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[via press release]

Nick at Nite Goes Back to School When A Different World Premieres on the Network on July 19

Prepare for big laughs on campus when the ensemble comedy A Different World joins the Nick at Nite line-up on Wednesday, July 19, 2006 with a four-hour marathon beginning at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The sitcom, the first of its kind, introduced viewers to life at a historically black college and tackled social and political issues rarely explored on television. The series will air in its regularly scheduled timeslot of 10 p.m. from Monday-Friday beginning July 22.

“A Different World is a ground-breaking series that truly had one of the most talented ensemble casts on television,” states Larry W. Jones, President, TV Land and Nick at Nite. “Filled with cultural vibrancy, the show explored so many important issues of our time and we are proud to add it to Nick at Nite’s line-up.”

This comedy was a spin-off of the hugely popular The Cosby Show and aired on NBC from 1987 to 1993. Set at the fictitious, historically black Hillman College in the South, it centered around Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet), one of the four daughters on The Cosby Show. Denise is constantly trying to adjust to the changes of living away from home on her own as well as deal with her roommates Jaleesa (Dawnn Lewis), a young divorcee and Maggie (Marisa Tomei), a free-spirited and naive girl who also happens to be one of the only white students on campus. Other characters in the series include Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy), a rich Southern belle; Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison), a nerdy but fast-talking New Yorker, his best friend Ron Johnson (Darryl Bell) and Walter Oakes (Sinbad), who was the dorm director. There were various changes after the first season when Lisa Bonet left the series. Debbie Allen took over as producer and director after the first season, turning the show into one which explored more social and political issues. Controversial topics such as AIDS, racial discrimination, date rape and the 1992 Los Angeles uprisings were all addressed, and several new characters were added, such as: Kim Reese (Charnele Brown), a pre-med student; Mr. Gaines (Lou Myers), the cafeteria cook; Col. Taylor (Glynn Turman), the campus ROTC commander; Freddie Brooks (Cree Summer), an environmental activist and Lena James (Jada Pinkett), a feisty freshman from Baltimore. The series also gave more prominence to the romantic relationship of Dwayne and Whitley, who became the show’s main stars.

Currently seen in more than 88 million U.S. homes, Nick at Nite features timeless hit comedies: The Cosby Show — this Emmy Award-winning sitcom is one of the network’s highest-rated shows: Full House — this popular family comedy launched on the network in October and is one of the highest-rated and most popular syndicated programs in television; and Roseanne, one of the most talk-about and celebrated sitcoms in television history.

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Source: TV land; Nick at Nite