Netflix’s A Different World revival puts a Ghanaian-Nigerian student at Hillman, with an RMD guest role
Netflix’s sequel to the classic sitcom A Different World is off to a strong start. It premiered on 24 September 2026 and within days was reported to be the most-watched show on Netflix in the United States. For Nigerian viewers there is an extra reason to watch: one of the six new students at Hillman College is a Ghanaian-Nigerian character played by a British-Nigerian actor, and Nollywood veteran Richard Mofe-Damijo (RMD) makes a guest appearance. Here is what is confirmed and what is still to come.
By Editorial Team
What we know
- Premiere: 24 September 2026, 39 years to the day after the original premiered on NBC in 1987, Deadline reported when the date was announced. Season 1 is ten half-hour episodes, all released at once.
- Behind the camera: Felicia Pride, whose credits include Queen Sugar and Bel-Air, created the series and is showrunner. Debbie Allen is an executive producer and directed the premiere, according to Empire Magazine Africa.
- Returning cast: Jasmine Guy and Kadeem Hardison are back as Whitley Gilbert and Dwayne Wayne. Cree Summer returns as Freddie Brooks and Darryl M. Bell as Ron Johnson.
- Early ranking (unofficial): CBR, citing chart tracker FlixPatrol, reported that the show was No. 1 on Netflix in the US on 27 September and No. 9 worldwide. FlixPatrol compiles Netflix’s daily in-app top 10 lists; these are rankings, not viewing figures.
- Official figures: none yet. Netflix publishes its weekly Top 10 with view counts on Tuesdays. When we checked on Tuesday afternoon, 29 September, the latest data covered the week to 20 September, before the show launched.
The story
The sequel returns to Hillman, the fictional historically Black college in Virginia. It follows Deborah Wayne (Maleah Joi Moon), the youngest daughter of Whitley and Dwayne, through her first year there. Netflix’s description of her classmates, published by Deadline, lists Rashida Duvall (Alijah Kai), a first-generation criminal justice student; Shaquille Johnson (Cornell Young IV), a star athlete and the son of original character Ron Johnson; Amir Rodale (Jordan Aaron Hall); Hazel Henry (Kennedi Reece); and Kojo Achebe (Chibuikem Uche).
Where Nigeria comes in
Kojo Achebe is a main character. Netflix’s own description calls him “a Ghanaian-Nigerian fashion entrepreneur finding the courage to follow his vision”. That makes him one of the six students the series is built around, not a background role.
The actor who plays him has Nigerian roots. A review first published by Premium Times and republished by ThisDay describes Chibuikem Uche as a London-born Nigerian who moved to the US as a child and worked as an actuary before acting. The same review lists earlier credits including One of Us Is Lying and The Tomorrow War.
RMD plays Kojo’s father. According to that review, Mofe-Damijo appears in episode 7 as Mr Chukwu, Kojo’s Nigerian father. He and Kojo’s Ghanaian mother pay their son a surprise visit at Hillman. Empire Magazine Africa also reports that he appears in one episode, and both outlets stress that he is a guest, not part of the main cast. (Light spoiler: the review says the visit follows Kojo telling his parents he was studying engineering while he was actually focused on fashion.)
It is a small role, but it adds to a growing list of international credits for one of Nollywood’s best-known actors. Empire Magazine Africa cites Netflix’s The Black Book and the upcoming Hollywood adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s novel Children of Blood and Bone, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. The Premium Times review also mentions the 2020 romantic comedy Namaste Wahala.
What critics are saying
Early reviews are mostly positive. CBR reported an 82% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes on 27 September, from only 17 reviews, which is a small sample. The Premium Times review calls the ten-episode length “both a strength (tight, bingeable) and a limitation”, and says some storylines feel rushed.
The review’s headline argues that RMD “steals the show” despite his brief screen time. That is one critic’s view. Other outlets, including Empire Magazine Africa, focus on the appearance as another sign of Nollywood actors moving into globally distributed productions.
Why the original still matters
The original A Different World ran for six seasons on NBC, from 1987 to 1993, and made nearly 150 episodes, CBR notes. The revival keeps the original’s setting, and CBR notes that it brings back The Pit, the campus diner that fans of the original will remember, in an updated form. The original series is also streaming on Netflix, so new viewers can go back to where Whitley and Dwayne’s story began.
What happens next
- Official viewing numbers: Netflix’s Top 10 for 21 to 27 September should show how many people watched in the first four days. The following week will give a fuller picture.
- Season 2: not announced. TV Insider reported just before the premiere that Netflix had not renewed the show, and that a decision would likely depend on how audiences respond.
- More from RMD: his next big international appearance is Children of Blood and Bone. No release date for that film is confirmed in the sources we checked.
For more, see Movies & TV, Nollywood and International Entertainment.
Sources
Share this story
