Hillman is back in session. On September 21, Netflix celebrated its new A Different World series with a screening at the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College in Atlanta. The night also kicked off the Morehouse College Human Rights Film Festival.

In true HBCU fashion, the evening opened with a show. Morehouse’s “House of Funk” marching band, the “Mahogany N Motion” dance team, and members of the Divine Nine, including Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., Iota Phi Theta and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., set the tone before guests settled in for the first two episodes.

Old Faces, New Class

The new generation of Hillman was out in force: Maleah Joi Moon (Deborah Wayne), Alijah Kai (Rashida Duvall), Cornell Young IV (Shaquille Johnson), Jordan Aaron Hall (Amir Rodale), Kennedi Reece (Hazel Henry) and Chibuikem Uche (Kojo Achebe).

They were joined by the legends who made the original a classic: Jasmine Guy (Whitley Gilbert), Darryl M. Bell (Ron Johnson) and Cree Summer (Freddie Brooks). Creator and showrunner Felicia Pride, executive producer and director Debbie Allen, and executive producers Tom Werner, Reggie Rock Bythewood, Gina Prince Bythewood and Mandy Summers were also on hand.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Summer Walker, Tichina Arnold (who plays Darlene Duvall), Taylor Polidore Williams, Devon Franklin, Lex P and Drea Nicole also came out. After the screening, guests headed to White Oak for a reception celebrating the series.

The Road to Hillman

The Atlanta stop was the finale of the cast’s nationwide “Road to Hillman” College Tour, which visited Prairie View A&M University in Houston, Chicago State University, Howard University in Washington, D.C., and Hampton University in Virginia.

What the New Series Is About

The new A Different World brings a fresh class to Hillman College. At its center is Deborah Wayne, Whitley and Dwayne’s lovingly sheltered youngest daughter: a free spirit with a flair for the spotlight and a big heart who is still figuring out her own path.

Her classmates reflect the full range of Black campus life. Rashida is a first gen criminal justice major. Shaquille is a five star athlete who chose legacy. Amir is a sharp psych major who is better at fixing everyone else’s problems than his own. Hazel is a church raised small town girl defining her own values, and Kojo is a Ghanaian Nigerian fashion entrepreneur finding the courage to follow his vision. Whitley, Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison), Freddie and Ron all return.

Set against the rituals, humor and nuances of HBCU life, the series is a hopeful dramedy centered on the richness and complexity of the Black experience. Debbie Allen directed the premiere episode, with Tiffany Johnson, Angela Barnes, Nefertite Nguvu and Bille Woodruff directing the rest of the season. Derryck “Big Tank” Thornton serves as music supervisor.

All 10 half hour episodes of A Different World are streaming now on Netflix.