Spoiler alert: Spoilers for A Different World Season 1 follow. Netflix’s reboot of A Different World is officially available for streaming, and as the binge-watcher I am, Season 2 is already on my radar. Originally a coming-of-age show in the late ‘80s through the early ‘90s, the original A Different World was iconic for its time, and the sequel series that’s now on Netflix will surely be similar. And speaking of the original — there was one original cast member that could potentially show up in the next season of the sequel series: Denise Huxtable, aka Lisa Bonet.
Those who watched the original A Different World know that it was created to fit into NBC’s The Cosby Show’s universe, where it followed the Huxtable family’s second-oldest daughter — Denise Huxtable, played by Lisa Bonet — as she navigated life on campus as a sophomore at Hillman College.
Though that’s how it began, that is not how it ended, with Bonet making a quick exit before Season 2 of the original sitcom aired. What sparked confusion back then is now in the new fans’ line of vision, thanks to a major plot twist at the end of the reboot.
In a love triangle that haunts the entire season, we watch main character Deborah Wayne (daughter of the original show’s characters Dwayne and Whitley) be pursued by two men, Shaquille and Ellington. With both having good and bad qualities, it is definitely up for debate who we want to see her end up with.
What makes her longtime situationship with Shaquille funny is that he is the son of Ron Johnson, the comedic relief in a lot of the original show, and also Dwayne’s best friend. With that knowledge being voluntarily offered, fans didn’t even think to question where Ellington came from, or even what his last name was.
Then enters the plot twist that fans (old and new) did not see coming. In the final episode, when asked about his last name, Ellington said it was Kendall. (For a little clarification, in The Cosby Show, Denise Huxtable marries U.S. Navy Lieutenant Martin Kendall.) So when Ellington said Kendall, Dwayne and Whitley Wayne both had a follow-up question: “Any relation to Denise Kendall?” What came next was the answer fans needed: “She goes by Huxtable now, but yes, that’s my mom.”
After a season full of surprise visits from the original cast, fans have their own question: Is Lisa Bonet making a return to A Different World for Season 2 of the reboot?
Though Lisa Bonet has remained quiet on anything related to the show, showrunner Felicia Pride gave fans a sliver of hope in an interview done with Entertainment Weekly. When Pride was asked, “Considering it all started as a Cosby Show spinoff that followed her character to college, Lisa Bonet has to be the white whale now, right?” she said, “Huge! When you see the ending [of Season 1], you’ll know we’re trying.” This definitely gives fans the impression that the invitation for Bonet to join the show is there.
It’s not an easy task to take a classic hit like NBC’s A Different World and modernize it while paying homage to what the original show was all about, but Pride and Debbie Allen (the executive producer of both the original and sequel) took on the challenge, and if you ask me, this is one of the best reboots I’ve seen in a long time. From scenes that only OG fans would understand to important topics surrounding struggles Gen Z faces in this political climate, this production team understood the assignment.
With no further comments on whether we will see a future Lisa Bonet cameo, fans will have to wait for Season 2 (once greenlit) to find out.