A Different World Previews Brandy Performing Sequel Series Theme Song

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Posted in: Netflix, TV | Tagged: a different world

A Different World Previews Brandy Performing Sequel Series Theme Song

Check out Brandy performing the theme song for Director/EP Debbie Allen and Showrunner/EP Felicia Pride's A Different World sequel series.

Published Tue, 11 Aug 2026 10:12:09 -0500
by Ray Flook
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Article Summary

  • Brandy performs the A Different World sequel series theme song, with Netflix sharing a first preview ahead of launch.
  • The A Different World sequel premieres on Netflix September 24, with Debbie Allen directing and Felicia Pride serving as showrunner.
  • Brandy says singing the iconic A Different World theme means everything after growing up watching the beloved series.
  • The new A Different World follows Deborah, daughter of Dwayne and Whitley, as she starts freshman year at Hillman.

With Director/EP Debbie Allen and Showrunner/EP Felicia Pride's Maleah Joi Moon (Hell's Kitchen)-starring A Different World sequel series set to hit Netflix on September 24th, fans are getting a look at who has been tapped to follow in the footsteps of Phoebe Snow, Aretha Franklin, and Boyz II Men, to offer their rendition of the classic sitcom theme song. "Singing this iconic theme song for 'A Different World' means everything to me. It was one of those shows that I had to watch every time it came on. I remember the song and how it made me feel," Grammy Award-winning singer and actress Brandy (Brandy Norwood) shared. While the song is set to kick off each episode of the upcoming season, Netflix released a sneak peek – which you can check out below.

(L to R) Brandy Cr. Maya Iman/Netflix © 2026
(L to R) Felicia Pride, Brandy Cr. Maya Iman/Netflix © 2026
(L to R) Derryck "Big Tank" Thornton, Felicia Pride, Brandy Cr. Maya Iman/Netflix © 2026

Snow sang the original series' theme song for the first season, followed by Franklin for Seasons 2 to 5, and finally by Boyz II Men for the sixth and final season. The original song was written by original cast members Dawn Lewis, Stu Gardner, and Bill Cosby, with A Different World serving as a spinoff of his family sitcom The Cosby Show.

Moon's Deborah is the free-spirited, well-intentioned yet rebellious youngest child of Kadeem Hardison and Jasmine Guy's original characters, Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert. The series follows Deborah as she begins her freshman year at her HBCU alma mater and struggles to escape the shadow of her parents. She sets out to build her own legacy – while having the time of her life – alongside a whole new generation of Hillman's best and brightest.

Image: Netflix
Image: Netflix
Image: Netflix
Image: Netflix

Joining Guy and Hardison from the original series are Darryl M. Bell (A Different World, School Daze) as Ron Johnson, Cree Summer (A Different World, Atlantis: The Lost Empire) as Freddie Brooks, Ajai Sanders (Phat Tuesdays, Two Degrees, Are We There Yet?) as Gina Deveaux, Karen Malina White (Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, Malcolm & Eddie) as Charmaine Brown, Charnele Brown (Old Gray Mare, The Reading, A Different World) as Dr. Kimberly Reese Boyer, Jenifer Lewis (Black-ish, What's Love Got to Do with It, GOAT) as Professor Davenport, Dawnn Lewis (A Different World, Star Trek: Lower Decks) as Jaleesa Vinson-Taylor, Glynn Turman (A Different World, In Treatment) as Colonel Bradford Taylor, and Jada Pinkett Smith (Girls Trip) as Lena James.

And here's a look at the new faces set to join the sequel series when it debuts on Netflix this fall:

  • Alijah Kai Haggins (Everybody Hates Chris) as Rashida
  • Cornell Young IV (Doing Life) as Shaquille
  • Jordan Aaron Hall (The Idea of You) as Amir
  • Kennedi Reece (Charged) as Hazel
  • Chibuikem Uche (One of Us Is Lying) as Kojo
  • Cliff "Method Man" Smith (PowerBook II, Godfather of Harlem, The Wire) as Coach Coles
  • Norman Nixon Jr. (Grey's Anatomy, Haus of Vicious, The Ms. Pat Show) as Professor Baptiste
  • Vincent Jamal Hooper (Chicago Med, Shots Fired) as Ellington
  • Elijah J. Roberts (Night Swim) as Jalen
  • Renee Harrison (All American: Homecoming, The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat, Law and Order: SVU) as Candace
  • Famecia Ward (Blue Bloods, Curse of War, Fear Lake Lanier) as Nellie Gaines
  • Dasan Frazier (Straw, Law & Order, The Ms. Pat Show) as Xavier
  • Tichina Arnold (The Neighborhood, Martin) as Darlene Duvall
  • Joshua Suiter (All's Fair) as Andre
  • Raven Goodwin (Grotesquerie, Single Black Female) as Dr. Brooklyn Boyer

Original series director and producer Debbie Allen is returning as executive producer and will direct three episodes (including the series opener). Original series writers Reggie Rock Bythewood (Get on the Bus, Swagger) and Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Woman King, Love & Basketball) return as executive producers, alongside Mandy Summers (That '90s Show, The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh) and Tom Werner (The Connors, Rosanne, A Different World).

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