A Different World Fashion Whitley Gilbert Dorm Room Season 6

A Dissimilar Earth is the latest rampage-watching bait to bring together Hulu Plus and Netflix -- and information technology is very much worth your fourth dimension, peculiarly at present that The Cosby Show has probably been completely ruined for you. The 1987 spin-off aimed to be a absurd, hip series that followed Denise Huxtable'south (Lisa Bonet) adventures at her parents' alma mater, Hillman College.

The prove hit a couple of speed bumps in the beginning of its six-season run, simply it eventually became a fresh balance of comedy and drama that spoke true to the experiences of immature blackness adults in the early-'90s. More than two decades after its retirement, we watched every single episode (again) and discovered 17 groundbreaking moments, life lessons, and mode ahead-of-its-time issues that show the show's all the same got staying power today.

1. The Nib Cosby-created series did well in ratings -- simply was boring to start

Hot on the heels of The Cosby Show juggernaut, which 34 meg people watched every week at its acme, A Dissimilar Globe did well in the ratings, coming in second to only its parent/pb-in during its first twelvemonth. Simply the tone and overall energy of the show was criticized widely for being boring and bland. Cipher really happened in the start flavor! The second eldest Cosby child goes to college. She makes a couple of friends. Lives in a dorm. Goes to class. Has problem with money and grades. Basically, it was your average start-yr college feel starring Lisa Bonet. Even before the show premiered, it ran into some issues. The writing staff was fired and producer Anne Beatts (Remember Square Pegs?) was brought in to supersede the start episodes with new material. Luckily, things got better.

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two. Denise quickly became the kickoff Huxtable college dropout

Despite beingness i of the biggest stars of the 1980s, Bonet stayed on the show for only one flavor. Yup, the character on which the spin-off was based split after the freshman flavour (with the exception of a cameo in season 3). At the beginning of the 2nd season we discover out that Denise dropped out of Hillman to travel throughout Africa. Translation: Bonet got significant with Lenny Kravitz'due south infant – aka Zoe Kravitz -- but Cosby did not think that the character should become an unwed female parent.

iii. Dwayne Wayne was kind of a creeper in the beginning

The iconic flip glasses, the cool persona, the charming smile -- Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) is supposed to be the testify'south resident heartthrob, correct? Well, not so much in the first flavour. Dwayne by and large hangs out around the girls' dorm room all twenty-four hours and preys on the residents with his cheesy pickup lines -- particularly Denise. It's less endearing and heavy on the creep factor. Luckily, later on the second season overhaul, the character became more than developed. He was transformed into the resident computer guy, math whiz, and fashionable man most campus. Dwayne Wayne was geek chic long before it was a fad, and as the evidence went on, Hardison fifty-fifty wrote and directed some episodes.

4. Season two got a major makeover

NBC was not satisfied with the lukewarm ovation that the first season received from audiences and critics. Thus, major changes were in order for season ii. Enter Debbie Allen, the mastermind behind Fame — and Cosby matriarch Phylicia Rashad's real-life sister. As producer, she added some new flavour and freshness by introducing stories that mirrored her experiences as a college educatee at the predominantly blackness Howard University in Washington, D.C.. She fabricated the show more than youthful, topical, and authentic.

With Bonet and Marisa Tomei's exits, a new batch of characters were introduced into the mix including the hippy soul sis Freddie (Cree Summer), overachieving med educatee Kimberly (Charnele Brown) and Lou Myers as the all-knowing, no-nonsense cook, Mr. Gaines. Wannabe playboy Ron (Darryl Bell) was put into rotation, and and then at that place was comedian Sinbad, who was fabricated a series regular. Every bit the wisecracking resident double-decker, he's somehow withal as damn funny now as he was then.

5. The token white girl did non make the cut

In the first flavor, nosotros were introduced to Denise's well-traveled and rambling roommate, Maggie, played by Tomei. Million Ryan was originally bandage in the role but she dropped out to pursue a motion picture career. Allen wanted to keep the dynamic of having a white girl in a blackness higher, just after i season, Tomei's character disappeared as well. Appearing on "Picket What Happens Live" in 2014, Tomei told host Andy Cohen that she was fired from the show– but in that location were no hard feelings. She said that she had so much fun on the show and that she is still friends with her Hillman pals – specially Lisa Bonet, who is the godmother to Tomei'south children.

