Jada Pinkett Smith to reprise “A Different World ”role in sequel series
Jada Pinkett Smith to reprise “A Different World ”role in sequel series
Shania RussellThu, March 12, 2026 at 7:05 PM UTC
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Jada Pinkett Smith on 'A Different World' and nowCredit: Gary Null/NBC via Getty; Leon Bennett/Getty
Another Hillman College alum is returning to campus for the A Different World revival series.
On Wednesday, Netflix teased an exciting comeback with a snap from the set of the upcoming reboot: Jada Pinkett Smith smiling in front of a trailer emblazoned with the show's logo and the name of her character.
"Lena James is headed back to Hillman!" the caption read.
Smith joined the iconic '90s sitcom as the outspoken, street-smart Lena James during the show's penultimate season. She marks the latest member of the OG cast to sign on for the sequel series. Other returnees include Jasmine Guy as Whitley Gilbert, Kadeem Hardison as Dwayne Wayne, Cree Summer as Freddie Brooks, and Darryl M. Bell as Ron Johnson, who will appear on a recurring basis throughout the 10 half-hour episodes from showrunner and executive producer Felicia Pride.
The series is once again set at the fictional HBCU Hillman College. This time around, Maleah Joi Moon leads the cast as Deborah Wayne, the rebellious and well-intentioned daughter of Kadeem and Jasmine Guy. The show’s official logline states that the show "follows Deborah as she enters her freshman year at her parents’ HBCU alma mater and finds the shadow of her parents difficult to escape. She sets out to build her own legacy — while having the time of her life — alongside a whole new generation of Hillman’s best and brightest."
Additional stars include Alijah Kai (Everybody Hates Chris) as Rashida, Chibuikem Uche (One of Us Is Lying) as Kojo, Cornell Young IV (Doing Life) as Shaquille, Jordan Aaron Hall (The Idea of You) as Amir, and newcomer Kennedi Reece as Hazel.
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Jada Pinkett-Smith, Karen Malina White, Jasmine Guy, Cree Summer, Ajai Sanders, rear from left: Bumper Robinson, Lou Myers, Kadeem Hardison, Patrick Malone, Darryl M. Bell on 'A Different World'Credit: Carsey-Werner/courtesy Everett
Behind the camera of the A Different World sequel series are yet more familiar faces: Reggie Rock Bythewood (Get on the Bus, Swagger) and Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Woman King, Love & Basketball), who wrote on the original series, are returning as executive producers alongside Debbie Allen, Mandy Summers, and Tom Werner.
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The original series ran for six seasons on NBC from 1987 to 1993, and grew into an unprecedented TV depiction of life and culture on HBCU campuses. It began as a spin-off of The Cosby Show, following Lisa Bonet as Denise Huxtable, but was retooled after her sudden departure from the show when she became pregnant with daughter Zoë Kravitz (the now-disgraced series creator, Bill Cosby, reportedly objected to the idea of a pregnant Denise).
Back in 2024, several of the show's cast members and creatives reunited for a national tour of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The following year, news arrived that a sequel series had been greenlit by Netflix.
All six seasons of A Different World are available to stream on Netflix.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
