All American Spinoff Has A Chance To Do What A Different World Couldn’t
There is a rumor that the hit CW show All American is in the beginning stages of a deal that would bring a new show to the network that would feature the girlfriend of Jordan, Simone Hicks.
Although she’s not a major character on the current show, the initial idea is a great one for fans of The Cosby Show’s popular spinoff, A Different World. The reason Simone’s character makes perfect sense and not another one such as Olivia or Layla is that Simone is pregnant and privileged and offers a story similar to Whitley Gilbert.
It’s not be being snobbish or anything but think back to one of the best characters on A Different World. Whitley was spoiled. So much so that she wasn’t liked at first. However, by the time she got with Dwayne, Whitley was loved by many. Simone lied to Jordan about the baby being his and although viewers disliked her for the actions, it was understood why she did it.
Now she gets a chance to give the African-American community a look into college life that A Different World could not provide us.
A young mother exploring the college scene at an HBCU while navigating through a new relationship and still dealing with the issues that will come with having such a demanding mother and father, Simone was the best choice to carry on the All American legacy.
Related: The Blacklist: We Hate The Idea, But We Need The War
A Different World was all comedy but still managed to touch on sensitive topics within the urban community and beyond. But much like The Fresh Prince and its new reboot, there needed to be a more dramatic approach. The new show, yet untitled, would be exactly what the new generation of young American kids need.
All American has hit in mixing the urban with the rich but now, Simone will get a chance to see what life is like opposite of Spencer James the same way Whitley had to mix her lifestyle with what she considered common folk.
Will it work, well that remains to be seen. But if CW stays true to their teen motto, then they do have a chance to reach an audience they have yet to tap into. A Different World made young black kids give college a hard look. This is what’s needed today, especially in the world of television. Simone has a chance to take the baton from Whitley Gilbert and extend the universe that Bill Cosby started.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
