Naman Shrestha
A revival of the eponymous NBC sitcom, which was a spin-off of ‘The Cosby Show,’ Netflix’s ‘A Different World’ is a comedy-drama series created by Felicia Pride. It centers on the compassionate, bright, free-spirited, and rebellious young daughter of Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert — Deborah Wayne — who follows in her parents’ footsteps by attending Hillman College, their HBCU alma mater. As a freshman on campus, Deborah initially struggles to escape her parents’ shadow and carve out her own path. Trying to build her own legacy, she navigates new friendships and connections with some of the brightest students of Hillman College. The show is primarily set in and around the college campus, where the teenager goes through lots of ups and downs, academically as well as personally.
A Different World Filming Locations
Production on ‘A Different World’ is conducted in Georgia, especially in the sprawling city of Atlanta and the surrounding areas. Its pilot was shot in July 2025, but the principal photography for the rest of the debut season commenced in early February 2026. After nearly three months of shooting, it wrapped up in late April of the same year. The Director of Photography, John Simmons, shared a few words about his experience on the set, stating, “Wrapped up shooting the reboot of A Different World for @netflix . Working with a legacy path and some new exciting actors! You’re gonna be so surprised when you see the new Different World. I loved working on this! I worked with @shawnpeezie who invited me to alternate with him and some exciting directors.”
Atlanta, Georgia
Although the original NBC sitcom was shot mostly on studio sets, the reboot is reportedly lensed on location across Atlanta. In order to bring the college scenes to life, the production team of ‘A Different World’ took over a couple of real-life HBCU campuses, including Clark Atlanta University at 223 James P Brawley Drive Southwest. Many pivotal sequences were also taped on the campus of Morehouse College at 830 Westview Drive Southwest, with the cast and crew members also setting up camp at the college’s B.T. Harvey Stadium and Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel. It is also likely that a few portions were shot in and around Spelman College at 350 Spelman Lane Southwest.
During a conversation with People, Jasmine Guy, who portrays Whitley Gilbert, reminisced on his work on the original sitcom and compared the two different yet familiar sets. He said, “I love that the set design is the same arrangement as our sets. To see a renovated Pit, all of the beautiful artwork and the outdoor patio, we still have the stairwell, and the dorms — both Gilbert Hall and the boys’ dorms — it was elevated in a way, but still paying homage to the original.” He also revealed that about 70% of the extras working in the reboot were locals from Clark, Morehouse, and Spelman. “All these young people are so excited to be a part of the show. It’s going to have a different look, but the feeling in Atlanta is amazing, not just on set. Everybody wants to be a part of it,” he added.
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