Crime
Neagley
Private investigator Frances Neagley digs into the dark truth about her childhood friend’s tragic death in Prime Video’s ‘Reacher’ spinoff, ‘Neagley.’
The trials and tribulations of adjusting to college aren’t always easy. As A Different World proves, a three-decade change in setting doesn’t help either.
Netflix’s new reboot of the series, which itself was a spinoff of The Cosby Show when it first aired in 1987, reintroduces audiences to Dwayne Wayne and Whitely Gilbert, alumni of Hillman College. Now, it’s their daughter Deborah’s turn to attend the historically Black school.
Hillman’s impressive legacy encourages students to celebrate the traditions of their ethnicities and the differences in their upbringings. Sounds like a great place to learn about other cultures and discover who you want to be, right?
Well, Deborah must not only navigate this huge new life change but also attempt to escape the shadow of her mom’s successful skincare empire and her dad’s position as provost of the college. Roommate troubles, high expectations from her professors and helicopter parents are far from her only worries, though—her on-again, off-again romantic interest, Shaquille, is attending Hillman as well. Oh yeah, and Deborah will lose her scholarship if her GPA sinks below a 3.0.
Looks like Deborah’s hope of balancing a fulfilling social life and studious habits must be fine-tuned for the next four years. What could go wrong?
With all the talk of students living up to the legacies of both their parents and Hillman College as a whole, A Different World doesn’t seem to care much about carving its own path forward creatively. I suppose it may have been a bit much to expect a rebooted sequel series—following characters spun off from another series that ended more than 30 years ago—to offer much in the way of artistic value.
To the series’ credit, A Different World seems to winkingly acknowledge that it knows exactly what it is: Gen Z dialogue feels forced, roommates end their friendship over a light misunderstanding and then return to being besties within the same episode, hallways crushes quickly become romantic interests. There’s a certain fun to be had in the pulpy predictability of a cheesy, college-set series such as this. Sometimes, it’s entirely alright when a show has about as much on its mind as a student with a dozen tardies to their 8 a.m. class.
But, while the content here is lighter than some other recent shows aimed at teen audiences (I’m looking at you, Outer Banks and Sterling Point), this sentimental series is still out of reach for many families. Infrequent language is mostly light, but you’ll still find a random harsh word or two thrown in. Near-constant R&B and rap music censors cruder profanities, but keen listeners will still pick up on sensual lyrics that long for a life of constant partying.
Speaking of parties, we see those as well. Sensual outfits and suggestive dancing are common in the halls of Hillman. Both male and female characters ogle the bodies of their romantic interests. Series creatives have stated that at least one character is gay. And, if this reboot follows the pattern of the original A Different World—the series covered race relations and sexual assault, and it was one of the first American television shows to address HIV and AIDS—viewers can expect difficult topics to work their way into the plot.
With all that, it may be best to consider the course load of content before enrolling at Hillman for this reboot.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
As Deborah starts out at Hillman College, she hopes to live up to the legacy of her alumni parents, as well as chart her own course. After a rough start with her new roommate, Rashida, and a run-in with old romantic flame and pro football prospect, Shaquille, Deborah realizes that balancing fun with studious habits may be harder than she first anticipated.
Frequent needle drops feature explicit songs that have the roughest words censored, but those paying attention could easily fill in those words for themselves. These tunes also sport a running theme of a glamorized party life, giving a big thumbs-up to sensual experiences. Male and female characters dance sensually throughout the episode (often to those songs) and frequently wear outfits that don’t leave a ton to the imagination. Tight shorts and cleavage-baring shirts are common class attire, apparently. A few male characters are shown shirtless as they change in their dorm. One male character acts and speaks in an effeminate manner—and series creatives have confirmed he is gay.
A presumably Christian character is teased by her friends for her conservative upbringing. They tell her that attendance to youth group events doesn’t constitute as having been to a “real party.” After she gets in trouble with a resident advisor, she asks if her parents will be notified. Her RA mockingly responds, “No, I’m telling God.”
Language includes a single use of the s-word, four uses of “d–n,” and a few of “h—” and “p-ssed.” There are a few misuses of God’s name, as well.
Characters lie and bribe authoritative figures in order to avoid consequences for their antics. A character claims she is majoring in criminal justice because she anticipates she’ll need to get her cousins out of jail someday.
Jonah Parker’s first interaction with Plugged In came when he was just five years old, after his parents read a review for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and deemed the content too intense for him. What started out as a contentious relationship between Jonah and a staff of reviewers who knew not of his existence would later turn into an appreciation for the site’s ability to present media content in a way that was accurate and fair. Jonah enjoys analyzing how our entertainment echoes the creativity of our Creator while finding glimpses of Biblical truths within every genre. He believes that Robert Pattinson’s Batmobile is the perfect mix of cool and practical.
Private investigator Frances Neagley digs into the dark truth about her childhood friend’s tragic death in Prime Video’s ‘Reacher’ spinoff, ‘Neagley.’
Apple TV’s ‘Last Seen’ is a mature, dark crime drama with a lot on its mind. The contemplative series unearths trauma and harsh profanities in equal measure.
Netflix’s ‘Crew Girl’ is yet another teen love triangle drama filled with coarse language, underage drinking and way too many underdressed teenagers.
‘Dang!’ is Netflix’s newest in a long line of raunchy comedies—a series that, once again, forgets the punchline as it’s telling the joke.