The new freshman class of Hillman College just gave Jasmine Guy her flowers — and the moment happened right here in Atlanta.
Netflix dropped an emotional clip this week of the incoming cast of its A Different World sequel surrounding Guy with white roses, hugs, and words of gratitude. Guy, who created the iconic Southern belle Whitley Gilbert-Wayne, is visibly moved, dabbing her eyes as the young actors tell her she is “such a light,” that her energy on set matters every day, and that they love her.
The video captures more than a nice on-set surprise. It is a passing of the torch that unfolded on the real campuses that helped inspire the original show — and now serve as its new home.
Hillman, rebuilt in the Atlanta University Center
The sequel, which premieres September 24, 2026 — exactly 39 years after the original series debuted — follows Deborah Wayne (Tony winner Maleah Joi Moon), the youngest daughter of Whitley and Dwayne Wayne. She arrives at Hillman as a free-spirited artist trying to step out of her parents’ long shadow.
This time, Hillman is not a soundstage recreation. Production filmed across the Atlanta University Center — Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College — from February through May 2026. “Hillman College” signs went up on the Clark Atlanta campus last year, and university president George T. French Jr. called the sight “beautiful.”
Showrunner Felicia Pride, who lives in Atlanta, said shooting at the AUC gave the series texture the original multi-camera sitcom could never achieve. About 59 to 70 percent of the background performers are actual HBCU students or alumni from those schools. Guy herself noted the excitement on set: “All these young people are so excited to be a part of the show.”
The original series used some Spelman exteriors, but the new version lives on those quads, in those cafeterias, and among the students who walk those paths every day
Why Atlanta was the only choice
Atlanta has long been the “Hollywood of the South,” and this production leaned into that identity in a way that feels personal. The original A Different World is credited with helping boost HBCU enrollment by 26 percent during its run. Bringing the sequel to the AUC — the same cluster of schools that influenced the writers decades ago — closes a circle.55
Pride and executive producer Debbie Allen (who directed the original series and helms three episodes of the new one, including the premiere) wanted authenticity over nostalgia. The result is a single-camera show that can actually show campus life instead of suggesting it. Local extras, local talent, and the daily rhythm of Atlanta’s HBCU community are baked into the production.
Guy has stayed connected to the city. The original cast launched its 2024 HBCU tour at the Atlanta University Center. She recently led an acting masterclass in Atlanta tied to the new series. The city that helped shape Hillman on screen is now shaping its next chapter in real life.
The new class and the legends in the room
In the Netflix video, the freshmen — including Moon as Deborah, Alijah Kai as Rashida, Cornell Young IV as Shaquille (Ron Johnson’s son), Jordan Aaron Hall as Amir, Kennedi Reece as Hazel, and Chibuikem Uche as Kojo — stand around Guy and other returning originals. Cree Summer (Freddie), Charnele Brown (Kimberly), and others appear to be there as well, holding flowers of their own.
The scene is exactly what the show has always been about: one generation seeing itself in the last and choosing to honor it while they’re still here.
A Different World returns to Netflix on September 24. For Atlanta, it already feels like homecoming. The flowers were given on set. The real gift is that Hillman is back on the campuses that helped make it matter in the first place.
