Following its long-awaited debut on Netflix 39 years to the day after the original series first aired, the new A Different World sequel series has claimed the No. 1 spot on the streamer.

While audiences have tuned in for the nostalgic return to Hillman College, showrunner and executive producer Felicia Pride was intentional about how the world was brought back to life, making structural choices on set and behind the camera that prioritized authentic representation, talent pipelines, and community support from day one.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Pride opened up about the pressure of taking on such an iconic legacy project. “If I knew how hard it was going to be, I would not have done it,” Pride admitted. “There’s a lot of managing those stakes and anxiety and everything around those stakes. Also, finding the show for a new generation and being clear on that was very challenging.”

To anchor the series, Pride drew on her background as an impact producer to build a production that reflected the culture on and off the screen, treating diversity as a structural commitment rather than a checklist. “We had an all-Black writers room: seven writers plus myself, plus our support staff. About half of the room went to HBCUs, a lot of D9 [Divine Nine sorority and fraternity] representation,” Pride told the outlet. “We had an all-Black directing team that were all women and queer.”

That commitment extended to current students through sustained community partnerships. “Because of my days as an impact producer and the idea of co-creation, I pitched the idea to Netflix to have this HBCU council who will help us with questions we have and we can run things by them,” Pride explained. “So we had a council of current HBCU students across various HBCUs… We were able to hear about their experiences and ask them macro and micro questions.”

The advisory model was replicated on set in Atlanta. “We had students from the AUC [Atlanta University Center] who were our onset HBCU council,” Pride shared, noting that filming across the real campuses of Spelman College, Morehouse College, and Clark Atlanta University grounded the show’s texture. Pride also partnered with Netflix’s Next Step initiative to hire current HBCU students as production assistants, a move designed to create a direct pipeline into union film jobs. She also shared that 59% of the series’ background actors were HBCU students and alumni.

Pride also addressed early online skeptics who questioned reviving the beloved sitcom, standing firmly by the project’s purpose and its impact for Black creators.

“This is a show that was created by a Black woman and has this powerhouse executive producer of Debbie Allen. We have hired a young Black cast. A lot of them, this is their first opportunity. We had an all-Black writer’s room and an all-Black directing team that were all women and queer. We had a Black DP, Black costume designer, Black production designer, Black gaffer. We hired so many HBCU students across the board. You mad at that? We get a new Black show, and you’re mad? We’re not the same.”

She added, “When we say we care about Black people and we care about Black work, we’re not the same… I do hope they check us out. I do hope they watch the entire season because there was a lot of love and care put into this show by a tremendous group of craftspeople who care about their work and care about the audiences that we’re telling these stories for.”

Season One of A Different World is now streaming on Netflix.

Photo Credit: Netflix