Sharon and Susan begin an all-new series of episodes looking at the groundbreaking 80s sitcom A Different World (1987-1993). This Cosby Show spin-off starred Lisa Bonet, Kadeem Hardison, Jasmine Guy, Charnele Brown, Dawn Lewis and Marissa Tomei. It explored the lives of students at Hillman College, a fictional HBCU, and addressed issues such as race, sexual assault, HIV/AIDS and equal rights while still keeping the laughs coming. In 1988, Lisa Bonet and Marissa Tomei left the show and a new showrunner was brought on -- the legendary actress, producer, director and choreographer Debbie Allen.
To help kick off this in-depth look at A Different World , we welcome A Different World fan and amazing “2020s TV Lady” -- writer, producer and author Niceole Levy. Niceole’s numerous TV writing/producing credits include Cloak and Dagger, Shades of Blue, SWAT, The Recruit and Found . She is the co-writer, along with George Nolfi, of the 2020 feature film The Banker . She has also written a book for aspiring TV writers called "The Writer’s Room Survival Guide."
THE CONVERSATION
80s TV made marriage look easy and fun -- cuz the couples were usually crime solving millionaires! How watching every syndicated show on TV -- Perry Mason, I Love Lucy, Marcus Welby, Dick Van Dyke Show, Ironside -- prepares you for a life of TV writing. Everything retro is new again: Getting that first gig -- with Blair Underwood -- on the 2013 re-boot of Ironside ! Niceole’s advice for getting into TV and film -- DON’T GO TO FILM SCHOOL! For Niceole -- and so many others -- A Different World ’s Hillman College was her first exposure to an HBCU. RUN THE NUMBERS: 20 of the 47 writers on ADW were women! SEASON 2 RE-SET: How the addition of show-runner Debbie Allen re-ignited the series with a new sense of excitement and vitality. A DIFFERENT LOOK -- How A Different World achieved a bigger, more expansive look than other sitcoms of the time. So, join Susan, Sharon -- and Niceole -- as they talk Miami Vice , watching 1,000 television shows, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D .,keeping a TV journal, Boyz II Men, dancing with Kamala Harris, scheduling your life around a TV show -- and the importance of not messing up the lunch order!
AUDIOGRAPHY
Watch A Different World -- streaming on MAX. (www.max.com/sh...)
Find out about Niceole at niceolelevy.com. (niceolelevy.com/)
Read her “What I Learned Watching 1,000 Television Shows” here (niceolelevy.co...) .
Buy Niceole Levy’s book "The Writer’s Room Survival Guide" at Bookshop.org (bookshop.org/p...) .
Get Susan’s President Carter play Confidence (and the Speech) at Broadway Licensing. (www.dramatists...)
Help Abortion Access at Abortionfinder.org. (www.abortionfi...)
CONNECT
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Episode link: play.headliner...
12 сен 2024
