Netflix Brings Hillman to Atlanta for ‘A Different World’ Special Screening and Celebration

Hillman is back, and a new generation is ready to make its mark.

On September 21, Netflix brought the world of A Different World to Atlanta for a special screening and celebration at the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College. The evening also served as the kickoff to the Morehouse College Human Rights Film Festival, creating a fitting backdrop for a series deeply rooted in Black culture, education, identity and community.

Before guests got their first look at the new generation of Hillman students, the celebration began in true HBCU fashion.

The Morehouse “House of Funk” marching band and dance team Mahogany N Motion brought the energy, joined by members of Divine Nine organizations including Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.

The performances set the tone for an evening that felt like much more than a television premiere. It was a celebration of HBCU culture and the legacy A Different World helped bring into homes across the country.

Guests then screened the first two episodes of Netflix’s new A Different World, introducing audiences to a new class of Hillman students while reconnecting the series to the characters who helped make the original a cultural phenomenon.

A New Generation Meets the Legacy

The new cast was well represented in Atlanta, including Maleah Joi Moon, who stars as Deborah Wayne; Alijah Kai as Rashida Duvall; Cornell Young IV as Shaquille Johnson; Jordan Aaron Hall as Amir Rodale; Kennedi Reece as Hazel Henry; and Chibuikem Uche as Kojo Achebe.

But this return to Hillman also makes room for the people who helped build its legacy.

Original A Different World stars Jasmine Guy, Darryl M. Bell and Cree Summer joined the celebration, bringing generations of Hillman together under one roof. Tichina Arnold, who appears as Darlene Duvall, was also among the evening’s attendees.

Behind the series, creator, showrunner and executive producer Felicia Pride attended alongside executive producer and director Debbie Allen and executive producers Tom Werner, Reggie Rock Bythewood, Gina Prince-Bythewood and Mandy Summers.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Summer Walker, Taylor Polidore Williams, DeVon Franklin, Lex P and Drea Nicole were also among those attending the celebration.

Following the screening, guests continued the evening with a reception at White Oak celebrating the series and its September 24 Netflix debut.

The Road to Hillman Ends in Atlanta

The Morehouse celebration marked the culmination of the cast’s nationwide “Road to Hillman” College Tour, which intentionally brought the series directly to college communities before its premiere.

The tour traveled to Prairie View A&M University in Houston, Chicago State University in Chicago, Howard University in Washington, D.C., and Hampton University in Virginia before making its final stop at Morehouse College in Atlanta.

For a show so closely associated with the HBCU experience, taking A Different World directly to college campuses provided an opportunity to connect the legacy of the original series with the generation now preparing to experience Hillman for themselves.

Welcome Back to Hillman

Netflix’s A Different World centers on Deborah Wayne, played by Maleah Joi Moon, the youngest daughter of Whitley Gilbert and Dwayne Wayne.

Lovingly sheltered and still discovering her own direction, Deborah arrives at Hillman as a free spirit with a big personality, a big heart and plenty to learn about who she is outside of the world created for her by her parents.

Her journey introduces viewers to a new group of students representing different experiences across Black life.

Rashida Duvall is a first-generation criminal justice major, while Shaquille Johnson arrives as a five-star athlete navigating his own relationship with legacy. Amir Rodale is a psychology major who has an easier time addressing everyone else’s problems than his own, while Hazel Henry is a church-raised, small-town student beginning to define her values for herself.

Kojo Achebe, a Ghanaian-Nigerian fashion entrepreneur, rounds out the core group as he works toward finding the confidence to pursue his vision.

And while the faces may be new, Hillman hasn’t forgotten where it came from.

Jasmine Guy returns as Whitley Gilbert, Kadeem Hardison as Dwayne Wayne, Cree Summer as Freddie Brooks and Darryl M. Bell as Ron Johnson, creating a bridge between the Hillman audiences remember and the one a new generation will call home.

More Than Nostalgia

The return of A Different World carries more than nostalgia.

The original series became an important part of television history by placing Black college students, HBCU culture, relationships, social issues, friendship and Black excellence at the center of a primetime television series.

This new chapter has the opportunity to introduce another generation to the humor, traditions, challenges and complexities of the HBCU experience while allowing longtime viewers to see familiar characters years later.

Set against the rituals and nuances of an HBCU, the new A Different World is positioned as a hopeful dramedy centered unapologetically on the richness and complexity of the Black experience.

The series comes from creator, showrunner, writer and executive producer Felicia Pride, with Debbie Allen serving as executive producer and director of the premiere episode. Tom Werner, Reggie Rock Bythewood, Gina Prince-Bythewood and Mandy Summers also serve as executive producers.

Directors throughout the 10-episode season include Debbie Allen, Tiffany Johnson, Angela Barnes, Nefertite Nguvu and Bille Woodruff. Derryck “Big Tank” Thornton serves as music supervisor.

For those who grew up watching Whitley, Dwayne, Freddie and Ron, the doors to Hillman are opening again.

For everyone discovering it for the first time, class is officially about to begin.

Netflix’s A Different World premieres September 24, 2026. Welcome to Hillman.