Netflix's A Different World Premieres September 24; Ted Danson Joins Elizabeth Banks Apple TV Comedy

Monday, June 01, 2026

Netflix's A Different World Premieres September 24; Ted Danson Joins Elizabeth Banks Apple TV Comedy

Official date and teaser are now announced for Netflix's A Different World! The new class just enrolled 🎓. A Different World premieres on Netflix September 24 with 10 episodes of the single-camera comedy.

A Different World returns to Hillman College with a new class stepping onto campus - and beloved faces coming home. At the center is Deborah Wayne (Maleah Joi Moon), Whitley and Dwayne's lovingly sheltered youngest daughter, a free spirit with a flair for the spotlight and a big heart who's still figuring out her own path at Hillman.

Along the way, she's joined by a new generation that reflects the breadth of Black life on campus: Rashida Duvall (Alijah Kai), a first gen criminal justice major; Shaquille Johnson (Cornell Young IV), a five star athlete choosing legacy; Amir Rodale (Jordan Aaron Hall), a sharp psych major better at fixing everyone else's problems than facing his own; Hazel Henry (Kennedi Reece), a church raised small town girl defining her own values; and Kojo Achebe (Chibuikem Uche), a Ghanaian Nigerian fashion entrepreneur finding the courage to follow his vision. Legacy favorites also return, including Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy), Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison), Freddie Brooks (Cree Summer), and Ron Johnson (Darryl M. Bell).

Set against the rituals, humor, and nuances of an HBCU, A Different World is a hopeful dramedy, full of heart and unapologetically centered on the richness and complexity of the Black experience. Starring Maleah Joi Moon, Alijah Kai, Cornell Young IV, Jordan Aaron Hall, Kennedi Reece, and Chibuikem Uche.

Ted Danson

He's back in the dating pool. Ted Danson joins Elizabeth Banks' new comedy series about a recent divorcée managing her father's retirement home hookups. Apple TV announced it will expand its Emmy Award-winning comedy slate with a new half-hour series led by four-time Emmy Award nominee Elizabeth Banks (The Miniature Wife, The Better Sister, 30 Rock), and hailing from creators Liz Heldens (Will Trent, Friday Night Lights) and Matt Ward (The Big Leap, Best Medicine).

The series is set to begin production in Los Angeles this year. Fresh off a messy divorce, Heidi sets out to secure a lively second act for herself and her kids. But when she stumbles into coordinating her father's retirement community sex dates, Heidi is forced into an unlikely alliance with his girlfriend's perpetually single son.