Posted in: NBC, Netflix, TV | Tagged: a different world, Dawnn Lewis, nbc, netflix, star trek: Lower Decks

A Different World: Dawnn Lewis on Show's Legacy, Netflix Sequel Series

Dawnn Lewis (Star Trek: Lower Decks) spoke with Bleeding Cool about the lasting legacy of A Different World and Netflix's sequel series.

A Different World was a one-of-a-kind sitcom to 80s/90s pop culture that focused on the lives of the students at Hillman College, a fictional historically Black college in Virginia, and featured an impressive ensemble cast. Initially developed as a spinoff to The Cosby Show from series creator Bill Cosby in 1987, the series took a life of its own after star Lisa Bonet – who reprised her role as Denise Huxtable – departed along with Lorette Devine and Marisa Tomei after the first season. Thanks to Howard University alumna Debbie Allen and other members of the creative team, the series shifted its focus to Jasmine Guy and Kadeem Hardison's characters, Whitley Gilbert-Wayne and Dwayne Cleofis Wayne, respectively. The main cast members who made the move into the show's new direction included Mary Alice (Lettie Bostic) – who departed after season two – and Dawnn Lewis, who played Jalessa Vinson-Taylor.

Jalessa started as Denise and Maggie Lauten (Tomei) 's sophomore roommate in season one before moving in with Freddie Brooks in her junior year from season two until the end of season five, when Lewis departed the show, and her character was written off after Jalessa gives birth to her daughter Imani. Cree Summer played Freddie as one of several season two additions, along with Charnele Brown, Glyn Turman, and Lou Myers. Darryl M. Bell and Sinbad were elevated to the main cast in season two after recurring roles in the previous season.

The legacy of NBC's A Different World legacy has overcome its creator's downfall with its positive portrayal of the lives of POC youths, recent cast reunion, and an upcoming legacy sequel series in the works from Felicia Pride (Bel-Air) for Netflix. While promoting her work on Star Trek: Lower Decks, Lewis spoke to Bleeding Cool about why fans still gravitate to the series after over 30 years (its original ended on NBC in 1993) and if she's heard about any progress on the Netflix series.

A Different World: Dawnn Lewis on Continued Cultural Impact, Netflix Series Update

Bleeding Cool: With nostalgia peak reaching its peak interest above us in the age of streaming, there's the news of the "A Different World" sequel series on Netflix. Are you going to be involved? As a follow-up, why do you think the original series endured as long as it has with its legacy?

The original series first aired in 1987, and the fact is that there hasn't been one week, one month, one year, and 37 years that the show has not been on television. Not just here in the States, but around the world, because it was unexpected at the time when it first aired, it was candid. It was contemporary. It showed a side of young culture that wasn't displayed on television at the time, particularly not for people of color. The stories we told were human stories from an African American perspective.

A lot of the things we were talking about then, a lot of the concerns and issues, sad to say, are still concerns and still issues today here in this country and abroad. I believe the quality of the work itself, the stories it told, and the authenticity of the voices that it was told through is what keeps it alive today. The audiences have been asking for a reboot for quite some time. I know that concept is in development. We've been told that we're going to be involved in it, meaning the original 'A Different World' cast, but we don't know to what extent all of that is still being developed as we speak. We will learn about that together.

New episodes of the fifth and final season of Star Trek: Lower Decks stream on Thursdays on Paramount+. You can also check out our conversation with Lewis on Futurama.

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