Meet the newest class at Hillman in first full A Different World reboot trailer

Netflix returns to TV's most famous HBCU next month.

By Drew Gillis  |  August 17, 2026 | 3:57pm
Image courtesy of Netflix
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Meet the newest class at Hillman in first full A Different World reboot trailer

However the reboot of A Different World turns out, no one can say that Netflix hasn’t been promoting it ahead of its release. Over the past several months, the streamer has released a steady trickle of first looks, new images, casting information, and teasers. But today saw the release of the first real trailer for the series, which finally expands on the premise beyond “Whitley and Dwayne’s daughter Deborah goes to their alma mater.” In the official trailer, we meet the rest of the class, which “reflects the breadth of Black life on campus,” according to Netflix’s synopsis. 

That includes: 

“Rashida Duvall (Alijah Kai), a first‑gen criminal justice major; Shaquille Johnson (Cornell Young IV), a five‑star athlete choosing legacy; Amir Rodale (Jordan Aaron Hall), a sharp psych major better at fixing everyone else’s problems than facing his own; Hazel Henry (Kennedi Reece), a church‑raised small‑town girl defining her own values; and Kojo Achebe (Chibuikem Uche), a Ghanaian‑Nigerian fashion entrepreneur finding the courage to follow his vision.” 

As previously reported, original series chief creative officer Debbie Allen returns for this sequel series as the director of its pilot and as executive producer. Jasmine Guy and Kadeem Hardison both return from the original series, as do Cree Summer and Darryl M. Bell. Maleah Joi Moon leads the series as Deborah Wayne, and A Different World premieres on Netflix on September 24.

 
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