A Different World is back at Hillman, and this time, some of the family connections go beyond the screen.

Netflix’s new sequel series brings a fresh generation of students to the fictional HBCU while welcoming back several familiar faces from the original show. The 10-episode series follows Deborah Wayne, played by Maleah Joi Moon, the daughter of Whitley Gilbert and Dwayne Wayne, as she begins her own journey at Hillman College. Jasmine Guy and Kadeem Hardison return as Whitley and Dwayne. Netflix reports that the series is now streaming.

But the on-screen family ties are not the only ones connecting the old and new generations of A Different World.

Alijah Kai, who plays Hillman student Rashida Duvall, is the real-life daughter of actress Tichina Arnold. Arnold also appears in the series as Rashida’s mother, Darlene Duvall, making the mother-daughter relationship real both on and off screen. Netflix describes Rashida as a first-generation college student from Compton studying criminal justice.

Another family connection comes through Norman Nixon Jr., the son of legendary actress, director, and choreographer Debbie Allen. Nixon plays Professor Isaiah Baptiste, a Hillman professor known for encouraging students to debate, speak up, and think critically. Allen, who helped shape the original A Different World as a producer and director, returned to the sequel as an executive producer and directed the premiere episode.

Allen herself also steps in front of the camera in the new series as Dr. Langhorne, Deborah’s academic advisor.

The family cameos continue with Imani Guy Duckett, Jasmine Guy’s real-life daughter. According to showrunner Felicia Pride, Duckett appears in the series as a drummer and even participated in band practice to make sure her performance looked authentic.

Sophia Hardison, Kadeem Hardison’s real-life daughter, also makes an appearance. Pride revealed that Sophia can be spotted in the background of the gala scene in Episode 10.

The series even includes another behind-the-scenes family tie: Cree Summer’s brother, Rainbow Sun Francks, appears as Amir’s parole officer, Larry. Pride said the team intentionally embraced those family connections as part of the show’s larger focus on legacy.

For a series already centered on what it means to inherit, challenge, and build on the generations before you, bringing the real-life families of the cast into Hillman makes the return feel even more full circle.

Nearly four decades after A Different World first introduced audiences to Hillman College, the new series is carrying that legacy forward in more ways than one.