Director Debbie Allen Wants "A Different World" Back On Air

Can the popular comedy sitcom find an audience in the 21st century?

This October will mark the 25th anniversary of the iconic TV sitcom A Different World, and its director Debbie Allen believes that it's time to "recap the groundbreaking series."

The Cosby Show spin-off originally centered on Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) and the life of students at Hillman College, a fictional mixed but historically Black college in the state of Virginia. After Bonet's departure, the remainder of the series primarily focused more on all-Black college and on Southern belle Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy) and mathematics whiz Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison). The show would go on to address issues that were avoided by The Cosby Show writers (race and class relations, or the Equal Rights Amendment).

Allen tweeted over the weekend, "We need to revisit this wonder arena and get my crew back," adding that a show like this is "missed in TV today." "Can I get an Amen?" she asked her multitude of followers. "[If] I get enough amen's maybe Bill Cosby, Marcy [Carsey], and Tom [Werner] will let us put Hillman back on the block."

A Different World aired on NBC from 1987 to 1993 and quickly rose to prominence in African American households becoming the #2 ranked show, according to the Museum of Broadcast Communications. Allen based most of the show on her days at Howard University.

Would an updated version of A Different World appeal to a new generation?

Props: The Grio