A Different World (Nickelodeon, Oxygen)

Spun off of the classic family sitcom The Cosby Show, which broke down color barriers on TV in the 1980s, A DIFFERENT WORLD continued in its parent show's footsteps and opened America's eyes to another world it hadn't yet seen -- African-American collegiate life. The series, which is set at Hillman College -- a fictitious, historically black school in the South -- originally focused on the experiences of student Denise Huxtable (former Cosby kid Lisa Bonet) and her friends. But Denise (and Bonet) left the show after the first season, and the cast underwent some changes under new producer-director Debbie Allen, who drew on her own experiences as a student at Howard University to set the tone for social life on an African-American campus. Main characters include often-snooty Southern belle Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy); studio?s Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) of the famous flip-up sunglasses; wisecracking, fun-loving Ron Johnson (Darryl Bell); hardworking and focused pre-med student Kim Reese (Charnele Brown); and everybody's favorite cafeteria cook, Mr. Gaines (Lou Myers), who doubled as the students' confidante and gave the show southern spice. Comedian Sinbad was part of the cast from 1998-1991 as Coach Walter Oakes, and Marisa Tomei graced Hillman with her presence in the first season as Maggie Lauten.

A Different World succeeds thanks to great casting, rich characters, and the interactions of the classmates' unique personalities; all hail from backgrounds as diverse as the list of their hometowns. In particular, Whitley and Dwayne's intense love-hate relationship offers lots of laughs as the two alternate between passion and antagonism.

Teens will enjoy getting a glimpse of the social workings of college life, and, despite the show's age, its celebration of strong African-American people and culture still has the potential to be eye-opening. A Different World also shows a commendable willingness to take on tough subjects like politics, AIDS, and racial discrimination, although -- falling into the sitcom trap -- even the biggest problems are solved in the course of a 30-minute episode.