A Different World - Season 1 (1987)

A popular spin-off of THE COSBY SHOW, A DIFFERENT WORLD followed the oldest Huxtable sibling, Denise (Lisa Bonet, HIGH FIDELITY), off to college at Hillman, a mostly Black university from which her parents and grandparents also graduated. The show was a catalyst for the careers of many unknowns, including Jada Pinkett (ALI), Marisa Tomei (ALFIE), Sinbad (JINGLE ALL THE WAY), and Kadeem Hardison (BIKER BOYZ), and was seminal in its concentration on the daily lives and issues of African-American college kids.

In the first season, Denise struggles with her grades, as well as the difficulties of dorm life and love. Her roommate, Jaleesa (Dawn Lewis), is a 26-year-old divorcée with whom Denise at first has conflicts, but they soon become good friends, along with the talkative Maggie Lauten (Tomei). But Denise and her friends are often at odds with the wealthy, snobbish Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy). Finally, freshman Dwayne Wayne is the source of many laughs, as his persistent attempts to hit on women are constantly rebuffed. This show encapsulates the look, feel, and humor of the 1980s, and holds up today as either a nostalgic trip down memory lane, or a first-time discovery.