.
Sunday, January 11
Forever Hold Your Peace
Season 3 • Episode 5
Dwayne drives Whitley to her father's wedding.
Sunday, January 11
Delusions of Daddyhood
Season 3 • Episode 6
Despite Whitley's objections, rap group Heavy D. & the Boyz arrive at Hillman for a benefit concert.
Sunday, January 11
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.
Sunday, January 11
Great Expectations
Season 3 • Episode 8
After her father nixes a rock-concert trip, Kim still goes and leaves Whitley to cover for her.
Sunday, January 11
Answered Prayers
Season 3 • Episode 9
The gang rushes Kim to see her policeman father, who has been shot while on duty.
Sunday, January 11
Under One Roof
Season 3 • Episode 11
Whitley misinterprets an invitation to stay at the dean's house for a weekend.
Monday, January 12
If Only for One Night
Season 1 • Episode 20
Dwayne's date with Denise is interrupted when a despondent Whitley shows up.
Monday, January 12
Dr. War Is Hell
Season 2 • Episode 1
Jaleesa and Whitley have new roommates; Dwayne tries to avoid a dreaded course.
Monday, January 12
Two Gentlemen of Hillman
Season 2 • Episode 2
Dwayne and Ron's friendship is strained when they work together on a research paper.
Monday, January 12
Some Enchanted Late Afternoon
Season 2 • Episode 3
Walter and Jaleesa are apprehensive about starting a romantic relationship.
Tuesday, January 13
Dream Lover
Season 2 • Episode 4
Whitley is upset by the romantic dreams she has been having about Dwayne.
Tuesday, January 13
Three Girls Three
Season 2 • Episode 5
Jaleesa and Whitley are given the chance to become back-up singers for Gladys Knight.
Tuesday, January 13
If You Like Pilgrim Coladas
Season 2 • Episode 6
Whitley takes a homesick Kim to a restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner.
Tuesday, January 13
A Stepping Stone
Season 2 • Episode 7
Whitley wants to be the team leader in an interdormitory step competition.
Wednesday, January 14
Life With Father
Season 2 • Episode 8
Dwayne falls for his calculus teacher's (Glynn Turman) daughter.
Wednesday, January 14
All's Fair
Season 2 • Episode 9
Whitley is squeezed out when Kim's boyfriend (Brian Wesley Thomas) monopolizes their room.
Wednesday, January 14
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, January 14
It Happened One Night
Season 2 • Episode 11
Whitley offers her support to Kim when she fears that she may be pregnant.
Thursday, January 15
I've Got the Muse in Me
Season 2 • Episode 12
Freddie turns to alcohol when she lacks inspiration in her writing.
Thursday, January 15
Risky Business
Season 2 • Episode 13
Clair Huxtable (Phylicia Rashad) gives a business etiquette seminar at Hillman.
Thursday, January 15
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, January 15
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, January 15
Interior Desecration or Sofa, So Good
Season 6 • Episode 3
Whitley and Dwayne try to combine their possessions in the new apartment.
Thursday, January 15
Somebody Say Ho!
Season 6 • Episode 4
Terrell is charged with verbally abusing Charmaine in Dwayne's class.
Thursday, January 15
Really Gross Anatomy
Season 6 • Episode 5
Kim gets sick dissecting her first cadaver.
Thursday, January 15
Don't Count Your Chickens Before They're Axed
Season 6 • Episode 6
Whitley persuades Dwayne to buy an expensive painting, then loses her job.
Thursday, January 15
The Little Mister
Season 6 • Episode 7
In Dwayne's dream, Whitley is running for president against other women.
Thursday, January 15
Baby, It's Cold Outside
Season 6 • Episode 8
Whitley phones Montel Williams for marital advice.
Thursday, January 15
Faith, Hope & Charity
Season 6 • Episode 9
Dwayne's mother, Mrs. Gilbert and her date go to the Waynes' for Thanksgiving.
Thursday, January 15
Faith, Hope & Charity
Season 6 • Episode 10
Dwayne's mother, Mrs. Gilbert and her date go to the Waynes' for Thanksgiving.
Friday, January 16
The Original Teacher
Season 6 • Episode 11
Dwayne tries to dissuade rival gang members from giving up on their friendship.
Friday, January 16
Occupational Hazards
Season 6 • Episode 12
Whitley files for unemployment and encounters an officious claims officer (Alaina Reed-Hall).
Friday, January 16
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.
Friday, January 16
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.
Friday, January 16
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.
Friday, January 16
Lean on Me
Season 6 • Episode 19
Dwayne learns an ex-flame will interview him for a coveted summer job.
Friday, January 16
It's Greek to Me
Season 2 • Episode 16
Dwayne and Ron's friendship is strained after they pledge a fraternity.
Friday, January 16
The Thing About Women
Season 2 • Episode 17
Walter becomes jealous when Jaleesa's ex husband, Lamar, shows up.
Friday, January 16
High Anxiety
Season 2 • Episode 18
Kim takes on too many responsibilities; Mr. Gaines moves in with Col. Taylor.
Friday, January 16
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.
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