6. Whitley, Whitley, Whitley!

When Denise left Hillman, the show needed a new protagonist every bit its main focal indicate. Enter the opinionated, loud-mouthed southern belle with a heart of aureate Whitley Gilbert, played by Jasmine Guy, who besides had a minor office on Allen's Fame. Bolstered by a long will-they-or-won't-they romantic arc with Dwayne, Whitley went from annoying pest to fan favorite and, frankly, she gave us much better TV than Denise. Whitley'due south outlandish princess charisma teetered on detestable, but was eventually scaled back enough to make us laugh and beloved her. She likewise wrote and directed a handful of episodes, and even dabbled in music with her first single, "Try Me," making its debut on in the flavour four episode "Skillful Help is Hard to Burn down." A Unlike World made Guy an iconic '90s poster child.

7. That theme vocal!

In an age when TV theme songs were paramount, the show's memorable soulful introduction was co-written by Cosby, musician Stu Gardner -- who also wrote The Cosby Testify's archetype themes -- and Dawnn Lewis, who also played the most responsible grapheme on the testify, Jaleesa. The song was sung past blues creative person Phoebe Snow in the first season. From flavour two on, Aretha Franklin made the record her own until Boyz II Men took over in the final flavour.

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eight. The parade of invitee stars was intense and awesome

At one point, A Different World was the guest advent destination for black entertainers. Cosby's ascendancy helped the show add serious star wattage throughout its six-season run, including Josephine Mary Premice, Lena Horne, Whoopi Goldberg, Jesse Jackson, Blair Underwood, Marcia Wallace, Robert Guillaume, Roseanne, Tom Arnold, Gilbert Gottfried and Baton Dee Williams. Other legends had recurring roles, including Loretta Devine and Patti LaBelle as Dwayne'due south mom, who constantly butted heads with Whitley's mom, played past none other than Diahann Carroll. Allen fifty-fifty made an appearance in a couple of episodes as Whitley's therapist teaching her and all of the states to "Relax, relate, release!"

9. Earlier they were stars, they were on A Unlike World

Marathoning A Different Globe volition make you say "I didn't know they were on this show!" more than times than yous can continue rails of. Cosby'due south shows oftentimes found unknown actors and entertainers who would soon hit the big time. In addition to Tomei, there was Halle Berry, Eriq La Salle, David Alan Grier, Tisha Campbell, Aries Spears, Dean Cain, Orlando Jones, and, of course, Jada Pinkett (before she was a Smith) who joined as a serial regular in the last flavor of the evidence.

10. Popular musicians were somehow always hanging out at Hillman

The Cosbyverse has ever been known for integrating musical acts into storylines. A Unlike World saw its fair share of popular musical acts of the '90s (and other decades) come up through the halls of Hillman -- except they were actually characters incorporated into a story. In season two, Whitley and Jaleesa sang support for legend Gladys Knight in the episode, "Three Girls 3," where Knight (playing herself) was auditioning for some back-upwardly singers. The rappers of Kriss Kross played two members of rival gangs in the season-six episode, "Original Teacher." The fine funky divas of En Vogue besides popped upwards during season half-dozen as the nerdy church choir nieces of Mr. Gaines in the episode, "Mind Your Own Business." In a non-music function, the late hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur showed up equally Piccolo, Lena'southward more "urban" ex-boyfriend who stirs things up on the Hillman campus in the episode "Homie, Don't Ya Know Me?"

11. In that location are SEVEN lost episodes!

The final episode aired on NBC was an 60 minutes-long event in which -- spoiler alert -- Dwayne and Whitley (now married) leave their life at Hillman behind and venture off to Japan, where Dwayne accustomed a job. Likewise, Whitley has gone preggers! But if yous're binge-watching on Netflix, there are 7 more episodes after that! Confusingly, they seem to have taken place before Whitley and Dwayne move to Japan. Turns out some of these were shot before the finale but never aired. During the heart of season half dozen, the testify was put on hiatus because of the declining ratings, but they connected production. While in production, they plant out the show was canceled. They aired the finale first and then the other episodes later on. Just there were three episodes that only aired in syndication, including the one with Tupac and 2 that featured Horne and Williams. Thanks to the magic of Netflix, we can watch them all!

