Back-to-school season is upon us, which means an incoming freshman class will soon be entering the hallowed halls of Hillman College. Plus, some familiar faces are also returning to the iconic fictional campus this fall, when the A Different World sequel series debuts on Sept. 24.

In the Season 1 trailer, which you can watch above, class is back in session at the same HBCU that served as the setting of the classic ’90s sitcom. This time around, Deborah Wayne (Maleah Joi Moon), daughter of alums Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) and Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy), is the one in for an education — and not just inside the classroom. 

Jasmine Guy as Whitley and Kadeem Hardison as Dwayne

Debbie Allen as Dr. Langhorne

Alijah Kai as Rashida and Joshua Suiter as Andre Tilsdale

Deborah sits down with academic advisor Dr. Langhorne, played by Debbie Allen — who served as producer for 122 episodes and directed 83 of the original run and returned as executive producer and director of the sequel series’ premiere. Deborah initially presents an optimistic outlook on the upcoming school year — but, like anyone entering university life for the first time, she has a lot to learn. 

“It was important to craft a character who’s trying to figure it out, who’s a little messy, who’s a little all over the place because this is a character that a lot of young people can relate to,” says showrunner and executive producer Felicia Pride. “[Deborah’s] going to find her way, and even in Season 1, we start to see that.”

In addition to the usual challenges faced by every college newcomer, Deborah has to contend with added pressure from her well-meaning but very-involved mom and dad, who had their own formative experiences at Hillman back in the day. “My parents have been pushing Hillman since before they knew my name,” she says in the trailer. “I want to prove to them I can crush it.”

Jordan Aaron Hall as Amir, Cornell Young IV as Shaquille, Chibuikem Uche as Kojo, and Dasan Frazier as Xavier

PHOTO BY ELI JOSHUA ADE

Darryl M. Bell as Ron

PHOTO BY QUANTRELL COLBERT

Uche as Kojo, Alijah Kai as Rashida, Kennedi Reece as Hazel, and Hall as Amir

PHOTO BY DANIEL DELGADO JR

Under Dwayne and Whitley’s watchful eye, Deborah attempts to forge her own path, building bonds along the way with fellow students from different backgrounds like her roommate, Rashida (Alijah Kai). She also reunites with a special someone from her past, Shaquille (Cornell Young IV), with whom she has a romantic history. Shaquille is a burgeoning football star and the son of her parents’ classmate Ron Johnson (Darryl M. Bell).

Together with Rashida, Shaquille, and other new friends — Hazel (Kennedi Reece), Amir (Jordan Aaron Hall), and Kojo (Chibuikem Uche) — Deborah will study, party, and live her best young, gifted, Black life. Allen says this is the essence of A Different World. “It’s really great for young people to see themselves on a college campus thriving, making friends, falling in and out of love, and having a life,” she shares. 

Hardison as Dwayne and Jada Pinkett Smith as Lena

It’s not just students who make their mark on Season 1. The new trailer also features members of the OG cast, including Hardison, Guy, Allen, and Bell, as well as Cree Summer, Jenifer Lewis, and Jada Pinkett Smith, who are reprising their roles in the reboot. According to Allen, they serve up sentimentality and answer the questions that fans of the original show really want to know. “It’s not just nostalgia. It’s like, ‘Where are they now?’” she explains. The trailer also teases cameos from more big names like Summer Walker and Cliff “Method Man” Smith.

Watch Deborah make a statement, meet the people who become her people, and redefine what it means to be a Hillman legacy in A Different World, streaming Sept. 24, only on Netflix. Press the “Remind me” button below to make sure you don’t miss your new favorite college comedy. 

Watch the Teaser for A Different World