A Different World is a television spin-off of The Cosby Show set at Hillman College, the alma mater of Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable. It ran for six seasons on NBC, airing a total of 142 episodes, including three hour-long episodes. The last three episodes aired in syndication, bringing the total to 145.
Comprises 22 episodesDarryl M. Bell appears in 13 episodesJasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison, and Marisa Tomei were absent for one episode eachLoretta Devine appeared in 10 episodes before being written out of the seriesMary Alice appears in eight episodes after joining the showSinbad appears in five episodesTheme song performed by Phoebe SnowComprises 22 episodesMary Alice and Sinbad were each absent for two episodesDarryl M. Bell was absent for one episodeGlynn Turman was absent for three episodesLou Myers appears in 12 episodesDebbie Allen replaced Anne Beatts as the series' producer, and also took over as primary directorA new opening is introduced featuring all of the main characters, set to a new version of the show's theme song performed by Aretha FranklinComprises 25 episodesGary Dourdan appears in five episodes as Shazza ZuluJoe Morton appears in seven episodes as Byron DouglasJada Pinkett appears in 20 episodes as Lena JamesAjai Sanders appears in 12 episodes as Gina DevereauxCory Tyler appears in 15 episodes as Terrence TaylorThe final season comprises 25 episodesDarryl M. Bell and Ajai Sanders were each absent for three episodesCharnele Brown and Lou Myers were each absent for five episodesJasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison, Jada Pinkett, and Karen Malina White were each absent for one episodeCree Summer was absent for six episodesGlynn Turman was absent for 13 episodesGary Dourdan appears in five episodes as Shazza ZuluJenifer Lewis appears in eight episodes as Dorothy Dandridge Davenport, Dean of StudentsPatrick Y. Malone appears in 22 episodes as Terrell WalkerMichael Ralph (who appears as five different characters in previous seasons) assumes the recurring role of Spencer Boyer and appears in seven episodesBumper Robinson appears in 21 episodes as Dorian HeywoodAn updated version of the theme song is performed by Boyz II Men, and is accompanied by a new opening sequence featuring the new charactersDue to declining ratings NBC placed A Different World on hiatus following episode 135, but production on the series continued. During the hiatus, the network announced the series's cancellation. A Different World returned to the schedule on May 8, 1993, with the one-hour series finale; the events in episodes 138 through 145 occur before the finale. Episodes 138 through 142 were scheduled to air over winter 1993 prior to the series being placed on hiatus. Episodes 143 through 145 were unaired on NBC; they were aired later as part of the program's syndication package.