12. The fashion might be the best in TV history

The outfits make it crystal clear that these shows took place during the tardily '80s and early '90s, including oversized sports jerseys, halter tops, torso suits, shoulder pads, chunky jewelry, done denim, midriffs galore, wide-legged jeans, vibrant colors and prints, accessories of the black empowerment move, and Cross Colors clothes. Everything was cropped, baggy, tied or cinched -- only that's because A Unlike World was on the forefront of fashion. Even Whitley's waspy, high-priced ladies-who-dejeuner posh garb made her a mode icon. And the world would not be the same without Dwayne's saddle pocketbook briefcase and flip spectacles.

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xiii. The show'southward "very special" episodes seem cheesy now, merely they were really great

Every bear witness in the '80s and '90s had special episodes dealing with sensitive subjects, just none of them targeted topics similar A Unlike World did. Each of the special episodes came from a young, collegiate perspective. More than that, they came from the perspective of people of color. Allen produced and directed some of these amazingly titled episodes, which included one where Dwayne rescued Freddie from date rape ("No Means No"); an episode where Whitley stands upward to a dominate who was sexually harassing her ("Bedchamber at the Top"); and domestic abuse in "Love Taps." Information technology was also ane of the offset shows to address HIV/AIDS with an episode about the pupil body's ignorant reactions to a girl who is HIV positive ("If I Should Die Before I Wake"). The special episodes had tasteful balance of drama and one-act that did a commendable task of targeting younger audiences.

14. Condoms could be talked about, but not shown

In the season four episode "Fourth dimension Keeps on Slippin'," the gang decided to bury a fourth dimension capsule. Ron, existence the ladies' man he is, offered to put in a safe. Everyone'south eyerolls aside, this was a big deal considering prophylactic sex was an even hotter topic at that time. The episode was all most sexual responsibleness. Fifty-fifty though Ron talked about a condom, no condom was really shown on camera. During an episode of Oprah: Where They Now?Allen said they weren't allowed to prove condoms – even in the package. The risky content (by '90s standards) of this and the HIV episode fifty-fifty lost them some advertisers.

15. The show definitely pushed the envelope when information technology came to talking about racism

After almost xxx years, the race-centric episodes of A Different Earth remain relevant today. Sure, past today'southward standards, the style producers executed the stories could exist considered heavy handed, but they still got a story beyond that easily could be applied to today's headlines. In "Cats in the Cradle," Dwayne and Ron go caput-to-head with a band of white dudes (led by Dean Cain) later on an exchange of racist comments. Problems arose when Kim dated Freddie'south white cousin in the episode "Ms. Understanding." And so at that place was "Mammy Honey," in which they took on how the mammy classic has harmed and helped the blackness culture. And then in that location was a 2-role episode directed by Allen, "Honeymoon in Fifty.A.," in which Dwayne and Whitley's mail service-wedding California vacation happens to coincide with the Rodney Rex verdict and ensuing riots. The two are stuck in the city amidst the fires, violence and looters (ii of whom, past the way, are played by Roseanne and Tom Arnold).

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xvi. But where are all the gays?

Out of all the social and civic-minded topics, the one that A Different World never tackled was homosexuality. (Maybe we shouldn't be so surprised -- the TV version of Fame also made i of the original film'south main characters straight.) The closest they ever got to a homosexual graphic symbol was a maybe/perhaps not gay character named Cougar in the episode "Wild Child." She was a drifter who wore a camouflage jacket with a yellow equal sign patch -- like to the logo for the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBT advancement group formed in 1980. If she wasn't gay, she certainly was presented as an ally.

17. Remember that 1 time Debbie Allen teased us with a possible reboot?

Later on a healthy binge picket of A Different Earth, information technology's clear the show was an uplifting and positive sitcom of its time. It celebrated culture and taught acceptance in a absurd way that no show has accomplished since. Sure, the final flavour was a bit questionable, simply what prove doesn't suffer from a little senioritis? That said, when Allen took to Twitter final twelvemonth to say that they might reboot the show, fans went wild. Given that Cosby'due south other upcoming projects were all stalled or shelved following the widespread accusations confronting him, this might be more of a fantasy than a dream deferred. But we'll continue re-watching and hoping to see the halls of Hillman once again.

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